FAQS

INTERNET
3 Tips for Optimizing Your Streaming Experience

3 TIPS FOR OPTIMIZING YOUR STREAMING EXPERIENCE

  1. Check your connection: are you wired or wireless? If you are connected via Wi-Fi, that leaves more
    room for interference. If you are able to connect directly with an Ethernet cable, we recommend going
    that way.
  2. Do a speed test: If your device is directly plugged in with an Ethernet cable, you should be close to your subscribed speed. If you are connected via Wi-Fi, you should be at around 80% of your subscribed speed. If you are not reaching those speeds — give us a call!
  3. Router placement: Make sure your router is located centrally within your home. This way, any devices
    that are trying to connect over Wi-Fi should get a decent signal. If you still seem to have a slow
    connection or buffering, check the age of your router. If it is more than three years old, we recommend
    replacing the router (or ask us about our Managed Wi-Fi!).

If you’ve done these three steps and still don’t feel like your streaming experience is up to par, you may need to increase your speed. Our helpdesk staff is here for you — give us a call at 652.3184 or 952.1000 and ask for the Helpdesk!

Change Your Email Password

CHANGE YOUR EMAIL PASSWORD

We recommend updating your e-mail password regularly to keep your account safe and secure. To change the password for your daktel.com e-mail account, log in to your account at https://custpanel.daktel.com/

Then, hover over the key and click on it to enter a new password.

Password requirements are as follows:
Must be at least 8 characters
Cannot be the same as or contain the username
Cannot be a common dictionary word

Here are some best practices for setting a strong password!

Tips for Creating a Secure Password:

  • Longer = Stronger.
  • Use a random sequence of words and/or letters.
  • Add numbers to the base word to make it more secure.
  • Use punctuation and symbols to complicate it further.
  • Create complexity with upper and lowercase letters.
  • Generate similar but altered passwords for each account, using similar base words.

Do not:

  • Use your name, children, or pet’s names.
  • Use obvious numbers like your birth date, phone number, or address.
  • Write your passwords in a conspicuous place that can be easily seen.
  • Re-use an expired password.https://portal.noc360.net/daktel.net/https://custpanel.daktel.com/
Do I Need Antivirus Protection?

DO I NEED ANTIVIRUS PROTECTION?

Yes, you do need protection from computer viruses. Viruses can infect a computer from many different sources. If you receive an email with an attachment do not open it unless you are expecting it, even if it is from an address you recognize. If the email attachment was from an address you recognize, get some kind of confirmation from the sender that they intended to send it. Otherwise delete the email and attachment immediately.

A strange email is still the most common way of infection, but in today’s information sharing world it is not the only one. Many home users are joining file-sharing networks to trade videos, music, and documents. Few of these networks have administrators protecting their users from viruses and other harmful activity.

We strongly recommend running antivirus software on any computer as well turning on its auto-update features to update daily. New viruses can be created everyday and old viruses can be changed to avoid being detected by outdated antivirus software. Most antivirus software will scan incoming email, outgoing email, and files being copied to the computer. Once a virus is located, the antivirus software should give the option of removing the virus or locking it up to avoid infection until a removal method is known.

Another way to protect your computer is to update your software regularly. Updating windows and all programs that use an Internet connection can patch security holes that would otherwise allow viruses to connect and infect the computer.

How Can I Check the Speed of My Broadband Connection?

HOW CAN I CHECK THE SPEED OF MY BROADBAND CONNECTION?

Checking the speed of your Internet connection is easy! Click here to perform a speed test!

First, we recommend checking the speed of your connection directly, by connecting your laptop
or desktop computer to an Ethernet cord. After you run the speed test that way, then run the
speed test on a device connected to Wi-Fi. The speed you are getting while connected directly
should be close to your subscribed speed (for example, 60 Mbps upstream, 10 Mbps
downstream). The result of the speed test when connected to Wi-Fi will probably be about 80%
of your subscribed speed, as wireless Internet isn’t as strong as a direct connection.

How Do I Reset / Reboot My Wireless Router?

HOW DO I RESET/REBOOT MY WIRELESS ROUTER?

Setting Up Windows Live Mail Account

SETTING UP WINDOWS LIVE MAIL ACCOUNT

Setup Email on My Smartphone or Other Device

SETUP EMAIL ON MY SMARTPHONE OR OTHER DEVICE

Troubleshooting an In-Home Wi-Fi Network

TROUBLESHOOTING AN IN-HOME WIFI NETWORK

Remote Support

REMOTE SUPPORT

Wi-Fi App How-To Videos

WI-FI APP HOW-TO VIDEOS

Phishing 101 – Everything You Need to Know About Those Suspicious Emails

PHISHING 101 – EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THOSE SUSPICIOUS EMAILS

Tech Tips: Internet Security FAQs, Answered

TECH TIPS: INTERNET SECURITY FAQS, ANSWERED

E-mail Account Best Practices

E-MAIL ACCOUNT BEST PRACTICES

What to Do After a Power Outage

WHAT TO DO AFTER A POWER OUTAGE

TV
TV App How To

Dakota Central TV App Tutorial: Your Guide to Easy Viewing!

Dakota Central has been hosting TV classes explaining the Dakota Central TV app. If you have been unable to attend these classes, feel free to watch the video below and give us a call at 701-952-1000 if you have any questions!

Watch Video Here!

