Answer: When you begin to use your cable modem, it automatically dials and makes a connection to our system. It usually take about 30 seconds or so to establish that connection. Sometimes, your web browser 'times out' before your connection is complete. Simply click your browser's refresh or reload button to continue with your connection.

Question: Why does my modem sometimes dial when I'm not using the computer?

Answer: There are times when you cable modem will receive a request from the system or from the Internet and needs to respond. This is normal, and we have configured our system to have this occur as little as possible. PeRKInet is designed to have its own, dedicated phone line, and people with a dedicated line normally have no problem with this. If, however, you only have one phone line, there are some steps you can take to keep your modem from dialing at inconvenient times. The simplest way is to turn your external telephone modem off when you're not using the service. You can also purchase an inexpensive telephone switch from an electronics hobby shop.

Question: When I'm done using the Internet and close my applications, my phone line is still connected to your server. What do I do to disconnect?

Answer: There is free software available on the Northcoast Web Site for Windows 95, Windows 98, and Macintosh which can be used to connect and disconnect your phone line. Go to http://www.northcoast.com, click on the Support button, then click on the PeRKInet Software link. Follow the instructions there to download, install, and use the software.

Question: My modem hung up, but I'm still using the Internet. I changed pages or sent some e-mail messages and it redialed. Why did it hang up?

Answer: Usually, this happens when you're reading a long web page or spending a long time at a particular web site without moving between individual pages. If the cable modem doesn't send or receive any information for a set period of time, called the 'timeout' period, it assumes you've stopped using the Internet and it hangs up the phone for you. We can adjust your timeout period on an individual basis, just call and ask.

Question: Why doesn't my cable modem have a power switch? Does it have to be on all the time? What if the power goes out or it gets unplugged?

Answer: Yes, your cable modem is designed to be on all the time. Unplugging the cable modem causes it to lose all of its settings. If your cable modem does lose power, it will need to download its settings from our server before it will work again. This process is automatic and takes about 10 minutes to complete.

Question: Sometimes my modem seems to slow down. Why is that?

Answer: Often, Internet sites that you connect with can't serve up their content as fast as your cable modem can download it. Other network 'bottlenecks' can occur along various busy parts of the Internet or in the telephone system, especially during popular hours of the day. Using a proxy server helps ease the problem of network congestion. It stores popular web sites and programs locally, so your browser doesn't have to travel across the world to get them. See page 7 for information on using our proxy server.

Question: My question isn't listed here, or your advice didn't help solve my problem. What should I do to get an answer?

Answer: We're more than happy to answer your questions. Give our technicians a call at 825-4400. You can also e-mail support@northcoast.com. Be sure to include a detailed description of your problem in your email message to assist our technicians in helping you.

  [Top]