When a customer calls in saying that they are not receiving their package speeds, there are generally a few key causes. You will want to quickly identify where the bottle neck is occurring in order to accurately asses and correct the cause of the speed complaint.

Poor Connection to Intellipop

• Signal Levels / SNR is poor
• Interference
• Overloaded Access Point / Tower

Issues with Home Network / Home Network Setup

• Poor WiFi connection
• Maxing out connection / too many users
• Problems with individual devices or websites

Any time someone calls in with an issue you will want to collect as much information about the issue as possible to help narrow down the possible solutions. If someone calls in with a speed complaint ask if it it affecting multiple devices or just one, and ask what they are seeing. For example- If only one TV is having trouble streaming Netflix, it is likely that single device. You will still walk through all of the steps for troubleshooting to rule out additional issues, and to show the customer that the issue is with that single device.

Next you will log in to their radio. Take note of the current information relating to their signal and quality. Generally the Downlink RSSI (Level of the signal received) should be above -67 and the SNR (Signal to Noise Ratio) should be above 29. Both the Uplink and Downlink MCS (how much of the information is making it through) should be above 10. If any of these are off, make a note in the ticket for administration to follow up on.

Note: the format for logging into ePMP radios is https://10.XXX.XXX.XXX:9443

Username: admin Password: QZMm7wWaMxhJ8sag

Next check the current rate of traffic in the throughput chart so that you know how much they are currently using, and possibly get a general idea of what the radio is currently capable of as well. If they do not have any traffic going through, go ahead and also run a wireless link test.

After checking all of the information on our end you will ask the customer to run a bypass test. They will need a computer close to their router, or a laptop with an Ethernet port. A laptop is preferable for ease of moving. Here are the directions to give the customer to walk them through the bypass.

If the customer is not able/willing to bypass make note in the ticket and an administrator will follow up.

Have the customer go to where the router and our equipment is set up. There should be a little black power adapter with a green (sometimes white or blue) light and two cables; one going to our equipment, the other to their router. This is called a POE. Use the Ethernet cable that goes from our POE into the router. Disconnect the router, and plug the cable into the laptop or PC. The customers laptop should now be connected directly to the POE. (once the customer is bypassed double check the throughput chart. There should be no traffic, if there is have them be sure to close out all other programs and windows). You will need to pull the device mac address form the bridge table and add it to the acct in powercode in place of the router. To pull the mac you will need to go to Monitor and Network on the left of the screen. Pull the mac from bridge table. Mac for device plugged into POE will be on the LAN port.

Open your web browser and go to www.fast.com. (if the browser doesn't pull up you may have to walk them through turning off their WiFi and enabling the ethernet port) Before you hit “GO” to run your speed test, click the “change server” icon on the right just below the GO button. Have them type in Utah Ed and select the Utah Education Network. Hit GO and run your speed test. If speeds are above the customers guaranteed minimum, go on to the next step. (If speeds are only 5Mbps or less above the guranteed minimum make a note for administration to follow up on to see if an improvement can be made) If the speeds are below the guaranteed minimum, advise the customer that the account will be sent for an administrator to review and resolve. Occasionally there is an issue with the device being used to bypass, if the speeds are lower than what has been seen in the throughput chart, ask if they have another device. If they do not, do not continue with any further steps, and note for administrative review. Before ending the call be sure to get a good call back number, thank them for calling and then end the call.

Next- Have the customer plug the router back in and run another test just like the one above using the wireless internet connection while right next to the router. If the speeds are still looking good go to the next step. If there is a significant drop in speeds, the issue could be the router. Before advising they get a new one, refer them to the router manufacturer for support. Most router companies offer tech support and troubleshooting. They may be able to go over some setting options that could resolve the problem.

If for any reason a new router is needed, we offer a managed wifi service for $12.95/mo. This includes the in home set up as well as remote support for as long as you are our customer. If they would like to purchase one on their own, we like to recommend the ASUS AC-1750. They are affordable, easy to use and reliable.

Final Step- Have the customer take their device into the room where they like to stream their media and run another speed test. Again if you see a significant drop in speeds, there is an issue with the signal coming from the router. If this is the case we would recommend changing the positioning of the router in the house. Be sure that it is placed in a central, open location in the home. The fewer the amount of things in the way, the better the signal. For the best streaming experience, we also recommend having streaming devices plugged directly in to the router. This will ensure that you aren't losing any speed from signal interference. The router manufacturer can also be called to go over optimal settings if a WiFi connection is the only option.

Gaming- If the customer calls in with speed complaint for gaming (Lag), you will want to check their ping times. Select “More” next to their equipment “Tools” and “Latency Monitor”. Typical ping times should average 25-35. For any gaming related issues, check that the customer has a wired connection to their router. WiFi connections can have a huge impact on ping times and are not recommended for live gaming. If the customer is unsure how to create a wired connection refer them to Jay Jones at Computer Corner for home networking solutions. Ping times are not guaranteed, but we can try and minimize them. If ping time averages on our side are over 40, advise the customer you will send it for an administrator to review to see if it improving it is possible. Be clear that it may or may not be possible, and never tell them that we will “fix it”.

Streaming- If after completing troubleshooting steps the customer's television is causing the issue there can be a couple of different options. First, you always want any streaming devices to have a wired connection to the router. If they need help with this feel free to refer them to Jay Jones at Computer Corner for home network solutions. Another common issue is if the app itself isn't working, the TV could be too old and the version of their streaming app may no longer be supported. If this is the case you can recommend that they either get a Roku, or Sling AirTv. These will connect to their current TV through an HDMI port and run their streaming apps. This will save them from having to purchase a new TV.

Working From Home- Many customers work from home. Again, a wired connection is always best. If the customer is getting their guaranteed speeds, but have poor speeds with a work connection they are likely on a VPN. The fastest speeds you will ever see on a connection is at the slowest point. If the customer's work VPN is the cause of their issue they will need to contact their work IT department.

Maxing Out Connection- If while checking the throughput chart they were close to their maximum, and after you have ran through the bypass steps and have found no issues, ask what everyone was doing on the network. If the connection is being used more heavily than their current package was intended for (*See Plans for More info*) offer a free week trial of the next package up. *Premium plans are not available at all locations, check for availability before offering.