General Questions
How does it all work?
QFi Systems' Internet Service is a wireless service. We place a small antenna (it looks like a satellite dish) at the customer's premise.
This antenna is pointed at one of our Access Points on a tower. When you send and receive information over the internet, it goes
over the wireless link from your antenna to our Access Point. From there the information travels out to the Internet. Although
the service is wireless, it's only wireless from your roof to our tower. You'll connect your computer or router to a physical wire.
Do I need an ISP Service if I sign up with QFi Systems?
The short answer is No. The acronym "ISP" stands for "Internet Service Provider". When you sign up with QFi, we are
your Internet Service Provider. Some people that have used DSL may be used to paying one fee to the phone company and another
fee to the ISP. This is because DSL uses your phone line to connect to the Internet. The phone company charges for the
extra use of the line and the ISP charges you for your bandwidth and other Internet usage. With QFi, you won't have to worry about two separate companies or two
separate billing cycles. QFi Systems makes it easy.
Can I keep my old email address?
If you have an email address that you like, you can continue using that email address with your QFi service. However, you must
make sure your email address provider will allow you to keep your email address if it is from another ISP. Sometimes you must
pay that ISP extra to keep your email address.
What hardware do I need?
You will need a network card installed in your computer. Most new computers (2005 or newer) come with network cards pre-installed.
If you're not sure if you have a network card, you can contact your computer manufacturer or you can take a look at the back of your
computer yourself! A network card will have a jack on it that looks like a phone or modem jack, but a little bit larger. If you
have one of these, then you're set! If you don't have a network card, you'll need to purchase one and have it installed. They can
be purchased for under $20.00 at just about any local computer store. Many stores also offer installation services.
Do I need any special software?
No special software is needed to use QFi's service.
How does the Installation work?
A qualified QFi Systems technician will install a small antenna on your premise (home or building). He will run a Cat-5 network cable from the
antenna to a predetermined location in your home or office. He will attach that Cat-5 cable to your router or computer and
configure the equipment to connect to the Internet. The entire installation usually takes approximately 2 hours.
Weather and obstruction issues
Wireless Internet access requires a "line-of-site connection" from your house to one of our towers. This means that any large
trees, buildings or other obstructions will cause an interruption of service. Weather will not cause a degradation of service, even
in very severe storms. Your connection will remain stable even during winter months or other stormy periods.
How do I know how fast my Internet is running?
Many customers like to see a how fast their connection is. You can go to the speed test at Speakeasy.net. Other speed tests are available at other websites. But remember, your speeds may vary depending on a variety
of conditions including your internal network traffic, global Internet conditions, bandwidth availability at the test site you use,
etc. These are circumstances that QFi Systems cannot control.
Technical Support
How can I stop those annoying popups?
Popup advertisements can be annoying and, at times, offensive. The best tool that we've found for stopping popups is the
free "Google Toolbar". This simple to use program adds a search toolbar to Internet Explorer and comes bundled with popup
blocking functionality. To download and install the Google toolbar, just go to
http://toolbar.google.com/
Why is my computer running slow?
The most common reason for this is that you have a virus or spyware running on
your machine. You can check the virus and spyware links included on this site. If that doesn't
help, you should have your computer looked at by a computer repair professional.
