Misconceptions:

• Why does ElkNet change my settings?
  Many times a failure to connect can be corrected by simply re-entering your User Name or Password, or by re-starting your computer. Other times more significant configuration settings must be re-entered. This is caused by software problems in many of today's computer operating systems, either because a new program was installed that changed settings, or a damaged file, or simply for unidentifiable operating system problems. ElkNet has no ability whatsoever to change any settings on your computer. If you are having connect problems, try restarting your computer and re-entering your User Name and Password on your dialer's connect screen. If this does not help, check your other dial-up networking settings against the information ElkNet provided you when you signed up. We encourage you to call our Help Desk for assistance if needed (262-723-1638 or 877-723-1638 toll free, or 262-723-1501 TDD Monday - Friday 8AM - 9PM, Sat 8AM - 1PM) for assistance.
  
• Why does ElkNet keep kicking me off?
  ElkNet will only disconnect a customer for one of two reasons; the customer has not used the Internet in the last 45 minutes, or their connection has been up for over twelve hours. ElkNet is an unlimited USE service. This means that you can USE the service as much as you wish during the month, but it does not mean that you can connect your computer and leave it connected for extended periods when you are not actually using the service. If there has not been any activity for 45 minutes, your session will be disconnected so that other customers may use the port you were on. Any activity at all, e-mail, surfing, file transfers, will keep prevent ElkNet from disconnecting you. Some customers try to circumvent this policy by using various methods to create false activity, even when they are not using their computer. For this reason, ElkNet will also disconnect excessive sessions after 12 hours, as it is unlikely that an actual customer would have a solid, uninterrupted session of this length. Both of these activities are known as Port Camping. For customers that have legitimate needs to remain connected for extended periods, we do offer a service called Dedicated Dial-up where you receive your own private access number. If you are being disconnected other than for 45 minutes of inactivity or for exceeding a 12 hour session, then it is NOT ELKNET that is disconnecting you. See below for possible causes.
  
• What's wrong with ElkNet, my connect speed is so low?
  Connect speed is dependent on two items; the compatibility between your modem and ElkNet equipment, and the quality of each individual telephone call placed to ElkNet. Let's discuss modems first:

  Modem Compatibility

  • Chipsets- The ElkNet equipment is based on the Rockwell chipset, and is completely V.90 compliant. This means that our equipment will work with the widest possible group of modems, as the V.90 standard is an international standard, and also because 75% of the manufactured modems, from various companies, use the Rockwell chipset. For the best possible connect rates, use a modem based on the Rockwell chipset, and make sure that it is V.90 compatible.
    
  • Updates- Many modem manufacturers periodically improve their product, and often updates can be downloaded directly from the manufacturers web site. Otherwise try www.56k.com.
    
  • Software Modems- There is one other modem issue to consider, and that is the topic of Software Modems. To reduce the price of their computers, some companies are installing a low performance, low cost type of modem in their systems known as a software modem. This type of modem replaces much of the expensive electronic components on the modem with software on your computer, making the computer itself simulate part of the modem. This type of modem is available with both Rockwell chipsets and 3COM/US-Robotics chipsets. These modems are known as RPI, HFC, SoftModem or WINModem. If the box says that Windows is required, it is likely that it is a software modem. If at all possible, stay away from, or replace, this type of modem. You spent a lot of money on your computer for it to be a computer, not a modem. Internet usage on this type of modem is typically very unsatisfactory.

  Telephone Lines:
  The second item that affects your connect speed, and the much more significant one, is the quality of each telephone call your computer's modem places to ElkNet.

  • What's a phone line for?- While you may not hear much of a difference between calls you make to friends and family, there are many quality issues that your modem is affected by that your ear can't hear. The human voice uses a very narrow range of tones, and the human brain can overcome many errors when listening to someone speak. From its origination, the telephone system was invented to speak over, and computer to computer modem usage was never intended.
    
  • How about modems?- Remember that the speed rating of any modem you may purchase is its BEST POSSIBLE SPEED, typically under laboratory conditions, not its typical real world speed. Up until the de-regulation of the telephone industry, the telephone company was responsible for designing and supporting computer modems, after this point in history, modem manufacturers pushed their designs to allow more and more speed, taking the telephone network far beyond its intended design. Additionally, 56K V.90 connections are even more demanding on the telephone network: while modems prior to 56K were based upon the sounds that they made over the telephone line, 56K is based on the conversion of these sounds to digital computer codes by the telephone company equipment.
    
