What to do when you're Internet surfing is all wet
Rainy days have many impacts – on farming, fishing, construction projects, driving conditions, hairdos, parades, to name just a few. But did you know it even can affect your WFECA.NET dial-up Internet service?
If you’ve experienced certain problems with your Internet service in recent weeks, they could be due to frequent mid-summer showers. Rain-related symptoms include recurrent disconnects and log-on difficulties.
During particularly rainy spells, when the ground is soaked, water seeps into the earth, where telephone lines are located. If the moisture reaches a nick in the cable, it introduces "noise" into the phone line, which can cause problems for dial-up Internet users.
Here’s how – When your computer dials up to WFECA.NET’s Internet server, your modem converts digital data to analog tones. WFECA.NET’s server receives these tones and converts them to digital data. But, if noise is present on the phone line transmitting the tones, that can modify the tones as they’re being transmitted. When noise on the line changes the data, WFECA.NET’s server interprets the data as being an error and asks the transmitting host – your modem – to retransmit the data. When a server receives multiple errors, it hangs up.
Should you experience these types of problems after heavy rain, pick up your phone’s receiver and listen for clicks and pops. If you hear them, call your phone company’s repair service to request they check the line for static. If they report the line is clear, contact WFECA.NET’s technical support anytime toll-free at 1-866-543-3405 for further diagnosis.
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