Fiber Support
Internet Troubleshooting
Frequently Asked Questions
If you are having issue with signal strength in an area of the your home first make sure your router’s immediate surroundings are clear of any electronic devices. (E.G. If your router is sitting behind your TV, the Wi-Fi signal will not pass through in that direction well.) Home size, building materials, and layout, can also impact signal strength.
We can offer a mesh device, which will pair with your router in order to put out the same Wi-Fi signal from a secondary point.
This device can connect to the router wirelessly (in which case it needs to be located in a midway point between the router and area with poor signal strength) or via ethernet cable. It provides a seamless handoff between connection points when devices move throughout the house. A mesh unit is $5 per month, there is no contract, and we can help with the setup and troubleshooting. Call us with questions or to request a mesh unit.
1: The most common cause of buffering when using a streaming device (Roku, Firestick, etc.) or Smart TV is the device itself.
Test: Try using a different device in the same room (computer, tablet, phone) to watch any video while your program is buffering. If you can watch a video in the same location on one device and not another, it is generally safe to assume the issue is with the device.
Solution: Unplug the streaming device from the power outlet and the TV (if Smart TV, just unplug it from the outlet). Leave it disconnected for at least 45 seconds then plug in and try again once the device boots up.
2: Streaming services occasionally have issues.
Test: If you can play a video on one streaming service (Youtube TV) and not on another (Netflix) using the same device, then it generally a temporary issue with the streaming service.
Solution: Restart the streaming app | restart the streaming device | uninstall & reinstall the streaming app. These steps may help with a streaming service glitch.
3: There may be a router issue.
Test: If your video is buffering check at least one other device at the same time to see if it performs tasks online as expected. If the issue is happening on more than one device assume a WiFi or router issue.
Solution: Unplug the router from the power outlet. After 45 seconds, plug it back in and allow 5 minutes for it to reboot, then try again.
If these steps to not solve the buffering problem, give us a call for help troubleshooting.
If you have not requested a custom password to be set up, be sure to use the 16 character long WPA Key on the sticker on your router.
Note: The 8 character long password at the bottom of the sticker is only used for logging in to change router settings.
Many older Wi-Fi devices do not have the 5GHz radios built in, so they must be connected via 2.4 GHz. If your device has the 5GHZ radios but you’re still not able to see the network, there is a chance it may be out of the 5GHz range. Higher frequency translates to shorter range. This means 5GHz frequencies do not penetrate solid objects as well as 2.4GHz which limits their reach inside homes.
No. 5G (5th Generation cellular service) is sometimes confused with the 5GHz (5 Gigahertz WiFi frequency) because of their abbreviations, but they are not the same.
All advertised speeds are “UP TO” advertised speed and are not guaranteed (especially over WiFi). For detailed info on how speedtests work and and improving your speedtest results, checkout the article HERE
Speedtest Notes:
- Speedtests depend on many factors including: network traffic from your connected devices, other traffic from your computer, traffic on the site hosting the test, etc.
- Speed limitations:
- WiFi – 2.4GHz will deliver a max speed of 70-80Mbps
- WiFi – 5GHz will deliver a max speed of 300-500Mbps
- Hardwired connection (via ethernet cable) can deliver 1Gbps of bandwidth to a device.
- Range effect: distance and materials between the router and the wirelessly connected device weaken the connection strength which causes proportionate deterioration of speed.
- Device limitations: Age and processing power of the device play a role, and testing at 1Gbps is unlikely unless you are using a fairly new computer.
- Notable speed or connectivity problems are most commonly issues with wireless devices involving interference or range.
- For additional tips to maximize the performance of your service please see our WiFi Tips sheet.
If you have reviewed the info above and think there are issues causing your service to under-perform, please give us a call for troubleshooting. Be aware that requesting a technician visit for onsite speedtesting will result in a service charge.
Tools Of The Trade
No, it’s not a stationary bike class…power cycling is fully shutting down a device and allowing it to reboot/start up from scratch.
It is a good practice to power cycle electronics periodically and it can take care of many glitches. If you’re having connection issues with one of your devices (a laptop for example) but you’re able to use the internet just fine with another device, try power cycling the device in question. If it is connected to a power outlet like a smart tv or streaming device, disconnect it from the outlet for 45 seconds and then reconnect.
If you’re having an issue with all your devices at the same time, try unplugging the router from the power outlet and let it sit 45 seconds before plugging it back in. Allow 5 minutes for it to reboot and reconnect.
There are many variables in completing an online tasks with a connected device, so it is crucial to pinpoint where the issue is occurring.
1: Confirm your trouble is a connection related issue –
- If the issue is happening while performing tasks that do not require internet (such as slow computer start up speed) the issue is likely device or program related.
2: Check more than one website –
- Websites and services (even prevalent ones like Facebook & Netflix) can have issues which may be confused with internet service trouble. Try multiple websites or streaming services to confirm the issue is with more than just the site.
3: Check more than one location –
- If your device seems to be having a connection issue over Wi-Fi, try the same task that gave you trouble as close to the router as you can get. Having trouble which is resolved closer to the router generally indicates a signal strength issue.
4: Check more than one device –
- If your device (computer, tablet, smart TV, etc.) is unable to access the internet, try using another device in the same area of the house. By testing both devices in the same location, you’ll be minimizing variation in Wi-Fi signal strength. If one device can not perform a task and another beside it can, the issue is generally with the device in question.
Repairs, Maintenance & On-Site Support
- On-site support after the initial installation is available during normal business hours at a rate of $75/hr with a minimum of 1 hour.
- On-site support is available on nights and weekends at a rate of $150/hr with a minimum of 1 hour.
- Repairs resulting from weather damage, FBEMC equipment failure, or other factors outside the member’s control will be repaired during normal business hours at no charge.
- If you damage the fiber optic cable inside your house or your router’s power adapter, you can avoid an on-site charge by visiting our Marshall office to pick up a replacement to install yourself. You will only be billed for the cost of the part.
Maintenance Window: To maintain a secure & reliable network, we conduct periodic maintenance on our equipment that may impact customer connectivity. While this maintenance generally only occurs every 3-4 months, we reserve Wednesday mornings between 4AM & 5AM as a standing maintenance window for items such as: updating firmware, applying patches, and upgrading equipment.
Telephone Service Help
To check your voicemail, dial *98 from your home phone and then the default password of 8642.
If you prefer to use the answering machine on your phone instead of our voicemail service just let us know and we’ll disable the voicemail service.