Redundant Connectivity

Submitted by Nicholas Owings, Anthem Broadband

Redundancy Redundancy Redundancy, the word itself is a bit well…redundant, but it plays an important role in the work Anthem Broadband does on a daily basis. Broken down to its most basic principles redundant usually means that something is no longer needed or useful, its inefficient. However, when you apply redundancy to the world of information technology, like your internet for example, it is as important as the power keeping your lights on.

Generators, batteries, and solar panels are great examples of backup power, or for lack of a better term redundant power sources. Imagine for a moment, a time when you experienced a large storm that knocked out the power to your home and everything went dark. How long did it last? One minute, 30 minutes, one hour? Now imagine that very same storm, but instead of everything going dark it’s just a flicker in the lights as the generator or solar panels kicked in to keep the lights brightly shinning.

Proper redundancy is the back-up generator for your internet connection. When the power goes out, internet redundancy keeps the lights on. This is where creating that back up network becomes such a huge factor in internet services. Anthem Broadband is building its internet service as self-healing network that has numerous points of redundancy. This ensures that even if service from one location goes down, Anthem Broadband’s system will automatically redirect traffic to alternative paths and keep everyone running without interruptions.

This network works by laying multiple cable routes across several geographic areas. That way if one line of cable goes down, the other lines become a safety net, your back-up generator, successfully delivering internet to homes while the issue is resolved. Much like a large storm, internet outages are just as unpredictable. Ensuring continued power means planning with some forethought and willingness to invest. Just like knowing that an unpredictable storm will one day occur is what makes someone prepare for and invest in a back-up generator.

Not every internet provider will invest in a back-up, but when that storm inevitably comes it will be a comfort to have a generator while everyone else sits in the dark.  Now you may be wondering why don’t all internet providers offer redundancy in their networks. The simple answer is money. To offer redundancy at the level Anthem Broadband does means building more fiber lines and providing more primary pathways for connections.

A primary pathway that provides major traffic in the northwest with thousands of strands of fiber from Seattle, currently feeds the Anthem network into Elko.  A second pathway  was recently added from Reno. In the next month another major line will be coming from Salt Lake, with a fourth line following shortly after. The new primary pathways will provide a redundant buffer to internet services in Elko, ensuring that service loss is a thing of the past. Instead of just a back-up generator, you now have batteries, solar panels, and wind turbines all acting as support.

Anthem Broadband is continuing to grow its intricate network of fiber cable by tying into all four of those major pathways, providing more redundancy in its network connection and lowering the chance of you becoming one left in the dark. Not all internet providers offer this complex level of redundancy so while it may be redundant to say, you can expect a an amazingly reliable connection with the Anthem network.

If you are interested in finding out more about Anthem Broadband’s redundancy and internet construction plans, visit anthemfiber.com or call (775)-389-2894. If you pre-register now, you’ll get your connection to the service absolutely free as well as be kept up to date on construction timelines and when you can expect to switch over to fast, reliable internet without contracts or hidden fees.