In an era where businesses are continually looking for ways to cut expenses, we take pride in helping organizations meet their goals. Reducing recurring expenses, such as monthly utilities or communication bills are great for staying within your operating budget. That’s why this article is exploring VoIP’s; a reliable, high quality phone system that can offer your business more, for less.
Voice over Internet Protocol is a system that allows users to place calls over the internet. Your phone (which looks and behaves like a typical office phone) converts an analog voice into digital signals that use bandwidth to travel across networks to the telephone carrier used by the person you’re speaking to. The person on the other end is unable to differentiate between VoIP calls and landlines.
As long as you have access to high-speed internet, your office can benefit from a VoIP configuration. In fact, as you continue reading, you’ll learn more and more reasons why it’s a great option for your business.
How your team communicates can make or break any business operation. Productivity, collaboration, and morale can all be improved with the right phone system. With so much depending on communication, it’s no wonder so many organizations are choosing VoIP.
Call quality remains high, which is especially beneficial for employers who have staff that work remotely or are often conversing with long-distance teams. The ability to connect and collaborate as a group over VoIP saves an organization a lot of time and stress. You can easily share voicemails, calendars, and contacts with your team.
A VoIP phone system isn’t just about connecting with people outside your organization, it also comes with some of the features of a great office assistant. The ability to set up rules applicable to your incoming calls is a convenience you’ll appreciate.
If you receive a call, for example, that has blocked caller ID, you can create a rule to always send those calls to a specific voicemail. Or, put it on the “reject” list, which are calls your VoIP will blacklist, preventing them from even ringing your phone.
Your VoIP system can also send and receive digital files, or act as a fax machine for hard copies. You can even tie it into your Customer Relationship Management (CRM) or Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) solutions. That means linking inbound calls to your desktop, displaying customer records easily as they’re needed.
There are a few things for you to take into consideration when planning a new VoIP telephony system.
These are the top three considerations when investigating a VoIP system for your business, but there are other characteristics that may affect your decision, such as using your VoIP to connect softphones (computers acting as telephones), or your specific integration.
A free consultation with a VoIP system expert at Canquest can help. You’ll be able to discuss your current concerns such as budget and call features, and find solutions the entire organization will appreciate.
Delays may leave you impoverished if time is money. As a result, a poor internet connection might deprive your small business of opportunities. It’s more than just an irritation; it’s a roadblock to reaching consumers and may be costing you more than you realize. Take a look at these ways that a poor internet connection might be harming your business.
They’re a step above the regular phone lines. Honestly.
According to a SanDisk survey, the typical employee loses one week per year waiting for their company’s network to respond. Consider how much productivity you’re losing if you have more than one employee. It can also lower employees’ morale who are irritated by their inability to do their duties. Even when the system is working smoothly, this might lead to decreased productivity.
Downtime can also arise if you don’t have adequate bandwidth to handle cloud-based apps, live chat tools, or video conferencing. The time it takes to utilize these programs may outweigh their benefits.
Another factor to consider is data storage, which necessitates more bandwidth. When the internet is sluggish, it takes longer to obtain that information. Delays in acquiring the information you need to service consumers or make timely business choices come at a cost.
As we’ve said, time is money. If your internet is running at less than the recommended speeds, customers might not be able to conduct the business transaction they planned because it takes too long to load, or the transaction doesn’t go through at all.
Texting, phone calls and messaging apps can be a good alternative, but they don’t necessarily offer the same convenience as online shopping. That’s why slow internet can erode sales.
Consider an online retailer with a small staff who can’t answer online inquiries right away. This results in customers taking their business to another retailer.
When a customer cannot make a purchase, it can ruin their experience with your brand. Even if they do eventually make a purchase, chances are they’ll remember how the situation affected them. They might think of your brand as unreliable.
When consumers can’t access your website, your brand image suffers. You’re telling them you don’t care about their business. They also might think you’re a scam or a ripoff, even if you’re not.
When Google and other search engines rank your website, they consider the speed at which your page loads. If it takes too long to open, it could be a signal that your site has been compromised or is engaging in shady practices.
Google also considers the time from when a user clicks on a link to when your site loads. This is called “time to first byte,” a significant ranking factor for Google. If it takes your site too long to load, you could get a low score. If it takes too long for your website to load, it might not even appear in a search.
Other search engines, including Bing and Yahoo!, use similar algorithms that measure site speed. If your website loads slowly, it might not even appear in their search results.
