FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS [CLOSE WINDOW]
NOTE: If you are already a subscriber, please go to www.caldsl.com and click on "Support".
General
Wireless Broadband
Do I need a phone line? Can I save money by disconnecting my second phone line?
Why should I choose CalDSL ZinniaNet wireless broadband service?
How it looks and how it works
Regulations
Security
Can CalDSL ZinniaNet help me with setting up a firewall or VPN?
What about parental control? Can you help me set up parental controls?
Technical
General
What
is CalDSL?
CalDSL
is a broadband Internet Service Proviser (ISP) dedicated to
bringing high-speed Internet access to suburban and rural areas.
We serve homes as well as businesses. CalDSL delivers the best
combination of speed, service and value. CalDSL provides strong
local support through local partners in each market it serves.
Traditional ISPs rely on a phone line or cable. Since we use
wireless technology, we can not only turn up service within days
of qualifying a customer, but we can also deliver higher speeds.
We stand behind our service with industry leading
guarantees.
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What
are the benefits of high speed Internet access?
Your
Internet experience will be more productive and enjoyable. First,
you save time by becoming more productive. Whether you use the
Internet for business, shopping, entertainment or research you can
do it in less time with a faster connection. Many people use high
speed access to telecommute and get work done from home while
saving time and money. Second, you can experience the Internet in
a whole new way. You can enjoy online music, games, video and
other multimedia applications which are simply not practical at
low speeds.
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What
is broadband access?
Broadband
access is another name for high speed Internet access.
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What
are upload and download speeds?
Download
speed is a measure of how fast you are receiving data from the
Internet. For example, when you receive a large video file from a
website, you download it to your computer. Upload speed is a
measure of how fast you are able to send data to the Internet.
When you send e-mails from your computer, you upload it.
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What
does symmetrical connection mean?
A
symmetrical connection to the Internet allows you to upload and
download at the same speeds. Most phone company DSL residential
service and cable modem service are highly asymmetrical, which
means that while they have high download speeds, their upload
speeds are a small fraction of the download speeds.
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I
am an AOL user. Will I be able to access AOL content if I switch
to your service?
Yes.
In fact your enjoyment of AOL content and other multimedia content
will be enhanced by our high-speed connection. Contact AOL for the
"Bring Your Own Access" program and its cost.
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Do
you have a referral program?
Yes.
Tell your friends about CalDSL ZinniaNet and advise them to
indicate that they heard about us from you in the "Comments"
field in the online form. If we serve them for at least 3 months,
you will receive a one-time $40 credit on your bill for each
referral. Sign up 5 friends and you get an additional $40 credit.
That is a total of $240 for 5 referrals. If you are not a
subscriber, your friends will get the credit applied to their
service charges. We get most of our new subscribers through
referrals.
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Wireless
Broadband
What
is wireless broadband?
Wireless
broadband is a way to deliver high-speed Internet access using
wireless technology. Typically a service provider will install
wireless broadband equipment on a tower to cover the surrounding
geographic area. Subscribers in this area will need a wireless
modem with an antenna in order to receive high-speed access.
Speeds of 1-5 megabits per second (mbps) for both download and
upload are possible.
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How
is this different from Cable modems or ADSL?
Phone
company DSL and cable company Internet services utilize existing
wires to your home. Wireless broadband does not require a phone
line or cable. Wireless broadband connection is much more
symmetrical compared to the others.
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Is
this the same as "satellite" Internet?
No!
Satellite Internet sends you signals from a satellite in outer
space. In general, subscribers will experience greater delay in
data transfer due to the long distance from the satellite. On the
other hand, since towers for broadband wireless access are located
within a few miles of your home, delay caused by distance is
insignificant. Satellite Internet equipment is more expensive,
heavier and bigger. Service fees tend to be more expensive
compared to wireless, DSL and Cable solutions.
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Do
I need a phone line? Can I save money by disconnecting my second
phone line?
No
phone line is needed. No dialing, no busy signals with wireless
broadband. If you have a second phone installed for Internet
access, you should seriously consider switching to CalDSL
ZinniaNet service. You will save $20-$25 a month in ISP charges
and $15-$20 month of second phone line charges.
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Will
I have to learn anything new to use this system?
No.
You will continue to access the Internet using the same programs
such as the browser as before.
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Why
should I choose CalDSL?
1.
Local support.
We are a local company and will be able to give you personal
attention and service. Go to www.caldsl.com
and click on "Local Support" at the top of the page for
details.
2.
Outstanding service.
We never forget that we are here to serve you. Go to
www.caldsl.com and click on
"Outstanding service " at the top of the page for
details.
3.
Value.
You will get more for your money. Go to www.caldsl.com
and click on "Value" at the top of the page for details.
4.
Choice.
Exercise your choice. Go towww.caldsl.com
and click on "Choice" at the top of the page for
details.
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How
it looks and how it works
How
does your wireless broadband system work?
Our network consists of a number of tower sites from
which we transmit and receive data. Each site provides coverage
for a 12-15 square mile area. Line-of-sight is required for most
subscriber locations in the coverage area.
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Is
it available in my area?
We
have a number of major coverage areas. If you live in (a)
Livermore valley, (b) within a 15 miles of Tracy, (c) in Mountain
House (d) Manteca (e) Lathrop, (f) French Camp, (g) South
Stockton, including Weston Ranch (h) Discovery Bay (i) Lockeford
(near Lodi) and (j) Linden/Peters, then you are in one of our
coverage areas. We are working on new coverage areas all the time.
If you live in an area that is not served by the phone company or
the cable company, let us know.
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How
much does it cost?
