What Causes Outages | Aristotle High Speed Internet

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Aristotle is committed to restoring service from any outage as soon as possible. We are constantly monitoring our network and making infrastructure improvements to improve service and uptime.

Find out what can cause an outage and how Aristotle’s field team of experts deploys to make repairs and reconnect our customers.

Aristotle uses a series of towers to reach unserved and underserved rural communities. A nearby tower brings Aristotle Broadband to your community using radio waves.

Outages occur when our network is damaged or loses power. Loss of power or service to an antenna can also affect "downstream" service areas, even if those areas have power.

A fiber outage can be caused by accidental damage to the fiber cables during construction or digging.

What Causes Outages?

Outages occur when our network is damaged or loses power. The Aristotle team deploys quickly to restore service—but in some cases repairs rely on other organizations (like the power company) to respond.

Common causes of a loss of service include:

Lightning or storm damage to an antenna
Loss of electrical power
Loss of service from the “upstream” DIA (Dedicated Internet Access)
Accidental cutting of an underground fiber cable

Loss of power or service to an antenna can also affect “downstream” service areas, even if those areas have power. Your signal could be disrupted, even if an outage is in a nearby town.

Read more about How Fixed Wireless Internet Works.

Could storm damage to an antenna across the state affect my service?

Yes, it’s possible that an outage miles away could cause you to lose service if your hometown’s internet signal passes through that remote antenna. But, Aristotle works to build redundancy into our network to help prevent this.

How Does Aristotle Respond to a Storm Outage?

Aristotle preps a ground crew during storms to rapidly deploy (as soon as it is safe to do so), enacting a contingency plan that can include:

Power Generator
Battery Power
Temporary Antennas
Mobile Hot Spots

With our tower climbers and team of experts, most outages are repaired within a couple of hours. Sometimes they can be fixed within minutes with a remote reset of the equipment!

Aristotle is doing everything possible to keep our customers connected!

Read more about How Fixed Wireless Internet Works.

How Does Aristotle Respond to a Fiber Outage?

Aristotle Fiber internet is very reliable because it isn’t easily affected by bad weather or electrical interference. Most outages happen when the cables are physically damaged, either by improper construction work, by animal activity, or by vandalism.

In the rare event of a fiber outage, Aristotle acts swiftly. Our skilled technicians are dispatched to assess and repair the affected fiber optic infrastructure. The repair timeline can vary from a few hours to several days, depending on several key factors:

Pinpointing the exact location of the break
Travel time to the site
Complexity and scope of the damage
Availability of specialized equipment or necessary permits

Our teams work diligently around the clock to restore service as quickly and safely as possible. Aristotle is doing everything possible to keep our customers connected!

Read more about How Fixed Wireless Internet Works.

How Does Aristotle Guard Against Outages?

As a failsafe against outages, Aristotle builds “redundancy” into our network with service areas receiving a signal from multiple towers. Much of Aristotle’s network already has built-in redundancy, and we are currently working to add redundant circuits throughout our network.

Read more about How Fixed Wireless Internet Works.

What Should I Do if I Lose Service?

Check on a mobile device to see if you have received an outage notice from Aristotle about an issue by email or social media. Our technicians are likely already working on restoring service to you and no action is needed on your part.

If you think Aristotle might not be aware of an outage, please contact Aristotle’s Technical Support Team. If we cannot resolve the problem over the phone, we will schedule a technician to look into the problem as soon as possible.

Read more about How Fixed Wireless Internet Works.

Can I Make Calls on Wi-Fi When Cell Service Is Out?

If your cell phone isn’t getting service because of an outage, you can still make calls using your Aristotle Wi-Fi. This is called Wi-Fi Calling, and it works anywhere you have a good internet connection.

Follow the steps below to enable Wi-Fi Calling on your mobile phone.

Step 1: Download a Calling App

Go to your phone’s App Store (or Google Play on Android) and download a Wi-Fi Calling app. Two easy, well-known options are:

- WhatsApp
- Google Voice

Install the app and follow the setup steps it gives you.

Step 2: Turn On Wi-Fi Calling on Your Phone

If you have an iPhone:

1. 1. Open Settings
  2. Tap Cellular
  3. Tap Wi-Fi Calling
  4. Turn Wi-Fi Calling ON
  5. Enter or confirm your 911 emergency address

Once it’s on, your phone will use Wi-Fi to make calls when cell service is weak or gone. You’ll see “Wi-Fi”at the top of your screen during calls.

If you have an Android phone:

1. 1. Make sure you’re connected to your Aristotle Wi-Fi
  2. Open Settings
  3. Tap Connections or Network & Internet
  4. Look for Wi-Fi Calling and turn it ON

On some Android phones, Wi-Fi Calling may be hidden in different spots. If you don’t see it right away, check:

- The Phone app settings
- Your carrier’s app (like “My Verizon”)
- A “More” or Advanced menu

You're Ready to Make Calls

Once Wi-Fi Calling is turned on, you should be able to make and receive calls using your Aristotle internet, even if cell towers are down.

If you need help, don’t hesitate to reach out—we’re happy to walk you through it.

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