Internet FAQs

Recent improvements you will notice include:

• New look – interface skin with a much more modern look.
• Changes to the mail filter view, Logging the customer directly into the filter interface with a new tab in the browser.
• Mail quota updated in real time within the webmail view as well as graphed quota usage.
• Desktop and Browser notifications, optional sound alerts on new emails.
• Tighter security through use of reCAPTCHA, and the option to utilize 2-Factor Authentication.
• “Add to whitelist/blacklist”, allowing customers to add email addresses into their friends/enemies list directly from their inbox.
• An interactive “Tour” that will guide the customer through the new features.

Click here for the Webmail User Guide PDF

Every computer connected to the Internet has an address which is called an Internet Protocol address (IP address). The IP address is formatted in the form of numbers separated by periods, for example: 194.43.65.891. Santel has multiple IP’s so your IP address usually changes every time you make a connection to the Internet. A static IP remains the same every time an Internet connection is made. A customer can request a static IP for a low monthly charge.

Wi-Fi is a networking technology that allows electronic devices to communicate with each other wirelessly.  Many computers, mobile phones, tablets, televisions, vehicles and smart home products have Wi-Fi built right in, giving them access to the Internet or each other with “no strings attached.”  Wi-Fi has revolutionized broadband by liberating consumer electronics from hard-wired connections.  Now found in homes, offices, airports, parks, restaurants and even entire college campuses, Wi-Fi is everywhere.  Many of these “hotspots” are free.  Your devices search for the closest and strongest Wi-Fi signal and ask if you would like to connect.

In public locations, the bigger risk isn’t being hacked — it’s being tricked. For example, if at Starbucks, your device might display multiple Wi-Fi signals within range: “Starbucks Wi-Fi” and “Starbucks Free Wi-Fi” to name two.  Which one do you choose?  Which one is operated by Starbucks?  Are both?

This scenario demonstrates a “man-in-the-middle attack.”  A cyber criminal has set up a Wi-Fi router and named it “Starbucks Free Wi-Fi.”  You join the network, and the hacker then collects your every keystroke and click.

The actual technology is relatively easy to hack, even if you are on a trusted network.  Therefore, it’s best to limit you online activities and refrain from accessing your financial accounts.  Also, make sure to turn off file sharing and mark the Wi-Fi connection as a public network.  In Windows, you can find these options in the Control Panel > Network and Sharing Center > Change Advanced Sharing Settings. Under the Public heading, turn off the file sharing toggle.

When done, turn off your Wi-Fi service and tell your device to “forget” the network.

In the Home

With any wireless signal, distance matters.  The farther you are from the router, the worse your signal strength – regardless of the age or and standard of your router.  For example, at more than 100 feet away, Wi-Fi throughput rates can decline more than 75%.  At 200 feet away, throughput rates can decline more than 95%.

Congestion also matters.  The more wireless networks around you, the worse your Wi-Fi performance will be.

In real-world scenarios, Wi-Fi often performs at only one-third of the advertised peak due to interference and distance.  For example, a router advertised at up to 600 Mbps will actually have real world performance closer to 200 Mbps.

Make sure your Wi-Fi router is a model that can deliver the speed you need to all of your devices, and that the devices are within close range.  Santel provides the latest routers and extenders for your home’s full coverage.

You will need a wireless router to turn your Santel broadband Internet into a home wireless network. For setup instructions you will need to contact our office at 796-4411 where staff is available 24/7 to assist you in setting up your new wireless router.

Santel also offers a managed wi-fi service now which allows you to take the worry and hassle out of your home router setup. Santel will install the newest generation of router which provides both 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz signal to reach even farther throughout your home and allow you to get the maximum benefit from your Santel Internet connection.  Because we own the router, you never have to worry about programming the unit or unexpected expense if it fails. Call 796-4411 for more information.

If you have Santel’s Managed Wi-Fi Router solution, you will need to contact our office at 796-4411 where our staff is available 24/7 to assist you with your router password once you’ve successfully provided the proper security questions and answers. 

If you have a Linksys router:

1. Check to make sure you are connected to the Internet on your Wi-Fi network. If you do not have access to your Internet, you will need to connect your computer (desktop or laptop) directly to your router with an Ethernet cable or use another computer that does have access to the Internet through your router.
2. Open a browser window such as Internet Explorer.
3. Type 192.168.1.1 in the address bar and click Enter.
4. Enter in the username: admin
5. Enter password: admin
6. Click on the wireless tab.
7. Click on the wireless security tab.
   The existing password will be located here. Older routers will display the password, but in newer routers it may appear as ***.  At this point, you will either be able to view/save your password, or you may reset it. If the password is masked, you will have to reset your password. Remember, whatever you set up is case sensitive.  All devices attempting to use your wireless network will be prompted to enter the new password before connecting the next time.

