Category Archives: News

Be Smart About Data Caps

If your internet service provider enforces data caps, you may be stressed to the brink trying avoiding overage charges or speed throttling.  And you’re not wrong – a family of four using phones, laptops, tablets, and a smart tv can tear through even high data allowances unless they take some precautions.  Here are some simple common-sense measures to help you outsmart your data caps.

Know Your Off-Peak Usage Times

This is an easy one.  Almost all ISPs that use data caps offer an off-peak time when data usage is unlimited, so find out when those times are and make the most of them!  It’s true that most of these off-peak times are overnight, so it might not be much help with Zoom meetings or schoolwork, but you can schedule downloading large work files or updates for these hours to free up data during business hours.

Check Your Streaming Settings

Streaming video is a huge burden on most people’s data usage.  To keep that bite to a minimum, simply turn down your playback settings.  The lowest settings will use the least data, but you don’t have to cut your streaming to the bone.  Even just dropping down from streaming in 4K can take a chunk out of your data usage.  Zoom, Skype, and other video conferencing apps can run on lower usage settings as well.    

Remember Your Cellular Data

This may sound counterintuitive, but using your cellular data instead of your Wi-Fi might work better for you.  Now that there are so many affordable unlimited cellular data plans available, using your phone’s hotspot to handle some of your workloads can help offset your data usage.  You could designate one family member to use cellular data each month, switch to it when you’re using a lot of data, or keep it as a backup for anytime you get near your data cap.

You don’t have to deal with data caps.  Find out if you’re eligible for our unlimited internet service!  To learn more about the services available in your neighborhood, contact us today.

What Can Wi-Fi Extenders do

These days, everyone has more than one device connected to the internet.  With phones, tablets, and laptops all needing wi-fi, a weak wireless signal could spell trouble for your family.  If you find that your kids can’t do homework in their bedrooms or your connection drops while you’re working in your office, your home might benefit from wi-fi extenders.

Ideally, your router should be in the center of your home to create the most even wireless coverage, but that’s often not possible, meaning that rooms further away may get spotty signal.  Homes with a larger footprint may simply be too spread out for a single router to cover.  Homes with two or more stories may have great signal on the floor where the router is but get no connection elsewhere.

Wi-fi extenders can remedy all of these problems!  They work very simply: you place the extenders near the limit of your router’s signal, then they repeat the signal.  Extenders can make sure the spare bedroom at the far end of the house has just as strong a signal as the office or boost the spotty wi-fi downstairs, whatever it takes to get even wi-fi coverage throughout your home.

Most wi-fi extenders are plug and play, ready to install with just a few simple steps.  Just make sure that you purchase extenders that match your router.  Check your wi-fi standard (802.11a/b/g, 802.11n, etc.), and frequency (5GHz or 2.4GHz), and make sure your new wi-fi extenders are increasing the signal of the network you want to use.  You’ll be enjoying a stronger signal in no time!

We offer affordable high-speed Internet service in your area, including our expanded unlimited plans.  To learn more, contact us today!

Secure your new devices

The holidays have come and gone and many of you now have new electronic devices to enjoy!  But before you get too comfortable with your cool new gear, take the time to set up some security on those devices to keep you and your information safe.

First and foremost, you want some virus protection, and remember your phone needs it, too.  Check your app store for highly-rated apps from reputable names like Avast and AVG.  If your new device arrived with preloaded virus protection, make sure you know when that trial expires and have new software standing by.  There are good free and paid options available for all devices, so you can make the choice that’s right for you.

Next, set up physical access protection – your lock screens, PINs, passwords, and fingerprint scanners.  This protects your emails and texts, as well as more sensitive data.  Most new laptops offer the option of a PIN or password to access the desktop.  If you choose to use a PIN, don’t use one that’s associated with any of your bank accounts, just in case.  If you choose a password, remember that using a short phrase instead of a single word can make your password really strong.

Lastly, consider a password manager.  We all have so many passwords these days, it gets difficult to remember them all.  It’s tempting to have your browser record all your passwords so you never have to think about them, but that can put your information at risk. A password manager may be a better solution.

With all your security in place, you can relax and enjoy your new devices in the new year!

We offer reliable, affordable high-speed internet service for all your devices.  Contact us today to learn about the plans and pricing in your neighborhood!

Try This First – Clear Your Cache

If you can’t access your favorite website, it’s tempting to think that your internet service is down.  But if you can reach other sites, that’s not the case.  So if you know your internet is up and you’ve refreshed the page several times to no avail, is there anything else you can do?

Yes! Clear your cache.

It may sound daunting, but it’s really a very simple procedure, especially if you’re using Google Chrome, which is the most widely used browser in the world.  Here’s a quick walk-through that can save you time and frustration.

Step 1: Look at the top right-hand corner of your browser window and click on the three dots.  This opens your browser menu.

Step 2: Select “History” from that menu and then select “History” again from the menu that opens up to the side.  That second menu selection will open your browsing history in a new tab.

Step 3: Click on “Clear browsing data” on the left-hand side of the screen.  This doesn’t delete anything, it just brings up a pop-up window where you can choose what to keep and what to clear.

Step 4: Make your selections for what to clear.  Choose your timeframe – it defaults to seven days, but you can choose one hour, four weeks, or more.  Choose the data you want to clear: “cached images and files”.  You can also select “browsing history” to delete all the websites you’ve visited or “cookies and other site data” to remove saved passwords and account settings, but these are optional and you should only select these if you’re sure you want to delete all that information.

Step 5: Click on “Clear Data”.

Step 6: Close and re-open your browser and try that website again.  Chances are good that it will load in a snap!

We offer affordable, reliable, high-speed internet service in your neighborhood. Contact us today to find out if you’re eligible for our unlimited service!

Managing Data Cap

Over the last year, you’ve probably become very conscious of your data caps and your internet usage.  Between online schooling, video conferences, and not much to do besides binge everyone’s favorite shows, a family of four can easily run over even a generous data cap.  To avoid paying extra or seeing your speed throttled back, try these tips to manage your data caps.

  1. Stream smart

Streaming video is the biggest data drain most people use these days.  But it doesn’t have to devour your data!  Check your playback settings in all your streaming services and take them down to the lowest level you’re comfortable with.  Skip streaming in 4K and you could see a big difference in your data usage.  Some streaming platforms manage these settings under individual profiles, so make sure you check the whole family’s accounts.

Zoom and other video calling platforms also have low-data options.  Most of the time, the lower settings will be perfectly fine and using less bandwidth means you’ll be less prone to freezing and dropping out.

  • Take advantage of your cellular data

It’s been common practice for most people to use their cell phones over their home Wi-Fi for years now – it preserves your cellular data and keeps you from running over there.  But these days most people have higher data cell plans and you may benefit from rearranging your priorities.  Balancing your data usage across your cell and Wi-Fi can help you stay under your data caps on both plans. 

  • Check for off-peak usage

Some ISPs offer a form of free time outside of peak usage hours, usually overnight, when usage won’t count toward your data cap.  This doesn’t help with your work or your kids’ schoolwork, but delaying downloading system updates or large work files until this period could make a difference in staying under your data cap.

Sick of data caps?  Find out if you’re eligible for our unlimited internet service!  To learn more about the services available in your neighborhood, contact us today.

Time to consider a VPN

As we spend even more time at home and connecting online, we need to be even more aware of our privacy and security.  Now, more than ever, is the time to consider getting the protection of a VPN service. 

VPN stands for Virtual Private Network.  A private network, like your home WiFi network, is usually password protected so that only those with credentials can access the devices on that network.  A public network, on the other hand, is open to everyone.  The larger Internet, including big sites like Google, Pinterest, YouTube, Etsy, and smaller sites like blogs and local businesses, is one big public network that everyone can access.  Your ISP gives you a public address as a doorway between your network and the larger Internet.

A VPN gives you the security of a private network while you’re using the public Internet, by creating its own encryption.  This means that any data that goes through a VPN is secure, just like every site you see with “https” at the beginning of its address.  Using a VPN is the best way to get privacy on the Internet.  It will keep your personal information, banking details, passwords, and other data safe from hackers and thieves, even over their prime hunting grounds – public WiFi connections.   

Every year, there are more consumer VPN services to choose from, at all price points from free to several hundred dollars a year.  With varying feature sets, there’s sure to be one or several that suit your needs.  But remember that using a VPN doesn’t mean you don’t have to be careful.  A VPN can’t protect you if you click on a sketchy email or enter your information somewhere you shouldn’t.  So stay vigilant and remember that a VPN is just an extra layer of protection.

As we spend even more time at home and connecting online, we need to be even more aware of our privacy and security.  Now, more than ever, is the time to consider getting the protection of a VPN service. 

VPN stands for Virtual Private Network.  A private network, like your home WiFi network, is usually password protected so that only those with credentials can access the devices on that network.  A public network, on the other hand, is open to everyone.  The larger Internet, including big sites like Google, Pinterest, YouTube, Etsy, and smaller sites like blogs and local businesses, is one big public network that everyone can access.  Your ISP gives you a public address as a doorway between your network and the larger Internet.

A VPN gives you the security of a private network while you’re using the public Internet, by creating its own encryption.  This means that any data that goes through a VPN is secure, just like every site you see with “https” at the beginning of its address.  Using a VPN is the best way to get privacy on the Internet.  It will keep your personal information, banking details, passwords, and other data safe from hackers and thieves, even over their prime hunting grounds – public WiFi connections.   

Every year, there are more consumer VPN services to choose from, at all price points from free to several hundred dollars a year.  With varying feature sets, there’s sure to be one or several that suit your needs.  But remember that using a VPN doesn’t mean you don’t have to be careful.  A VPN can’t protect you if you click on a sketchy email or enter your information somewhere you shouldn’t.  So stay vigilant and remember that a VPN is just an extra layer of protection.

We offer reliable, affordable high-speed internet service in your neighborhood!  To learn about our plans and what we can offer you, contact us today!

Optimized Streaming for Work, School, and Play

Suddenly, in the spring of 2020, our entire lives went online.  Work, school, and entertainment all had to be done from home, mostly in the form of streaming media.  We’ve all made adjustments to this, but you may have found that your internet connection isn’t up to the workload.  Here are a few tips to get the best streaming experience for your whole household.

Speed matters for video quality, so check your connection’s available bandwidth.  Zoom’s group video calling requires 1 Mbps for “high quality video”, 1.5 Mbps for 720p HD, and 2.5-3.0 Mbps for sending and receiving 1080p HD video, plus another 60-80 kbps for your audio.  Steaming services like Netflix, YouTube, SlingTV, and Hulu call for bandwidth anywhere between 2.5-3.0 Mbps for SD video up to as high as 15 or even 25 Mbps for Ultra HD. 

Adjusting your playback settings can limit how much bandwidth a streaming service can use, so someone watching a movie in the next room can’t knock you off your video conference.  Netflix allows these settings to be set individually on each profile under a given account.  For SlingTV, playback settings have to be set on each device by going to Settings, and then Connection. 

And a couple more tips:

The more people using your connection, the less bandwidth each person has. If your Internet connection is 25 Mbps and 2 people are streaming on separate devices, both streams are getting about 12.5 Mbps and so on.  Keep this in mind if you’re having trouble in your Zoom meetings while your kids are in online classes or streaming their favorite shows.

Remember that HD is not always necessary.  Do your co-workers, classmates, boss, or teachers need to see your face in high definition?  Probably not.  And if you don’t have an HD tv, there’s no point to streaming the highest quality video.  Turning off HD will save you bandwidth and data and make your streaming experience smoother.

Suddenly, in the spring of 2020, our entire lives went online.  Work, school, and entertainment all had to be done from home, mostly in the form of streaming media.  We’ve all made adjustments to this, but you may have found that your internet connection isn’t up to the workload.  Here are a few tips to get the best streaming experience for your whole household.

Speed matters for video quality, so check your connection’s available bandwidth.  Zoom’s group video calling requires 1 Mbps for “high quality video”, 1.5 Mbps for 720p HD, and 2.5-3.0 Mbps for sending and receiving 1080p HD video, plus another 60-80 kbps for your audio.  Steaming services like Netflix, YouTube, SlingTV, and Hulu call for bandwidth anywhere between 2.5-3.0 Mbps for SD video up to as high as 15 or even 25 Mbps for Ultra HD. 

Adjusting your playback settings can limit how much bandwidth a streaming service can use, so someone watching a movie in the next room can’t knock you off your video conference.  Netflix allows these settings to be set individually on each profile under a given account.  For SlingTV, playback settings have to be set on each device by going to Settings, and then Connection. 

And a couple more tips:

The more people using your connection, the less bandwidth each person has. If your Internet connection is 25 Mbps and 2 people are streaming on separate devices, both streams are getting about 12.5 Mbps and so on.  Keep this in mind if you’re having trouble in your Zoom meetings while your kids are in online classes or streaming their favorite shows.

Remember that HD is not always necessary.  Do your co-workers, classmates, boss, or teachers need to see your face in high definition?  Probably not.  And if you don’t have an HD tv, there’s no point to streaming the highest quality video.  Turning off HD will save you bandwidth and data and make your streaming experience smoother.

For affordable, reliable, high speed Internet service in your neighborhood, contact us today!                         

Securing Your Home Network

Home WiFi is now about as common as cable television once was, and even more necessary.  Now that so many devices – phones, tablets, laptops, etc. – operate wirelessly and so much of our lives takes place online, a secure home network is the bare minimum required for protecting your information.

When you set up a new router or modem/router combo, you’ll find a sticker on the back with default passwords on it.  One is the admin password, which you have to enter in order to configure the device.  The other is the default WiFi password, and if your router offers a second or “guest” network, it may show a second default password for that.

The first thing you should change is the network name.  Usually, default settings use the brand of router or the name of your ISP, which can help potential attackers identify your network.  Change this to something unique that you will recognize as your home network.

Most importantly, you MUST change the WiFi password.  Default passwords may be used across an entire model of router, so if you leave it, anyone could attach to your WiFi network.  It’s not worth the risk to you and your data to not change this password.

Strong passwords are more important than ever, even on your home network.  Almost all devices will remember your password or connect automatically, so don’t be afraid to create a really solid password.

Wondering how to create a strong password?  It’s a pretty simple formula.  You’ll need a minimum of 8 to 12 characters, including:

  • Capital letters
  • Lower case letters
  • Numbers
  • Special characters (!, @, #, $, *, etc.)

This isn’t as complicated as it sounds.  One of the easiest ways to create strong passwords is to start with a phrase you’ll remember and then substitute other characters.  For example:

  • M3mb3rs0nly!
  • 0urF@m1lyN3tw*rk
  • N0tF0rY0u2!

You can also use a random password generator to create a solid password for your network.  And if you have a second WiFi network, don’t use the same password for both.

Every time you access the internet, your data and information are vulnerable.  The more secure your home network is, the safer you and your data will be.

We offer reliable, affordable internet service in your neighborhood!  Contact us today to learn what we can offer you!

5 Reasons to Use a Password Manager

With more and more of our lives happening online, and every new site requiring a password, it’s more tempting than ever to just use the same password across all your accounts.  But we all know that’s a bad idea.  We’ve been told repeatedly by experts and learned the hard way that using different passwords is absolutely necessary to keep your data secure.  So we have a new problem: how to keep all our passwords straight.  For that, many people turn to password managers.  Here are five reasons you should, too.

  1. No more “I forgot my password” clicks

With a password manager, you only have to remember the master password.  All your other passwords are stored in your account, so once you log in there, you have the rest of them at your fingertips.  You’ll never have to wait for that “forgot password” email again!

  •  You can use stronger passwords

The strongest passwords are long strings of random characters, which are nearly impossible to remember.  Using a password manager, you can use extremely strong randomly generated passwords, so your accounts will be even more secure.

  • They work across devices

Some of us have accounts we only ever access on our phones or tablets, and those accounts need protection, too.  Most password managers can be easily installed on a mobile device, so you can access all your accounts on all your devices without a hitch.

  • They make changing passwords a breeze

Some sites require you to change your password at regular intervals, whether it’s once a year, every six months, or every quarter.  Other sites upgrade their security features and require a one-time password change.  And, of course, if you find your account is part of a data breach, you’ll want to change your password immediately!  With a password manager, you can set up regular password changes or change a password with just a couple of clicks.

  • They’re not just for passwords

Think about all the security questions, memberships, and other easily-forgettable information you have associated with your accounts.  Password managers can take care of those, too, as well as medical information and lots of other data you need access to.

Password managers can help make your online life easier.  We can make it easier for you to get online!  Contact us today to learn about our reliable, affordable high-speed internet service.

REACH4 Emergency Preparations and Response

As Tropical Storm Barry bears down on Louisiana, we want to inform you about our network preparedness, service disruption issues, and repair response concerns should we incur heavy damages or outages. We will do our best to keep you updated on outages as they occur via Facebook or phone message on our tech support line (337-783-3436 Option 1).

Network Preparedness:

  • Backup Generators: Our two main towers in Crowley and Duson have backup generators to provide power as long as needed.
  • Battery Backup: All other towers have battery backup that will last anywhere from 18 -30 hours depending on the amount of equipment at the tower.
  • Replacement Equipment: We have backup replacement equipment for all towers should damages occur but not enough to replace ALL equipment in a worst-case scenario.

Service Disruption Issues:

  • Extended Power Outages: If power outages occur at our towers for extended periods of time, the battery system will run out and internet service will not be restored until power has been restored.
  • Antenna Alignment: Due to high sustained winds, it is possible that radio dish antennas on our tower and on your house may shift and go out of alignment. If that happens, internet service will not be restored until the antenna has been realigned. You may want to note the direction your internet antenna is facing prior to the storm so if it is shifted, you can report that to us.
  • Slower Than Normal Internet Service: Internet usage WILL BE at capacity during the storm because everyone will be home inside waiting out the storm using their devices. It will be more than PEAK times ALL DAY!
  • Lightning Damage: There is a high probability that equipment on our towers will be damaged.

Repair Response Concerns:

  • Our number one priority is to make sure ALL towers are repaired and working properly before restoring service at residences.
  • Tower repair response times will depend on favorable weather and the availability of tower crews. We won’t be the only business affected.
  • Once towers have been repaired, restoring service at your house will depend on accessibility due to possible flooding in the area.
  • Repair times will be longer than normal based on the number of customers affected. There is also a chance we may be short-handed for at time as REACH4 employees maybe flooded in, dealing with power outages themselves, or repairing their own homes.