‘Tis the season for family and gatherings and “What’s your Wi-Fi password?” Be prepared with a printable Wi-Fi sign! Either print straight from here, or download the .pdf to fill in your network name and password!
For CommandIQ subscribers, you can create a Guest Network and share the network directly from the app!
Watch the video below to learn how to create and manage your Guest Network!
Cryptocurrency is everywhere these days. You can’t turn on the news or scroll through your Twitter feed without seeing something about Bitcoin or #DogeArmy. If you’re not familiar with the world of crypto, it can leave you feeling confused and overwhelmed.
Today, we will walk you through Cryptocurrency 101. If you are more of a visual learner, watch our latest Tech Tip video below, to follow along with Brianne.
What is Cryptocurrency?
Cryptocurrency is a digital currency that uses cryptography to secure and verify transactions, making it virtually impossible to counterfeit. The first and most famous form of cryptocurrency, Bitcoin, emerged in 2008, but today there are thousands of alternates on the market.
How Does It Work?
Unlike cash that you carry in your pocket and exchange for goods and services, cryptocurrency exists as digital entries to an online database called a blockchain. A blockchain is an open, distributed ledger that records transactions in code. Think of it like a virtual checkbook that’s distributed across millions of computers around the world. Everyone who uses a cryptocurrency is given their own copy of this checkbook to create a unified record. Software logs each new transaction in real time, and every copy of the blockchain is updated with the new information.
How Do You Use It?
You can use cryptocurrency just like cash to make purchases, but it’s not a universally accepted form of payment yet. Not all businesses accept cryptocurrency, but you can work around this by exchanging crypto for gift cards to select retailers and restaurants with services like eGifter. You can also sign up for BitPay, a debit card that converts cryptocurrency into dollars.
Finally, you can invest in crypto. Cryptocurrency can be purchased on peer-to-peer networks and cryptocurrency exchanges, such as Coinbase, as well as investing apps like Robinhood. But before you go buying into Bitcoin, there are a few things you should consider. First, do your research. There are more than 500 exchanges to choose from, so read reviews and talk with experienced investors before diving in.
And because crypto is highly speculative, be prepared for dramatic ups and downs. While Bitcoin reached a price of over $18,000 per coin in November 2020, it bottomed out at under $5,000 in the same year. If your blood pressure or investment portfolio can’t handle the rollercoaster that is crypto, you may be better off sticking to stocks and bonds.
We’ve only scratched the surface today, but hopefully with this background knowledge you can decide whether crypto is right for you–or at least understand what people are talking about when they bring up Bitcoin!. That’s it for this edition of Tech Tips! Check back soon for another tip to make your technology work for you.
October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month- the perfect time to raise awareness about the importance of cybersecurity and to ensure that everyone has the information they need to be safer and more secure online. Do your part, be cyber smart!
Follow along with us on social media this month to learn more about staying safe online and how you can do your part!
We have exciting news to share! You may have noticed that your TV channels look a little different (for IPTV/traditional TV customers only). We are converting all channels to High Definition, at no cost to you! Because it is a bit of a process to get everything switched over, we appreciate your patience during this transition. Many of your favorite channels will have a different channel number, for example, channel 811 will now be channel 11.
Here is a channel line-up for reference as you are getting used to the new channels. You will see a column for “new” and a column for “old.” “New” will be the channel numbers going forward.
We are always here if you have any questions with your TV service! Please contact us at 952.1000 or 652.3184 with any concerns.
Thursday, September 9th from 11:00-1:00
Carrington Office – West garage
630 5th St N
Golfers at CrossRoads Golf Club got a little tease when the season started early in mid- march, but mother nature wasn’t quite done with winter yet. However, that hasn’t stopped the die-hards from still getting their rounds in. General manager Wendy Schmid said the high school golf teams have been practicing in the snow and golfers have been hitting the course, happy the course is open.
“We have been gearing up for a packed schedule of events this summer, including weddings, tournaments and other happenings,” Wendy explained. The course hosts Ladies Night on Wednesdays and Mens Night on Thursdays, in which they offer a prepared meal after golf. Wendy also mentioned that for the 2021 season tee times will not be required but are appreciated as a courtesy to other golfers. To schedule your tee time, visit crossroadsgolf.com or call 652-2601.
In order to keep things running smoothly and efficiently throughout the season, CrossRoads has a full suite of services from Dakota Central, which includes data, video, voice and security camera services. Along with their data service, CrossRoads subscribes to Small Business Managed Wi-Fi, which allows them to have a dedicated guest network. This is useful for events and business meetings, where visitors can connect to Wi-Fi without compromising the main network.
