Archives for October 2022

That’s Not Normal: Five Signs You Need Better Internet

Slow, interrupted, or choppy internet can be a frustrating experience. And if you and your family experience it when everyone is at home and streaming shows or movies, you know how it can ruin your evening.  Subpar internet can also make everyday communications with friends and co-workers difficult and negatively impact your productivity, as well.

Having fast, reliable, and consistent internet throughout your day (and night) throughout your home is essential—almost as necessary as all the other utilities. It can help keep the peace at home, too!

But you may have experienced enough consistent problems to wonder if something is “wrong” with your internet. While slowdowns and unstable signal are often due to your Wi-Fi hardware being older or not updated, your internet may be slow because your internet service is not as reliable and fast as current technology can provide.

The good news is that you can upgrade to fiber internet—the fastest, most reliable internet you can find! And Northcentral Connect and its team of expert technicians can help get you on the road to high-speed fiber internet starting with one phone call.

Before we explain how fiber can turn around your frustrating internet experience, we discuss five warning signs that indicate it’s time for an upgrade. From “dead zones” in your house to not being able to stream on multiple devices simultaneously, we will help you troubleshoot so you can make the right adjustments and improvements.

1) Slow Speed Tests

The fastest way to determine if you’re not getting enough internet signal is to run a speed test.

Speed tests can be checked on a cell phone in any room in your house. Start your internet troubleshooting by running a speed test anywhere and anytime you experience choppy or slow internet. Take note of the times of the day these slowdowns most frequently occur. It’s a great first step to turning your internet around.

2) Needing to Regularly Restart Your Router

If you frequently restart your router, it could indicate your internet needs an upgrade. While it’s recommended to reboot your router every few months to improve connections, doing so routinely (weekly or more often) is likely a sign your internet service is just not fast enough, rather than the router not working properly.

3) “Dead Zones”—Or Not Getting Adequate Wi-Fi Signal in Particular Rooms

Many homes have the dreaded “dead zone,” where your internet only has a weak or lifeless signal, rendering it useless to stream music, TV, and movies or even check your email.

With today’s Wi-Fi technology (properly set up and situated), dead zones should be rare, if not extinct. So, if you find dead zones in particular areas of your home, it may be time to improve your internet service to get a stronger signal everywhere in the house.

4) Struggling to Stream on Multiple Devices Simultaneously

If your family is struggling to stream TV and movies simultaneously on different devices, your family is likely to…well…struggle.

We understand that keeping the peace at home is a top priority, and quality internet should be a non-contentious issue!  But difficulty streaming on multiple devices simultaneously is a sure sign of insufficient bandwidth which means you have outdated, poor internet service. So, if this issue keeps popping up, it’s time to consider an internet service upgrade!

5) Videos Buffering Too Long and Slow Streaming

Our final sign that you need an internet upgrade is probably the most obvious and exceedingly frustrating: your movies and TV buffering for way too long.

If you find this happening n, or if the picture quality is frequently pixelating, indicate your internet does not have sufficient speed or bandwidth to handle streaming.

Upgrading to Fiber Internet Can Make All the Difference

Any of these issues could indicate a problem with your internet service. Unfortunately, many customers experience more than one—or even all—of these problems and others we don’t list here.

This is where fiber internet technology, such as the service provided by Northcentral Connect comes in.

Fiber internet technology transfers its data (i.e., emails, music, movies, TV, voice and video calls, photos, files, etc.) through light, sometimes reaching around 70% of light speed! Traditional copper-based coaxial cable just cannot compete with fiber’s speed capabilities.

But it’s not just speed that makes the difference. Fiber also carries higher bandwidth capacities than cable or satellite internet. Taken together—increased speed and higher bandwidth—and fiber internet is the clear winner. With fiber internet from Northcentral Connect, you can get your family on the path to high-speed, high-picture-quality, and reliable internet throughout your home.

So, if you’re experiencing any of the frustrating warning signs outlined above, reach out to Northcentral Connect and its friendly and resourceful representatives. They’re happy to help you determine if upgrading to fiber is the right move for you, and to help you select a package of services that will greatly enhance your internet connection!

And check out Northcentral Connect’s social pages for more tips and advice on improving internet service in your home!

Roblox: What Parents Need to Know

Besides streaming entertainment and spending time on social media, it’s a good bet that gaming is one of your child’s favorite online pastimes. And thousands of different online games are available for them to enjoy.

It’s also likely that you’ve heard one particular “game” repeatedly mentioned more recently: Roblox. And if your kid happens to be obsessed with it, Roblox may be about all you hear them talk about!