You can change your password by logging into the Account Management Center here using your user name and password. Click on My Account Settings under Tools. Then click on the Password tab. This will change your email password, but will not change the password that authenticates your Santel Internet connection or the password you use to view and pay your bill online. If you wish for the password to be consistent across each of those services, you will need to call our office between 9am and 5pm Monday through Friday.

The Temporary Internet File folder, or cache, serves as a record of everything that you have done on the web. This includes images, sounds, web pages, and cookies. To clear Temporary Internet Files, or cache, follow these instructions:

Using Internet Explorer: On the top pull-down menus (File, Edit, Tools etc.), Click Tools Then click Internet Options This brings up a box with 6 tabs across the top (General, Security, Content, etc) Click General, and then look for ‘Temporary Internet Files’ Click Delete Files And then, if it appears, check the box in front of ‘Delete all offline content’ Then click ‘OK’. Click ‘OK’ again and this should clear all cached pages.

Using Mozilla Firefox: At the top in the pull-down menus (File, Edit, etc.), click Tools, Then click Clear Private Data Check or uncheck the data that you would like to clear.

If you are unable to browse the Internet and are unable to connect with email, then try rebooting the modem. To do this, follow these five steps:

1. Close all running programs, and shut down your computer.

2. Locate the modem and follow the power cord to the electrical outlet.

3. Unplug the power adapter from the electrical outlet and wait for 15 seconds.

4. Plug the modem’s power adapter back into the electrical outlet and wait for five minutes. The lights on the modem may flash in random patterns for a while.

5. When five minutes have passed, turn on the computer and allow it to fully boot. Now try going to various web pages.

6. If rebooting the modem did not help, please contact Santel’s 24 hour technical support for assistance at 1-888-796-4411.

Yes. If you have Internet access, go to https://webmail.santel.net/

You’ll need to use your Santel email address and password to log in.

Santel provides free spam filtering to all Santel email addresses. To access the spam filter, go to Santel Webmail. Once you are logged in, click on Email Filter. You will be able to view and sort all filtered emails. If you wish to have any delivered to your inbox or completely deleted, you will have that option. You can click on My Settings to determine the strength of your filter. You also can enter any specific Allowed or Blocked Senders.

IMAP and POP3are two different protocols (methods) used to access email. The primary difference is that IMAP is a synced method of managing your email while POP3 is a standalone method.

Of the two, IMAP is often the better option, and it is the recommended option when you need to check your emails from multiple devices, such as a work laptop, a home computer, or a tablet, smartphone, or other mobile device. You can log into your synced (updated) email account from any device with IMAP and your account will show the same emails in every device. Deleting an email from one device deletes it from all devices and also deletes it from your email provider’s server. If you don’t delete the email on any device, then the email remains on your provider server which can ultimately cause your mailbox to get full and start rejecting new mail.

POP3 downloads email from your provider’s server to a single computer, then deletes it from the server. Because your messages get downloaded to a single computer or device and then deleted from the server, it can appear that mail is missing or disappearing from your Inbox if you try to check your mail from a different device. You can go into your mail settings and select the option to keep a copy on the server, however then you will need to periodically go into your mailbox via Webmail to flush old messages or your mailbox will eventually become full.

You will need a wireless router to turn your Santel broadband Internet into a home wireless network. For setup instructions you will need to contact our office at 796-4411 where staff is available 24/7 to assist you in setting up your new wireless router.

Santel also offers a Managed Wi-Fi service now which allows you to take the worry and hassle out of your home router setup. Santel will install the newest generation of router which provides both 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz signal to reach even farther throughout your home and allow you to get the maximum benefit from your Santel Internet connection.  Because we own the router, you never have to worry about programming the unit or unexpected expense if it fails. Call 796-4411 for more information.

Higher speed packages will allow more bandwidth and therefore faster Internet. With faster Internet, you can enjoy live streaming videos with no buffering, more reliable online gaming, downloading of files in seconds and faster web browsing. Santel Internet has no data caps…so the faster your Internet package, the more you can do online.

Consider the number of devices you have connected to your Internet service. If many devices are connected and using the Internet at the same time, then the speeds for all will be affected. Many devices in your home will continue to download or upload information even when no one is actively using the device. For instance, a laptop may be downloading software updates. When running a speed test, you should disconnect all but the device you’re using to get a truly accurate speed test result. Running as many devices as possible wired, rather than wirelessly, will also help to improve your performance as there can be significant loss of bandwidth when running wirelessly.