It’s truly a testament to how quickly technology is changing when you consider how the importance of staying online during a move in Chicago has become. After all, when you move homes or office spaces, unless you’ve made the steps outlined below, you’re going to be offline outside of what your phone and/tablet can provide if it has hotspot capability.

And while even just five or ten years ago this would be considered primarily a concern for large office buildings and government services, now going a day or two without getting online can seriously effect a small home business or anyone really!

Like most things in moving, the solution to this particular quandary lies in the planning. Nonetheless, with multiple stages to the process, we’ve broken them down below so you can mark each off as you complete it.

How To Ensure You Stay Online While Moving in Chicago

1. How Much Are You Currently Online

Chances are if you’re reading this article, you spend a fair amount of time online. Regardless, before making any other plans for the move, keep track of how much you and other people in your home are online.

For instance, you might have a daughter with an online business and a son who spends too much time on Snapchat. The last thing you want is a nuclear meltdown from either one if they have to go one night, let alone several, without internet.

So even if you don’t exactly need the internet during a move, confirm how everyone else will handle the outage. 

2. Do You Need to Change Providers

These days, WiFi has improved to the degree that the quality of internet you enjoy from your current internet provider will likely stay the same after the move. That said, once you know your new address do some research into how the internet is in the area you’re moving to, especially if speed is of the utmost importance to you.

Take your phone and/or computer with you and stand outside your new home (non-creepily if possible.) Find if your provider has hotspots in the area as those will be of use both during the move and whenever you have outages at your home. Additionally, canvas your friends in real life and online and see if anyone has lived in that area before. Chances are they have an opinion on the internet service there.

3. Call Your Internet Provider

If you want to cut down on the amount of time you will be without the internet at your new place, call your internet provider as soon as you know your new location. The sooner you let them know, the better the chances are that they will be able to schedule a time to set up your internet soon after your move. And make sure you get the password for their hotspots if any are in your area.

4. Figure Out Hotspots on the Way

If you’re moving from one side of town to another, then you’re looking at a significant amount of time without WiFi. One way to work around this unavoidable interruption is to map out a route in which you can make stops at coffee shops and fast food chains that offer free WiFi. If you absolutely have to check your mail and do a site update, then having a hotspot map may just save you in a tight situation.

5. Use Your Devices

Chances are if you’re under the age of twenty, you’ve jumped all the way down to this step as you may use your 4G-equipped smart phone as a wireless hotspot already or at least know how to do it in a jiffy. For the rest of us, if you own a smart phone or tablet, it likely has hotspot capabilities, so find out what they are and how to use them because you’re likely going to be spending at least one night without the internet. Just be sure to watch your data!