If you’re running a small business, you need to have a good Internet connection. You need to keep your website and online store running smoothly, and you need to support your sales team in meeting their sales quotas. You want to offer a consistent customer service experience and support them by providing the information they need to make informed decisions.
It’s also essential to protect your personal reputation from online snafus. You want to appear reliable, trustworthy and responsive. Slow internet can affect your bottom line as well as your brand reputation.
We at Canquest understand how vital a strong Internet connection is to a company’s success in the modern Business world. With so many ISP’s selling slow and overly expensive services while also lacking any solid technical support, Canquest is like a breath of fresh air. We provide our customers with reliable, high-speed, secure and affordable Internet and VoIP phone service and maintain local technical support agents who are available every day of the week. To learn more about our business internet plans in Chatham, give us a call today at 519-351-1565!
The internet is an indispensable part of our lives. We use it to communicate, shop, find information and entertain ourselves. Often we don’t realize how much we rely on the internet until it goes out, and we’re left in the dark with no way to get the information or entertainment that we need.
The internet in the country is regulated by the Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC), and the three primary sources here are DSL, Cable Internet, and Fiber-optic.
If you’re having problems with your current internet connection or want to switch internet providers, there are several ways that you can go about doing it:
Internet providers typically offer a number of different plans and prices. The best way to figure out which internet plan is best for you is to compare their plans to your needs. You should take a look at the following:
Before you cancel your service with your current provider, it’s important to make sure they know you’re leaving. If you simply stop paying your bill, they may send you to collections or report your account as delinquent. You should contact them, let them know you’re leaving, and let them know when you plan to end service.
In most cases, you can cancel your service over the phone or by visiting your local office. You should be able to cancel your service at any point after your contract period ends, even if you don’t reach your data allowance.
If you have an email address with an old service, you should transfer all data from that account to a service like Gmail. Also, if you’re leaving your current provider for a VOIP phone service, it may be necessary to transfer or terminate your phone number. To do this, you’ll have to contact your phone company to let them know you’re leaving and ask for a new number.
Before switching, check that all of your hardware is compatible with your new service.
Switching internet providers is usually a fairly quick and painless process. Just follow these tips to prepare, and it’ll be smooth sailing from there.
Get high-speed internet and digital phone service here at Canquest. With our help, you can surf, game, stream, and connect wirelessly to multiple devices through our powerful network. Get started now!
We have to admit that there are always these weak spots at home, no matter how powerful your signal or router is. It can be annoying to be in these spots, especially if it’s a comfortable spot to watch YouTube videos.
You’d be surprised to know that there are actually many things in your home that could be blocking off the signal. If you feel like the WiFi signal in your home is getting a little weak, keep reading below for common blockers and how you can resolve them.
Thick walls are very common in both homes and offices. When designing homes or offices, architects and designers tend to put thick and very sturdy walls on the inside. This is because they want to make the space look better and more spacious.
Unfortunately, this can lead to a dead WiFi signal on the inside. The thicker the walls, the more likely there is to be a dead spot inside.
What you can do is to call an electrician and have them put in cabling for you, or you could also add an extra access point. You can also transfer the location of your router or a mesh satellite nearer to locations where you are most likely to need strong WiFi signals.
Despite being very useful in cooking, microwaves are also notorious for their interference with wireless signals. They emit an electromagnetic field that can be disruptive to the wireless network.
The best solution is to avoid using the microwave while you are in need of some strong WiFi signals. If that is not possible, then you can switch to a 5GHz frequency as microwaves operate at 2.4GHz. By being in different frequencies, you avoid overlapping with the signals of the microwave.
Refrigerators are mostly made of metal, and because of this, it may be difficult for the signal to pass through them. The same goes for any other device or item with a lot of metal.
Just like with walls, the best way to avoid this is to just add a mesh satellite or relocate your router.
If you live in an apartment complex or a neighbourhood that is filled with many WiFi connections, you may have a congested server or network. You will suffer from slow WiFi signals because of so many people using the same server and frequency. It results in slow speeds.
The simple solution to this is to switch 5GHz frequency. Not many people use this frequency, and even if they do, there are many servers. This will help make sure that you won’t be too congested on one shared server. Instead, you will be on a freer server and you don’t have to worry about slow internet.
Water will absorb the signals emitted by your router. So a fish tank, pools, tubs, or anything filled with water will slow down your WiFi signal. It’s either empty these tubs of water or relocate your fish tank or router.