While not as well known as Minecraft, at least until the last several years, Roblox pre-dates Minecraft, having launched in 2006. But since the late 2010s, Roblox’s popularity has exploded.

Though Roblox is just one online game your child can play on Northcentral Connect’s fiber network, we think it’s worthy of your attention. And before you think that learning more about Roblox isn’t worth it, consider this: over half of all children under 16 played Roblox in 2020 alone, a truly astounding statistic. And as recently as May 2022, 43 million people played it daily.

Read below to learn more about Roblox and some key features as we answer many parents’ questions about this online gaming phenomenon.

What Exactly Is Roblox, Anyway?

So first and foremost, technically speaking, Roblox is not a game itself. With an accompanying eye roll, there is a good chance your kid has already told you as much.

Rather, Roblox is a gaming platform. It’s an online place to create, develop, and share games and then play them.

Your child may develop a game when they are “playing” Roblox—and then play the game they built. Or they could play a game created by one of their friends or other players. Hence, Roblox’s platform has a creative and educational aspect that can yield benefits in ways other “games” may not.

Millions of Roblox games have been invented. Many of them are played every single day on the Roblox platform. From first-person shooters to pet adoption and caring-for games, to traditional treasure-seeking adventures, just about any game style can be found on Roblox.

Are There Costs and Monetization Involved in Roblox?

Technically, Roblox is free. There is no fee to join Roblox’s platform and games are free to play.

However, like many “free” online games, there are “in-app purchases” available to customize and improve the play of a game—and your kids may come begging you to let them make such purchases.

Additionally, there are ads in the game, so your children will be exposed to marketing materials. Also, keep in mind that many of these ads are clickable, taking your kids from the Roblox platform to a site outside the platform.

Is Roblox Safe?

Roblox includes messaging and chat features to enable interaction with other players in the games played on its platform. Remember that Roblox’s popularity extends beyond just kids; many adults can’t stop playing.

In theory, your child could interact not only with other kids their age but with grown-ups as well. Naturally, some parents are concerned about inappropriate conduct and communications of any kind, and Roblox has taken steps to address these concerns. They’ve even included a page on its website to help parents understand Roblox’s safety measures.

Roblox has robust parental controls, especially for children under 12. For example, parents can prohibit any “friends” and contacts from messaging their child, which may give some parents extra peace of mind. Other features include chat filters (to detect inappropriate communications or conduct) and an impressive reporting system.

Given Roblox’s wild popularity, parents and kids will likely encounter it at some point. Parents should exercise caution and maintain a general awareness of their child’s internet use (as with any online activity). But there is an educational, or maybe even vocational, value to Roblox. So take some time to engage with your kid’s experience on Roblox, and who knows—maybe you’ll join in the fun, too!

And to learn more about Northcentral Connect and how its fiber internet can greatly improve your family’s daily life, follow our social pages!

America’s economy is more competitive and globally interconnected than ever. And advanced internet technology is a massive part of decades of worldwide economic growth. But some areas of the country do not have access to high-speed internet and all of its advantages, like large metropolitan areas.

Small towns and cities, especially rural areas, have been particularly underserved and sometimes even left behind in the new global economy. Thanks to fiber internet, however, that’s quickly changing.

At Northcentral Connect, we are proud to deliver the fast and reliable internet service only fiber can provide. And we are even more proud of how our service is helping invest in our community.

Fiber is future-proof because it’s comprised of materials to keep up with technological advances and increasing bandwidth capacity and speeds; fiber is an investment that will yield dividends for our community for decades to come.

Below we discuss four fundamental ways that Northcentral Connect’s fiber internet invests in our community’s future—and the next generation.

1. Fiber Helps You Work and Live Where You Love

Without high-speed internet, small-town America would be left behind. Small businesses and farms could not compete, and families were missing out on many essential benefits of faster, more reliable internet, like streaming entertainment or video calls with loved ones.

The expansion of fiber internet infrastructure is altering the landscape, putting small-town America on a level playing field with more densely-populated regions. Fiber internet also allows smaller communities to attract new businesses and investment, attractive well-educated and highly skilled younger people who previously departed for larger cities.

With fiber, you and your family are far less likely to choose between a great job opportunity hundreds or thousands of miles away and your hometown. Fiber internet technology doesn’t just help you stay connected to other people—it’s also helping you stay in your community and keep the ones you love closer.

2. Remote Work and Relocation Fuels Job and Economic Growth

Online and internet-based jobs are no longer “the careers of the future”—they are the jobs of the present.

Recent estimates indicate that between a quarter and a third of all workers now work at least a substantial amount of their regular hours remotely. Northcentral Connect’s fiber internet is helping to fuel the remote working trend—and helping attract new workers right to our community.

