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1. Wireless Broadband:
- a) What is Wireless Broadband?
A Wireless Broadband Connection offered from a WISP (or Wireless Internet Service Provider) involves Wi-Fi technology based on wireless local area networking (WLAN) standards that use radio waves as its carrier. This type of connection does NOT use phone lines, cable tv lines or your power outlets, but involves using a radio signal from our roof (or tower) to your roof. Distance can degrade the signal, so redirection is required at certain distances.
- b) Minimum Requirements for Wireless
You will need the following in order to take full advantage of Wireless:
- Intel/AMD 600MHz or equivalent (1GHz Preferred Minimum)
- Windows 98 Second Edition, Windows 2000 (SP4+) or Windows XP (SP1+)
- MAC OS X
- 128MB RAM (for Win98SE or 2000)
- 256MB RAM (for Windows XP and MAC OSX)
- 150MB Available Hard Drive Space
- CD or DVD Drive
- 10/100 Ethernet Card
- Internet Explorer 6.0+ (Windows)
- Safari 1.2+ (MAC)
- c) Can anyone get Wireless?
No. Unfortunately at this time we can not provide the service to anyone in Maine who is outside of our "Reachable Area". This technology requires line of sight and will take time to spread throughout the state. You can always check our availability for this service HERE.
- d) How Secure is Wireless?
Wireless can be Very Secure or Very Insecure. When we setup your Wireless connection, we use 128 Bit WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy) Encryption. Should you disable this feature, anyone can easily hijack your connection and have access to the internet. Keep in mind... if you disable this encryption, you solely are responsible for the hijacker's actions.
- e) I noticed "Dialup Backup", what does that mean?
When you get our $39.99 package, we include a backup Dialup Connection incase you lose your connectivity to the internet via Wireless. This is an excellent alternative for Businesses or Individuals that require 24/7 access to the internet and/or their remote data.
- f) How do I setup Wireless?
You don't. Currently you do not need to worry about setting up your Wireless Connection (We actually Require that you let us install the equipment and make sure you're encrypted). We send an installer to do the work for you and by the time the installer leaves, your connection is ready to engage the World Wide Web.
- g) Does Wireless use my phone or cable lines?
No. Wireless Connections use Radio Waves (or laser in some circumstances *Commercial*) which are transmitted from our roof to yours and sometimes requires redirection in between. Then from the unit placed on your homes siding or roof, a standard Ethernet Line is drawn down to your PC or Router/Switch.
- h) Can I access XA Wireless outside of my home (around town)
Not at this time. Your Wireless Connection (Wi-Fi IEEE 802.11 based) will currently be limited to your household and possibly a short distance around your home depending on the type of material your house is made of. The type of connection required for "around town" access is known as WiMAX (IEEE 802.16 Standards) which allow a much wider range and even faster connection speeds.
- i) Is XA Wireless Upgradeable?
Yes. Currently we do not offer WiMAX capability, but the units and our equipment is fully upgradeable for that technology. It will be at that time that we can offer "Around Town" access to those who need full portability.
- j) How fast is Wireless?
Our $29.99 package allows a download and upload speed of 2MB (MegaByte) per second with a 2MB Burst. Our $39.99 package allows a download and upload speed of 5MB per second with an 8MB Burst. 1MB is roughly equivalent to 1000KB (KiloBytes). Example: A standard dialup connection allows you to download at about 5KB per second. From this example you can probably guess that Wireless is incredibly faster then dialup.
*Burst: maximum capable transfer speed of data at any given moment between packets
1. Unlimited V.92 56k Dialup:
- a) What is Dialup (Unlimited and V.92)?
Dialup, in general, is a connection that uses a modem-to-modem communication over a phone line to connect to your ISP which then provides you access to the Internet. It is generally the most cost effective but slowest connection available for remote access. Unlimited simply means we do not disconnect you if your computer is idle for too long (plainly said: we just don't disconnect you from our end unless your service ends). V.92 is a technology, which is always available to you, that allows your modem to place the connection on hold for up to 15 minutes. V.92 does, however, require Call-Waiting through your phone provider, a V.92 modem and Modem on Hold (MoH) Software.
- b) Minimum Requirements for Dialup
A computer, at least a 33.6k (56k preferred/standard) modem and a Dial-tone.
- The operating system on the computer must be Windows 98 or higher (or Mac OS8 or higher)
- *nix Users (Unix, Linux, etc.) - If you are running a *nix OS, we do not support *nix setup. Click HERE for the information you will need to setup your connection.
Connecting through a Cell phone requires additional adapters and may also include rated fees.
Contact your Cell Phone provider if you need to use a Cell Phone to connect to the dialup service.
- c) Can anyone get Dialup?
Yes... if you have met the Requirements above. Anyone from Maine MUST use the "Download the Maine Setup" link from www.xpressamerica.net. If you are OUTSIDE of MAINE, you MUST get the National Setup. Currently they are two completely Separate Networks. (Should you switch from Maine to Outside of Maine, please remember you must Call us)
- d) How Secure is Dialup?
Security on dialup is what you make it. You're less likely to get attacked by hackers because of the slow connection and the fact that you're not always online. "Always-On" connections make for great vulnerability testers. At the same time, you still want to make good use of your firewall, antivirus protection and antispyware protection. Without these tools in particular and the maintenance habits of your machine, you can expect to format your machine about once or twice a year (with possible Data-Loss involved).
