We’ve all been there. Torrential weather sweeps into your town or neighborhood, and your local power grid takes a massive blow, leaving you without access to anything requiring the utility in your home. Or maybe your ISP undergoes extensive infrastructure repair in your area causing your internet connection to be severed for an extended period. Another likely scenario is that you are on a long road or air travel trip, with little to no internet access. How do you spend your time chiseling away the minutes until you can return to normalcy? It always seems like we lose network connections at the moment when we really could use the distraction. Granted, this is a first-world problem, but an annoyance nonetheless.

Having lived in the Midwest most of my life, I’m all too familiar with acts of god, nature, or general universal chaos (take your pick) ruining the day by cutting off my access to power. Severe weather, including hail, tornadic activity, and whiteout blizzards, has been a consistent theme wherever I went. Many times, I’d find myself wishing I had internet connectivity on my devices when the power was out. Eventually, I got wise and began downloading movies and TV shows on tablet devices and phones, so I had a way to pass the time in the event of another inevitable power failure. My plan worked, and my family and I have often been able to find entertainment during extended outages to pass the time. If my experience hits close to home for you, then you should consider having an emergency entertainment backup plan. Many streaming services, despite primarily being internet-centric apps, can actually assist you in this regard.

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These major streaming services offer a download option for offline viewing

Be sure to check the availability of this feature for your favorite services

Credit: Netflix

There are a handful of services that actually offer downloading eligible movies and shows for offline viewing. But you must check to ensure that the feature is supported by your particular device. Also, be aware that not all movies and shows are available in this manner, even if the platform provides this feature. Downloading capabilities also sometimes come at a premium cost or a higher subscription tier. So you’ll have to weigh the cost and benefits for your particular situation. Also, read the fine print to ensure that you know what to expect from the service’s limitations. Below is a look at which services offer the “offline” mode capability. Direct links to each service’s page concerning downloading terms are included under the platform column.

Prepare for outages or periods without service by downloading your favorites

Know your limits

Credit: Pocket-lint

Like everything in life, you’ve got to prepare for success in order to achieve it. If you don’t have downloads at the ready when you find yourself without service, then you’re out of luck. Because you can’t plan for outages, it’s best to always have some of your favorite movies on standby. However, if you’re going on a long road trip, this is the perfect opportunity to binge-watch that show you’ve recently been so engrossed in.

But while you’re thinking ahead, you also have to understand your limits. I’ll reiterate what I’ve shared earlier: every service comes with its own set of limitations. Most services cap downloads. You’ll have to check the platform’s terms to see what number of downloads are available to you simultaneously. Sometimes, higher subscription tiers increase that cap. Of course, each of these platforms has protections in place to ensure content (which you do not own) cannot be exploited. Some streaming services implement time limits for downloads. For instance, MUBI’s downloads expire within 30 days from the download and within 48 hours from the moment you press play. Make sure your devices also have the storage to handle the downloads.

While the internet is seemingly everywhere, it’s not truly omnipresent. We’ll inevitably have access to networks more often than we don’t. This makes the times without it all the more frustrating. With a little bit of forethought and planning, you can avoid boredom and exhaustion with a solid entertainment backup plan.

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