AT&T launches a wireless backup for fiber internet outages

AT&T has announced a new feature called Internet Backup that will automatically switch from a home’s wired internet to a cellular connection through a nearby smartphone should its fiber service experience a disruption. The feature is offered at no additional charge to customers with AT&T Fiber service and an “eligible AT&T unlimited postpaid wireless plan” with unlimited data.

Internet Backup is being rolled out to customers starting next week through a software update to AT&T’s BGW320 Wi-Fi gateways. The company says that fiber customers using different hardware “may need to upgrade to access this feature.”

To activate it, eligible customers must wait for a notification through AT&T’s Smart Home Manager app, letting them know their gateway has been updated. AT&T also notes that the smartphone with the eligible service needs to be “within reach” of the gateway for the fallback service to work.

The app guides users through a simple setup process to activate the feature, after which it will automatically switch over to using cellular data if there’s a disruption in fiber service (AT&T says this process could take up to two minutes) and will automatically switch back when service is restored. Users will get notifications on their smartphone when Internet Backup is activated, according to AT&T, and instead of using mobile hotspot data, it “uses the unlimited data included in your eligible wireless plan.”

The feature will deactivate if customers cancel their AT&T fiber or cellular service, switch to a limited wireless plan, delete AT&T’s Smart Home Manager app, or when the Wi-Fi gateway loses power.

T-Mobile introduced a similar solution last June that uses a cellular connection as a backup source of home internet during a cable or fiber outage. But while AT&T’s solution is free to eligible customers and relies on their smartphone and existing service plans, T-Mobile’s Home Internet Backup plan starts at an additional $30 per month for 130GB of 5G data each month and uses a gateway router that connects directly to T-Mobile’s cellular data network.