The first thing to try if you are having connection problems is to reboot your radio or client device. To do this unplug the power cord, wait 10 seconds, plug it back in. This is also known as a “power cycle”. The power supply which sends power to the KiN radio is a black rectangular box with a single light, shaped like a brick but smaller, much like a laptop power cord.
Just unplug the power, nothing else. Restore power after 10 seconds or so, then wait 1 minute for the device to boot up after restoring power.
If your connection is not restored, next perform a power cycle on your wireless router if you have one. (same process)
– the order in which these devices are rebooted is important, sometimes rebooting both at the same time won’t work.
For fibre clients, a reboot is also sometimes required. (not very often) The client device is the white box with green lights mounted on your wall. If you are offline, you can unplug power from that device, wait 10 seconds or so and then plug it back in. It can take up to 2 full minutes to boot up. Usually, when the light beside @ is solid, you should have internet access.
Committed Information Rate agreements allow for critical traffic to be routed on a priority basis ahead of all other packet traffic.
As an optional security measure, a software firewall monitors all network traffic on your computer and pro-actively protects you from anything you haven’t asked for or permitted. Sometimes they take some configuration to make work right, and they can block certain types of traffic… so sometimes you need to know what you’re doing… but a couple of very simple to use options are:
GlassWire
– simple yet powerful,
– has the advantage of tracking all traffic on your PC by application:
for example, this month Google Chrome has used 75 GB on my desktop PC.
Zone Labs’ Zone-Alarm
– most popular free firewall – simple and reliable.
Note that generally any decent router will be providing basic firewall protection between you and the internet … if you want privacy, you want to look into an encrypted VPN, which will cost around $5/mo.
Be careful not to install any optional, ad-supported, or other components which are not part of the software package you are installing. Very often free software publishers are subsidizing their operations by putting a “would you also like to install this?” type of option which will get you something else, which might compromise your system. Toolbars can often be adware or spyware (two types of malware) and often sneak into your system this way. Watch for them, and uncheck those boxes during installs. In Windows, you can generally uninstall any unwanted program through the control panel. Be careful and play it safe.
It is the range of remotely accessible devices that are new technology that connects to the internet, like internet accessible thermostats, security cameras, window and door sensors, and water detectors. These are particularly attractive to seasonal property owners.
So, we have added reduced cost and low capacity packages to support their use, with the ability to go the full-service speeds and costs when the property is in use.
Step-by-step instructions for setting up various mail client software for kaslo.org email can be found on the google mail help pages here: http://support.google.com/a/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=12103
Below is an outline of what your settings need to be.
Standard configuration instructions:
Incoming Mail (POP3) Server – requires SSL: pop.gmail.com
Use SSL: Yes
Port: 995
Outgoing Mail (SMTP) Server – requires TLS or SSL: smtp.gmail.com
Use Authentication: Yes
Port for TLS/STARTTLS: 587
Port for SSL: 465
Server Timeouts – Greater than 1 minute, we recommend 5
Full Name or Display Name: [your name]
Account Name or User Name: your full email address (including @kaslo.org)
Email Address: your email address (username@kaslo.org)
Password: your mail password
from: http://support.google.com/mail/answer/13287
Edit or check configuration of your LV.com E-Mail address
Open Mac Mail
Go to Mail on the top menu and select Preferences
Make sure the following settings are set:
Incoming Mail Server is mail.lardeauvalley.com
Username is youremail@lardeauvalley.com and not lardeau-youremail
Password is the same as before
Click Server Settings at the bottom of the window below the Outgoing Mail Server (SMTP) drop-down menu
Make sure the following settings are set:
Outgoing Mail Server is set to mail.lardeauvalley.com
Server Port is 587 and the checkbox for Use Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) is checked.
Authentication type is password,
Username is youremail@lardeauvalley.com and not lardeau-youremail
Password is the same as before
Click OK and close the Accounts window
Click Get Mail to Confirm
Add your @LV.com E-Mail Address to Mac Mail
Open Mac Mail
Go to Mail on the top menu and select Preferences
Click the + sign at the lower left to add a new account
Under Account Type for your new account, select POP
Type in a description. This is for identifying your LV.com account from any other email accounts in Mac Mail. This has no bearing on the configuration.
Type in your Email Address, Full Name (this is what you want to people to see in the “From” field when you send them a message) and password.
