Support Archive • Page 2 of 5 • Dakota Central

Self-Install Guide | Android TV

Make sure your Android TV works with Dakota Central TV

Dakota Central TV works on a variety of Android TV models version 8 and up, including connected devices like Nvidia Shield and the Xiaomi Mi Box as well as Android TV smart TVs like Sony, Sharp, HiSense and Philips.

You can check your Android TV version by going to Android TV settings, selecting About and then Version.

If you’re setting up your Android TV for the first time…

Be prepared with:

An internet connection
A Google account. If you don’t have a Google account, you can sign up for free: accounts.google.com/signup
If your TV doesn’t have Android TV built-in, you’ll need:
- An external Android TV device
- A TV or other display with an HDMI port
- An HDMI cable

If you can’t find your Android TV device’s instruction manual, Google has reference instructions to get Android TV set up: support.google.com/androidtv/answer/6121424

Install Dakota Central TV onto your Android TV

With your Android TV all set up, from the Android TV home screen, install Dakota Central TV on your Android TV by following these steps:

Navigate to Apps
Select the Google Play Store app Google Play
Browse or search for apps and games
- To browse: Move up or down to view different categories. When you find a category that you’re interested in, move to the right to view items
- To search: At the top of the screen, select Search
Select the app or game that you want
Select Install

Make sure you’re connected to your Dakota Central- provided internet

Dakota Central TV needs to be connected to the internet provided to your home by Dakota Central in order to access your entire TV lineup.

Self-Install Guide | Apple TV

Dakota Central TV works on Apple TV 3rd Generation, Apple TV 4K or Apple TV HD. If you need help identifying which Apple TV you have, identify your device here.

If you are setting up your Apple TV for the first time…

All you need is:

An internet connection
An Apple ID. If you don’t have an Apple ID, you can create one for free here.
A TV or other display with an HDMI port
An HDMI cable (On Apple TV 4K, you need an HDMI 2.0 or later compatible cable)

Apple has very helpful instructions to get your Apple TV up and going in no time:

Install Dakota Central TV to your Apple TV from the App Store

Now that your Apple TV is all set up, go to the App Store. The App Store app icon looks like this:

Apple TV App Store: How to Download Apps on the Apple TV

From within the App Store search for “Dakota Central TV”, highlight and select the app to begin downloading.

While an app is downloading or updating, its icon appears on the Home screen with a progress indicator. Once it’s done downloading, select Open to launch Dakota Central TV.

Make sure you’re connected to your Dakota Central-provided internet

Dakota Central TV needs to be connected to the internet provided to your home by Dakota Central in order to access your entire TV lineup.

Self-Install Guide | Amazon TV

Make sure your Fire TV works with Dakota Central TV…

Dakota Central TV works on Amazon Fire TV 2nd Generation and newer:

Fire TV 2nd Generation
Fire TV Stick with Voice Remote
Fire TV Stick with Alexa Voice Remote 2nd Generation
Fire TV Stick 4K
Fire TV 3rd Generation
Fire TV Cube 1st Generation
Fire TV Cube 2nd Generation

Identify which Fire TV you have

If you’re setting up your Fire TV for the first time…

All you need is:

An internet connection
An Amazon account. If you don’t have an Amazon account, you can sign up here for free
A TV or other display with an HDMI port
An HDMI cable (on 4K capable devices, you need an HDMI 2.0 or later compatible cable)

Start with these quick steps or watch this quick step video

Plug the power adapter into an electric outlet and the Fire TV device into your TV’s HDMI port.
Use the USB cable to connect the power adapter and the Fire TV device.
Install the batteries in the remote by matching them to the icons inside. If the remote doesn’t automatically pair with your Fire TV, press and hold the Home button for 10 seconds.
Use the Source button on your TV remote to locate the HDMI signal for your Fire TV device.

Now that your device is powered on, connected to your TV, and paired with the remote, all you need to do is follow the prompts on the Fire TV startup screen.

Install Dakota Central TV onto your Fire TV

Now that your Fire TV is all set up, select the search icon to the left of “Home” at the top of the screen and search for Dakota Central TV, highlight it, and select the download button to begin downloading.

Once it’s done downloading, select Open to launch Dakota Central TV.

Make sure you’re connected to your Dakota Central -provided internet

Dakota Central TV needs to be connected to the internet provided to your home by Dakota Central in order to access your entire TV lineup.

Remote Support

Click below to get remote support from one of our team members!

GET STARTED!

Do Not Call Registry

The national Do-Not-Call Registry was established by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to offer
consumers a choice to receive telemarketing calls. The registry applies to all telemarketers (with the
exception of certain non-profit and political organizations). If your number (home or mobile) is on the
registry, telemarketers are not allowed to call you.

Consumers may register their residential and wireless telephone numbers on the national Do-Not-Call
Registry at no cost, either by telephone or via the Internet. To register by phone, call 1.888.382.1222
(TTY: 1.866.290.4236) from the number you wish to register. To register online visit www.donotcall.gov.
Once your telephone number is registered on the Do-Not-Call list, it will take 31 days to come into effect.
Your number will remain on the registry permanently. You can also remove your number from the list at
any time. For more information visit www.donotcall.gov.

