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SkyPoint Communications is a full service Internet Service Provider.

Troubleshooting

You can not make a call
You can not hear the modem working
You can not connect to SkyPoint
You can not maintain your connection to SkyPoint

You can not make a call

If your software can not make a call, something may be wrong with your telephone line, your modem, or the PPP software setup.

Check the telephone line

  • Possible Problems:
    • Another phone is off the hook on this line.
    • Damaged telephone cable, connectors, or jacks.
    • Voice mail or other tones interfering with the dialing sequence.
    • Incorrect dialing sequence.
    • PBX problems.

    Connect a regular telephone to your modem line and make sure that you can hear a dial tone when you lift up the receiver. If possible, use the same piece of telephone cable that will connect your modem to the wall jack - if the following procedures will not work with this piece of cable but will work with another one, the telephone cable for your modem will have to be replaced. You may also want to visually inspect the connectors at the ends of the cable and the jacks in the wall and at the back of the modem for damage.

    If you have voice mail on this line and hear the beeps that signal a new message, check your messages so that the beeping will stop - the tones can interfere with the modem's dialing sequence.

    Once you hear a clear dial tone, call your SkyPoint dialup number. When the SkyPoint modem answers, you should hear a piercing whine. If you are not able to get through to a SkyPoint modem, make sure you are dialing the correct phone number and see if you need to dial any special characters, such as "9," in order to get a line out of your building. Record the exact sequence you must dial - you must enter this sequence in your PPP software. For example, if you must dial "9" to get an outside line, the dialup sequence to enter in your software for the Minneapolis/St. Paul area would be 9,252-9020.

    Some buildings (most notably hotels, for those users trying to connect while traveling) have a phone switching system that interferes with modems. If you are calling out of any commercial building, you may want to check if they have this type of system.

    If you are unable to dial out on this line successfully, please call your telephone company.

Check your modem and connection

  • Possible Problems:
    • External modem is not powered or switched on.
    • Modem is not securely connected to the wall jack.
    • Telephone cable is in the modem's second, telephone jack rather than the data jack.
    • Modem is not securely connected to the computer.
    • Modem is connected to the wrong port in your computer.

    Make sure your modem is powered and turned on (if it is an external modem), and that the telephone cable is properly and securely connected to the line jack (not the second "telephone" jack on many modems) and your wall jack.

    If you have an external modem, check that the cable connecting it to the computer is an appropriate one, and that it is securely connected. Make sure that it is connected to the proper port in your computer, and that you know which port that is.

    If you have an internal modem, a connection may also be the problem but it will be more difficult to check. Please exhaust all other possibilities before taking apart your computer (if you know what you are doing ONLY!) or bringing it to a technician.

NOTE: Some Zoom and Supra modems have caused problems when using SkyPoint's equipment. If you have a modem made by one of these companies and are having trouble, please contact SkyPoint Technical Support.

Check the software setup

  • Possible Problems:
    • Modem initialization string is incorrect.
    • Modem dialup string is incorrect.
    • Port setting is incorrect.

    America On-Line, CompuServe, and other commercial bulletin board systems often save settings in your modem that do not allow a good connection. Before running a PPP connection program, you may need to reset your modem to factory defaults. You can do this by using the following command in the modem initialization strings for the communications software: AT&F.

    Make sure that your dialup string exactly matches the one you used to successfully call the SkyPoint modem number on a voice telephone. If you need to dial additional characters to the phone number, your modem will also need to dial these characters.

    Make sure that the port setting in your software matches the one to which your modem is connected. If you are not sure which port your modem is connected to, do not be afraid to enter different ports in the software until you discover the right one. On a PC, the possibilities are COM 1 through COM 4. The worst thing that can happen is that you will get an error message.

    You can not hear the modem working

  • Possible Problems:
    • Your modem does not have a speaker.
    • Your modem's volume control is set all the way down.
    • The volume on your computer's sound settings is set all the way down.

    Not hearing your modem is not always a sign of trouble. We advise setting your computer and/or modem so that you can hear the modem tones, because hearing your modem dial and SkyPoint's modem answering is useful in troubleshooting. However, if your modem can not be set so that you can hear it, or if you do not wish to set it that way, this will not interfere with its function.

    Some external modems have a volume control right on their cases, so you can control directly. Other modems can only be heard if you set their volumes using a certain modem initialization string or using a control panel. Because so many variations exist, please check your modem's and computer's manuals. If you still have trouble setting the modem's volume, please call the modem's technical support number.

    You can not connect to SkyPoint

  • Possible Problems:
    • Your modem is calling the wrong telephone number.
    • Your dialup string requires additional characters.
    • You need a different modem script.
    • You have selected the wrong protocol in your connectivity software.
    • You are entering the wrong username or password.

    Make sure that your dialup string exactly matches the one you used to successfully call the SkyPoint modem number on a voice telephone. If you need to dial additional characters to the phone number, your modem will also need to dial these characters. If you require additional characters such as a "9" to dial out, you may wish to create a longer pause between these characters and the SkyPoint number by adding another comma or two. For example, a dialup string with a longer pause might look like this: 9,,252-9020.

    Many packages that allow a user to connect to the Internet allow SLIP access as well as PPP. Make sure that your software is set to "PPP."

    If you are connecting successfully but are unable to log in, check your username and password. Remember, computers are very literal, and capital letters and lowercase letters can make all the difference in the world. Make sure you (or your software) is entering the username you were given by SkyPoint, and the password you were given by SkyPoint (or the password you changed this initial password to, later).

    You can not maintain your connection to SkyPoint

  • Possible Problems:
    • If you have call waiting, an incoming call is disrupting your connection.
    • Your connection has been inactive for some time.
    • You have a noisy phone line.

    If you have call waiting and do not turn it off before calling out on your modem, an incoming call will cause noise on the line and disrupt your modem's connection. Make sure that you turn off call waiting every time you call out, by entering it in your dialup string. For touchtone phones, *70 turns off call waiting; rotary phones use 1170. For example, a user with call waiting with a touchtone phone in the Minneapolis/St. Paul service area would user *70,252-9020 as a dialup sequence.

    Many servers, and some connectivity packages, automatically terminate a connection if it sits idle for longer than a certain period such as 5 or 10 minutes. You may not leave a connection unused - if you have to leave your computer or perform another task on it that will take more than a few minutes, you will need to disconnect from SkyPoint and reconnect again later.

    Some phone lines are "noisy" - either their signal is crackly or other people's connections can be heard on that line (cross-talk). If you experience either of these problems on your modem line, please call your telephone company.

 

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