  • Line Impairments- As a result of line impairments, a customer often is not satisfied with their connect speed, and blame first their Internet Provider i.e. ElkNet, or their telephone company. The Telecommunications Industry Association issued a document (TSB37-A) that details 168 issues that can impair modem connections, yet few of these issues would noticeably affect voice conversations. The screeching sounds that modems make when they first connect are their way of testing these 168 issues to see how clean that particular call is so they know how fast they can connect. These tests have to be made for each call, as these impairments will change not only between each call, but even during a call. When they change during a call typically is what causes you to get disconnected in mid-session.
    
  • What about the phone company?- In the state of Wisconsin, the Public Service Commission has recognized these impairment issues when they passed PSC 160.031 Wisconsin Administrative Code, at which time they set the data speed requirement for dial up telephone lines at 9,600 bits/second. If your connect speed is at least 9.6Kbps, then your telephone service is meeting the requirements of the voice grade telephone line you are paying them for. In a nutshell, if you can call whom you want and a voice conversation can be understood, then you are getting what you are paying for.
    
  • Telco Equipment- As part of the evolution of the telephone system, many telephone companies have or are in the process of upgrading to digital computer based telephone switches. The older analog telephone systems simply sends the sounds that are made on a telephone, while the newer digital telephone systems convert these sounds into computer codes. This allows them to increase capacity as demand for telephone lines grows.
    
  • Conversion- The path that a telephone call takes may make the conversion between the analog sounds that originate from your telephone or modem to the digital format many times before getting to it's destination. 56K modems have an absolute requirement that this conversion only occur ONCE, otherwise they won't work above the old maximum speed of 33.6Kbps.
    
  • Pair-Gaining- There is one more issue that affects many customers, and will grow more prevalent over time, and that is the issue of Pair-Gaining. One of the most expensive aspects of the telephone industry is the installation of the wires going between the telephone company and their customers, known as the Physical Plant. Burying cables or installing it on telephone poles is very expensive, so plant engineers attempt to forcast future need to try and avoid having to re-install or expand cable. As new housing or business developments are built, along with increased demand for fax, computer, teen lines etc., this demand can often surpass the capacity that was anticipated. Remember that much of this physical plant was installed before the home office, computer, and Internet growth started. One technology that was developed by the telephone industry to meet this demand is known as Pair-Gaining, and allows the telephone companies to connect multiple telephone lines and numbers over one physical pair of wires, all without affecting the voice quality of these lines. Yet is does affect your modem, typically limiting it to a top connect speed of 26,400 bits/second. And you may have no warning of when it can happen in your area. Your neighbor may order a new line for their children, or for their fax machine, or you yourself may order a new line. To supply these additional lines to you or your neighbor, they might have to use Pair-Gain on the the physical line currently used by your computer. When that physical line used to only be used by your modem, now two telephone numbers go over it, and your best connect speed is impaired. This is completely within the rights of your local telephone company, as long as the individual line to your computer can still support the mandated 9.6Kbps and as long as the voice quality is acceptable, again recall that Voice Conversation is what you are paying for.
    
  • Who to blame?- The telephone connection between your modem and ElkNet is NOT part of the ElkNet service, and is completely outside of our control. There is nothing ElkNet can do to improve your connect speed, but there are some tips we can suggest to possibly improve the part of the call between your modem and where your local telephone company connects to your home/business (see Tips below).
    
• A rapid busy, or a recorded voice saying 'All Trunks Busy' means ElkNet's too big
  ElkNet uses a ratio of 1 access line per 8 customers. The national average is 12 customers per line. We use a lower ratio to try and prevent customers getting a busy signal. We also have a non-official no-busy policy. If a number of customers complain of busies, we will add lines ahead of schedule, dropping below even our 8:1 ratio. If you receive a busy message, its probably not ElkNet that is out of lines. If you are calling into an ElkNet access number from a city or village other than where the access lines are physically located, then your call is coming into ElkNet over what is known as a Central Office Trunk. These trunks are how telephone company central office telephone switches exchange calls between offices. When all of these trunks are in use, no more calls can be placed, just like on Mother's Day. ElkNet probably has enough ports for you to connect, but there aren't enough trunks to get your call through to us. The telephone companies on both sides of an inter-office trunk must agree to add additional lines, which are expensive and the telephone companies have no mans to cover these costs by charging their customers, its part of doing business. It doesn't hurt though to ask them when this happens, but call ElkNet first to make certain that its not our fault!
  