Click Server Settings at the bottom below the Outgoing Mail Server (SMTP) and make sure the following settings are set:
Outgoing Mail Server is set to mail.lardeauvalley.com
Server Port is 587 and the checkbox for Use Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) is not checked
Authentication type is password, username is your full email address
Click OK and close the Accounts window
Click Get Mail to Confirm
New to Mac Mail?
Open Mac Mail
In the Welcome to Mail window, type in:
Your E-Mail address
Incoming Mail Server should be set to mail.lardeauvalley.com
Account Type should be set to POP if not already selected in the drop-down menu
Username is youremail@lardeauvalley.com and not lardeau-youremail
Type in your password
Outgoing Mail Server should be set to mail.lardeauvalley.com
Click OK and go to Mail on the top menu and select Preferences
Click Server Settings at the bottom below the Outgoing Mail Server (SMTP) and make sure the following settings are set:
Outgoing Mail Server is set to mail.lardeauvalley.com
Authentication type is password, username is your full email address
Server Port is 587 and the check box for Use Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) is checked
Click OK and close the Accounts window
Click Get Mail to Confirm
Edit or check configuration of your LV.com E-Mail address
Open Mozilla Thunderbird
Go to Tools at the top menu and click Account Settings
Click your Account Name under Server Settings – most likely your email address
Under Server Settings, be sure that
Server Name is set to mail.lardeauvalley.com and the Port is 110
The Never option is selected for Use secure connection
Click Outgoing Server (SMTP) at the lower left of the window.
Select your LV.com account and click Edit
Server Name should be set to mail.lardeauvalley.com and the Port is 587
Authentication method should be password, and your full email address should be entered for username.
Click OK and OK
Click Get Mail to confirm that you’re good to go and everything works the way it should
Add your @LV.com E-Mail Address to Mozilla Thunderbird
Open Mozilla Thunderbird
Go to Tools at the top menu and click Account Settings
Select Email Account. Click Next
Type in your E-Mail Address. Click Next
Make sure that POP is selected and type in mail.lardeauvalley.com for Incoming Server. Click Next
Type in email address in the Incoming username box. Click next.
Type in your preferred Account name. This is for identifying your LV.com account from any other email accounts in Thunderbird. This has no bearing on the configuration. Click Next
Click Finish
Click Outgoing Server (SMTP) at the lower left of the window
Select your LV.com account and click Edit
Type in a description. Server Name should be set to mail.lardeauvalley.com and the Port is 587
Click OK
Click your LV.com account name at the left.
Select smtp.lardeauvalley.com (or what you put as your description in step 11) from the Outgoing Server (SMTP) drop-down menu and click OK
Click Get Mail to confirm that you’re good to go and everything works the way it should
New to Mozilla Thunderbird?
Open Mozilla Thunderbird
Select the Don’t import anything option
Type in your E-Mail Address. Click Next
Make sure that POP is selected and type in mail.lardeauvalley.com for Incoming Server
Type in mail.lardeauvalley.com for Outgoing Server as well. Click Next
Type in email address in the Incoming user name box. Click next
Type in your preferred Account name. This is for identifying your LV.com account from any other email accounts in Thunderbird. This has no bearing on the configuration. Click Next
Click Finish
Go to Tools – Accounts
Click OK and OK
Click Get Mail to confirm that you’re good to go and everything works the way it should
Edit or check configuration of your LV.com E-Mail address
Open Outlook Express (if not already)
Go to Tools at the top menu and click Accounts…
Click the Mail Tab, select your @LV.com account name and click Properties
Click the Servers tab and be sure that:
Incoming mail (POP3) is set to mail.lardeauvalley.com
Outgoing Mail (SMTP) is set to mail.lardeauvalley.com
At the bottom, put a check where it says ‘My server requires authentication’
Click the Advanced Tab and be sure that
Outgoing Mail (SMTP) Port is set to 587
Incoming mail (POP3) Port is set to 110
Click OK and then click Close
Click Send/Recv to confirm that you’re good to go and everything works the way it should
Add your @LV.com E-Mail Address to Outlook Express
Open Outlook Express
Go to Tools at the top menu and click Accounts…
Click the Mail Tab, Click Add at the right and select Mail
Type in your preferred name (This is what people will see when they receive any emails sent by you and has no bearing on your email configuration) Click Next
Type in your E-Mail Address. Click Next
In the Incoming Mail (POP3) box, type in mail.lardeauvalley.com
In the Outgoing Mail (SMTP) box, type in mail.lardeauvalley.com as well. Click Next
In the Account Name box, type in your email address (yourname@lardeauvalley.com)
Type in your password
Click Send/Recv to confirm that you’re good to go and everything works the way it should
New to Outlook Express?
