Got Questions? We Are Here To Help!

If you are experiencing problems with your connection like slow speeds or an interruption of service follow this troubleshooting guide to help narrow down what the issue may be:

1. 1. Check multiple apps or websites to ensure the connection issue is not specific to one site in particular.
   2. Confirm there is power to your Yellowstone Fiber device and check to see if the CAT5e ethernet cables are plugged in. Do not tamper with the yellow fiber line. (This could damage your fiber and will require a technician to come out and repair it.)
   3. Restart your router by unplugging the power cable, waiting one minute, and then plugging it back in. This is the most common way to fix Internet-related issues.
   4. Make sure your router is placed in a good location. For more information on good router placement check out our Routers and Wi-Fi tab.
   5. Run a speed test while directly connected to your Yellowstone Fiber equipment, bypassing your router. See instructions for how to do this under the ‘Speed Tests.’ tab.
   6. Power cycle your Yellowstone Fiber equipment. See instructions on how to do under the ‘Yellowstone Fiber Equipment.’ tab. Only power cycle your equipment if Yellowstone Fiber or your ISP recommends it.

   7. If you are still experiencing issues after following these steps it may be time to call your ISP. Yellowstone Fiber provides your fiber backbone, but your ISP provides your Internet service. They will be able to help you troubleshoot any speed or connectivity issues. For details and Technical Support Hours, see the ‘Contact Your ISP.’ tab.

How to Restart Your Router:
If you are having problems with your connection always check your router first! Restarting your router is one of the most common fixes to problems with your internet connection. You can restart your router by unplugging the power cable, waiting one minute, and then plugging it back in.

If you’re still having problems with your WiFi connection you might try following these tips to help boost your WiFi signal:

Pick the right router
Cheap routers will have trouble providing signal throughout your entire home, and some routers do not have enough bandwidth capacity to handle all the devices in your home. You can use a Wi-Fi analyzing app such as NetSpot to determine how effective your router is. If your router is the problem you can check our list of recommended routers here.

Upgrade your router
If there’s an area in your home with limited Internet connectivity, consider adding a Wi-Fi extender or upgrading your router.

Beware of Wi-Fi interference
Wi-Fi signals can be absorbed or blocked by materials such as concrete, glass, and metal. This interference can directly impact the strength of your Wi-Fi signal. Additionally, devices in your home may impact your Wi-Fi signals because they emit or use the same frequency space as your Wi-Fi. Devices that can interfere with your signal include baby monitors, phones, microwaves, etc. To solve this try keeping your router away from things that may block its signal.

Set your router up high
Keep your router off the ground, preferably about 5-7 feet off the floor. Wi-Fi routers emit radio waves, which spread out and down from their source.

Run fewer applications
This one may be obvious, but turn off applications when they are not being used. Doing so will free up bandwidth for the things you need to be doing online.

Make your Internet secure
Be sure to create a strong password that will prevent strangers from accessing your network. Extra users slow your Internet connection by taking up additional bandwidth. We recommend that all homeowners protect access to their Wi-Fi with a complex password.

Regularly reboot your router
Rebooting your router allows it to take a break and perform needed system updates. Try setting up your router to reboot automatically when you are not using your Internet (late at night, for example) by using an outlet timer.

Speed tests measure your Internet connection’s maximum speed. They let you know how quickly your device can upload and download data and verify your Internet connection’s overall performance. A speed test will mimic your Internet activity by downloading files and recording the time it takes to do so. They aren’t 100% accurate but will give you a very close approximation of your speeds.

How to Run a Speed Test Over Wi-Fi

• Unplug your CAT5e cable from your router and plug it directly into a laptop or desktop. If your laptop or desktop does not have a CAT5e port to plug into, you may need to purchase a USB to ethernet adapter. (Be sure to use a USB 3.0 to Gigabit Ethernet adapter as they can be used for connections greater than 100 Mbps reliably.)
  • Keep in mind, that your computer has to have a USB 3.0 port for your laptop or desktop to run a proper speed test. One way to tell is to see if you have a blue USB port on your computer or a port marked 3.0.
  • USB 2.0 can only do 480 Mbps in connection speeds at max. Some USB 2.0 adapters can only do up to 100 Mbps, so be sure to test with a USB 3.0.
• Next, make sure your CAT5e is plugged into Port GE1 on your Yellowstone equipment.
• Then go to your preferred speed test website and begin. Don’t worry if you don’t have a favorite speed test, we listed ours below. Check them out and see which one works best for you.
• Interpret your results:
  • Your upload and download speeds should be near the speeds you signed up for (250 Mbps, 1 Gbps, or 10 Gbps). Typically, they won’t be exactly what you signed up for, especially if you are connecting to wireless, but they should be pretty close.
  • Most speed tests will display a “ping” result, measured in milliseconds. Your ping refers to your latency, or how fast you get a response after sending out a request. 20ms is a good benchmark: anything below that, and you shouldn’t have any issues. Anything above 50ms, and you will want to try your test on another server

Recommended Speed Test Sites:

• Speedtest.net
  • When using Speedtest.net we recommend downloading their app for more accurate results. You can find their app in your App Store under “Speedtest by Ookla.” They have a mobile version for your phone and a desktop app for your laptop or computer. Here is what a test with their app should look like:
• Google Fiber
• Fast.com
  • Fast.com is owned by Netflix and can measure your speeds to Netflix.