Self-Install Guide | Amazon TV

SELF-INSTALL GUIDE | AMAZON TV

Self-Install Guide | Apple TV

SELF-INSTALL GUIDE | APPLE TV

Self-Install Guide | Android TV

SELF-INSTALL GUIDE | ANDROID TV

Streaming TV Welcome Guide

STREAMING TV WELCOME GUIDE

Program Your Amazon FireTV Remote

PROGRAM YOUR AMAZON FIRETV REMOTE

Profiles

PROFILES

Profiles allow households with multiple members to have a truly personalized experience in terms of recommendations, resume watching, recently watched and subscriptions.

Adding and managing profiles can be performed on the Manage Profiles screen available from settings on TV and PC.

Each time an authenticated user launches the app and there is more than one profile on the account, a Who’s Watching? screen appears.

Given that phones are not shared by multiple individuals in the same way that a tablet, TV or PC can be, the last active profile on the device will be automatically active for mobile users (i.e., they will not see the Who’s Watching? screen) unless they switch profiles from settings or have just finished successfully entering in their username and password on account with multiple profiles.

Parental Controls

PARENTAL CONTROLS

Parental controls enable users to restrict mature content. When parental controls are enabled, the user will need to enter a PIN to play any content with a parental guidance rating of TV-MA, R, NC-17 or NR regardless of the profile.

In order to set up parental controls, the user will need to set up a PIN, which will remain until the it is changed. When parental controls are enabled, they will take effect on all devices associated with the account.

If the user does not remember their PIN, there is an option to select Forgot Pin. This will bring up Operator’s support number that the user may call for assistance.

TV – Amazon Fire TV, Android TV and Apple TV

parental controls instructions

Manage Recordings

MANAGE RECORDINGS

TV App Virtual Demo

TV APP VIRTUAL DEMO

Let’s take a virtual tour of the Dakota Central TV app! This 2-minute video highlights the features and benefits of the Dakota Central TV app- available to stream on Amazon, Apple and Android devices!

How to Clear the Cache on Your Amazon Firestick

HOW TO CLEAR THE CACHE ON YOUR AMAZON FIRESTICK

Reset Your Password

RESET YOUR PASSWORD

How to Reboot Your Amazon Firestick

HOW TO REBOOT YOUR AMAZON FIRESTICK

Watch TV Everywhere

Watch TV Everywhere

Getting Started is Easy!

PHONE
Call Features

CALL FEATURES

Do Not Call Registry

DO NOT CALL REGISTRY

Frequently Asked Questions

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Local Calling Area

LOCAL CALLING AREA

Troubleshooting

TROUBLESHOOTING

What’s wrong with my phone? I have no dial tone or there is static on the line.

1. Make sure all the phone receivers in your house are in their cradles and placed correctly.
Check that every telephone line is properly plugged into its phone jack. If you have a problem with just one phone, plug a different phone into that jack. If the second phone works, the problem is most likely the first phone.

2. Call your home number with a cell phone to see what happens. You might hear the home phone ringing or it may go straight to voice mail, if you have it.
You also might get a busy signal or a hear message from the phone company saying the phone is out of service or your service has been disconnected. In the last two cases, contact us at 1.800.771.0974.

3. Unplug each phone and answering machine in your house from the phone jack and outlet, one at a time. Wait 30 seconds after unplugging the first device. Pick up another phone to see if there’s a dial tone — if there is, then the first phone may be faulty. If not, continue unplugging phones in the same way and check for dial tone. If you find a phone that doesn’t work, plug all your other phones back in and see if they work properly. The faulty phone should be replaced.

Voicemail

VOICEMAIL

To access voicemail online, visit https://services.dakotacentral.com/Voicemail/

The default account number is your 10-digit phone number, and the default password or PIN is four zeros (0000).

To access voicemail from your phone:

Dial 555 to access your mailbox for the first time, in which a user tutorial is automatically activated. This tutorial will guide you through your first mailbox session. It will explain how to record a greeting and prompt you to change your temporary passcode.

Greetings
You will be asked to record a greeting that callers will hear when they reach your mailbox.

Passcode
You will always be prompted for your passcode before accessing your mailbox. During the tutorial, you will be prompted to change your passcode to a number with 4 to 10 digits. Please define a passcode that you can remember, but do not select something such as “1234.” Your Voicemail is now set up and ready to use.

Access your Voicemail
From the phone with voice mail:
1. Dial 555
2. If prompted, enter your PIN followed by the # key. Your PIN is set to 0000 by default until you change it.
3. Press 1 to retrieve messages or Press 2 to listen to saved messages.
Away from the phone with voice mail:
1. Dial 701-XXX-MAIL. (701-XXX-6245) XXX- your exchange number
2. Enter your 10 digit telephone number.
3. If prompted, enter your PIN followed by the # key. Your PIN is set to 0000 by default until you change it.

Change Your Pin
1. Access your voice mailbox
2. Press 9 for the mailbox setup
3. Press 2 to change your PIN
4. Enter your new passowrd and then press #
5. When prompted to verify PIN, enter it again and then press #

When Retrieving Messages You Can:
Press 1 to Play the message again
Press 2 to Save the message and play next
Press 3 to Delete the message and play the next
Press 4 to Save the message as new
Press 5 to Reply to the message
Press 6 to Forward the message to another mailbox
Press 7 to Skip backward in the message
Press 8 to Pause the message
Press 9 to Skip forward in the message

ACCOUNT
Pay My Bill

PAY MY BILL

Understanding My Bill

UNDERSTANDING MY BILL