Open Outlook Express
Type in your preferred name (This is what people will see when they receive any emails sent by you and has no bearing on your email configuration), Click Next
Type in your E-Mail Address. Click Next
In the Incoming Mail (POP3) box, type in mail.lardeauvalley.com
In the Outgoing Mail (SMTP) box, type in mail.lardeauvalley.com as well, Click Next
In the Account Name box, type in your email address (yourname@lardeauvalley.com)
Type in your password
Click on Finish, Click on Close
Click Send/Recv to confirm that you’re good to go and everything works the way it should
Many popups and other web ads pretend to be things they are not. Don’t click on anything but the red X of any window you don’t trust or didn’t ask for. Some will even pretend to be a windows operating system or an antivirus message. Be wary and vigilant to guard against scams. If you are getting a message about an infection, ensure it is coming from the antivirus program that you have installed. There are fake anti-viruses which are scams.
Our custom Speedtest http://kin.speedtestcustom.com/ and why its useful speed plus ping and jitter.
WiFi analyzers and in particular https://www.netspotapp.com/ which has a really capable paid app but also freebie basics for Windows, Mac, Android, and IOS.
Anti-virus and anti-malware software
In our informed opinion as your Internet Service Provider, it is essential that you maintain basic protection from malicious software on your devices. Antivirus and anti-malware software is easy to find and install and there are a variety of free options available on various download sites around the net. There are also options for blocking popup ads in most browsers and we encourage you to try other web browsers to find one you like best. Be careful with plugins and especially toolbars as some can slow down your computer and degrade your web-browsing experience.
While Kaslo infoNet can’t endorse a particular product, our technician personally recommends MalwareBytes Anti-Malware… or Spybot – search and destroy free editions – (don’t bother with their paid or antivirus editions) though oftentimes, the built-in Windows Defender part of Windows 10 is sufficient on its own.
Many paid antivirus software cause more problems than they solve and slow computers down … this is an opinion and some advice, and I can’t be held liable if you get a computer virus, no matter how.
Test your speed at our local server: http://kin.speedtestcustom.com/
If you are curious as to the true performance of your internet connection, please visit the above link and record your results. By keeping track of the speeds you see at different times of day you will see what your connection is capable of and also how it performs when the system is busy. If your download speeds are consistently below their rated levels for the plan you are on, please contact technical support. You should generally see results around or slightly above your service plan’s rated speed in ideal conditions. You may email a log of your results at different times to the support staff [tech@kin.bc.ca] if you feel that there are issues with your connection that need to be addressed.
With our increased backbone capacity there should not be slow times of day, so if there is a speed issue, it is likely local to a particular client or radio … if you make us aware of these issues, there is often an option for improvement.
Depending on your connection speed and that of the server you are connecting to, and the quality (resolution/bitrate) of the video you are accessing, some video streaming services will “buffer” if the download cannot keep up to the playing time. Sometimes you can pause and wait for it to buffer further in advance. Sometimes this could be due to network issues outside of KiN’s network which are beyond our control, and other times may be caused by local wireless interference or usage on your network.
Be advised that video on demand services such as Netflix and Shaw Direct VOD will consume more bandwidth than most other online activity, and frequent viewing makes you more likely to exceed your monthly throughput threshold [the # of GB included in your monthly service plan]. If you are on the basic plan and exceed your maximum bandwidth, you will be bumped to the next service tier up (with unlimited bandwidth) until you ask us to take you down again, if desired.
KiN makes no guarantees that video streaming services will operate reliably during peak times of heavy network usage. Please be considerate of your neighbours and moderate your own usage responsibly.
For Youtube videos, you can adjust the resolution and bitrate via the gear icon in the bottom right of the video. Settings > Quality. The default is auto so it will choose the highest quality that your connection will support, but this will also use/consume the most data per minute.
For Netflix videos, you can adjust the default quality setting here: https://www.netflix.com/HdToggle – the default is auto, but it will choose the highest quality that your connection speed will support. Low or medium quality will use 0.3 – 0.7 GB per hour, while HD quality will use up to 3 GB per hour of viewing.
