Q&A
 
 
 

How do I set up my e-mail accounts?

The answer to this question depends on whether you want to keep old e-mail addresses or use new ones. If you wish to use your new Anvil e-mail addresses and haven’t already done so, contact Anvil customer support and provide your choice of e-mail user names and passwords for each email account. User names (the part of your e-mail address in front of the @ sign) must be all lower case, can be letters and numbers (but no punctuation except periods), and cannot contain any spaces. E-mail passwords must be 6-14 characters, may contain upper and lower case letters (it is case-sensitive) and numbers, but may NOT contain spaces or punctuation. To set up new accounts on your PC, navigate to the “E-mail Accounts” set-up box. (For users of MS Outlook or Outlook Express, go to Tools, E-mail Accounts.  Click on “Add a new e-mail account” and then “POP3” and “Next” to get to the set-up box.)  For illustration purposes, we have used a fictitious name “bopeep” and password “blacksheep”. This account would have the e-mail address “ This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .”

All e-mail applications require four different settings. Navigate to the appropriate screen and configure the following:

Account name: bopeep

E-Mail address: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Password: blacksheep

Incoming mail server (POP3): mail.anvilcom.com

Outgoing mail server (SMTP): mail.anvilcom.com

Now click on Test Account Settings to confirm that your account is working properly. If not , go back and double check all your entries from above. If everything checks out, click on Finish and your account should be working.

If you wish to keep existing e-mail addresses you can, but please understand that Anvil has no control over these addresses. You should have no problems in sending and receiving your e-mail using these existing accounts. You will have to maintain an account with the service that supplies you with the address in order to continue using the old address and make a couple of changes to the account properties.



How do I send and receive e-mail on my existing accounts?

Here’s how to send and receive e-mail messages on your existing accounts using Anvil as your service provider. First, navigate to the “E-mail Account ” set-up box. For users of MS Outlook and Outlook Express, go to Tools, E-mail Account. Click on “View or change existing e-mail accounts” and “Next .” Your existing accounts will be listed. Click on the account you wish to modify to highlight the account, then click on “Change.” You are now looking at the configuration page.

Highlight the entry for Outgoing mail server (SMTP) and change it to mail.anvilcom.com. Leave the Incoming mail server (POP3) as is. Click on Test Account Settings to confirm that the account is working. Repeat this process for each of your non-Anvil e-mail accounts. You may wish to add your e-mail address in the “reply to” field to ensure that replies get sent to that address.

For Anvil subscribers who use other e-mail applications, such as Yahoo or Netscape, or for MAC users, it is necessary to establish the Account Name, Password, POP3 and SMTP settings (from above) at the appropriate place where e-mail accounts are configured.

 

Is there a problem with placement of the Anvil antenna on my property?

There are not any problems with having an Anvil antenna on your property. It falls under the FCC rules and regulations. See the FCC antenna rule.



I received an e-mail from your office is it really from you, it wasn’t signed?

Several variations of an e-mail have been received by some of our subscribers claiming to come from our office and asking for personal information or carrying infected attachments. I would like to assure you that Anvil will never send you, without prior arrangements, any e-mail with attachments and we will NEVER ask for personal information through e-mail. If you have received one of these e -mails please delete it without opening the attachment. Any e-mail from Anvil will be informational only, will have the name of a person here, will clearly state it is from “Anvil Communications, Inc.” and include a return e-mail address as well as our phone numbers.



What is the maximum size of attachments that I can send with my e-mail?

The maximum size of e-mail is 10MB. The size of your e-mail inbox is approximately 100MB. We recommend that you download your e-mail files to your computer instead of leaving them on our server. Once it is downloaded to your machine, you will have it accessible to you at all times.


When you are away you can check your e-mail though Webmail on our website (www.anvilcom.com - top right-hand corner). With Webmail you can create, send, forward, read and/or delete any e-mails. By deleting e-mail you do not wish to keep (like spam) it will fee up more space for more important e-mails that you will receive.



