Internet Billing During Outages: What Still Works?

A local billing installation keeps records on the operator’s host, but that does not make every integration work offline. LinkDesk, the gateway, the payment provider and public customer checkout each have different connectivity needs. Plan for their failures separately.

Separate host access from internet availability

An application running on your local host may remain reachable from an authorised local device while the upstream connection fails. That does not prove customers can browse the internet or open a public payment page. A stopped host, failed power supply or unreachable gateway is a different failure and needs its own response.

Treat uncertain payments carefully

Live M-Pesa requests and verification need access to the provider services. An outage can leave an attempt unresolved. Do not mark uncertain money as collected or create duplicate renewals to make the dashboard look complete. After connectivity returns, reconcile the original order and merchant evidence through the intended operating workflow.

Test gateway enforcement behaviour

Existing access can depend on local gateway state, expiry guards and the chosen authentication path. A FreeRADIUS deployment has different dependencies from local accounts. Do not promise that all paid sessions survive every outage, or that all expired users disconnect immediately, without observing the actual setup during a controlled test.

Prepare recovery before the outage

Keep a protected backup outside the running host, document startup and restoration steps, and plan power for essential devices. Record when the outage began and what actions staff took. On recovery, inspect unresolved payments, account dates and gateway state before broadly retrying access actions.

Questions before buying

Can customers pay through M-Pesa without provider connectivity?

Do not promise offline live M-Pesa processing. Request and verification services require connectivity.

Does self-hosted mean outage-proof?

No. It describes the location of the installation, not a guarantee of availability.

Software price and delivery

Current one-off licences are KSh 4,900 for 2 managed routers, KSh 9,900 for 5 and KSh 17,900 for 10, on one installation. The amount displayed at M-Pesa checkout applies to your purchase. Verified payment reveals the product key and prepared installer on your private order page. Hardware, hosting, messaging and separately quoted assistance are external costs.