Windows Vista or 7
Edit or check configuration of your LV.com E-Mail address
Open Windows Mail
Go to Tools at the top menu and click Accounts…
Select your LV.com email account and click properties
Click Servers Tab and be sure that:
Incoming mail (POP3) is set to mail.lardeauvalley.com
Outgoing Mail (SMTP) is set to mail.lardeauvalley.com
Account name is youremail@lardeauvalley.com and not lardeau-youremail
Password will be the same
Click the Advanced Tab and be sure that
Outgoing Mail (SMTP) Port is set to 25
Incoming mail (POP3) Port is set to 110
Check to see that This server requires a secure connection (ssl) is checked on for both POP3 and SMTP
Click OK and then click Close
Click Send/Receive to confirm that you’re good to go and everything works the way it should
Add your @LV.com E-Mail Address to Windows Mail
Open Windows Mail
Go to Tools at the top menu and click Accounts
Click Add at the right and select Mail. Click next.
Type in your display name (This is what people will see when they receive any emails sent by you and has no bearing on your email configuration) Click Next
Type in your E-Mail Address. Click Next
In the Incoming Mail (POP3) box, type in mail.lardeauvalley.com
In the Outgoing Mail (SMTP) box, type in mail.lardeauvalley.com as well.
Click Next
In the e-mail username box, type in your email address (yourname@lardeauvalley.com)
Type in your password
Check to see that My server requires authentication is checked
Click on Next, Click on Finish
Windows Mail will automatically check to see if everything is OK.
New to Windows Mail?
Open Windows Mail
Type in your display name (This is what people will see when they receive any emails sent by you and has no bearing on your email configuration) Click Next
Type in your E-Mail Address. Click Next
Be sure that POP3 is selected, then click Next
In the Incoming Mail (POP3) box, type in mail.lardeauvalley.com
In the Outgoing Mail (SMTP) box, type in mail.lardeauvalley.com as well. Click Next
In the e-mail username box, type in your email address (yourname@lardeauvalley.com)
Type in your password
Click on Next, Click on Finish
Windows Mail will automatically check to see if everything is OK.
Wi-Fi Home Networking!
And how to make it work for all of us…
All of us have become used to always-connected devices.
A decade ago we made do with a Wireless internet or DSL modem connection. It was connected to a desktop computer or laptop generally by way of a cable. We used a browser to connect to the web and we were happy to have email and the ability to download the odd file, browse for web content and the like, speeds were about 1 megabit per second. This was the first generation, and then we began to replace that cable with residential Wi-Fi…
As an Internet Service Provider, we find that two of every three support calls we receive are not about internet service issues, but about the failure of the local residential Wi-Fi access to meet end user’s expectations.
The most common response you will hear from our technicians will be “plug into the internet device and speed test it there”. If the “Customer Premises Equipment” (CPE) device delivers the rated service speed, and it generally does, we know if we are dealing with an ISP network problem or a local issue.
It would be easy for us to simply say “It’s not our problem”, but in many cases, the basic Wi-Fi access point you connect to was provided by us; your Wi-Fi router. So, let’s understand what these problems are and how they can be dealt with.
In the last decade, Wi-Fi devices have grown like mushrooms in the fall, we have Smart TVs, streaming applications on smartphones, Roku devices and Android or Apple TV boxes, and tablets of every shape size and description, and let’s not forget laptop computers. The average home with two or more residents has managed to accumulate anywhere from 4 or 5 to several dozen devices that are “always wireless network connected” and that includes thermostats, smoke alarms, moisture detectors, video doorbell systems, security cameras, and door lock systems just to name some of the wireless-enabled devices available.
There are several problems with this proliferation of technology that many of us have overlooked as we have come to rely on this technology:
- All of it is dependent on access to, and use of “Wi-Fi connections”. Many households are served by a single “Wi-Fi Access Point” or AP (any Wi-Fi router is considered to be an Access Point) that serves all of these devices. With many more devices added, and in many cases with those devices spread around larger premises, reliability is less than wonderful. We have all experienced slow Wi-Fi in the yard or garage.
- Wi-Fi was conceived as a low cost universally available technology using “unlicensed” radio spectrum. These frequencies, commonly 2.4 Ghz and 5.8 Ghz are shared by everyone, and over the last decade have become very crowded.