Relocation—or “recruiting” remote workers away from major cities and to smaller and often more scenic, relaxed regions, is another significant trend in American life. And relocation, made possible by fiber internet, can be an engine to power sustainable economic growth to help our community thrive.

Today’s workforce depends on fast, reliable internet. So, fiber internet draws talent to our small communities to work their jobs from home or even the local coffee shop. Fiber internet helps keep our families together and attracts new families into our community, too! As a result, the local economy is boosted, from restaurants and shops to other small businesses and service providers.

3. Improved Schools and Educational Benefits

Today’s schools go well beyond chalkboards and desks. Resource-rich curriculums bring a swath of learning materials from all over the world into the classroom via the internet.

 Fiber’s reliable internet means teachers can easily access and share resources with their students, greatly enriching the learning environment and improving educational outcomes for our children. By bringing these critical educational materials and tools to our schools, fiber internet makes perhaps its most crucial—and longest lasting—investment in our community.

4. Fiber Enhances Farms and Keeps Agri-Businesses Competitive

Farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural-related businesses also benefit from access to fiber internet. From up-to-the-minute weather information to soil and moisture data and access to global markets, fiber helps small farms and rural communities thrive.

Fiber improves connections to governmental and regulatory agencies, speeding up permitting and sharing crucial information. Even handling claims and communicating with insurance companies is faster and easier with fiber internet.

Farmers and ranchers can also learn from the endless amounts of online knowledge, from more efficient growing and irrigation methods to veterinary first aid for livestock. Fiber also connects agri-businesses to cost-cutting tips and commodities analysts to learn about shifting market trends so our farmers don’t fall behind their global competitors.

The above are just four ways Northcentral Connect and its fiber network is investing in our community and the next generation. Whether helping to grow our economy, grow young minds, or grow agricultural products, Northcentral Connect’s high-speed, reliable fiber internet will sustain them all.

And to learn more about Northcentral Connect and how its fiber internet can greatly improve your family’s daily life, follow our social pages!

In today’s digital world, cyberattacks are unfortunately nothing new. Cyber criminals can attack on a multitude of levels, from large-scale attacks targeting corporations to smaller phishing attacks aimed to gain an individual’s personal information.

October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month, but good cyber hygiene should be practiced year-round. This year’s theme is “See Yourself in Cyber” – because we all have a part to play in cybersecurity. When we hear about massive data breaches, it can feel overwhelming and lead us to think we’re powerless as individuals to stop cyber criminals.

The truth is, there are several practical steps we can take to safeguard our devices and data. Here are four easy ways to boost your cyber hygiene:

1. Enable multi-factor authentication. Also known as two-step verification, multi-factor authentication adds a second step when logging into an account (to prove you’re really you), which greatly increases the security of the account. This second step could include an extra PIN, answering an extra security question, a code received via email or a secure token. Regardless of the type of authentication, this additional step makes it twice as hard for cyber criminals to access your account. Not every account offers multi-factor authentication, but it’s becoming increasingly popular and should be utilized when available.
2. Use strong passwords and a password manager. Remember, passwords are the “keys” to your personal home online. Your passwords should always be long, unique and complex. Create passwords using at least 12 characters, never reuse passwords for multiple accounts and use a combination of upper- and lower-case letters, numbers and special characters. If you have a lot of accounts, consider using a password manager to store them easily and securely in one place.
3. Update software. It may seem obvious, but regularly updating software is one of the easiest ways to keep your personal information secure. Most companies provide automatic updates and will send reminders so you can easily install the update. If you’re not receiving automatic software updates, set a reminder to do so quarterly. Be aware that some cyber criminals will send fake updates; these typically appear as a pop-up window when visiting a website. Use good judgement and always think before you click.
4. Recognize and report phishing attacks. Don’t take the bait when cyber criminals go phishing. The signs of a phishing attack can be subtle, so take the extra time to thoroughly inspect emails. Most phishing emails include offers that are too good to be true, an urgent or alarming tone, misspellings and poorly-crafted language, ambiguous greetings, strange requests or an email address that doesn’t match the company it’s coming from. Most platforms like Outlook, Gmail and Mac Mail allow users to report phishing emails. If you suspect a phishing attempt, take an extra minute to report it.

Cyber criminals are here to stay, but when we all take a risk-based approach to our cyber behavior, we’re creating a safer internet for all. Visit www.staysafeonline.org for additional cybersecurity tips.

Abby Berry writes on consumer and cooperative affairs for the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, the national trade association representing more than 900 local electric cooperatives. From growing suburbs to remote farming communities, electric co-ops serve as engines of economic development for 42 million Americans across 56% of the nation’s landscape.