# When the zombies take over, how long till the internet fails? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\ **Created:** [February 26, 2010, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-the-zombies-take-over-how-long-till-the-internet-fails/530478 "2010-02-26T02:50:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![dvallej](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@dvallej](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dvallej)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2010, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-the-zombies-take-over-how-long-till-the-internet-fails/530478/1 "2010-02-26T02:50:57Z")
i was reading this article: [When the zombies take over, how long till the electricity fails? - The Straight Dope](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2165/when-the-zombies-take-over-how-long-till-the-electricity-fails) and i wonder about the almighty internet and what would happen with it in a zombie apocalipsis thx for any help 😛 ---
**Author:** ![code\_grey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f4b2a3/32.png) [@code\_grey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/code_grey)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2010, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-the-zombies-take-over-how-long-till-the-internet-fails/530478/2 "2010-02-26T03:00:48Z")
how long till it fails in Zimbabwe? Maybe it has already failed over there? ---
**Author:** ![coremelt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4491bb/32.png) [@coremelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/coremelt)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2010, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-the-zombies-take-over-how-long-till-the-internet-fails/530478/3 "2010-02-26T03:33:57Z")
would be whenever the electricity fails basically. Routers and servers don’t generally require human input to keep running, or alt least they’ll keep running for many months with no input needed in most cases. When power goes down to your ISP they might have 2-3 hours on UPS batteries. After that your internet goes down. Same with the local telco equipment at the exchange for ADSL, it will run attended for multiple months with no human input needed. If you have a battery powered laptop and way of recharging it (solar panels maybe?) you could keep internet access through ADSL or wireless after your own power cuts out as long as the local tower or exchange has power. ---
**Author:** ![Fubaya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c2a13f/32.png) [@Fubaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fubaya)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2010, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-the-zombies-take-over-how-long-till-the-internet-fails/530478/4 "2010-02-26T03:47:14Z")
Which is why my plan to be implemented at the first hint of a zombie outbreak is: 1. max out bandwidth downloading porn 2. acquire generator 3. become king of post apocalyptic world (I actually put the first phase in effect years ago) ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2010, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-the-zombies-take-over-how-long-till-the-internet-fails/530478/5 "2010-02-26T03:48:44Z")
Since this is in reference to a column by Cecil, I am moving it to that forum from GQ. Colibri General Questions Moderator ---
**Author:** ![dvallej](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@dvallej](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dvallej)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2010, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-the-zombies-take-over-how-long-till-the-internet-fails/530478/6 "2010-02-26T03:57:55Z")
> [@coremelt](#): > > would be whenever the electricity fails basically. i live in colombia, and like 90% of our electriciti comes from Hydroelectrics, so powers is not a big problem. if you dont pay the bill they cut your service using a person or the sistem does it? ---
**Author:** ![Una\_Persson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/una_persson/32/346_2.png) [@Una\_Persson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Una_Persson)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2010, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-the-zombies-take-over-how-long-till-the-internet-fails/530478/7 "2010-02-26T04:14:40Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > Since this is in reference to a column by Cecil, I am moving it to that forum from GQ. > > Colibri > General Questions Moderator It actually belongs in Comments on Staff Reports. ---
**Author:** ![dvallej](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@dvallej](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dvallej)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2010, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-the-zombies-take-over-how-long-till-the-internet-fails/530478/8 "2010-02-26T04:30:28Z")
even if it involves an staff report i think its an original question, on a complitly different topic,thats why i posted it in general questions ---
