We’re prepared
for severe weather
In the event of a storm
We understand how important it is for you to stay connected, particularly during severe weather events. We continually monitor the forecast for storms in order to be as prepared as possible. As a first step, we place fully staffed teams on standby to assist our customers. In addition, during a storm, our regional operations center carefully monitors the network to quickly spot outages and help direct our teams to begin diagnosing and resolving any potential issues.
If unpreventable service outages do occur, restoring your Optimum service is always our top priority. Scroll down to learn more on how you can prepare, frequently asked questions and getting help.
How you can prepare
Have your Optimum ID handy so you can quickly log in to your account for service status updates and online support.
- Don't have an Optimum ID? Create One
- Can’t remember your Optimum ID or password? Get a reminder
Check the settings on important communication channels:
- Verify Contact Information & enroll in service alerts on the My Profile Page.
- Add Email Accounts to mobile devices – Set up your email accounts on your mobile device or tablet. Instructions; Apple Devices, Samsung Devices.
Download these important Mobile apps from the App Store:
- Optimum Support – Check Service Status, find hot spots or chat with us.
- News 12 – Stay informed on local weather, school closings and traffic.
- Optimum TV – Watch your favorite shows on your smartphone or tablet.
- Altice One App – Watch your favorite shows on your smartphone or tablet.
Follow us on Social Media:
Restoration roadmap after a storm or other outage event
Assess transport lines
Restoring service to the greatest number of customers starts by assessing major transport lines that deliver our services into cities and towns. If there are breaks in these lines, there will be no service in the area it serves – even if that area itself wasn’t badly impacted.
Service head-ends
Head-ends are buildings that house our equipment and servers critical to delivering service to a specific area. If commercial power is out, we use generators to power our head-ends and work to address any damage to the head-ends that may be impacting delivering service to the entire network.
Partner with power companies
Our lines, which hang on power poles, require power supplies to be active. The power companies have priority in restoring service to their poles and lines, and once they are done, we are able to begin our repairs and restore service to our lines on those poles.
Prioritize restoration
Once service restoration begins, priority restoration is granted for critical infrastructure like hospitals, schools, police, fire departments, and more.
Bring everyone back online
If power is restored, and service is still out for individual homes, repair teams need to go house by house to identify where a cable may be down or damaged, which can be a timely process.
Assess transport lines
Restoring service to the greatest number of customers starts by assessing major transport lines that deliver our services into cities and towns. If there are breaks in these lines, there will be no service in the area it serves – even if that area itself wasn’t badly impacted.
Service head-ends
Head-ends are buildings that house our equipment and servers critical to delivering service to a specific area. If commercial power is out, we use generators to power our head-ends and work to address any damage to the head-ends that may be impacting delivering service to the entire network.
Partner with power companies
Our lines, which hang on power poles, require power supplies to be active. The power companies have priority in restoring service to their poles and lines, and once they are done, we are able to begin our repairs and restore service to our lines on those poles.
Prioritize restoration
Once service restoration begins, priority restoration is granted for critical infrastructure like hospitals, schools, police, fire departments, and more.
Bring everyone back online
If power is restored, and service is still out for individual homes, repair teams need to go house by house to identify where a cable may be down or damaged, which can be a timely process.
Sign up to receive service alerts via text or voice message by going to My Account. Once you’re set up, we'll notify you when outages affect your service. You'll also get notified when your Optimum service is restored. For up-to-the-minute storm coverage, visit news12.com
Getting help
Frequently asked questions
- If your service is down, check Service Status, under Support, at optimum.net to see if there's an outage. If it shows an outage, there is no need to contact us. If no outage is shown, please let contact us so we can alert our technicians.
Will I lose my Optimum service if my power is out?
- Without power your Optimum service won't work. Electrical power is needed to operate your TV and Internet. This includes power to devices in the home like TVs, cable boxes and cable modems. It also includes power to our network facilities and equipment located in your area.
- If the power is out, your local utility provider must first restore power to both your home, and to the network serving your neighborhood, before our technicians can begin their work.
If I have power, shouldn't my Optimum service work?
- It's possible that you may have power in your home or business but the network serving your neighborhood may be damaged or without power, preventing your services from working. Or, restoring your service may require repairs (such as damage caused from downed trees and fiber cuts during a storm), even down to the connection between your home or business and the nearest utility pole.
Once the power is restored in my home or business, how can I get my service back up and running?
- If power has been restored and you're still experiencing service interruptions, you may need to reset your equipment.
- Unplug your equipment from its power source.
- Wait 30 seconds.
- Plug your equipment back into the power source.
Can I install a back-up battery for my Optimum modem?
- It's strongly recommended that you do, so in the event of a power outage you'll continue to have Optimum Voice service. You'll need at least one traditional corded, landline phone in your home that does not require electricity to operate. During a power outage, provided there is a battery backup on your modem, simply plug the phone into a jack, and you'll have phone service.
For business customers, keep your modem plugged into the outlet where it was installed by the technician. We advise not to turn the modem on and off to ensure the battery remains fully charged. Turning the modem on and off will degrade the capacity of the battery, reducing the time that the modem can operate in the event of a utility power outage.