We
have pricing plans that start at less than $30 a month for
residential service. Our Business
services cost more. Service plans and prices vary based on
distance from nearest tower.
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What
service guarantees do you provide?
We
stand behind our service with our 100% Service Satisfaction
Guarantee. These guarantees will allow you to order service and
try it for up to two weeks with no obligation. Click here
for details on our guarantees.
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What
equipment do I need?
CalDSL
ZinniaNet will provide the necessary equipment and install it. You
need to make sure that your computer has a Ethernet port. If your
computer is not capable of connecting to Ethernet, then you need
to install the necessary hardware for it. The hardware usually
costs $20-40. We can recommend the required hardware.
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I
have multiple computers at my home. Can I share the connection? Is
there an additional charge for sharing?
Yes
- you can share the connection. No - there is no additional
monthly charge for sharing the connection. You will need to
purchase and install a home network using a residential router. We
can also install a home network for you. Ask us for a quote.
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What
does the equipment look like?
For
most subscribers, the equipment looks like a flat panel, 10"
by 13". It can be mounted just like satellite TV dishes and
is less conspicuous than satellite TV dishes. Some subscribers,
especially those at the edge of coverage areas, will require a
larger antenna.
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Can
I paint the rooftop unit?
Yes - in a majority of
the cases. You can paint the
outdoor rooftop unit and the wire connecting it to match the color of
your house. You can use any acrylic urethane solvent based aerosol made for
outdoor use. Let us know if you want to have the
unit painted.
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How
long will it take to install? Do you guarantee installation?
We
offer a 7 business day installation guarantee for residential
service. We will schedule an installation within 7 business days
of receiving your order online. Some restrictions apply. (a) You
must be in our coverage area in a 2-story home, (b) You must be
ready and available for our installers to come and do the work and
(c) If you are more than 3 miles from the water tower, additional
equipment may be needed to serve you and in that case, the 7 day
guarantee does not apply. If installation is postponed beyond the
7 days because a mutually acceptable time is not available, then
guarantee does not apply. If we are unable to give you an
installation time within the 7 business days, your service charges
for one month, after any applicable rebates, will be waived. This
is limited to 2-story homes because 1-story homes require a
separate site survey.
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I
cannot wait. Is there a self-install option?
We do not recommend self-installations. If you feel qualifed
to do it yourself, let us know.
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How
reliable is your wireless connection?
Our
access links are extremely reliable. At installation time, we make
sure that the signal level is robust at the receiver, with
sufficient margin. Unlike cell phones, the wireless modem is fixed
in one place. As a result, the link stays strong. In addition, our
network management platform monitors the network 24 hours a day, 7
days a week.
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Regulations
What
spectrum does your equipment use?
We use the license-exempt spectrum primarily in 900 MHz, 2.4
GHz and 5 GHz bands. We also use licensed bands
for some of our backbone links.
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Why
do you use license-exempt spectrum?
Rapid
deployment and low cost. The spectrum set aside for license-exempt
use has encouraged innovation in new technologies and new
applications. Cordless phones are a good example. Wireless LANs is
another example. Ultimately all of us as consumers are
beneficiaries of this.
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I
currently have a Wi-Fi wireless access point for networking my
computers at my home. Will I still be able to get Internet access
from CalDSL ZinniaNet? Will my equipment interfere with the
service?
You can get our service and also
use Wi-Fi access points for home networking. At this time,
our service is working along-side residential Wi-Fi networks
for our subscribers. To eliminate interference, it is best to use
different channels for the two networks.
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Do
FCC regulations apply to your equipment?
Yes.
All wireless equipment is regulated by the FCC in the US. The
section of regulations applicable to license-exempt use is
commonly referred to as Part 15 rules.
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Security
How
secure is the wireless network?
The wireless network is secure. We take special
precautions to make sure unauthorized users cannot access our network.
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Should
I take any precautions in using the Internet?
It
is always a good idea to take precautions whether you use DSL,
cable or wireless. Some common precautions are: (a) Make sure you
have a firewall, (b) Use anti-virus software, (c) Disable
file-sharing on computers connected to the Internet and (d) use
VPNs when accessing secure networks. In addition, when you shop on
the Internet, make sure that you do business with reputable and
trusted sites.
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Can
CalDSL ZinniaNet help me with setting up a firewall?
We
can set up a firewall, for an additional charge, when we install
service for the first time.
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What
about parental control? Can you help me set up parental controls?
If
you have children in the household, parental control is a must. A
responsible parent will not let a small child watch an R rated
movie video. The same principle applies to Internet use. There are
a number of software programs (such as NetNanny, SurfWatch, and
CyberPatrol) available that help parents screen out undesirable
sites. We can help you set up parental controls. There are a
number of online resources for safe Internet use by kids. We
encourage you to review these with your children. They include
GetNetWise and the
National
School Board Foundation. The Federal Trade Commission has a
site called Kidz
Privacy with information on privacy.
Technical
What
kind of computer and operating system do I need?
You
need a computer with an Ethernet port. Our equipment plugs into
the Ethernet port and does not require any additional drivers. Any
OS that meets these criteria is good, whether it is Windows 98,
XP, MAC OS or other.
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Do
you offer static IP addresses? Can I use my static IP to host web
page?
Yes
- for an additional monthly charge for residential customers. 1
static IP address is included in our service plans for business
subscribers.
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Will
this work with VPNs?
Yes.
Our network will allow VPN traffic, including IPSec packets to go
through.
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I
have a number of old email accounts with POP3 mailboxes and would
like to access them using your wireless broadband connection. Do I
need to change my account setup?
No
changes are required. The same setup will work with your new
wireless broadband connection.
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