Say it ain't so

[DRD]

I know it is fashionable to call the government idiots.

Looking at these two articles ....

Britons should stock up on torches and candles in case of power cuts, says Dowden

Analogue advice given by deputy PM alongside measures to better prepare UK for future pandemics, disasters and cyber-attacks

www.theguardian.com

How will the landline phone switch work and what do you need to do?

The old copper phone network will be switched off in 2025 and phones will instead use the internet to make calls. That doesn't mean you have to only use a mobile phone - but there are some changes coming. Here's what you need to know.

news.sky.com

Is this as obvious as it looks ?

 

[Paul]

Britons should stock up on torches and candles in case of power cuts, says Dowden

Analogue advice given by deputy PM alongside measures to better prepare UK for future pandemics, disasters and cyber-attacks

www.theguardian.com

Good. You would not BELIEVE the amount of Cybercrime that actually goes on - ANY education of the public will be beneficial (Although probably out of date in a few months). (If you are wondering that i mean, read the article.

How will the landline phone switch work and what do you need to do?

The old copper phone network will be switched off in 2025 and phones will instead use the internet to make calls. That doesn't mean you have to only use a mobile phone - but there are some changes coming. Here's what you need to know.

news.sky.com

Is this as obvious as it looks ?

Yup - get where you are coming from.
Told they have to upgrade by multiple governments... and then consumers told to beware for power outages (which would knock out VOIP Lines in most circumstances).
They cant win.

The existing Copper/aluminium network is up to 100 years plus old, and causing major issues (as well as holding back decent speeds for broadband connections). Glass is much more flexible (not literally - Ive been working with Fibre connections for over 30 years!) and the bandwidth is mugh greater.

 

[Calimori]

I am picking up on the part where a VoIP phone (digital) will not work in a power cut.
The old analogue, copper, used power to modulate the system and that also powered old analogue phones. These would keep working if your domestic power went out but hands free and fancier digital handsets would not. The key is whether they need a power adapter into the base.
For VoIP (digital lines) the fibre should still have commercial power to it. In domestic power cut, what will stop is the power to the Optical Network Termination box (ONT) and your Hub.
Both can be powered by a UPS and you can request one if vulnerable.

 

[Paul]

These would keep working if your domestic power went out

Only because BT had rooms and rooms of Battery backup... and all phones the exchange used to do was look for a loop (or an earth on the B leg) and then used to provide dialtone.

Now there's ain interesting thought i hadnt twigged on before. No/Less batteries needed at the exchange. No power to keep up the lines as thats now the customers issue. That alone (power requirements plus cost of batteries and maintenance) probably half pays for the re-fit of every property!!

I note that BT say that they arent reducing the price etc because the service provided is the same - However the difference is that the customer is paying the power for the NTU...

 

[Paul]

Just to add... Call me oldfashioned - but i always have a charged torch (proper one, not on the phone) and candles in case needed.
I do have a 3KVA UPS powering my server that I could always re-route for emergency use only (Charging mobiles etc) and a small 1000W petrol generator.

All "just in case".

 

[johnwhitfield]

Struggling with the government today. One of the exam boards has just announced that to access their exam website in order to do my job I now need to instal an app on my personal phone as well as using the school pc.

Nothing that company does actually works so I dread to think how bad the app is. Do I really want that on the same device I have all my person info on?

Frankly they can stick it up their ****. If I need to use a phone for their system then they can bloody well pay for the phone. I hate it when work thinks they’ve got a right to get employees to pay for the tools they need to do the job they want. I already pay for my laptop, broadband etc. I can’t think of any other major employer that expects you to pay for basic hardware.

Not feeling the love today

 

[Calimori]

Just to add... Call me oldfashioned - but i always have a charged torch (proper one, not on the phone) and candles in case needed.
I do have a 3KVA UPS powering my server that I could always re-route for emergency use only (Charging mobiles etc) and a small 1000W petrol generator.