Last year CrossRoads implemented an online booking system, which gives golfers the option to reserve tee-times online. The club also started using an electronic Point-of-Sale system that allows members to create and charge to an account. Some may say that convenience could be a good or bad thing!
Speaking of bad things, CrossRoads found out the hard way that having a Security Camera system is important. In 2019 they had four golf carts stolen off the property and had no way of tracking down the culprits. After that incident, they knew they knew a security system was necessary in case something like that would happen again in the future. Dakota Central installed seven cameras throughout the property to protect the course and equipment. In their case, peace of mind is worth every penny!
Besides an award winning golf course, the CrossRoads golf area also features a scenic 5-mile recreational trail for walking, jogging, bike riding and cross country skiing which connects into the city all the way up to the Carrington Area Park. Now that the weather is starting to shape up, it’s the perfect time to get out and enjoy some outdoor activities!
You may not have heard of “Triumph Incorporated,” but chances are you have seen the works of Triumph throughout the community. Triumph is an organization that provides an environment for individuals with disabilities to gain independence through activities like volunteerism or employment opportunities. Their mission: “to assist our individuals in achieving their specific goals. This being accomplished through a teamwork approach utilizing the talents and resources of the individual, the provider, the company, the community, and the employer.” With the help of direct support professionals and inclusive workplaces, individuals with disabilities can be involved in the community in ways they wouldn’t be otherwise. Beyond that, Triumph strives to create an all-inclusive environment for all individuals; an environment that is safe, fun and that feels like a family.
Triumph was founded 2009 by Ann Ede, Jennifer Barnard and Don Elstad. They started out small, or as they would say, “from humble beginnings.” Over the years the demand for their services in the community has grown. Business Assistant/Human Resources Hayley Wolf stated, “Without the support we’ve received from the community, we wouldn’t be where we are today.” As the company grew, so did the need for a larger facility. On March 8th, they purchased the new facility and on March 14th the state shutdown due to the pandemic. According to Hayley, it was a very trying time to completely move the business. “We’ve had to get creative with COVID restrictions and safety precautions while still providing services to the individuals, but we’re making it work. Hayley said.
Many changes had to be made in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, as they are typically very hands-on by nature. “Pre-COVID, we would do weekly enrichment or education classes, yoga classes with the individuals, as well as fun games like bingo,” Hayley explained. “Zoom has been one of the most helpful tools we use daily, because it allows us to do those activities in a different way. It also helps us stay connected and maintain that family atmosphere we work hard to create.” Dakota Central provides Triumph with Internet service as well as business-class Managed Wi-Fi, which enables them to do all of those things online.
When moving to the new location they also quickly realized with more space the staff would be more spread out, so they would need an efficient way to communicate throughout the day. Dakota Central installed a Cloud Voice system throughout the facility, which is a voice-over IP based system. “Between eight administrative staff members we are constantly calling each other and transferring calls,” Hayley said. “Our new phone system has improved our operations immensely. It has been great.”
At Triumph, providing a safe environment for the individuals they work with is very important. “Because we moved to a new neighborhood and a larger facility, we also needed a security system,” Hayley said. Hayley also explained that because the move happened during such a hectic time, the staff at Triumph were happy Dakota Central was able to take care of the security system for them. “At one point we were going to have Ann and Jennie’s husbands do it, but we’re glad Dakota Central was able to take care of it all,” Hayley laughed. “Everyone at Dakota Central was great to work with and extremely helpful. It was nice to know we could pick up the phone and call whenever we needed help.”
Now that they are settled into the new location, the staff and individuals at Triumph are getting used to the “new normal” and are happy with the additional space and tools available to them. Dakota Central is proud to serve such a great organization that gives back to the community as much as the community gives to them!
These days, conventional wisdom would have you believe that anything west of the Appalachian Mountains and east of the Rockies is an Internet black hole—a vast expanse of land running on technology decades behind that of the Coasts.
But if you speak to a third-generation farmer in Langdon, a newspaper publisher in New Leipzig, or a performance horse breeder in Epping, you’ll soon learn that you don’t need to travel to Silicon Valley or New York City to find the best Internet speeds in America.
You can find them right here, in rural North Dakota.
According to recent data from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), more than three quarters of rural North Dakotans have access to fiber broadband, compared to only 20 percent of rural residents nationally. In fact, rural North Dakotans are more likely to have access to gigabit speeds than even urban Americans.
So, how has a “flyover” state like North Dakota emerged as a national leader in broadband connectivity?
Our unparalleled rural network can be traced back to 1953, when a group of North Dakota telephone cooperatives banded together to keep North Dakota connected. Today, almost 70 years later, this organization is known as the Broadband Association of North Dakota, or BAND.
