How we keep the internet and power running

In our first year we learned that a coworking space is judged on two things before anything else: whether the Wi-Fi works and whether the lights stay on. Here is what sits behind the server cupboard door to make that happen.

We have two internet lines from two different providers, entering the building through different routes. The main line is 300 Mbps fibre. The backup is a slower 100 Mbps line. Our router checks both every few seconds and switches over automatically if the main line drops, usually within 15 to 30 seconds. Most members notice only a brief pause in a video call. Our network is split so that each floor and the meeting rooms have their own access points, and the guest network is separate from members’ devices.

For power, the whole building runs on a diesel generator that starts automatically within about 20 seconds of a cut. That gap is covered by a UPS, a large battery bank that keeps the router, the access points, the desk sockets and the lights in the hall running without a flicker. Air conditioning restarts once the generator takes over.

Every Monday at 7.30 am, before most members arrive, our facilities person, Bikash, switches off the mains to test the whole chain, and notes the result in a log. The generator is serviced every three months. If something does fail, the front desk posts an update in the members’ group within ten minutes. Over the last year, total downtime on the internet was under four hours, most of it during one cyclone.