How to keep your internet and cameras running through load shedding

Load shedding does not only turn off the lights. It takes down your router, your access points, your cameras and your alarm communicator — often at exactly the time you most want them working.

The good news is that network and security equipment draws very little power. A router, a switch and a couple of access points typically sit in the tens of watts, which means a modest battery backup can carry them for hours.

Start by listing every device that has to stay on: the fibre or LTE router, the main switch, any access points that cover the areas you care about, and the camera recorder. Add up the wattage printed on each power supply. That number, multiplied by the hours you want to survive, tells you the battery capacity you need.

Then separate the "must stay on" equipment onto its own protected supply. Mixing it with high-draw appliances is the most common reason a backup that should last four hours lasts twenty minutes.

Finally, test it. Switch the mains off deliberately, time how long everything stays up, and check that your cameras still record and your phone still receives alerts. A backup you have never tested is an assumption, not a plan.