- If you reside in a shared accommodation you are likely to be sharing the available Wi-Fi spectrum with other access points and with many more devices from Bluetooth devices to microwave ovens.
This brings us to why we are posting this information.
Please don’t beat up our technicians over the local Wi-Fi network in your residence. It’s more in your control, then ours. We will help you to use it properly but you need to understand what the problems are and how to deal with them.
For the geeks in the crowd the definitive article on Wi-Fi is here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IEEE_802.11
For the rest of us here’s what you need to know.
Wi-Fi aka the IEEE 802.11 wireless networking protocol is about 20 years old. It has also been through many versions over the years.
The commonest version in use today is 802.11N that was released back in 2009 and uses three separate bands in the 2.4 Ghz spectrum. Most Wi-Fi Access Points will serve all three bands or channels and most devices will find the first unoccupied channel and ask for a connection in that band automatically. Each channel is capable of speeds “Up to 54 Mbps” or in practical terms about 40 to 45 Mbps.
This works well so long as:
- There is only one access point within 70 meters indoors or 250 meters outdoors
- There are no more than three active Devices connecting to any Access Point
- Those 3 Devices are spread out on one per band
- No other Device(s) within range is utilizing in the 2.4 Ghz radio spectrum
- Last but not least, where Devices are sharing an Access Point and Channel, they share nicely
These issues are the cause of most complaints we hear every day. How can there be problems? Let me count the ways.
- Competing Access Points! And this is the commonest source of problems in shared buildings, or for that matter two close neighbours with competing Access Points.
- Multiple devices attempting to use the same band simultaneously. Common offenders, two video streams.
- When there are more devices than channels, the Access Point splits its attention to serve both devices in sequence. This works well unless one has a little stronger signal and dominates the signal.
- Material Interference. Let’s say the Access Point is in the living room and a device works fine there, but 20 feet away in the kitchen, behind two sheets of drywall, some studs and wiring, and several metal appliances that same device gets less than a third of the signal compared to the previous room.
- Using a connected device that is just receiving a signal (one bar), this can lead to a loss of information in the air causing the device to re-request the lost data. If this occurs too often it can slow down all other connected devices as well as the culprit device.
So how do we fix this problem?? It never used to be this bad!!
You are absolutely right. It never was this bad, but the number of these devices continues to grow at a rapid rate. As have the number of Wi-Fi Access Points, or as we call them “AP’s”. So, here’s what we can do about it.
Wi-Fi Network Management 101 for Homeowners
- Can you survive with a single Access Point? If you have a smaller premise and locate your Wi-Fi Access Point centrally, and there are not too many things in the way of your devices you may solve the problem by carefully placing the AP for best performance. If you do not have too many active devices connected to a single AP it will probably work just fine.
- Make sure all of your devices are connected at a solid two bars minimum, higher is better.
- How can you tell? Use a device with a Wi-Fi Analyzer App (laptop, smartphone or tablet) to see where the problem areas are. On your device using the app store, search for “NetSpot” and use the free app to see what the signal strength is where you want to use a device. The rating numbers can be confusing as they display in -dBm and higher is better. Anything less than -40 is perfection, anything lower than -60 is workable for streaming, and anything lower than -70 is usable for email and web surfing. After -75 forget it you are going nowhere. This is all relevant if your area is not oversaturated with other Wi-Fi networks, if you are in a congested area you can still experience issues, even with a stronger signal.
- What else will a Wi-Fi Analyzer app tell you? If there are other competing AP’s and how strong they are (congestion), again in -dBm numbers, and what Channel they are transmitting on, 1, 6, or 11. It’s safe to say if you have two AP’s with similar strength on the same channel, not much is going to function properly, and this is one of the commonest issues we see. Also please keep in mind that not all competing devices will appear on this app, only 802.11 Wi-Fi devices. A wireless doorbell or a baby monitor, as examples, which do not connect to your home Wi-Fi would more than likely not be represented when using this app.
We can send out technicians to do detailed signal mapping for you, but that entails a significant expense. If you are in a commercial enterprise providing a Wi-Fi service this may be useful. It may also be an intermittent problem, so being able to do your own testing is valuable.
We hope that this information will help our users to manage their own Wi-Fi environment, as well as be cognizant of close neighbours Wi-Fi as well. You may well find that managing Wi-Fi spectrum needs to be a shared neighbourhood effort.
