Frequently Asked Questions and Answers
DSL (Digital
Subscriber Line) turns your existing phone line into a two
channel data traveling system. The first one transmits data downstream at a high rate and the
second one is a bi-directional channel that transmits data upstream.
Yes! this is one of the primary advantages of DSL as
compared to dial-up internet access.
While a telephone line is
needed for our service, it need not be used for voice. The Internet signal is passed to and from the
receiver/modem on a telephone line, but telephone service is not required.
No, Fairpoint telephone service is not required.
No. If you use a DSL modem, it
will not affect any of your other calling features such as call waiting, voice
mail and caller ID.
A broadband DSL modem is very
different from your old dial-up telephone modem. It allows you to use your
telephone and connect to the Internet simultaneously many times faster than you
could with a dialup connection, It is a high speed connection that is useful for
loading data, music, images and a lot more. DSL services enable you to finish
your work earlier than before and in that way it can leave you with more time to
enjoy other things.
We provide the modem/router for you to access our service. The basic
computer requirement is a Windows 2000, or Apple
OS 9 or later machine. We do not support older machines.
You will need a network card in your computer. Most computers
made since 2002 will likely have one installed. If yours does not, we can install one for a minimal charge. chebeague.net will provide the modem/router and any
accessories necessary to connect to our network. We also recommend that you use surge devices to protect your equipment from electrical fluctuations, a router for basic firewall protection, and antivirus software.
These may all be found at reasonable prices at local computer stores.
You will not need any filters in the chebeague.net system.
chebeague.net provides asymmetrical upload and download speeds up to
6 Mbps. This means that your download speeds are faster than your upload
speeds, reflecting normal usage demands. See the Cost page for details and
available options.
If you are using the modem we supplied, then you are using the
built in NAT firewall. NAT (Network Address Translation) converts your IP
address into a non-routable IP address that is not accessible from the outside
world. This essentially hides your computer from attacks.
If you require further protection, firewall software can be downloaded from
http://www.zonelabs.com.
Zone Alarm is a shareware program that is available for free.
Not if you have used the Internet previously. You are always online with
our dedicated wireless connection. Simply open your browser and you are online
with no delay, no waiting to dial-up, no passwords to enter (unless you set them
up yourself) and no missed calls.
Browse quickly, check e-mail without pain, pay your bills online, locate a great restaurant, and all while talking on the phone. Your life will change forever! Most Internet sites are developed today with the faster connections in mind so dial-up will continue to get slower as sites become more advanced and content rich. With high speed wireless Internet you can play real time videos, make Internet phone calls without breaking up, play your favorite MP3 in real time, watch live video streams, quickly send and receive files, and best of all, general browsing is more enjoyable.
Generally speaking, these higher bandwidth uses will require Level 2 or Level 3
DSL service from chebeague.net.
Your chebeague.net connection is always on, with no time limits or
bandwidth limitations other than those imposed by your chosen service level.
However, if you start to regularly use more than your allocated amount, you will
be asked to cut back on your usage. If you fail to do so, we may be forced to restrict your usage
or ask you to move to a higher tier service. Use is limited to the residence or business address on file with chebeague.net. You cannot share your connection with any other residences or businesses. See our
Terms of Agreement and Acceptable Use Policy for more details.
Further, satellite service is NOT recommended for VoIP because the 'latency
speed' between satellite-dish and that-satellite-way-way-way-up-there is not
fast enough for a consistent VoIP signal.
There are a couple of major differences...satellite is more expensive, both for setup and monthly service
and not nearly as fast. And then there's the weather factor...one of our
investors said that he could tell when bad weather was moving into the area
because the lights on his wireless modem would go out. Even an overcast
could negatively affect performance.
There may be possible
"rain fade" affecting the radio signal coming from
Portland, but it should not bring the system down.
There should be no problem on the Island as long as the telephones are working and
you have power to your modem and computer. If you
are using mobile devices such as iPhones and iPads, your
wireless router will also have to be powered on.
If you have 3G or 4G on your device, you should be able
to get online regardless of the weather.
Yes, you can. But you may have to choose one of the higher speed chebeague.net options.
Low traffic personal servers are OK. Servers intended for business or large scale website traffic are not allowed.
In a word, "NO." Nor is it OK to
"lend" the service to a neighbor while you're gone. The economic viability of
chebeague.net depends on a dependable revenue stream. As more bandwidth is
used, we plan to add capacity and with added capacity comes added cost.
That plus it really isn't fair that some people pay nothing for their service
while
others pay full rate.
In a word, again, "NO." It's not only a matter
of fairness to your neighbors and to chebeague.net, it's also criminal activity
as using a neighbor's Internet signal constitutes theft of service from
chebeague.net. We urge all customers using routers to password protect
them. Remember, if your neighbor taps into your bandwidth, you will have
less available for yourself.
Notify chebeague.net support IMMEDIATELY by calling
846-4850 or 846-4126! We will resolve the issue as quickly as possible. If no one is immediately available, please leave a message. If your issue is not urgent, please send an e-mail to support@chebeague.net.
FairPoint is obligated to make the connection to your home within ten (10)
business days. We should be able to make the in-house installation shortly
after FairPoint does its work.
Our DSL service is available to both business and residential customers
located on Great Chebeague Island in the Town of Chebeague Island.
FairPoint will gather the necessary information
for deciding what needs to be done (if anything) to
bring chebeague.net service to you.
A static IP is a dedicated IP assigned to you (at
an extra charge) so you can
remotely access your computer via a VPN connection. Your Static IP is assigned in our router and traffic hitting this IP is sent to your computer. You are not allowed to host web pages with the static IP. You can use Net Meeting or PCAnywhere
to access your computer. Or you can use dyndns.com or a similar service to
maintain a link between a personal URL and the dynamic IP address.
Yes, for services such as Yahoo and Hotmail. Our connection does not change the way you connect to other e-mail applications or services via the web,
IMAP or POP3. Please see the Support
section for details.
If your e-mail address is provided by your current
dial-up Internet Service Provider (ISP) and you CANCEL that service when you
sign up with chebeague.net, you will
likely NOT be able to continue using your old dial-up e-mail address.
If you choose to use a chebeague.net address, you will need to create a new Eudora, Outlook Express or Outlook account using our e-mail server details:
POP3 (Incoming): mail.chebeague.net
SMTP (Outgoing): mail.chebeague.net
You will also need to enter your user name and password as given to you by chebeague.net.
Yes, we provide webmail service that lets you access your e-mail when
you're away from home
Simply point your browser to
webmail.chebeague.net and you will be able to enter your
e-mail address and
password. You will be presented with a
full featured and easy to use e-mail program.
It is a very good practice to change your password occasionally.
For your protection, only administration can change passwords, and for your
further protection, passwords are encrypted so once entered, they cannot be
easily read by anyone, including administration.
So, send either Beverly or David an e-mail and we'll change your password for you, or issue you
a new one if you've forgotten your password. We promise we'll destroy the
e-mail and forget your password! Axiom does not administer the
chebeague.net e-mail addresses and passwords.
The best passwords are AT LEAST 8 characters long, and include at least one
number. Upper and lower case letters make it even stronger. A good example:
AnewPW4me
.