Setting Aspect Ratio

There are two common TV screen shapes that most folks will recognize — the squarish shape of
conventional TVs, and the widescreen shape of today’s HDTVs. The term used to describe TV screen
shape is “aspect ratio” — conventional TVs, and some small LCD HDTVs, have a 4:3 aspect ratio;
widescreen HDTVs have a 16:9 ratio.

TV shows also typically have a 4:3 or 16:9 ratio. While most new HD programming is in 16:9, a significant
amount of TV broadcasts are still sent in the conventional 4:3 ratio. And it’s the difference in shape
between those two ratios that can result in a “pillar boxed” picture — one with black columns standing
to the left and right of the image — when you watch a conventional 4:3 program on your widescreen TV.

What can I do about the “black bars”?

You may choose to keep the black bars on 4:3 sources, or decide to stretch or zoom that picture to fill the
whole screen — it’s a matter of personal preference. Nearly all recent widescreen TVs include one or
more viewing modes that fill out the screen’s width by stretching and zooming the image. While most
people find this effect acceptable for non-critical “background” viewing like the local news, many aren’t
thrilled when their favorite actors suddenly look noticeably stockier.
To stretch or zoom the screen press the * button on your remote. Simply press the star button again to
go back to the original setting.

How do I change my aspect ratio and input settings?

Press MENU on your remote
Arrow down to SETTINGS
Arrow over to the right and highlight DISPLAY and press OK
Your Display Settings will appear on the screen
Use your arrow buttons to change the following display options
1. Turn Closed Captioning On or Off.
2. Set the Audio Language to English or Spanish.
3. Set the TV Type or Aspect Ratio to either 16:9 or 4:3.
4. Change your Connector settings to Coaxial, Composite, S-Video, Component or HDMI.
5. View the setting for Conversion Mode, Original Size or Fit to Screen (this may also be changed
temporarily by pressing the * button on the remote control).
6. Select the Output Resolution for the television.
If you feel you have changed something by accident, select Exit and press the OK button or just press the
EXIT button on the remote to retain the original settings.

3 Tips for Optimizing Your Streaming Experience

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.
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!
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!

How do I reset/reboot my wireless router?

Pull the power cord from the back of the router and wait 30 seconds.
After 30 seconds, plug back in the power cord.
Wait for the router to go through its startup procedure.
Restart your computer and try to connect to the internet.

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.

Understanding My Bill

Understanding My Bill:
Dakota Central customers will receive their bills on or around the 10th of each month. The bill will include local service charges for the current month and any applicable* long distance charges.

Customers should expect their first bill to be larger due to the nature of the billing cycle. It will include service charges from the date of the connection to the end of the current month. In other words, you may not receive a bill in the first month you are receiving DCT service. Therefore the first bill received may include two months of service.

Any long distance charges from the time of the connection to the 24th of the previous month will also be included. However, keep in mind that subsequent bills will only include one month of service.

Your Dakota Central Telecommunications telephone bill includes taxes and fees mandated by law that include the following:

•Residential Access Line Charge – This is a charge proposed and authorized by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), for providing access to, and maintenance of, the local network.

•911 – This charge is imposed by local governments to help pay for emergency services such as fire and rescue.

•Federal Excise Tax – This is a three percent tax mandated by the federal government (not the Federal Communications Commission (FCC)). It is imposed on all telecommunications services, including local, long distance and wireless bills.

•(Federal) Subscriber Line Charge – This was instituted after the break-up of AT&T in 1984 to cover the costs of the local phone network. This charge may appear as “FCC Charge for Network Access,” “Federal Line Cost Charge,” “Interstate Access Charge”,”Federal Access Charge”,”Interstate Single Line Charge”,”Customer Line Charge” or “FCC Approved Customer Line Charge”. The FCC caps the maximum price that a company may charge for this. This is not a government charge or tax, and it does not end up in the government’s treasury but is used to invest and implement new services in high cost rural areas.

•State & Local Municipal Tax – This charge is imposed by state, local and municipal governments on goods and services. It may also appear as a “gross receipts” tax in some states.

•Telecommunications Relay Services Charge – This state charge helps to pay for the relay center that transmits and translates calls for hearing-impaired and speech-impaired people.

•FUSC Charge (Federal Universal Service Charge) – The Federal Universal Service Fund is designed to provide discounted telecommunications services to schools, public libraries and low income consumer customers. The Federal Universal Service Charge (FUSC) charged by telecommunication companies is mandated by the Federal Communications Commission. This charge is applied upon interstate, international call usage, and wireless

Depending upon your location, other taxes and fees may apply.

Dakota Central Telecommunications bills for recurring services (line, features and options/packages) one month in advance. Your first bill will include your regular monthly charges in addition to any installation fees and partial month charges incurred since installation.

If you are setting up your Apple TV for the first time…

All you need is:

Install Dakota Central TV to your Apple TV from the App Store

Make sure you’re connected to your Dakota Central-provided internet

Quick Links

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