- e) How do I setup Dialup?
We make it Very Simple. If you're reading this then you have access to the Internet.
- If you're a Windows (Win9x to WinXP) User, click HERE for our Setup Program Instructions.
- Manual Instructions to creat a Generic Connection can be found HERE
- MAC OS8 or 9 manual Instructions can be found HERE (we currently do not have a setup program for the OS/2 platform)
- MAC OSX manual Instructions can be found HERE
- *nix Users (Linux, Unix, etc.) - we do not support *nix setups. Please click HERE for the information you will need.
- f) Can I access my Dialup outside of my home?
Yes. If your computer is set up, then you can access the internet from any location with a dial-tone. Please be aware that some privately owned businesses may require you to dial a digit to get an "outside line". (Example: if you have to hit 9 to dial out, you will need to add 9 and then a comma in front of the phone number. The comma is a one second pause that gives the line time to switch to an outside dial tone. So after you've edited the number, it would look similar to this 9, 123-4567 or 9, 1-500-123-4567 [123-4567 being the XA Dialup Number])
- g) How fast is Dialup?
Dialup is the slowest connection offered today and is of the oldest and first to ever connect anyone to the Internet. The standards of today's dialup allow roughly a 5KB (KiloBytes) per second download speed. Websites that are not dialup-optimized will take up to 10 to 30 seconds to load or longer depending on the amount of images and data needed to display the page. To give you a rough comparison, our High-Speed Broadband Wireless has a download speed of 2MB (MegaBytes) per second. 2MB equals 2048KB. Quite the difference.
- h) Why is my connection so slow?
This is one of the most commonly heard questions from Dialup users. If you're not use to dialup, then please realize you're on the slowest connection you can get. Just about every dialup user has ran into this problem or will run into this problem and these are the most common reasons for having a connection slower then it should be (please be aware that XA is NOT responsible for bad connections. If we are experiencing any problems, we will post it on our website and/or let you know should you call. Please do not assume it is our fault if you haven't checked http://www.xpressamerica.net):
| Most Common Problems with Slow Connections |
| - Bad Modem Driver |
Drivers get damaged and sometimes require a reinstall or update.
Definition: DRIVER |
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| - Bad Modem |
A Bad Modem is generally the result of a power failure or electrical surge. If you're positive your modem has gone bad, you will need a new one. |
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| - Viruses, Malware |
Viruses waist resources, can damage software and attempt to infect other machines by traveling with data you've sent. When you're computer starts acting "quirky", this may cause your machine not to use your bandwidth efficiently.
Definition: VIRUS
Recommended: Grisofts AVG Free |
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| - Spyware, Adware, Malware, Useless Pop-ups, etc. |
Spyware, Adware and the "Similar" are becoming worse then viruses in the fact that they usually WANT to be noticed and are extremely annoying. These types of infections like to Share your data (including browsing habits and/or personal data), Advertise sites you probably have never visited and Detour you from your original intentions on the net.
Def: SPYWARE ; ADWARE ; MALWARE
Recommended: Lavasofts AdAware |
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| - Splitters |
Splitters are the device you might use to split a single line into two or more lines in order to connect multiple devices. The split in the line can cause connection quality issues and/or speed limitations (you have a 56K Modem but you connect at 28.8K). Another form of Splitter is what a phone company will install when they run out of physical lines in the area. This particular type of splitter can only be removed by your phone company and replaced with a standard line. |
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| - Digital Phones |
Digital phone lines, like Phone Access over the Internet/Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP), can be hard for some modems to understand because they never imagined phone service over the internet. This is generally fixed by connecting directly to the Digital Modem or running Digital Line Detection Software. For more information, please call your Digital Phone Provider and/or your modems manufacturer website for additional information. |
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| - Bad Phone Wiring (internal and/or external) |
Even the slightest knick in your wiring system can cause problems. Internal Wiring problems can usually be tested by trying a different phone wall jack and seeing if your connection is better. If you hear clicking or static or weird sounds... call your phone provider to have the lines tested for quality. If the problem is internally within your home, you are responsible for fixing it. If the problem is on the phone pole outside of the home, the problem is your Phone Company's Responsibility. |
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| - Software "Checkers" |
Programs that run in the background and check for stuff (like email, weather, automatic updates, etc.) can use up bandwidth. Depending on the software, this can take anywhere from 1% up to 50% (sometimes more) of your connection speed. Manually checking these types of things saves your bandwidth for what you need when you need it. Manually doing these types of checks also helps you get into the "routine" of doing things with your pc. |
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- i) Can I answer my phone while I'm online?
Yes... as long as you have a V.92 Modem, Call Waiting through your phone provider and Modem-on-Hold Software running while you're online.
- j) I'm receiving an Error number when I try to connect
To best understand the situation you're in when you receive an error, write down the error number. Generally errors that look like 0x003CDe301 are pointing to a device issue. Shorter error codes (like error 606) generally point to an issue with what your pc is attempting to do. To look up an error (and possibly find the solution), go to http://www.google.com (or any preferred search engine) and type: error ### where ### is the number of the error. Go now and try it with: error 606
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