**Author:** ![coremelt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4491bb/32.png) [@coremelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/coremelt)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2010, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-the-zombies-take-over-how-long-till-the-internet-fails/530478/9 "2010-02-26T04:33:47Z")
> [@dvallej](#): > > i live in colombia, and like 90% of our electriciti comes from Hydroelectrics, so powers is not a big problem. if you dont pay the bill they cut your service using a person or the sistem does it? that won’t help much, unless they are able to isolate your area the drain from the rest of the grid will take out your power as well. Also, as the other coal and nuclear powered systems failed then even if you had local power you would lose the connection to the rest of the internet as routers far away powered down. Effectively you’d have a lot of little pocket internets that could only connect to other systems on the local hydro grid, but only if that system had a working root level name server or someone non zombied was able to set one up. ---
**Author:** ![dvallej](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@dvallej](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dvallej)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2010, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-the-zombies-take-over-how-long-till-the-internet-fails/530478/10 "2010-02-26T05:21:03Z")
@coremelt thx dude, thats what i needed to know, and i ask becouse i will run a zombie survivor rpg game ---
**Author:** ![TubaDiva](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tubadiva/32/507_2.png) [@TubaDiva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TubaDiva)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2010, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-the-zombies-take-over-how-long-till-the-internet-fails/530478/11 "2010-02-26T16:38:24Z")
Yes, it’s a staff report. [When the zombies take over, how long till the electricity fails?](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2165/when-the-zombies-take-over-how-long-till-the-electricity-fails) Una is too modest. 🙂 I’ll move this to the appropriate forum. ---
**Author:** ![Bayesian\_Empirimancer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6de8d8/32.png) [@Bayesian\_Empirimancer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bayesian_Empirimancer)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2010, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-the-zombies-take-over-how-long-till-the-internet-fails/530478/12 "2010-03-02T16:08:03Z")
Given the concept of the internet; packaging, copying, dispersal. I doubt the internet will fail, just the power source that runs the internet. At least thats my opinion. We’ll see right? I’m ready for World War Z ---
**Author:** ![XT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xt/32/456_2.png) [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2010, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-the-zombies-take-over-how-long-till-the-internet-fails/530478/13 "2010-03-03T01:41:19Z")
My guess is that it will start to fail almost immediately, as the power fails. Parts of it might continue for a while, but they would become increasingly isolated islands in a sea of darkness, and would pretty much track the failure of power and the rampages of the zombie hordes. I’d be surprised if there was a coherent whole still functioning a week after the zombies really got rolling, and that even in pockets where power still functioned if anything still functioned within a month…there would simply be bigger fish to fry than keeping isolated pockets of connectivity going. This isn’t to say that all the server farms and data would be (necessarily) left to rot, or wouldn’t be maintained, but I doubt that anyone would or could keep the infrastructure going in such an event. My guess is that the non-zombiefied network engineers would gracefully shut most of the equipment down, especially the servers, and perhaps (if there were time) weather proof and secure the really vital parts, and then like everyone else try and survive. Sorry…no WoW for YOU! -XT ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2010, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-the-zombies-take-over-how-long-till-the-internet-fails/530478/14 "2010-03-05T12:18:43Z")
What?! Its the zombie apocalypse? But how am I going to update my Facebook status? :eek: ---
**Author:** ![BorgHunter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@BorgHunter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BorgHunter)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2010, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-the-zombies-take-over-how-long-till-the-internet-fails/530478/15 "2010-03-06T02:51:43Z")
> [@njtt](#): > > What?! Its the zombie apocalypse? But how am I going to update my Facebook status? :eek: **Zombie Zeke** is trying to grow some braaaaaaaaaains in FarmVille! Click here to lend a hand! ---
**Author:** ![RiverRunner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/977dab/32.png) [@RiverRunner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RiverRunner)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2010, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-the-zombies-take-over-how-long-till-the-internet-fails/530478/16 "2010-03-12T14:16:08Z")
Given the content of most email and web sites, I’d say it’s doing a pretty good job of failing already. ---
**Author:** ![Cheshire\_Human](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Cheshire\_Human](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheshire_Human)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2010, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-the-zombies-take-over-how-long-till-the-internet-fails/530478/17 "2010-03-14T13:55:08Z")
> [@RiverRunner](#): > > Given the content of most email and web sites, I’d say it’s doing a pretty good job of failing already. Including this thread :smack: