Connection and Signal Questions
What do I do if I have an active account and cannot log on?
Occasionally you may find that you have an adequate signal, but are unable to log on or browse. If this is the case, please follow our online instructions to fix this problem. To find the proper instructions, please click on your operating system in the list below.
What do I do if I have a slow connection?
Slow connection speeds are often a result of heavy traffic elsewhere on the internet. Often the speed of the server you are trying to access does not use as much bandwidth as your connection is capable of handling. To find out if the problem exists on our network, do the following:
- At a command prompt, type: ping 208.13.6.105.
- At a command prompt, ping the address you are trying to access, i.e. ping www.yahoo.com.
Anything under 300ms return time is an acceptable response to the first test. If your response time is much higher on the second test, you know the problem exists outside our network.
What do I do if I lose my signal?
Check your wireless card or USB adapter -- there should be a link light. If this light is not lit, then you are not picking up a signal. In order to fix this problem, please select your operating system below for a step-by-step walk-through.
How can I increase my signal strength?
Check your surroundings for anything that might impede your signal. Some things you may find that can interfere with wireless signals are pillars or stanchions and potted plants. Also, several wireless cards on the market are built to boost your signal. If your signal is not strong enough for your liking with your current card, you might consider looking for an adapter with a greater signal gain as an alternative.
What is the minimum signal strength to get connected?
Typically, we try to provide you with a signal strength of at least 40% or more to make sure that your internet experience is the best possible. We have seen browsing at strengths as low as 30%, however.
Keep in mind that different cards or drivers may report different strengths at the same location. Use your signal meter only as a rough guide for troubleshooting.
Does a low signal strength mean that I am connecting at a slower connection rate?
If you are experiencing slow connection speeds, low signal strength could be the cause. However, low signal strength does not always mean slow speeds. If you are able to connect at a reasonable rate, the signal strength is irrelevant.
What is the normal connection rate for my wireless account?
Connection speed is dependent upon the type of circuit that is providing Internet access to the radio at your location. Your actual speed may be affected by the number of AmeriSPOT customers accessing the Internet at your specific location, as well as traffic across the internet as a whole.
How do I know if I am connected to the Internet?
Your wireless card or USB adapter will have a link light. If this light is lit, you are connected to AmeriSPOT's radio. If you are able to browse to various websites, then you are connected to the Internet! You will only be able to browse after logging in.
I'm only getting 50 KB per second speed, why is this slower than my 56k dialup?
Actually, you are getting almost 8 times the speed of your dialup! This is a common misconception with how dialup bandwidth speeds are reported. On the Internet, or any network, bandwidth is reported as Kb (kilobits). However, in almost all operating systems (all Microsoft Windows included), bandwidth and storage are reported as KB (kilobytes). The difference being that there are 8 bits in one byte. For example. A 56kbps dialup modem will have a maximum download speed of about 4 KB per second. Why? Because FCC limits the speed at which dialup can connect to 53Kbps, which gives a maximum transfer rate of 6.6 KBps. Plus when you take in to account noise on your phone line, you're lucky to get about 5 KB per second speeds.