For no apparent reason my Anvil service sometimes “locks up.” Why? What can I do?

Radios used for wireless Internet connections are sensitive electronic instruments, not unlike PCs. They are particularly sensitive to fluctuations in power. Unfortunately, those of us who live in Wimberley and surrounding areas are subject to frequent power fluctuations. When this happens, the radios are programmed to go through a reboot cycle. If another fluctuation occurs during the reboot cycle (as sometimes happens), the radio becomes confused and “locks up.”

Fortunately, the problem is usually simple to fix. Most often, a quick manual power recycling will restore the radio to its normal operational mode.

If you also have a router for your home or office network, it is also prone to the same problem and the solution is the same. Recycle the power to the router and that should restore it to normal operations. (Do this AFTER you recycle power to the radio.)

Finally, it is a good idea to reboot your computer after recycling power to the router. This will ensure that the computer has obtained a proper IP address and other network setup information from the router.

Installing a good surge protector can help. Connect Anvil’s radio power transformer, as well as your computer and router, into the surge protector. Some of Anvil’s customers have had success in minimizing power problems by installing a power conditioner. This device, which typically costs about $100, is quite effective at smoothing the occasional power fluctuations. Contact us if you wish to purchase one for your home of office.



How do I power cycle my radio?

A CAT 5 data cable connects your outdoor radio with your inside router or computer, and the radio is powered over this cable through a technique known as Power over Ethernet (PoE). Anvil customers have one of two configurations.

Some Anvil installations use a wall plate with a built-in PoE. In this case there is a powered plug running to the wall plate and a green light located near the center of the plate. Simply unplug the power plug from the wall plate, wait 10 seconds, and then plug the power back in. This procedure will power cycle your radio.

If your wall plate is contains only the RJ-45 data connector, then you have an external PoE device between your computer and the wall plate. The PoE device contains both data connectors and a power connector that plugs into a standard 110V wall outlet. Simply unplug the this power connector from the wall, wait 10 seconds, and plug it back in to power cycle the radio.



How do I reboot my router?

Unplug the power cord going into the router.

Router



What about rebooting the entire system? What order do I do it in?

Shut down all your computers first. Unplug the power plug on the wall plate. Unplug the power plug on the router.

To turn everything back on. Plug in the power to the wall plate first (the green light will come on). Plug in the power to the router second, then turn on your computers. Everything has now been rebooted properly.



Which port on the back of my computer is the Ethernet port?

You will see openings or ports on that look like a telephone jack would fit them. There is a large one, this is the ethernet port. This is where will plug the cable that comes from the wall plate or from your router. (Layout may vary).



How do I enter the settings for my IP address?

If you are using Windows XP and do not have a router:

To edit/change your IP address,

click on START (lower left corner on your monitor),

click on Control Panel,

click on Network Connections,

right click on Local Area Connections,

click on properties (at the bottom of the pop up menu)

highlight Internet Protocol TCP/IP

Click on properties

The information needed to fill in the spaces is provided to you at time of installation.

If you have a router, follow the documentation that came with your router to set it up. Once that is done usually you only need to reboot your computer to start using it.

Unlisted vs Global IP address. What is the difference?

With an unlisted IP, you can initiate connection to anyone on the Internet but attempts to connect to you are blocked for your protection. With a Global IP address, you send and receive information without any blockage and anyone can reach your address. For most people an unlisted IP provides protection from certain types of attacks without causing any problems. If you have any servers or need to be reachable directly then you will need a global address. There is no additional charge for this. Contact our office and change your address type usually over the phone. You will have to enter the changes on your equipment to make them effective.



Can I use Voice over IP or “VoIP” with my Anvil service?

Please see Telephony in the Services section of this web site for information in using VoIP with Anvil service.

 

 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 
If you have other questions, please submit them to service@anvilcom.com or call (512) 847-1180 and ask for technical support.