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Hay Communications

TIPS & FAQs Internet

Internet TIPS & FAQS

We’ve put together some common concerns and suggestions you can try before you contact support. However, if the problem persists, be sure to contact us.

My Internet Isn’t Working

The first thing Internet support staff will have you do is power cycle your modem.

NOTE:  You will need to locate your modem. It is a small box with several lights, some may be blinking. The modem is usually located in your utility room where the phone line or cable coax lines come in to your house. It could also be near your computer or STB. It will likely say Comtrend, Paradyne, Speedtouch, Arris, or Smart RG as the brand name.

If you have fibre to your home you may not find a modem and will need to call the repair line.

Resetting a modem is as simple as doing a power cycle.

  1. Turn the power off, or pull the plug
  2. Wait 10 seconds
  3. Turn the power back on, or plug it back in.

It can take approximately three minutes for the modem to make the connection.

Frequently Resetting Your Modem

This problem could be related to slow speeds. Please check the slow speeds troubleshooting suggestions to be sure your connection is running properly and nothing is running in the background.

  • Something uploading over the internet at full speed can make the connection seem like it has dropped. Rebooting the modem/router will temporarily correct the problem as it interrupts the upload. Once the uploading kicks back in at full speed the problem will happen again. It is necessary to limit the uploading speed or close the program that is doing the uploading.
  • For DSL types of connections, you could be experiencing intermittent sync. Have you plugged any new phones in lately? Please be sure all phone devices have a filter in the jack before you plug the device in as an unfiltered phone device will cause intermittent sync and/or slow throughput.
  • For Fibre types of connections, is it WiFi or hardwired connections having the problem? Check the WiFi troubleshooting information and again be sure there is nothing uploading at full speed in the background on any computers in your home network.
  • Internet Support can assit you in looking into this problem further by checking the physical setup, isolating the modem, changing line cords, etc…

My Internet is Slow

There are a number of things that can cause the internet to be slow, or feel slower. Here are the most common reasons:

  • File Sharing / File transferring with Bit Torrent or any other file sharing method.
  • iTunes Match is uploading your music library.
  • Your online backup is running.
  • Your PC is infected with some sort of Malware that is uploading data without your knowledge.
  • You are on the Light Internet Browser package.
  • Online video streaming / high bandwidth gaming.
  • Your usage may have outgrown your current plan. You may need to speak to our office about upgrading to faster internet.

 

If you feel your internet connection is transmitting at a slower speed than it is supposed to there are a few things to check.

Run a Speed Test

Make sure no computers on your home network are currently using the internet except the one you are going to do the test with.

Go to FAST.com

Note: There are many ads displayed on this Speed Test website. To start the test be sure to click the big green “Begin Test” button.

Wait for the speed test to finish. Your optimal results should be “up to” the Internet Service Level you have signed up for.

If your speed test results show a slower connection than expected, read through possible reasons below before contacting Support Services.

Light Browser Package

This package is only for one user with light internet use. It is only a few times faster than dial-up. It is possible your internet use has advanced and outgrown this basic package. If your speed tests show up to 0.5Mbps down x 0.5Mbps up the Light Browser connection is working properly. Please consider upgrading to the Standard Internet 100 package.

You Have Your Own Router

Bypass Router

If you have your own router try bypassing it. (You will need to know your hay email address and password for this step. If you are not sure how to create a PPPoE connection our Internet Support can walk you through it over the phone.)

  1. Take out the ethernet network cable plugged into your router’s Internet/WAN port and plug it directly into your computer.
  2. Create a PPPoE connection on your computer using the first part of your hay email address as the username and your email password.
  3. Connect with your new PPPoE connection.
  4. Follow the steps above under “Run a speed test”.

Fibre Customers

Perform a Router Bypass

You likely have either a Netgear router supplied by Hay or your own router.

  1. Unplug the ethernet network cable plugged into your router’s Internet/WAN port.
  2. Plug this cable directly into your computer/laptop network jack. Note: It is a keyed connection so it will only fit in the correct spot.
  3. Most Fibre customers connect via DHCP so you should automatically have a connection to the internet after plugging in. If you do not you may need to connect via PPPoE. Follow the steps above for creating a PPPoE connection in this case.
    • Note: There is a MAC limit in place so try not to plug too many devices into your Fibre internet cable directly when bypassing your router as you may not be able to get online with the newly connected device. If this happens please try plugging back into your router Internet/WAN port.
  4. Follow the steps above under Run a speed test.

If you have further problems with your internet speed test please contact Internet Support for further assistance and let them know the steps you’ve already taken.

Issues Connecting to Wi-Fi

If your wireless devices are not working, check your WI-FI connection. You may still have internet service.

WiFi Dropping or Weak Signal in some areas of the house

WiFi Information

Please note that WiFi is convenient and the only option on some devices however it will always be inferior to hard wired connections.
WiFi signals may be stronger in some areas of the house than others. This could be due to interference, location of WiFi router, or the device connecting to WiFi.

Smart TV not working well over WiFi

We strongly recommend having an ethernet jack installed near your Smart TV. This will allow you to hard wire your Smart TV to your router. As mentioned above, please note that WiFi is will always be inferior to hard wired connections. The nice thing about this is you can make your Smart TV work better and in the future if you ever need a stronger WiFi signal in the room the TV is in you just need to buy an Access Point and it can use the same ethernet jack as the TV.