All "just in case".

I have 2 x 850VA but only to locally protect my servers
Then a 13.5kW battery for mains on a system I can isolate from the grid and still generate solar power
Then a 2kW petrol generator in all that goes off
But I am not a dooms day prepper

Frankly they can stick it up their ****. If I need to use a phone for their system then they can bloody well pay for the phone. I hate it when work thinks they’ve got a right to get employees to pay for the tools they need to do the job they want. I already pay for my laptop, broadband etc. I can’t think of any other major employer that expects you to pay for basic hardware.

The need to do multi factor authentication, preferably on a device you are not requesting access from, has led to a lot of companies requiring you to install an authenticator app on your personal phone. I have no issue with this as the good apps are well tested and I already have them to provide MFA on other personal services.
But yeah, you shouldn't need an app on your personal device, claim to have a nokia 8210.

 

[johnwhitfield]

I have no issue with this as the good apps are well tested and I already have them to provide MFA on other personal services.

Trust me it’s not going to be well tested. Nothing that company does actually works.

I’m also in a building with virtually zero phone reception.

 

[licksweets]

Multiple government problem-reaction-solution theories being proposed here. It'll be for *our* benefit that we'll need some kind of digital identity or internet access authorisation tool / device to help keep those bad guys off the net and stop them from doing naughty things. I mean they really really don't like people having encrypted end to end messaging as we're all doing sinister stuff, and I guess moving over to VOIP will be great for running calls through a monitoring system. I loved working at a corpo company where all the internal calls were sent out of the building to a central server. The lag, the 'I can hear you but you can't hear me' and the entire system shutting down whenever BT decides to have a moment was pretty insufferable. Bring it on.

Energy supply issues caused by cyber attacks and fuel insecurity such as gas and nuclear availability will also be solved by a re-introduction of fracking and more fuel refineries being built. You can't protest against any of that though because we won't want to go through the suffering again, oh and because the police can pretty much deem any protest as a disruptive protest and shut it down now (if it doesn't align with a specific agenda being pushed).

I've got my petrol generator too, 3Kw should be enough to power a few pinball tables and boil a kettle for some tea. Good luck getting access to fuel when these shutdowns occur though.

 

[Andypc]

BT switched us to VOIP after promising not too. Being BT Fibre customers we have been switched over despite no one else in our street having been switched. Quite frankly it was a sh!t show. The sound quality is awful. The need to have loads of extra power sockets for handsets and UPS's that still only give you an hour in the case of a power outage. The fact they think they can charge the same for VOIP as they do for the copper network is insane and the cost of the the required equipment being an additional cost for customers is just outrageous. That before we get into all the issues around emergency lines such as in lifts or in use with security systems. This is just another horrendous decision from the government and one that BT are just not ready to deliver.

 

[Calimori]

Energy supply issues caused by cyber attacks and fuel insecurity such as gas and nuclear availability will also be solved by a re-introduction of fracking and more fuel refineries being built.

The refineries and fracking companies are all just as hackable too, that will not solve cyber attacks.
Most increasingly use Industrial Revolution 4.0 technology because it is cheaper and removes human error and complaints. Many are actually secure but some are not.

 

[licksweets]

The refineries and fracking companies are all just as hackable too, that will not solve cyber attacks.

That wasn't the point I was making.

 

[Calimori]

There are numerous ways to increase energy supply, if that was the point you were making. But you started by saying cyber attacks cause such energy supply issues, so I picked that to respond to.

 

[DRD]

My relatives have lived through the power cuts in South Africa since 2007 ish which are now regularly 6h a day. In the late noughties the answer was gas/ diesel/ petrol/ coal. Those that can now fit solar and 240v inverter batteries as well.

A friend's mum lost power for a week recently in the UK.