The 15 member organizations that form BAND have laid over 40,000 miles of fiber across the state, changing the lives of folks across North Dakota. But if you ask the people doing the work, they’ll tell you that they’re just doing what North Dakotans have always done: working hard, supporting one another, and pioneering new solutions to meet the needs of their neighbors.
“The members of BAND have taken it very seriously to deploy fiber optic facilities throughout the state,” said Keith Larson, Chief Executive Officer of Dakota Central, a BAND member organization. “Thanks to the collective efforts of the BAND members, we’ve been able to be one of the most connected states in the U.S.”
Getting Farther, Together
It all started at Bismarck’s Patterson Hotel. In March 1953, directors from nine North Dakota telephone cooperatives gathered there with a goal to guard against unfavorable legislation, share information and resources, and ensure that high-quality telephone service remained available across North Dakota.
At the time of that fateful first meeting, a majority of rural North Dakota residents still relied on party-line service, in which wires were strung from pole to pole and long distance calls were prohibitively expensive. Today, rural areas of the state have access to some of the fastest and most affordable broadband technology anywhere in the nation. And while the technology that these companies provide has evolved over the past six decades, their mission—to ensure the highest quality communication technology is accessible to all North Dakotans—has not wavered.
In 1996, this mission led 14 BAND member companies to form the Dakota Carrier Network (DCN), a high-speed, large-capacity fiber backbone that spans the entire state. In this symbiotic relationship, BAND serves as a representative body, providing advocacy and education for its member organizations, while DCN serves as the single point-of-contact for the North Dakota businesses and government networks—including all K-12 schools, colleges and universities—who rely on the over 40,000 miles of fiber optic cabling deployed across the state.
Collaboration between the providers that make up DCN and BAND has laid the groundwork for innovation in our state, including an unprecedented educational technology system. In July 2019, DCN successfully connected every K-12 school in the state to fiber-based one-gigabit Internet, becoming the first state in the nation to achieve this milestone. Now all North Dakota schools, regardless of size or location, have access to the same high-speed internet.
Then, in March 2020, thousands of North Dakota students suddenly needed to complete their school year remotely due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Rural broadband providers were able to connect 99.8% of North Dakota students to high-speed home Internet in just a matter of weeks—all because a group of telephone cooperatives realized, more than half a century ago, that they could get farther by working together.
Serving Our Neighbors
If this spirit of collaboration is what paved the way for a broadband revolution in North Dakota, then a commitment to the people they serve is what keeps rural broadband providers charging ahead.
The member companies that form BAND and DCN continue to bring state-of-the-art technology to their communities not because it is profitable, but because it’s the right thing to do. Because unlike large national corporations, they are serving their neighbors, not just faceless customers.
They are serving people like Sean Feil, who farms barley, wheat, and soybeans 20 miles from Langdon. Before BAND member United Communications dug fiber out to Sean’s farm, if he needed to look up equipment on the Internet, he had to drive all the way back into town.
Now, a point-to-point Internet connection allows Sean to keep up-to-date on markets, weather, and equipment right from the field. But more importantly, broadband allows Sean to spend more time with his wife and their three young children.
“During the busy times, I can still stay in touch with my wife and ask how things are going back home,” he said. “And every night before bed, I FaceTime my kids to say goodnight and tell them I love them.”
They are serving people like Gene Vandeberg, owner of Sandhill Performance Quarter Horses near Epping, who uses services offered by Northwest Communications Cooperative (NCC) to take care of his horses. Before he had access to broadband that allowed him to check on his horses at night, Gene was often forced to get out of bed to go check on them.
“I was lucky if I’d get four or five hours of sleep a night, and checking on the horses took up to 45 minutes,” he said. “Now, I can look at the cameras to check on the horses, and I can be done in 10 minutes.”
And they are serving people like Jill Friesz, the owner of a rural publishing house who is on a mission to save small-town newspapers from going extinct. When Jill took over the Grant County News 15 years ago, creating a newspaper by hand was a day-long process, not including the actual reporting, writing, and distribution.
But now, thanks to high-speed Internet from her local broadband provider, WRT, Jill can create and distribute a paper in a fraction of the time.
“Broadband has completely changed the newspaper industry,” Jill said. “The sky’s the limit for us. We can really do anything that anybody else can do, especially now that we’re connected to the world.”
For the 15 local broadband providers that make up BAND, people like Sean, Gene, and Jill are the reason North Dakota continues to provide the fastest, most reliable Internet in the nation.
