You want to have a device counting boxes from a production line and measuring the temperature of the oil, but suddenly the internet goes down and returns after 1 hour, how to obtain reliable data on the number of boxes produced and the temperature reported every minute.
Should I think on a Programmable Logic Controller connected to local network ?
It definitely is possible to have the Photon continue counting even without WiFi.
Once the network is back the Photon can reconnect and forward the accumulated data.