Things to Check for Weak Signal

  • If you have a room that is far from the WiFi router you may need an Access Point to improve the signal in that area of the house. Please call Internet Support and report this problem.
    • For your convenience Hay has an AP that can be purchased. For optimal use it needs to be hardwired back to your main router and an installation/wiring charge may apply.
  • If you have an Apple device running iOS that is having problems staying connected please try restarting your device. If that doesn’t help you may need to Reset Network Settings which will clear existing WiFi connections and allow you to start fresh.
  • Common items that cause WiFi interference and other issues.
    • Wireless baby monitor, especially Video monitors. Test with the monitor unplugged to see if that is causing issues.
    • Microwave oven. While the microwave is running it will cause massive interference with WiFi. The interference will stop when the microwave stops. Try to have router far away from the microwave it this is a regular problem.
    • Cordless Phones that operate on the 2.4GHz spectrum can cause interference in the same was as a microwave. It will happen when the phone is ringing or while talking on the phone.
    • Wireless speakers.
    • Physical barriers. Some examples listed from highest interference level to lowest: mirror, metal, concrete, marble, bricks, water, glass, synthetic material, plaster, wood.
    • Wireless garage door openers.
    • Neighbouring WiFi Networks.
    • Nearby power lines, railway tracks and power stations.
    • Wireless video cameras.
    • Wireless game controllers.
    • fluorescent lights.
    • Bad electrical connections.
    • Using a WiFi 802.11n device with a WiFi 802.11b or 802.11g router. Your router needs to support 802.11n to be able to use the benefits of the newer devices. Similar with the newer WiFi 802.11ac
    • Dense installation of WiFi Access Points. If you have an AP in every room, it will be necessary to lower the transmit power level of each AP to avoid interference.
    • Less common but still an issue: Your hand can effect the WiFi signal if your device is positioned in the wrong way. Try changing your grip on the device.

    The most common and simple fix for some of these interference problems is to change the channel on the WiFi router. Some routers support a 5GHz frequency. This 5GHz frequency may work in some cases for you. It has a shorter distance range it can travel so please keep that in mind.

Set up your Extended Wi-Fi Access Point

If your 804Mesh can be hardwired, hook it up to an ethernet cable and power it up.  In most cases, this is all that is required for a hard wired setup.

View this setup video for instructions on how to set it up over Wireless Backhaul.   The steps to set up using this method are

  1. Plug in the 804Mesh near the main Gigacenter router.
  2. Press the WPS button on the Gigacenter router for 3 seconds until you see the light turn amber.
  3. Press the WPS button on the back of the 804Mesh for 1-2 seconds until you see the Backhaul lights turn on.
  4. Wait about 4-6 minutes while the 804Mesh loads the configuration automatically.
  5. Move the 804Mesh to the area of the house where you need better WiFi.   If you have three green bars and one red bar, the 804Mesh is too close to the Gigacenter.   If you have three or four green bars, the 804Mesh has a excellent or good signal.   If you have two green bars, the 804Mesh has an adequate signal.  One green bar or less means you may have problems with certain activities such as streaming video in which case you may need to see about ordering a ethernet jack to be installed so it can be hardwired to provide a fresh excellent signal in this area.

Email

Report Spam

Our spam filter catches most spam, malware, and virus infected emails.

Sometimes spammers get crafty and spoof addresses of known contacts or use other means to slip spam through the filters.  The filters get updated and the spam goes down for a while, and it’s an endless cycle.

If you receive spam and would like to report it, please use this government spam reporting center link: https://www.fightspam.gc.ca/eic/site/030.nsf/frm-eng/MMCN-9EZV6S

Can't See Contacts in Webmail

First – Check to see you are using all lower-case in your email address.

Second – if you previously used our “Old Webmail” client (software) call our Support line for assistance in migrating all of your contacts and saved folders over to the new, current webmail client.

Not Enough Memory Notices or Not Receiving Emails

You may need to delete emails from your account as your memory is likely full. You can also add more memory to your email account.

Learn More

E-mail Settings - IMAP (recommended)

IMAP is the recommended format to set up your e-mail accounts. IMAP settings sync email messages across all of your devices.  For example if you read a message on one device, it will show as read on your other devices.  If you delete a message on one device it will be deleted on all devices.  This is the most common and modern way to manage your e-mail.  It is recommended to use this even if you only have one device.

Settings

Use IMAP settings for all email accounts on mobile devices and web browser accounts

Server Type: IMAP
Incoming Server: mail.hay.net
Incoming Port: 993
Incoming Security: SSL/TLS
Outgoing Server: smtp.hay.net
Outgoing Port: 587
Outgoing Security: STARTTLS (or Use SSL on iOS)
Username: (first part of email before @hay.net)
Password: (your email password)
*Username And Password are not optional.

E-mail Set-up - Thunderbird

1) Download and install Thunderbird
2) Open Thunderbird
3) Click “Skip this and use my existing email” when asked “Would you like a new email address”?
4) Fill in Your Name as you would like it to appear when recipients recieve messages from you.
5) Fill in your Email address and password.
6) Click “Continue”.  Thunderbird will automatically find the settings for your Hay email.
7) Click “Done”.
Congratulations! Your email is now set up in Thunderbird.
For further assistance please contact Internet Support.

Legacy E-mail Settings for POP3 (not recommended - generally use IMAP instead to sync devices)

User these settings if you do not want multiple devices synced.
We do not recommend setting up POP3 if you use your email account on multiple devices however, if you do please be sure to find the option in your email program to “leave a copy on the server for x amount of days”.
Using POP3 your e-mails may become out of sync on multiple devices.
Also, using POP3 your email is not always available via Hay Webmail.
POP3 stores your e-mail on your computer so be sure to have a computer backup in case your hard drive or device fails.
Server Type: POP3
Incoming Server: mail.hay.net
Incomming Port: 995
Incomming Security: SSL/TLS
Outgoing Server: smtp.hay.net
Outgoing Port: 587
Outgoing Security: STARTTLS (or Use SSL on iOS)
Username: (first part of email before @hay.net)
Password: (your email password)