Tips for Performing Speeds Tests

• Speed tests from any wireless device or over a wireless connection are only as good as the wireless signal within your residence or office. Wireless signals from routers or extenders can degrade over distance or by going through types of structures such as metal buildings, concrete walls, mirrored walls, etc.
• Do not run a test from a smartphone, tablet, gaming system, or any other device connected to your home wireless network.
• Do not run speed tests while connected to your employer’s VPN. Security rules, rate limits, or other rules set by your employer can impact your speed test results.
• Speed tests running while also using your Internet connection will only show you the remaining bandwidth available. For example, if you have a 250 Mbps plan and are using 40 Mbps on other devices, your speed test results should be around 220 Mbps.
• Be sure you know your device’s maximum throughput for passing data. If you have a 1 Gbps plan, you need to be sure your device can support these speeds. Otherwise, you are never going to achieve anywhere close to 1 Gbps. If you subscribed to a 1 Gbps plan but only have a 100 Mbps Ethernet port or setting on your router, you will only get close to 100 Mbps.
• Make sure your devices support the latest Wi-Fi standards. If all you do is use a wireless connection on a particular device, check it’s supported standards. The gigabit-compatible Wi-Fi standard is 802.11ac, but by 2020 this is moving to an 802.11ax standard, otherwise labeled as Wi-Fi 6.
• Update your devices’ firmware and operating systems. If your router has gigabit Ethernet, the latest Wi-Fi standard, and a 5Ghz Wi-Fi band already set up, you should still check to make sure that the firmware is updated to the latest version.
• Run speed tests on multiple devices to know their limitations and test within different areas in your space to identify weak spots. If you find that sections of your home have weak wireless areas, you may want to install additional access points, wireless mesh systems to cover these areas. Access points or wireless mesh systems would need to be wired using an Ethernet cable in order to not cause additional speed issues.
• Check how speed varies between wireless and wired. If the difference is considerable to you and your use case, you can make decisions about which devices need to be wired for maximum speeds. For instance, it might make sense for your entertainment devices (Apple TV/Roku) or gaming systems (Xbox/PlayStation/Nintendo) to have wired cables tied to them.

We install an Optical Network Terminal (ONT) into your home when you sign up. An ONT is a modem-like device that will look similar to a router but is compatible with a fiber line. There are different makes and models, so you’ll need to determine which equipment you have before you proceed. Power cycling or rebooting can fix many connection problems, but be sure to restart your router first and check to make sure you are up to date on payments before proceeding. We also highly recommend contacting your ISP before power cycling your equipment. If you power cycle your Yellowstone Fiber equipment, it will lose its logs making it very difficult for Yellowstone Fiber or your ISP to further troubleshoot any issues. Do not push the Reset button. This will erase the configuration on your equipment and may require a technician to come out and fix it, resulting in a truck roll fee.

If you have a Genexis (pictured below)

Genexis devices are white (see the image below). If you are having issues with your ONT the first thing to do is to check if the device is turned on – the ON/OFF switch should be in ‘ON’ state. If the device is properly connected and turned on, the Status indicator LED should turn green after a while. If you are having problems with your Genexis device please contact our customer service team for assistance.

How To Power Cycle: To power cycle your Genexis device, locate the On/Off power switch on the back. Flip it to the OFF position wait one minute and flip it back to the ON position. Only power cycle your equipment if Yellowstone Fiber or your ISP recommends it.

Dimensions (HxWxD): 28 mm x 110 mm x 140 mm

For detailed information on the Genexis check out their guide here.

If you have a Zhone (pictured below)

Zhone devices can either be black or white (see the image below). On your Zhone, push the On/Off button or unplug your power cord, wait one minute, then push the button again or plug your power cord back in.

How to Power Cycle: To power cycle your Zhone, push the On/Off button on the back wait one minute, then push the On/Off button again. You can also unplug the power cord to your Zhone, wait one minute and then plug your power cord back in. Only power cycle your equipment if Yellowstone Fiber or your ISP recommends it.

Dimensions (HxWxD): 35 mm x 260 mm x 155 mm

For detailed information on Zhone lights and ports, click here.

What Not To Do
DO NOT Press the Reset button on your Yellowstone Fiber equipment. This will erase the configuration on your equipment and may require a technician to come out and fix it.

Don’t Tamper with the fiber line or attempt to relocate your equipment by yourself. If you would like to relocate your ONT give us a call and we can schedule a technician to come relocate your device.

Don’t google issues with your router and try to “reconfigure” your Yellowstone Fiber device. The ONT functions differently than a router and tampering with it may do damage that requires a technician to come out and fix it.

If you’ve tried everything else and you are still experiencing problems with your Internet connection, it’s time to call your ISP. As the ones that provide your actual Internet connection, they are best equipped to troubleshoot with you to help pinpoint the problem and if the problem is on the Yellowstone Fiber side, they will be able to consult with our Network Operations Center to fix the issue.