| DIAL UP INTERNET - Frequently Asked Questions |
Technical information |
What is my dial-up phone number?
(604) 662-8069
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Account Information |
Account time usage and overage billing
You are always able to check your account time online at the Times Telecom website. We track your time by the second, so you never accumulate time that you have not used.
The monthly allotment of time does not carry over from one month to the next. Each month you will find that your time clock has been reset to zero. The time clock cycle is set to your billing day (usually the anniversary of your signup date). |
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Account policy and cancellation fees
Each account signup signifies a contract for the duration of the signup period. There is a $25.00(CAN) handling fee for breaking the contract before the expiration of the agreed period. The remaining balance will be pro-rated and any positive amount will be refunded to the client in the form that they originally paid. |
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Email |
Does it cost extra to use email?
No. Email is included in your basic dial-up package. This means you can send and receive email as often as you like to anyone in the world. On the Internet there is no such thing as long distance, so there are no charges for sending long distances. |
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Can I have more than one email address?
Yes. You may have as many email addresses as you like. If you want additional email addresses from Times Telecom there will be a fee of $5 (CAN) per month. You might want to try some of the free web based email addresses. Companies such as Hotmail and Yahoo Mail can offer free basic email services. These companies are able to offer free services from the advertising revenues generated by their web sites. |
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Phone Lines |
I experience random disconnections from the Internet
When your Internet connection is unexpectedly disconnected, this is called a "dropped connection." The following information may help you solve this problem. We have provided the five most common reasons for dropped connections.
- Each modem is slightly different. Times Telecom's servers are capable of connecting to over 90% of the modems on the market today. If you have a modem that is not compatible you may be able to connect, but that connection may be unstable. The common symptoms of an unstable connection include being disconnected just after connection, or when the modem is working constantly (i.e.: downloads)
- We recommend that you type three commas after our dial-up data number. You will find this number on the connection window where you type you Times Telecom username and password. (i.e.: 662-8069,,,)
- Times Telecom has a 10 minute server timeout feature. This means that if you are connected to the Internet and do not actively use any Internet features for 10 minutes you will be disconnected.
Note: When you are downloading files the connection is active so no timeout will occur. A simple solution to this problem is to click the reload/refresh button on your browser if you haven't viewed a new page within ten minutes.
- If you have call waiting and have not disabled it incoming calls with disconnect you. To learn how to disable call waiting click here.
- Another cause of disconnections is line noise. Noise can confuse your modem into thinking it should hang up. Some modems are more susceptible to noise than others. There is nothing Times Telecom can do to fix this problem. It is recommended that you only contact your phone company about this type of problem. However this should only be done when the problem is serious. It is recommended that you wait until this count exceeds fifteen before contacting them. This practice will minimize flooding your Phone Company, Webmasters, system administrators, and ISPs with calls about intermittent problems.
- You will be automatically disconnected if another individual uses your account name and password at the same time as you. You will be contacted shortly by Times Telecom with regards to a multiple logon attempt.
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What can I do if I have call waiting?
The audible tone that is produced by call waiting can cause your modem to disconnect. With most computers the caller will have already hung up their phone which means that you will not only lose your Internet connection but also the incoming call. For these reasons you may decide to disable call waiting while you are on the Internet.
Instructions to disable call waiting Win 95/98
- Double click the My-computer icon
- Double click the Dial-Up Networking folder
- Double click your Internet connection icon (Times Telecom/my connection/etc...)
- Click Dial Properties
- Check 'This location has call waiting. To Disable it dial:'
- In the text box select '70#,'
- Click OK.
This will disable call waiting on a per call basis. Only while you are on the Internet. |
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An error appears saying the line is busy
Busy signals are caused by inability to handle customer demand. The peak time for Internet usage occurs between 9pm and 11pm. If you should encounter a busy signal during these hours you will need to redial.
Instructions to set the automatic redial:
- Open the Dial-up Networking folder (located in the My Computer icon)
- Click on Connections in the menu bar and select Settings.
- Check the redial box and set the redial count and delay to your preference.
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There is no dial tone
In the event that your modem does not detect a dial tone check the following items.
- Verify that your modem is plugged in and turned on.
- Check that your modem's phone cord is securely inserted at both ends of the connection.
- Check that the phone line is securely plugged into the socket labeled 'LINE' on the modem.
- If you need to dial "9" for an outside phone line, you must add a "9" prefix to your dial-in string.
- If you have Telus call answer, make sure there are no messages waiting. The indicator sound confuses your modem.
- Make sure you close any other communications software (for example, fax software). If you're using such software, try the following. Close the telephony or communications software. Move the telephony or communications software from the Startup folder to another Windows folder. Restart your computer and then reconnect to the Internet.
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There is no answer
If you have dialed and your call rings endlessly, here is some information that could help: Unanswered calls are usually caused by your phone company, which provides the dial-in lines, and not your ISP. Most ISPs use trunk hunting and groups of dial-in lines called hunt groups. Trunk hunting is a method used to switch incoming calls to the next consecutive or available number in a hunt group. If the first number called is busy or unavailable, the call should be automatically switched to the next number in the hunt group.
If this occurs simply redial the Internet.
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Modems |
My modem does not detect a dial tone
- Verify that your modem is plugged in and turned on.
- Check that your modem's phone cord is securely inserted at both ends of the connection.
- Check that the phone line is securely plugged into the socket labeled 'LINE' on the modem.
- If you need to dial "9" for an outside phone line, you must add a "9" prefix to your dial-in string.
- If you have Telus call answer, make sure there are no messages waiting. The indicator sound confuses your modem.
- Make sure you close any other communications software (for example, fax software). If you're using such software, try the following. Close the telephony or communications software. Move the telephony or communications software from the Startup folder to another Windows folder. Restart your computer and then reconnect to the Internet.
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Modem connection speed
Most modems sold today sense and adapt to the quality of the phone line. Because of this adaptive behavior, the modem's speed will fluctuate during the course of a call. Because the average phone line was not originally designed to transfer data, such techniques as data compression are used to increase the amount of data that can be transferred over phone lines. Pay attention to your connection speed. If this speed is significantly lower than the rated speed of your modem our support center may be able to help you. The various brands and models of modems vary significantly in their ability to adapt to poor-quality phone lines and to the wide range of modems used by ISPs. |
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Why doesn't my 56k modem connect at 56k?
The product name 56K is a misleading label. A 56K modem is theoretically limited to a maximum speed of 5.6Kb/s. However this theoretical maximum only occurs in the laboratory environment. The primary reason that your 56K modem connects at a slower speed is the line noise generated by the telephone transmission lines. Typical connection speeds for a 56K modem are between 42k and 48K. If you have a significantly lower connection speed contact the Times Telecom Support Center. Our technicians will be able to help you.
If you are familiar with modem initialization strings you may want to try the following links:
- Times Telecom Modem Strings
- 56K Modem Strings
Notes about 56K modems
Every modem in the Times Telecom modem bank is 56K capable. This means that we can provide one dial-up number for all of our customers. Times Telecom currently supports 56K Flex technology. This means that any modem with the Flex capability can connect at their maximum speed. Users of X2 technology (US Robotics, Cardinal) may still connect but at a maximum speed of 33.6K. |
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What is V.90?
V.90 The communications community has recently agreed upon a new standard called V.90 which standardizes Flex and X2. Since this is a new standard the modem industry is just beginning to produce V.90 modems and software upgrades. Times Telecom will be supporting V.90 as soon as a tested software upgrade is available for our modems.
More V.90 Information
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