If you want the best WiFi signal around your home, you don’t have to do anything too extreme. There are very simple solutions that can help make your WiFi signal better. Follow our tips above to make your signal stronger and faster.
If you are looking for high-speed internet, you can get it from Canquest. We make sure that all our consumers are always connected to keep up with the latest global updates or stay in touch with their loved ones. Contact us today to learn more about the services we offer!
Your internet connection is the speed at which data is transferred between devices in its simplest form. Many factors determine your connection speed, with the most important being your bandwidth (the amount of data you get every second). Internet speed is measured in megabits per second (Mbps), with the average internet connection between 5 and 10 Mbps.
As the common name suggests, Mbps is a measure of data transfer speed in terms of megabytes per second. You may have slow internet if you’re constantly fighting high ping rates and buffering. If you have a slow internet connection, you’re in good company. The average internet speed of all Americans is a paltry 10 Mbps. And since the average is already so low, it’s no wonder we’re all struggling with slow internet.
Today, let’s look at some of the most common reasons why your internet is slow. Here’s what you need to know
The placement of your router has a direct effect on your internet speed. The closer your router is to your modem, the better. Your modem should be placed in an area where it’s not affected by other electronic devices, such as microwaves, cordless phones, and even more. You can also reduce interference by getting a good-quality router that’s designed to handle three or more devices.
To further increase your speed, try putting your router in an elevated location. A high area close to a wall or a pillar will make it easier for the router to send and receive signals.
A variety of physical obstructions can cause interference. If your computer is placed in a location closer to an object, it will slow down the speed at which it downloads and uploads data, affecting your internet speed.
We’re not just talking about objects in your line of sight, either. Even things that are several feet away will cause interference. If your router is placed in a corner or against a wall, that wall might be causing interference. Try putting your router in the centre of the room or on flat surfaces.
Can you imagine how many devices connect to the internet each minute? There are mobile phones, laptops, smart TV, and the list goes on and on. As more devices connect to the internet, your overall connection speed is affected.
This is especially true when using a wireless connection with a 5 GHz frequency. This frequency is at least 2.5 times faster than the 2.4 GHz frequency used by some Wi-Fi routers. So, if your router is using the 5 GHz frequency, you might be experiencing slower speeds because of the high number of other devices. If you have a lot of devices connected to your network, you might want to downgrade to the 2.4 GHz frequency.
If you don’t have a password set up on your wireless network, anyone can access your network and slow down your connection. Once they’re connected to your network, they will download any files they like, making your connection slower.
To avoid slow internet, you can set a password to your Wi-Fi network. You can also change the channel your router operates on. The more devices connected to your network, the more interference caused by other devices. To avoid this, change the frequency of your wireless network.
If you’ve ever experienced slow internet, there’s a good chance you watched a video and experienced buffering or had trouble downloading the new game you wanted. You might think your internet provider is the culprit, but the reality is it’s a combination of things that result in slow internet.
There’s no easy fix for slow internet, but there are a few things you can do to improve your connection.
If you are looking for high-speed internet, we can help you. Canquest strives every day to provide the best high-Speed internet and digital phone service on the market today. We pride ourselves on providing local, friendly customer service. You can count on us to secure your connection. Contact us today to learn more and get started!
Your traditional home phone service has been reimagined. There is an ongoing shift away from the outdated copper cables of analog phones to the solid fibre-optic lines of digital phones that will give rich sound, sophisticated calling capabilities, and excellent dependability.
If you are still on the fence about making that switch to digital, this article will clear any questions you may have about digital phone lines.
They’re a step above the regular phone lines. Honestly.
In the early days of the internet, internet phones may be less reliable due to issues with internet connections. However, network connectivity has improved dramatically over the years.
Thanks to this innovation, there are no more tinny voices, echoes, or delays. Overall, the better your internet connection, the better your phone calls will sound.
PSTN (public switched telephone network — the classic landline network) lines are less robust than digital phone connections. In contrast, digital services are distributed over several data centres so it’s not a big deal if one fails. This is because several other centres can take up the connection instead. It’s as though no issue has passed, and your service continues uninterrupted.
Calls don’t consume nearly as much bandwidth as you might imagine. Therefore the great majority of organizations have no issues. Most digital service providers will coordinate with you on how you plan on using the connection to ensure that you have enough bandwidth for your needs.