• ElkNet is growing too fast, that's why I'm having problems
  The number of customers on ElkNet can not effect any individual customer. ElkNet's capacity is based upon the number of access lines/ports we install, and our connection to the Internet back-bone. While too many customers may cause busy signals (see above item), once a line/port is accessed, the number of customers online can not effect you, you are on a dedicated line/port for the duration of your session. Other customers can not cause you to be disconnected, or prevent you from logging on.

Tips:

1. Line Cord:
   That flat telephone cord that you use between your modem and the wall jack, known as Flat Satin, is the worst kind of cable there is. It will act like an antenna, and pick up every electrical noise it can; from lamps, heaters, motors, monitors, speakers etc. As such, keep it as short as possible, and under no circumstance allow this cable to be over 6 feet in length. Having a longer cable wrapped up is not acceptable either. If you computer is not within 6 feet of the jack, move it or install a new jack.
   
2. Extensions:
   If your modem is not connected to its own telephone line, then the line cords of other devices on your extension jacks are also critical. If any of your other telephone jacks in your home/business have longer than 6 foot cords, try to shorten them. Also route them as far away as possible from any electrical devices or lines. Unplug unused devices.
   
3. Other Telephone Devices:
   Again, if your modem is sharing a line in your home/business with other devices, telephones, cordless phones, fax machines, answering machines etc., try disconnecting all of these devices at their wall jack. These devices can affect your connect speed even when not in use. If your connect speed improves, then start reconnecting the other devices one at a time to see if you can identify the trouble maker, and then repair or replace it.
   
4. Inside Wiring:
   In Wisconsin, contractors are not under any regulations regarding the type of wire used to install telephone lines as it is considered low voltage service. As a result, a significant number of newly constructed homes and business, as well as newly installed jacks and additional lines in existing buildings are installed with the wrong type of wiring. Often old buildings that were wired pre-deregulation by the telephone companies have superior wiring. Often contractors will use the aforementioned Flat Satin wire to wire a whole building, or they will use antenna rotor wire, or intercom station wire. All of these types of wire are incorrect, and will act as a giant antenna to pick up electrical noise. The correct type of wire is known as Category 1 cable, and is designed to cancel out electrical noise. Category 3 or Category 5 computer data network cable is acceptable too, as it is designed in the same manner. It is difficult for the typical individual to determine what kind of cable is used in their home/business. Try opening up a wall jack and examining the wires inside the cable; if the cable contains 4 or eight wires and they are separated into 2 or 4 pairs, and each pair are individually twisted around each other, it may be the correct cable. Often the pairs are color coded as orange, green, blue, and brown. If the incorrect wire was used, all of it must be replaced. Most local telephone companies can do inside wiring for a reasonable cost, discuss with them the type of wire you need. If you want to do your own wiring, while Category 1 telephone cable is difficult for the consumer to purchase, many local computer stores can obtain Category 3 or Category 5 networking cable for you to use instead.
   
5. Update Your Modem
   Most current modems have their internal programming stored in what is known as Flash memory. This type of memory can be reprogrammed by a utility program. Often modem manufacturers improve their products by updating this internal software. You can typically obtain updated programming directly from your modem manufacturer's web site, or try www.56k.com.

Checking Computer Settings:

1. Troubleshooting Windows '95 & '98 w/ Internet Explorer 4.x
   1. Check the Dialer
      1. Double Click on "My Computer" to open it.
      2. Double Click on "Dial-up Networking" to open it.
      3. There should only be 2 items in this folder: "Make new Connection" & "Elknet Internet Dialer" any others can confuse the program and should be removed if they are not being used by other Programs.
      4. Right Click on "Elknet Internet Dialer" then left click on "Properties"
      5. Check settings on this page: Correct area code, correct phone #, Use Country Code & Area Code, should be checked, check also for right modem
      6. Click "Server Type" Button (tab in Win 98)
      7. Click "Server Type" Box. Should only be "PPP, Windows 95, Windows NT 3.5, Internet" ( or if you have Win 98 it will say Window 98)
      8. See what boxes are checked: Should be - "Enable Software Compression & TCP/IP"
      9. Click on "TCP/IP Settings" Button
      10. Dots should be next to "Server Assigned IP Address" and "Specify Name Server Addresses"
      11. Check Primary and Secondary DNS numbers. 64.83.160.45 for Primary, 64.83.160.56 for Secondary. Primary and Secondary WINS should be all 0's.
      12. Both bottom boxes should be checked.
      13. Close all boxes that are open using the "OK" buttons only.
          
