5 Questions Customers Commonly Ask + Our Best Answers
Please note: As of January 1, 2017, XMission no longer sells DSL services.
When it comes to technical support, there seems to be a pattern in the questions that are asked on a daily basis. Even with all the training we provide for our customers there simply is not enough time in the day to train everyone. To help you out, we have composed the top five customer questions and have supplied the answers to them.
- Why can’t I send email?
This is one of our most asked questions in support. The fix can sometimes be very simple, from a power cycle to adjusting port settings.
The first thing we suggest to do is power cycle your computer and try again.
In most cases this question comes up if you have just changed your ISP (Internet Service Provider)—for example switching from XMission to Xfinity or CenturyLink. If this is the case, you will need to adjust some settings in your email client. In most cases you will need to check a box in your settings that states, “My outgoing server (SMTP) requires authentication.” It is also recommended that you use SSL to send out your email. You can do that by adjusting the Outgoing server (SMTP) from port 25 to 465 and use SSL for the encryption. Information on how to do this specifically for your client can be found on our wiki
- Why is my Internet running slowly?
This is another very common question. If you notice your Internet running slowly, restart your computer by simply turning it off then back on again. If that does not fix the issue, we suggest power cycling your modem or router.
If you have UTOPIA, you may have a router that is plugged into LAN port 1 on the Access Portal that UTOPIA installed. You can simply unplug your router and count to 30, then plug it back in. Never power cycle the UTOPIA access portal that was installed by UTOPIA.
If you have CenturyLink, you may have both a CenturyLink modem and a router. You will want to first turn off your computer, then your router, and then your CenturyLink modem. Once you have all powered off, count to 30, then plug in your modem. Wait for all the lights to come on and stay solid. Next, plug in your router, and then finally your computer. In most cases this will make things run faster.
Here are some things to remember if you are experiencing slow Internet speeds. If you are using a wireless Internet connection, try testing speeds using a computer that is directly plugged in to a modem for better speedtest accuracy. Wireless is not always trusted for speed and therefore not the best way to test your speeds. Remember: other computers on your network, or in your home, will also affect your speed. Turning off the other computers in your home and testing again is always a great idea.
If you call tech support, please keep in mind that XMission does not have access to your wireless password—this is something you have set up.
- I am having an issue with my password. How do I change it?
Occassionally, you may forget your password. Don’t worry, we have you covered. Changing your password with XMission is easy. If you don’t know your password you will need to either call us or visit our live chat. We will never change your password over email, and we will never send you an email asking for your username and password. If you receive one of those emails, do not reply to it as it is a spoofing email trying to get your information.
If you do know your password, and want to change it by yourself, please visit our Password page. Remember: don’t forget to update your new password in any email clients, and possibly your Internet connection settings.
- Can I pay my bill?
Believe it or not this is one of our top five questions we get, and yes you can pay your bill anytime of the day. You are welcome to pay your bill online at any time. You’re also welcome to contact our billing department to make a payment or ask questions about your bill, they are available Monday through Friday between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m and are happy to help you out. Lastly, if you find yourself unable to pay your bill online and your service has been temporarily suspended, please feel free to contact our technical support department any time 24/7 and they will restore your service until the next business day.
- How do I log into my Cloud Hosting?
Our fifth question is very specific. If you have signed up for our Cloud Hosting, there will be two places you can log into your new service.
The first area will allow you to increase or decrease the resources you have allocated to your server. You can access the resource control panel by logging into our Resource Control Panel using the username and password which you used to create your account.
If you have purchased our Cloud Server package, which includes a management interface, you will receive an email with your credentials. In that email you will also receive an IP address, which you will use to log into your management interface.
We also have documentation located on our support pages that will help you out: Logging into the control panel
If you have purchased our Cloud Infrastructure package, which includes elastic VPS benefits, you will use the command line to log into your server. We have excellent documentation located on our support pages to help you out with this as well: Logging in via the Command Line
It does not matter if the same questions gets asked on a daily basis—we want to have a clear understanding of what your support needs are so we can help you in a fast and efficient manner. Our support team has training on a lot of issues and we make sure to stay on top of any upcoming issues. Please don’t hesitate to ask us anything!
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Thanks for the 5 answers. You probably also have a FAQ page somewhere. I’d recommend linking this at the bottom somewhere, because I imagin the comments section is going to turn into more questions.
I’ll start the first one. 🙂 It can be problematic swapping out DSL modems when trying to test a flakey one becuase DSL providers sometimes train on the MAC address of the modem and won’t honor a new one until a certain timeout period where the old modem is no longer connected to the DSLAM. My question is does Xmission do this and if so how long is the timeout period? Not sure if this is an ISP or a line provider (CenturyLink) question.
Hello Peter thank you for your question. Swapping out modems is a common practice and we understand that. We do our best to make sure you can get back online as quickly as possible. We have an automated process that will clear out any stale radius sessions. This is usually done every 15 minutes. If you would like this done sooner, you can call us and our support department can clear those out right over the phone.
You forgot “Is the Internet down?”