You can compare using a digital phone with operating an automobile. When it comes to driving a car, it doesn’t matter what goes on behind the hood.
Your digital phone service provider can handle the installation and even assist you with learning how to use it.
It’s easy to relocate, add or modify users with a mouse click via a web admin interface. All updates and maintenance are done remotely, so there is no need to wait for an engineer or a physical upgrade.
It’s actually relatively simple if you prepare beforehand. As long as your network has sufficient capacity, it is possible to combine a phone and data network (and if it needs a top-up, we can arrange that). You can replace your complete phone system at once or introduce it one office at a time. You have the last say.
You can make it as safe as you want. For as long as your internal network is safe, your phone network will be secure. You may be sure that your calls and data are safe thanks to firewalls, encryption, authentication, etc. This may be even more true than with the PSTN.
Digital phone services are becoming increasingly popular since they may save businesses money. Unlike PSTN, it is easily scalable, allowing you to enlarge or downsize it as needed without incurring significant expenditures.
Switching from traditional phone lines to digital phone service is one of the best decisions you will make. They are simple to set up, easy to use, and very dependable. You don’t even need to be into technology to be able to use digital phones.
Are you looking for digital phone services in Kent? Canquest provides the best quality high-speed internet and digital phone services in the market today. Contact us to learn more!
Over the years we’ve grown to understand the importance of passwords… especially good passwords. In fact, most web portals and platforms don’t even allow us to use something simple like “1234” any more. Instead, we have a dictated set of characters to use, and need to add numbers or other symbols to improve their security.
This begs the question; with our emails, banking, and favourite apps protected by a tough password, is two-factor authentication necessary? And if so, what is it and what makes it better? This guide should answer all your questions about two-factor authentication, including why we need it.
Also known as “2FA” and “two-step authentication”; two-factor authentication is a necessary security measure that doubles your password protection. Think of it as an additional layer of security. With two-factor authentication you need to provide multiple pieces of information to access an account. If hackers collect one piece of information (such as a password), then they still need a second piece of information to gain access.
Cyber criminals are getting smarter every day. Techniques such as “password spraying” (where a long list of the most common passwords can be applied quickly to many accounts) are still successful at cracking weak passwords. Other techniques used by hackers include:
These three examples are the most common on a long list of hacking techniques. The reason they’re so common is because anyone, no matter how smart and safe they are, can fall victim to them. In some cases, such as having your information lost in a large, corporate data breach, it’s completely out of our control.
As we mentioned, 2FA requires at least two different types of information. The types of information required depends on the organization you’re creating an account with. If you were setting up a Gmail account, for example, you have three choices for supplying confirmation of identification:
The Government of Canada is also promoting two-factor authentication. They’re not just encouraging it for their platforms, but every account you need to sign in to. They offer a quick, informative video that helps explain the importance of two-factor authentication here.
Does your internet seem a little slower than normal? You might not be the only one using it! This article will help you discover who or what is connected to your network, and if you should worry.
Some people think it’s not a big deal if someone’s watching Netflix on their internet. If they have unlimited bandwidth, then they’re even less likely to care. But if someone has access to your Wi-Fi, then they have access to all the devices on that network. Problems include (but aren’t limited to):
Thankfully there are free tools available to help you see who or what is connected to your network.
Your router’s interface is the best way to see all the devices connected to your network. Most interfaces can be accessed the same way:
It’s important to note that the names of your “clients” (or devices) might be a little confusing. For example, if you have a PlayStation, it’s likely listed as “Sony Interactive Entertainment”. If you’d like, you can rename these devices to something more memorable.
Many people are concerned when they see the devices connected to their WI-FI. Keep in mind that we are a very well-connected society. Not only will your computer and phone show up, but everyone in the household with a device will appear. Many of the following are often forgotten when checking your network connections:
Once you’ve confirmed ownership of all your devices you can remove and/or block the devices on your list that are unidentified. Most routers allow you to do this with a simple toggle switch.
If, after you’ve removed the mystery devices, you discover you can no longer turn on your lights with your phone, then you’ve helped label an unknown device. It’s also pretty easy to reconnect them, and any other device you may have removed unintentionally.
We mentioned earlier that your router may still be set for the default password. That’s almost as easy to break into as having no password.
What’s nice about discovering who or what is connected to your network is that you can stop it, without having any awkward or accusatory conversations with neighbours. Simply find the option in your router’s interface to change the password.