As we work from home/ live in a village I have sought to build in resilience whenever doing building work/ specifying kit etc

• Mobiles on three different networks
• Makita LED lanterns that use their standard 18v batteries
• Honda 2kw inverter generator plus extension leads that will simultaneously power laptops, fridge, freezer, broadband, central heating pump, TV, plug in led lights
• Honda will power a [1kw] microwave to act as kettle/ cooker if you unplug some of the above
• Aspen long life fuel (5 yrs) for generator so it never clogs the carb when left for months at a time. Fire up Honda once a month anyway
• 90s merc doubles as 80l fuel tank for Honda
• Home insulation
• Oil tank central heating/ hot water, with electric immersion as backup
• Electric boiling tap in kitchen - also useful in case of boiler failure
• One electric heated shower. They are puny but handy in case of boiler failure
• Gravity fed oil stove in one downstairs room
• Multifuel stove in main downstairs room
• 2 tonnes of furnacite (anthracite pellets)
• Aircon inverter heaters in main room and bedroom
• Gas bottle bbq

 

[Paul]

My relatives have lived through the power cuts in South Africa since 2007 ish which are now regularly 6h a day. In the late noughties the answer was gas/ diesel/ petrol/ coal. Those that can now fit solar and 240v inverter batteries as well.

A friend's mum lost power for a week recently in the UK.

As we work from home/ live in a village I have sought to build in resilience whenever doing building work/ specifying kit etc

• Mobiles on three different networks
• Makita LED lanterns that use their standard 18v batteries
• Honda 2kw inverter generator plus extension leads that will simultaneously power laptops, fridge, freezer, broadband, central heating pump, TV, plug in led lights
• Honda will power a [1kw] microwave to act as kettle/ cooker if you unplug some of the above
• Aspen long life fuel (5 yrs) for generator so it never clogs the carb when left for months at a time. Fire up Honda once a month anyway
• 90s merc doubles as 80l fuel tank for Honda
• Home insulation
• Oil tank central heating/ hot water, with electric immersion as backup
• Electric boiling tap in kitchen - also useful in case of boiler failure
• One electric heated shower. They are puny but handy in case of boiler failure
• Gravity fed oil stove in one downstairs room
• Multifuel stove in main downstairs room
• 2 tonnes of furnacite (anthracite pellets)
• Aircon inverter heaters in main room and bedroom
• Gas bottle bbq

None of which will be much use when the horde arrive.....



Thing is - you can only mitigate against things you know will happen. Governments/power companies have been threatening power outages etc for years (as an example!).... I remember when a kid (Back in the 70's) we used to have fairly regular power outages, and parents always had candles/board games etc to hand (as mentioned previously, thats where i got it from).
Problem now is that, with the current generation, it's expected to have power/light/heating, and if there isnt people are in uproar. Much like most stuff... they want the nice things, but dont want to pay for them.

Part of me just thinks that people need to put stuff into perspective. If you end up with no internet/tv/phone for 24/48 hours... learn to live with it and not to be so dependant...

 

[Jay Walker]

I remember when a kid (Back in the 70's) we used to have fairly regular power outages, and parents always had candles/board games etc to hand

There's still an ice cream box at home with candles in, left over from then.

The second of the articles linked in the original post has an insert titled 'More On Technology'; I read that a different way at first..

 

[Pop Bumper Pete]

....and don't forget the governments push for Electric cars

What I find funny, is that my Grandparents farm was not connected to the grid until the 1950's (they had to generate their own power)
I have a friend who lives a few KM's from that old farm, and he is switching over to solar due to the unreliability of the grid

 

[Calimori]

We live in the computer and internet age. It has become the backbone for our entertainment, some people’s ability to work, for my godamn doorbell to ring. When it stops, you realise the impact it has.
For the many, electric cars will be fine, the grid will expand as needed and the cars will start and end their journeys from the owners driveway.
But my bias is to have faith in the grid, more so that those who control the oil taps.
But I feel the gov policy is to push the “how” we get to electric down to the industries to meet. And then not tracked if they can meet that or even have the resource to achieve it.