Stories like theirs prove that you don’t need to move to the Coasts to live a prosperous and fulfilling life; with the Internet at their fingertips, North Dakotans can continue to live in the rural communities they love while building their businesses, accessing the highest quality of education, and staying connected to the rest of the world.
Working together to serve our neighbors—it’s how North Dakota emerged as a nationwide leader in broadband connectivity almost 70 years ago, and how we will continue to lead for many decades to come.
Contact your local BAND member to learn how upgrading your broadband can better your business: www.broadbandnd.com/our-members/association-members/
These days, it seems like everything can be controlled at the push of a button. You can adjust the thermostat, turn off the lights, and even lock your front door right from your cell phone. Suddenly, the flying cars and talking robots of the Jetsons don’t seem so far off.
And while smart home tools like these are appealing—with the potential to save you time and money while ensuring your house is secure—the sheer number of products on the market can be overwhelming.
If you are curious about smart home technology, but don’t know where to start, you’ve come to the right place. Today, we are going to walk you through the steps of setting up your smart home.
If you are more of a visual learner, watch our latest Tech Tip video below to follow along with tech expert Brianne. Let’s get started!
Begin With the Basics
The more pieces there are to a puzzle, the more difficult it is to put together. For this reason, we recommend starting with just one or two gadgets. You can build up from there as you become more familiar with the tools and how they work together.
To get started, determine what your needs are. If you are concerned about safety, consider investing in a security system or doorbell camera. If you want your house to be a comfortable 70 degrees when you get home every day, start with a smart thermostat. We’ve compiled a list of the major smart home gadget categories. From this list, select the categories that are most relevant to you and do a bit of research on the available devices.
Security: One option to secure your home with smart technology is a smart doorbell, which contains a camera so you can see who’s at the door (and avoid pesky solicitors). Certain cameras also have features that detect nearby motion, send notifications when you aren’t home, and save recordings in the cloud for later access.
For even more protection, you can also invest in a full security system equipped with door sensors, motion detectors, and sirens.
Lights: Smart bulbs allow you to control individual lights or groups of lights right from your phone. If you are not interested in changing out the lightbulbs in your home, you can purchase a smart switch to control your existing lights.
Thermostats: There are several brands of smart thermostats available, which allow you to adjust your air conditioning or heating depending on the time of day.
Locks: We’ve all been there: you get all the way to work and suddenly wonder, “Did I lock the door behind me?” Smart locks allow you to lock your doors remotely, and some even allow you to unlock your door just by touching it with your finger.
Of course, these gadgets are just the tip of the smart home technology iceberg. There are hundreds of other options available—from self-starting coffee pots to autonomous vacuum cleaners—but these basic tools will help you lay the foundation for your smart home.
Controlling Your Smart Home
So you have the first few pieces of your smart home puzzle—now what?
You may want to purchase a smart home hub, which will integrate all of your gadgets into one system. But do your research before you buy—not every hub supports every smart home device. Some of the most popular hubs, like Samsung SmartThings and Wink Hub 2, are compatible with almost all third-party devices. The hub manufacturers’ websites will list which devices each one can support.
As you begin to build your smart home, keep in mind that every person’s needs are different, and their smart home should be too! Research multiple products, select the ones that suit your needs, and soon you will be on your way to living like a Jetson.
That’s it for this edition of Tech Tips! Check back soon for another tip to make your technology work for you.
Wireless internet is one of the most significant and time-saving technological advancements of our time.
It allows us to build a network without all the hassle of running cable. However, these networks are highly dependent on signal strength–and there’s nothing worse than a weak Wi-Fi signal.
Today we’re going to identify the most common culprits for weak Wi-Fi AND show you how to solve them. There are countless reasons your Wi-Fi signal may be weaker than usual, but chances are, your problem is coming from one of these three sources:
First, the device you are using is too far from your router. The farther you are, the weaker the signal. To solve this problem, either move to a room closer to your router or purchase a wireless range extender.
If distance doesn’t seem to be the issue, other objects may be getting in the way. While you may be inclined to “hide” your router, objects like walls, cabinets, and mirrors can disrupt your signal. If you would like to keep your router out of sight, but keep your signal strong, I recommend placing it on top of something like a bookshelf.
And if neither of those solutions improve your Wi-Fi signal, ask yourself: When was the last time I gave my Wi-Fi system a break? Restarting your router is one of the simplest troubleshooting steps you can take to fix an internet connection that isn’t working properly. To learn how, check out our Tech Tip video titled “How to Restart your Router.”
Hopefully, one of these solutions will resolve your Wi-Fi connectivity issues. If you try all three and find that your connection is still weak, please give us a call to speak directly with one of our tech experts.