If given the choice, select “WPA2” as your password type, it’s much more current and therefore, more difficult to hack than WEP.
Computers fail. They get viruses, are dropped, get spilled on, etc. There are plenty of reasons why you suddenly can’t access your important files. The same can be said for phones, which are easily lost, stolen, or damaged as well. Before you know it, your vacation photos are gone, prior to having a chance to download them. Murphy’s law seems to be; if you’ve been meaning to back up your data for a while, then you’re much more likely to encounter a problem like this.
We all know that backing-up our files is a necessary part of life. But every once in a while, we still fall victim to it and it raises our stress levels exponentially when we break or lose our device. That’s why this guide is focused on protecting your hard work, with tips to back up everything.
The best part about these devices is that they will be around for years to come. Since they plug into a USB, the technology remains relevant, unlike CD ROMs. Up until recently, these discs were a common source to back up our data. Now most computers are sold without CD/DVD drives, making it extremely difficult to access the old files.
External hard drives usually have enough storage space to back up everything on your computer… and then some. It’s relatively inexpensive to find drives that hold a terabyte. Some manufacturers even offer up to 16TB of storage space.
You might think it will take a lot of time or work on your part to backup an entire computer’s worth of files, photos, music, and more, but thanks to built-in software it’s relatively easy.
There are online services that mimic an external hard drive. Internet organizations are able to back up everything on your computer, usually for $30-$50 per year. You save your data to the online platform, just as you would a hard drive. The biggest difference is that your files are now stored at their facility, rather than your house. People who travel a lot with their computer find this to be more convenient than travelling with an external hard drive.
There are plenty of free and paid for services that store your documents online. Dropbox, Google Drive, Apple’s iCloud, and Microsoft’s OneDrive are the most popular cloud services. These are extremely popular for phones and tablets. In fact, many phones and mobile devices are already programmed to back up your data to their manufacturers cloud. If you own an iPhone, for example, then your photos and music will automatically go to your iCloud.
You never know when a virus or malware is going to hit your computer. Whatever your preferred method of backing up, be it external hard drive or cloud, automate the process. This way your stuff is backed up without even thinking about it. You can usually choose to back up your data daily, weekly, or monthly. We recommend weekly back-ups, unless you’re outputting/storing a lot of information every day, then backing up at the end of the day is best. Just remember, the longer you go without backing up, the more you can lose.
We’ve grown used to hearing about internet scams. It seems like every week there’s something new on the news that is worth sharing, let alone all the old scams that are still working today. Phishing is tricky because cyber criminals aren’t your ordinary delinquents. They’re smart and sophisticated. They know how to disguise themselves to gain your trust. That’s why this article is focusing on how to spot a phishy email.
The term “phishing” describes an illegal activity in which criminals impersonate legitimate people or organizations through advertisements, email, even text messages. All three options usually include a link that appears to take you to an official website. Unfortunately, the website is fake and any information you share with them goes directly to the scammers.
“Phishing” is a spin-off of “fishing” because criminals use a fake lure, hoping to catch their prey.
In a word… very. When someone falls for a phishing scam, it’s likely they’ll have their identity stolen. This affects your credit score and can result in your bank accounts getting emptied. New credit cards can be opened in your name, causing even further damage. It’s also possible that by clicking on the link, the same link will be sent to all your friends and family either through your email or social media accounts. Now they’re also at risk.
Phishing messages try to look like a legitimate organization that you deal with. This could be your bank, your internet service provider, the government, even organizations such as Amazon or Netflix. However, if you check the return address from the message, you’ll likely see the address is a long URL, with incorrect spelling. For example, a phishing email could come from Amazon, saying there’s a problem with your order. However, the address came from “Amazom.ca” with an M at the end, not N.
There’s often an intimidating backstory involved in the email, explaining why you need to click on the link. This can include (but isn’t limited to):
If the email is threatening in nature, it’s likely a scam. It’s demanding “immediate action”, highlighting the consequences of not clicking the link. These consequences often include shutting down your account, paying ridiculous fees or even facing jail time. Keep in mind that no legitimate organization will make these threats.
Some scams are easy to spot. Others can take months for the victim to notice something is wrong and by then it can be impossible to find out what you did wrong. Fortunately, internet service providers, and web security organizations are always working to keep up with cyber criminals. If you’re concerned about your online security, read some important cyber-security tips here.
