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P1D Modem Troubleshooting Tips

Please review these troubleshooting tips if you experience trouble with software installation, user registration, finding a radio signal, or connecting to the Internet. You may achieve a faster resolution to your trouble if you first consult and follow the tips before calling your Service Provider for Technical Support.

Warning: Do not attempt to repair the Wireless Broadband Modem yourself. Any damage you may cause to the Wireless Broadband Modem may create an unsafe condition.

If your issue is not listed in this section, call your Service Provider for Technical Support.

The power indicator is on but the display does not illuminate

  1. If you are connected with the AC Adapter, check to see if you are using a switched wall socket. You may need to simply flip the switch. (If you are using the modem away from an AC power source, you could have a discharged battery).
  2. Plug the Wireless Broadband Modem into another wall socket to check the power.
  3. Check for loose ends on the power cable. If the display still does not illuminate, your P1D Modem may have been damaged. Contact your Service Provider for Technical Support for assistance.

No signal indicators are illuminated on the Modem top panel

  1. Following power up, allow about thirty seconds for the Wireless Broadband Modem to communicate with a local base station, at which point there should be some indication of signal strength.
  2. If this is the first time you have tried to use the Modem and you do not see any signal strength LEDs illuminated, try repositioning the modem to see if the signal strength indicator illuminates. If you still cannot obtain a signal, try moving the modem near to a window. The Modem is receiving an adequate signal when the signal strength indicators are illuminated. If all the above fails, you may not be within the coverage area of the service network. Call your Service Providers Customer Service for more information about the coverage area.
  3. If you have used the Modem successfully at least once, and you have changed your location, you may not be within the coverage area of the service network. Call your Service Provider for Technical Support to determine the coverage area.

The signal strength indicators are flashing slowly

  1. Although you have sufficient signal strength to connect to the Internet, your modem may not be optimally positioned to receive the best signal strength and achieve the best data transfer rates. Try moving the position of the modem to maximize the number of illuminated LEDs.
  2. You may also achieve a stronger signal if you place the modem near a window, but avoid direct sunlight.

The Modem indicators on the top panel are not showing the expected display information
The indicators can signal a number of error or warning conditions if the modem experiences a hardware fault, software upgrade or dialer attachment is required. Please refer to Appendix D for a detailed list of all possible display warning combinations.

The Modem disconnects unexpectedly
Check for loose connections on both ends of the computer interface cable and the power cable. If all connections are secure, you may have had a bad connection. Try connecting to the Internet again. If your subsequent connection attempts fail, call your Service Provider for Technical Support.

The Modem speed is not fast enough
There are several conditions that can result in slower access speed that are not related to your P1D Modem's performance:

  • The access speed is related to the radio signal strength. Ensure that you are receiving the best possible signal by moving the Modem and if possible locating it next to a window. The faster the signal quality indicators flash the better the signal. When they are lit continuously then you are receiving a strong signal that should enable maximum possible data speed.
  • You may have subscribed to a Service Level that limits the data rate. You can increase your Service Level on the registration web page or call your Service Providers Customer Service.
  • You may be accessing a slow web site. A web site can cause a traffic jam on the Internet's backbone because many people converge on it at once or that site's server does not have the capacity to handle its traffic. In these cases, it does not matter what speed your modem can achieve. Tip: Surf these sites when Internet traffic is low. Heaviest traffic is usually on weekends and evenings. You can also configure your browser so it won't display graphics, animations, sound, video or other multimedia content.
If you do not think that any of the above conditions are causing the problem, call your Service Provider for Technical Support.

Connected Modem before installing the Connection Software
If you connect your Wireless Broadband modem to your PC before installing the Driver Software contained on the PC Software installation CD, your modem drivers will not be installed, which will prevent you from connecting until the installation is corrected.

If the modem is connected to soon and the installation process has not completed, remove the modem and re start the installation again making sure that the modem is inserted at the appropriate time as indicated by the on screen information.

If the modem is connected to soon and the installation process has completed, then the Wireless Broadband Modem MUST remain connected to you PC during the following uninstall/removal process.

  1. Open "Device Manager" by clicking the right mouse button (left button if configured for a left handed user) on the "My Computer" icon and select "Properties".
    1. Windows 98/ME users should select the "Device Manger" Tab located at the top of the "System Properties" Dialog window.
    2. Windows 2000/XP users should select the "Hardware" Tab and select the "Device Manager".
  2. Locate the Wireless Broadband Modem on the list and "Uninstall/Remove" the device. Ensure the Wireless Broadband Modem has been removed from Device Manager.
  3. Unplug the PC to Modem interface cable from your PC the Wireless Broadband Modem from your PC.
  4. Under "Control Panel" open "Modem Options" if the Wireless Broadband Modem is shown as installed remove/uninstall all references to your Wireless Broadband Modem.
Removal is now complete and you MUST restart your computer before attempting to re-install the P1D Modem.

