Part 1:  Was A Rodent Responsible?

As a home-based editor for a daily content site, I probably depend on the Internet as much as anyone for my daily existence. Besides editing and posting content in a content management system, there is a never-ending stream of intra-staff and company meetings, online meetings with companies discussing their latest news and developments, and of course non-stop e-mails.

In addition, like many others I depend on Internet access for personal banking and bill paying, online shopping from Amazon and other commerce sites, personal e-mail, streaming TV access, and of course doing a lot of Google-based online research. On top of that, security cameras installed in several rooms and a Ring video doorbell rely on my Internet connection.

While driving home from a day spent with relatives on a recent Saturday, a family member pointed out from her mobile phone that the security cameras all were offline. Once we arrived home around 10 pm at night, I immediately checked the router and noticed it was offline. While I am no stranger to an Internet outage and am familiar with the common practice of unplugging the router power cord and plugging it back in to resolve the problem, this time that was not the case. Not only that, my landline phone (yes I still have one) was offline too as that is part of my phone/Internet plan. I proceeded to call Verizon FIOS tech support, which not surprisingly put me through a gauntlet of choices before reaching a live person.

Poking in the Dark

After explaining I went through the usual corrective steps to try resolving the Internet outage, the tech support person suggested I open up the Optical Network Terminal (ONT), which in this case was in the back of my house which is only lit by a motion-sensiticve floodlight. After fumbling for a flashlight and several screwdrivers and other tools at 11 pm, I could not open the box. Looks like Verizon does not want consumers toying with their company-supplied equipment as the nut securing the box could not be opened with the available tools I had. The only choice was then to send over a Verizon tech service person, which at this point could not be scheduled until Monday afternoon.

Mobile Hotspot a Savior

One step I took I earlier this year was to add a mobile hotspot to my mobile phone plan for $10. While used mostly to gain Internet access away from home when other networks are not readily available, the hotspot came in handy Monday morning in getting some work done during the Internet outage. Problem is, other family members wanted that hotspot access to stream programs from You Tube, which slowed traffic. I had to “ration” access by only allowing one TV to share that hotspot while I was online for work.

 When the technician arrived mid-Monday afternoon, he initially had problems opening the ONT box too. Once he did, he saw power was not coming in. So, he had to leave for about half an hour to check the overhead wire distribution box on a neighboring street. Hinting that he’s been in my neighborhood before, he said something to the effect, “It might be caused by squirrels.”

Squirrels and Fiberoptic Cables

I live in an area where the telephone cables were built overhead and never buried underground. That would make them susceptible to outdoor elements, including rodents chewing on overhead wires. When the tech returned, he confirmed that squirrels had chewed the sheathing around the fiberoptic cable. While he did not specifically spell out what he did, I figured he climbed up to replace some of the bad cables.

(I subsequently did some online research and it turns out the sheathing around fiberoptic cables gives squirrels a perfect surface to sharpen their teeth as part of their chewing exercise. Another article speculates that squirrels for some reason prefer the material used in fiber manufacturing over the material in other types of cable.)

Outdoor cabling issue resolved, the tech then proceeded to check the ONT box which now was getting power. First I checked my landline phone which now had a dial tone. Then, I proceeded to reboot my router and saw it was getting a signal. I then rebooted my laptop and, lo and behold, I was back online again and a happy camper.

Unfortunately, I was not a happy camper for long. Little did I know this was only the beginning of a week-long ordeal with additional outages, dealing with online and in-person tech repair personnel, and futile attempts to get the Internet working. If you want the sordid details, stay tuned until next time to read Part 2 of this tale.

Spencer Chin is a Senior Editor for Design News covering the electronics beat. He has many years of experience covering developments in components, semiconductors, subsystems, power, and other facets of electronics from both a business/supply-chain and technology perspective. He can be reached at [email protected].