Monthly LTE Failover and Backup Connectivity Test

Monthly inspection to verify that WAN-to-LTE cellular failover works as intended and that critical business systems remain operational during an internet outage, including payment authorization and kitchen display system connectivity.

Inspection Setup and Safety

• Test is authorized by site management and scheduled during an approved window
  Verify the monthly failover test is approved and will not disrupt peak business operations.
• Primary WAN impact communicated to affected staff before test begins
  Confirm front-of-house, kitchen, and management staff know the test is in progress and understand expected temporary service changes.
• LTE router, modem, or firewall is powered on and reporting normal status before test
  Verify the backup connectivity device is online, healthy, and ready to take over before the WAN cable is removed.
• Reference SOP or vendor failover procedure is available to the inspector
  Use the site procedure or vendor guidance for the specific failover device and network configuration.
• Test start time recorded
  Document when the failover test started.

Failover Activation

• Primary WAN cable disconnected or primary internet service intentionally isolated
  Confirm the test actually removes primary WAN connectivity so failover behavior can be observed.
• Network successfully switches to LTE or cellular backup within acceptable time
  Verify the backup path becomes active and usable after primary WAN loss.
• Failover time to backup connection
  Record the elapsed time from WAN disconnect to usable cellular backup.
• Backup connection status indicator shows active or healthy state
  Confirm the device dashboard, LEDs, or monitoring portal indicates the LTE backup link is active.

Business System Function Check

• Credit card authorization completes successfully over failover connection
  Run a test transaction or approved authorization check to confirm payment processing remains functional.
• Kitchen display system receives and updates orders over failover connection
  Confirm the KDS remains connected and continues to receive order data during cellular backup.
• Cloud POS, ordering, or other critical business application remains reachable
  Verify any site-critical cloud service used for operations is still accessible during failover.
• Remote monitoring, alerting, or management access remains available if required by site
  Confirm remote access tools or monitoring services continue to function if they are part of the site's continuity plan.
• Observed business system deficiencies during failover
  Select any operational failures observed during the backup connectivity test.

Connectivity Performance and Stability

• LTE signal strength
  Record the observed cellular signal quality or equivalent device metric.
• Backup connection remains stable for the duration of the test
  Verify the LTE connection does not drop, flap, or become unusable during the test window.
• Any packet loss, latency spike, or degraded performance observed
  Record whether performance issues were noticed while operating on cellular backup.
• Performance notes
  Document latency, throughput concerns, or any other observations relevant to backup usability.

Restoration and Closeout

• Primary WAN reconnected and service restored
  Confirm the original internet connection is restored after the test.
• Network returns from LTE backup to primary WAN without unresolved issues
  Verify the site exits failover mode and resumes normal routing.
• Test end time recorded
  Document when the failover test was completed.
• Corrective actions or deficiencies documented
  Record any non-conformance, outage, or follow-up action needed to restore or improve backup connectivity.
• Inspector signature
  Inspector attestation that the monthly failover test was completed and results were recorded.