          
   2. Check the Network Settings
      1. Double Click "My Computer" then "Control Panel" the "Network"
      2. In the Network Control Panel under configuration, there might be several items, you want the following items listed:
         Client for Microsoft Networks, Microsoft Family Logon, Dial up Adapter, TCP/IP

         If you have a listing for an Ethernet card, that can stay in the list. If you don't have the Client for Microsoft Networks, that is okay. (If your computer is on a network, have your network administrator check these settings. If these settings are changed they may cause problems in your network).

      3. Double Click "TCP/IP (If you get a message about changing TCP/IP Settings-click OK)
      4. A box with tabs along the top should open up. Click each tab and follow directions below:
         IP ADDRESS: Dot next to "Obtain an IP address automatically"
         WINS CONFIG: Dot next to "Disable WINS resolution"
         GATEWAY: Should be empty
         DNS CONFIG: Dot next to "Disable DNS"
         BINDINGS: Under bindings, there will be one of three options:
         1- A check mark by Client for Microsoft Networks
         2- A check mark by Microsoft Family Logon
         3- A check mark by Client for Microsoft Networks and Microsoft Family Logon
         4- or nothing will be in this box at all

         ADVANCED: None or No

      5. Windows Logon should be in the middle of the page under Primary Network Logon
      6. Close this box - Click on "OK" to close Network box. Close Control Panel"

         Re-boot the computer and connect. Try out the Internet Explorer and Out Look Express by checking web sites and mail.

          

2. Troubleshooting for Internet Explorer 5.0 for Windows '98

   1. Right Click Internet Explorer icon on desktop (blue "e") to bring menu. Left click "Properties" and a window with tabs should open.
   2. Check the information under each tab as noted here (make changes as needed)
      GENERAL: Home Page Address (http://www.elknet.net)
      SECURITY: User preference (set as you like)
      CONTENT: User preference (set as you like)
      CONNECTION: Should see "Dial-Up Settings" with a white box. In the white box should be: "Elknet Internet Dialer" (default). Any others which aren't absolutely necessary should be removed. They may confuse things. Check which circle has the dot below that. Dot should be next to "Always dial my default connection" Click that circle to put the dot there, if needed. There should be a check mark in the box next to: "Perform System Security Check Before Dialing"
      PROGRAMS: You should see several boxes with down arrows on their right sides, labeled as follows. Check each one's contents as shown.
      HTML: >this box is blank<
      E-Mail: Out Look Express
      Newsgroups: Out Look Express
      Internet Call: Microsoft Call
      Calendar: >this box is blank<
      Contact List: address book

      There should be a check mark in the box next to "Internet Explorer should check to see if it is the default browser"

   3. When all of these are set as above, click the "Apply" box, then click the "OK" to close this window.

    
3. Troubleshooting for Outlook Express 5.0x

   1. If not already open, click the blue "e" on your desktop, or click on the icon for Outlook Express, also on your desktop.
   2. At the top of Internet Explorer, click the button labeled "Mail" near the right side. A menu should drop down.
   3. Click on "Read Mail" (a box might open up asking if you would like to go online now. Click the "No" button).
   4. Outlook Express should now be open and you should see File, Edit, View, Tools, Message, Help across the top of the page.
   5. Click on Tools and a menu should drop down.
   6. Click on Accounts, a box should open with tabs at the top.
   7. Click on the Mail tab. In the white box, you should see "ElkNet Email" (this is just the name of the mail account, it could be labeled anything) Mail (default) Dial-up: ElkNet Internet Dialer.
   8. Click on ElkNet Email, then click on Properties.
   9. General Tab -- Make sure the Name and Email address are correct. Make sure your Reply Address field is the same as your Email Address field.
   10. Click on Servers -- the top item should read as follows: "My incoming mail server is a: POP3 server." The Incoming Mail Sever: should be set to mail.elknet.net and the Outgoing Mail Server: should be set to smtp.elknet.net.
       
       Your Account Name and Password should be entered. NOTE: The account name should just be your account name, do not add the @elknet.net after it. Remember the password is case sensitive.
   11. Click on Connection -- Make sure "Always connect to this account using (name of dialer listed here)" is checked and the name of dialer is listed in the white field. If blank, click on down arrow and see if it is listed and if so, click on that dialer.
   12. Click OK, then Close to exit the Internet Mail Account screen.
   13. You should be all set to send and receive email.