If you are an existing
NetKaster customer and wish to check your speed,
please click
on the link below:
http://speedtest-west.anikast.net
http://speedtest-central.anikast.net
Please
ensure that your PC is directly connected to the NetKaster
modem. For assistance, feel free to contact our Internet
Helpdesk at 1-877-991-5600.
FAQ
links
• Why does
Netkaster have limits on Internet usage?
• Is Netkaster tracking what I’m doing on the Internet?
• Where can I find information on Netkaster’s policies for Broadband Internet service?
• How fast is Netkaster?
• What
is the impact of latency? Can I play real-time Internet
games or make Internet
phone
calls on your service?
• Does
Netkaster support VoIP?
• Is the
Netkaster service affected by weather?
How to get the most from your
Netkaster Connection
Peer-to-Peer Networks
Downloading and uploading files from peer-to-peer (P2P) networks
such as BitTorrent, KaZaa, Morpheus, Gnutella, and BearShare
creates significant usage and can result in your service
being restricted under our Fair Access Poilcy. These programs
share and offer files from your hard drive to other Internet
users, possibly creating excessive usage without your awareness.
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Reduction Tip:
Limit your use of file sharing
programs. These programs create a large amount of traffic
(usage) when downloading and sharing files. If you use
P2P networks, turn off file sharing whenever possible and
completely close any file sharing program when you’re
not using it. You'll know the program is still running
in the background if you can see its icon in your toolbar. |
Viruses
Your computer may be infected with a virus. A virus will
often send out mass emails from your computer without your
knowledge.
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Reduction Tip:
Make sure you have recent anti-virus and anti-spam
software installed on your computer to further protect
yourself. |
Spyware and Adware
You may have spyware and adware on your computer. Spyware
programming secretly gathers information from your computer,
so that it can be shared with advertisers or for other
purposes. Adware is software placed on your computer that
allows advertising banners to keep popping up on your screen.
You may not be aware that spyware or adware have been placed
on your computer.
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Reduction Tip:
While Netkaster takes several steps to limit the
risk of these programs appearing on your computer through
our network, you should still make sure you have anti-spyware
and pop-up blockers installed on your computer. There are
several programs which will help block pop-ups and remove
spyware, such as Lavasoft’s Ad-aware and Spybot. |
Large email files
You can use a significant amount of usage if you are sending a large quantity of very large (over 5Mb) email files. These may be emails with a number of photos or other files attached.
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Reduction
Tip:
Before sending large email attachments, compress
them to reduce their size. You can do this by checking
if your operating system has file compression capability,
and if not, obtain a file compression program such as WinZip
or Stuffit. |
Significant Web surfing
If you are visiting a very large number of websites with
rich-media or streaming media you will increase the amount
of usage used. Sustained usage over 2-3 hours may result
in bandwidth restrictions under our Fair Access Policy.
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Reduction
Tip:
While Web surfing usually does not create excessive
usage, you can still reduce the amount of usage this Internet
activity generates. Do this by increasing the size of your
Web browser cache, which allows your computer to access
files from your hard drive instead of from the Internet. If
you are using Internet Explorer as your browser, go to "Tools",
then "Internet Options", then "Settings" (under
the "Temporary Internet files" section). Slide
the indicator to the right to increase the Web cache. If
you’re using a different Web browser, such as Netscape,
click on "Help" to find out how to increase the
cache. This will help improve your web surfing experience
as by reducing the time to download content that may already
be stored on your computer. |
Hackers
Hackers can access your computer and then use it in fraudulent ways, which can create excessive usage.
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Reduction
Tip:
You should add an anti-virus program to protect
yourself from hackers. If you think your computer has already
been hacked, contact the computer vendor. |
Non-Encrypted Wireless Router/Network
If you have a wireless router/network, it may have been accessed
without your knowledge.
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Reduction
Tip:
Make sure your wireless router/network is encrypted
so that only authorized users can access it. If your router/network
is not encrypted other people can access and use your computer,
including bandwidth, which can reduce the amount of available
bandwidth while you are using your Internet connection.
Read the user’s manual that came with your router
to determine how to encrypt it. The manual will guide you
through the configuration settings necessary to encrypt
your router/network. |
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does Netkaster have limits on Internet usage?
The usage allowances were implemented to ensure network reliability and make sure that ALL Broadband users enjoy a fun, fast and reliable Internet experience. The limits impact only a very small amount of our customers, and ensure that customers can keep getting reasonable rates for their broadband connection.
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Is Netkaster tracking what I’m doing on the Internet?
We are only tracking how much customers are using the Internet. Our
measurement tools are not tracking what individual customers are actually doing to get their amounts of usage.
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Where can I find information on Netkaster’s policies for Broadband Internet service?
Netkaster’s Terms of Service can be found on our website at www.netkaster.com.
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How
fast is Netkaster?
How fast is this service? How does it compare to cable modems and DSL?
Netkaster's always-on broadband Internet connection provides a user experience similar to most DSL services. We offer download speeds of up to 2.0 Mbps - more than 50 times faster than today's dial-up speeds. We offer upload speeds up to 512 Kbps. Netkaster's high bandwidth opens up a window to a world of rich-media content that is largely unavailable through dial-up modems.
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What is the impact of latency? Can I play real-time Internet games or make Internet phone calls on your service?
The Netkaster system is engineered to help offset the impact of latency, which is the delay caused by sending signals from the earth to the satellite and back again. However, there is a delay as the signal travels up to the satellite, back down to the gateway, up to the satellite and back down to your modem. For most applications this latency does not affect performance, however, there are some applications like voice over IP (telephone service delivered over the Internet, also known as VoIP), or real-time interactive gaming, where latency will have a noticeable effect on performance over the Netkaster network, as it would on any satellite-delivered service.
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Does Netkaster support VoIP?
At this time, Netkaster does not support VoIP however many VoIP services do work over our network. You should check with your VoIP to ensure your service plan meets your VoIP providers minimum bandwidth requirements
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Is
the Netkaster service affected by weather?
The Netkaster service is only minimally affected by weather, and only under
extreme conditions. The Netkaster service will offer availability equal to
that of satellite TV. Like satellite TV services, during a very heavy rainstorm,
you may notice slower Netkaster speeds, but this should normally only last
a few minutes.
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