Driver Installation fails due to "digital signature not found"
Your system is configured to "Block" or "Warn" you when an attempt is made to install a device driver that does not contain a valid digital signature. If configured to "Block" the installation operation will fail, if set to "Warn" you will be given the option to continue the installation by selecting "Yes" on the warning dialog window.

To avoid problems during the installation it is advisable to configure your system to ignore Digital Signatures during the installation of Wireless Broadband Modem software and device drivers. You can revert to your original configuration once the device drivers are installed.

To change your systems Digital Signature configurations follow these simple steps.

  1. Right click "My Computer" and select "Properties", under the "Hardware" tab within the "Device Manager" section select "Driver Signing".
  2. Within the "File Signature Verification" section you will notice the options "Ignore/Warn/Block" select "Ignore" and "Apply" change. Repeat the installation procedure as before.

Registration fails because the PC does not accept "Cookies"
When you register with the ISP, you provide a username and password that the wireless network uses to identify you when you connect. For your convenience, these attributes are stored within the PC so that you do not need to enter them manually. The registration server sends a small file, called a cookie, to your PC. The cookie contains the username and password information. In order for the registration process to complete successfully, you must configure your browser application to accept cookies. Once registration has completed, you may disable receipt of cookies, if desired, however you should not delete them. See the FAQs for instructions on how to set cookie preferences on your browser.

The Browser did not go directly to the registration screen
Manually type the registration web page URL (check the Modem packaging or contact your Service Provider for this information) in the browser address window and then press enter on your keyboard. If you get an error message similar to the "page cannot be displayed", there might be maintenance occurring on the web site. Call your Service Provider for Technical Support or try again later.

The Connect / Disconnect button is not highlighted on the Status Monitor screen but a radio signal is present
If the "Wireless Broadband Modem Status Monitor" loses contact with the Wireless Broadband Modem, then the "Wireless Broadband Modem Status Monitor" should be shut down and restarted to clear the problem. If the problem persists the computer port that the Client Software and the Wireless Broadband Modem are using may have become "locked up" and can not be freed until the computer is shutdown (powered off) and restarted.

If there is still a problem after shutting down and restarting you computer, call your Service Provider for Technical Support.

Error Message "Invalid Password"

  1. This error message means that the network no longer recognizes your username and/or password.
  2. Check that your username and password were entered correctly.
  3. The ISP's server does not allow more than one simultaneous connection to the network with the same username and password. Do not share your username and password with other Wireless Broadband Modem users.
  4. If you cannot correct the problem, call your Service Provider for Technical Support.

Error Message "No Answer"
On rare occasions, the server will not receive the message advising it that the previous session has ended. There is a timeout of a few minutes before the server will accept a subsequent connection. If you recently had a successful connection, wait a few minutes before trying again.

Wireless Broadband Modem Not Responding

  1. Check that the computer interface cable is securely connected to the PC and modem.
  2. Check that the modem power button is on.
  3. If the Modem still does not respond, try restarting the PC and then restart the Connection Software application. Occasionally, the PC COM port that the Connection Software and the Modem are using can become "locked up" and cannot be freed until the PC is restarted.
  4. If the status bar still reports "Wireless Broadband Modem not Responding", contact your Service Provider for Technical Support for assistance.

Interaction With Hyperthreading (USB Only)
There is a problem using the USB drivers on CPU's/Operating Systems which have Hyperthreading (HTT) enabled.

You can find out if you have Hyper Threading Technology enabled on your computer by checking the Intel ® sticker on your PC and if it says Pentium ® 4 at the bottom and HT in the top right-hand corner then you have Hyper-Threading Technology (see right)

You may be able to connect as normal, but after a period of time, the internet connection will seem to still be established but no data will actually get transferred. The internet connection seems to hang, so that when you try to browse or send/receive emails you will get errors of unreachable servers etc. just as if you were not connected. After about a minute or so, a window will pop up saying that the internet connection has disconnected.

This problem is not limited to specific motherboards.

The recommendation in this case is to use Ethernet which does not experience the problem instead of the USB.

To switch from USB to Ethernet you can perform the following steps:

  1. Ensure that you have the Installation CD available
  2. Left click the "start" button
  3. Left click "Control Panel"
  4. Left click "Add or Remove Programs"
  5. Highlight "IPW PC Software"
  6. Left click "Remove" and follow the on-screen instructions
  7. Unplug the USB connector
  8. Insert the Installation CD
  9. Follow the on-screen set up instructions, ensuring that when requested, you select Ethernet as the preferred method of connection

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