What are the Minimum Requirements?
Basically, you will need
a computer: Mac or PC, with at least 64 megs of Ram, (128
megs recommended) MacOS 9 or Windows 98 or greater, a
modem 56k, and most important, some general computer
knowledge. i.e. You should at least know how to use your
computer. Below is a list of minimum requirements for Mac
and PC.
Macintosh:
- Mac OS 8.5 or greater (OS9
or OSX.10.2.5 Recommended)
- PPC, iMac, G3 or
better.
- 64 megs of RAM (128
Recommended)
- 4Gigabyte Hard drive with
100megs of space available
- 28.8 modem (56k
Recommended)
Windows:
- Windows 98 or greater
(Windows XP Recommended)
- 1Ghz Penitium, Celeron, AMD
or better.
- 64 megs of RAM (128
Recommended)
- 4Gigabyte Hard drive with
100megs of space available
- 28.8 modem (56k
Recommended)
What kind of
connection does Mia have to the Internet?
Mia's network infrastructure consists of 3 DS3
and 19 T1 connections to the internet. We are directly
connected to our Upscale Backbone Providers, Savvis,
AT&T, ACC Business, and SBC Communications. We have
over 1500 dialup pops nation wide, and have Wireless
Coverage Areas in excess of 400 Square Miles in South
East Wisconsin.
Why pay
Annually or Quarterly rather than Monthly?
Well, number one, you save quite a bit by
choosing an annual plan as opposed to monthly. Number
two, we want to provide low cost Internet service, with
excellent support, so instead of spending all our time
collecting bills monthly, vs. 4 times a year or 1 time a
year, we can thus devote more time to serving you.
What kind of
modems do we use? We are completely digital
here and use Lucent
Portmaster 3's with k56Flex Modems running the most
current v.90 code.
Why doesn't
my modem connect at 33.6? Contact your local phone company and your
modem maker, ask them this question, as they are the ones
responsible for modem and line speed performance. We
supply high speed Internet access here, the line in the
ground from you to us belongs to Ma' Bell. Most phone
companies DO NOT support a speed above 14400 even though
it is most likely that it will go faster. A typical phone
line is compressed at the switch using ADPCM and routed
through miles of cable, causing signal quality and line
quality to diminish. If you are connecting at a rate of
21.600 or higher, this is quite normal. On average expect
connecting as high as 26.400 or 31.200
NOTE: Please refer to the users manual for
the commands to test your line signal strength and line
quality.
Why doesn't
my modem connect at 56k? First off, the FCC regulates telephone
line speed on analog lines to 53k. Secondly, contact your
local phone company and your modem maker, ask them this
question, as they are the ones responsible for modem and
line speed performance. We supply high speed Internet
access here, the line in the ground from you to us
belongs to Ma' Bell. Most phone companies DO NOT support
a speed above 14400 even though it is most likely that it
will go faster. A typical phone line is compressed at the
switch using ADPCM and routed through miles of cable,
causing signal quality and line quality to diminish. If
you are connecting at a rate of 38.000 or higher, this is
quite normal. On average expect connecting as high as
45.333k to 53.333k, with a 56k modem running v.90 for maximum throughput.
NOTE: Please refer to the users manual for
the commands to test your line signal strength and line
quality.
Can I use my
America Online account with Mia? Yes, just log
on to our server and start up your AOL Browser.
Click here to find out how to
set this up...
Can I use my
Compuserve account with Mia? Yes, just log on
to our server and start up your Compuserve Application.
Click here to find out how
to set this up...
Do
we accept credit cards? Yes. We accept both
MasterCard and Visa, as well as cash, check, or money
order.
What
software do I need to connect to the Internet?
If you want to use the graphical applications,
such as the Netscape or Internet Explorer WWW browsers,
you will need networking software. The Internet is a
giant network, and the "language" of that network is
TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol),
and PPP (Point to Point Protocol) or SLIP (Serial Line
Internet Protocol) software allow you to use your modem
to speak this language. Don't worry about what the
acronyms mean, just know that you need PPP software. This
software is included in the following
environments:
- Macintosh - The easiest.(very simple) Most
new Macintoshes include the Internet Setup Wizard,
which has everything you need to surf the web, and
with MacOS 8.1 and 8.5, it's a breeze. Need
help setting this
up?
- Windows 95/98 - Nice and easy.(If you know
how to use your computer and IF your computer came
with Windows95/98 preinstalled; otherwise we have
instructions and
software available.
- Windows 3.1 NO LONGER SUPPORTED. If you
must use Win3.1 you may do so on your own. We no
longer provide support or software for this operating
system.
- Windows NT - Somewhat easy , most of what
you need, you can
download. And most times
you already have what you need. Check out these
instructions on setting up
Dial-Up Networking to surf the web.
- We have a wide selection of
software for download.
What
kind/speed modem do I need? Generally, all
14.4, 28.8, 33.6, or 56k(thousands of
bits per second)modems will work. We currently support up
to 56k(kFlex and v.90 only) connection rates. 2400bps
modems are no longer supported.
How do I
sign up and how long does it take? Give us a
call or stop by. If you have questions, we will try to
answer them for you. All you need do is give us some
basic information, like your name, address, phone number
and what you want your username/password to be, and of
course, payment. Then in as little as 15 minutes you
could be surfing the world wide web.
Can I
upgrade my account at any time? Sure. There is
no extra set-up cost to upgrade your existing account.
Just let us know what you want, and if you are in the
middle of a billing period, we will prorate the
difference and bill you. For More info contact:
billing@mia.net
Just what
does "Unlimited Active Usage" Mean? Unlimited
means active usage by you the user, typing and
clicking away at the keyboard, actively surfing the
web.
It does NOT mean:
What does
freeware mean? The key word is FREE...
Freeware is software that the author does not charge you
for. For example, FreePPP for Macintosh is Freeware.
What does
ShareWare mean? ShareWare is software that can
usually be utilized for a specified amount of time. If
you like it and want to continue to use it, then it is up
to you to pay the author. Some Shareware software may
work for a limited time, or put up dialog boxes reminding
you to pay the author. If you use ShareWare, make an
effort to pay for it.
What does
crippleware mean? This is Demo software that
is crippled in some fashion, and only after you register
it will you be able to get the fully functionality.
Why are some
sites really fast and others really slow?
This happens for several
reasons: Heavy network traffic or a heck of a lot of
people are using the Net. Also, not every web site you
visit is using high speed T-1 lines like Mia.Net. Some
Web Servers are connected via modem, or ISDN , and run at
speed considerably less than that of T-1 or T-3
connections. Another reason for a slow sight is the load
and type of server being used, if it lacks RAM, and
processor speed, or is configured to accept more
connections than it can handle, it is going to be
slow.
Upon logging on I get a response that my
password is incorrect?
If you have trouble logging in or get a message on
your screen saying that you have entered the wrong
password or asking for you to enter your password again,
then do the following:
Your username and password are case sensitive. If your
password is all lower case, check to see if you have your
cap-locks on. If your password is all upper case, check
to see if your cap-locks are off.
Check to see if you have paid your
bill. Accounts that
go 10 days past due are automatically disabled by our
accounting servers.
When is the
best time to login? Usually it is best to login during off
hours. Our busiest times are during peak hours. To find
out when the best time to logon to maximize performance,
and avoid busy signals, Click
Here and take a look at
our Hourly
Usage Report.
Do you
service PC's? No, we do
not service, or fix PC's with existing software/hardware
troubles. If you require assistance of this nature,
please call us and we direct you to one of our PC repair
partners.