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Below are FAQ subjects. Click on a subject to take you to a specific FAQ. General FAQs Connecting to MetroFi–Free Free vs. Paid service Remove/Cancel my account Home and Office Connectivity Sending/Receiving email MetroFi connection reliability Browser banner advertising Timeout MetroFi wireless network interference System requirements Advertising on MetroFi Incorrect address location on map MetroFi comparison MetroFi stock PDA/PSP/Mobile phone Ad banner and secure sites Windows XP wireless security Windows XP switch SSID How do I connect to the MetroFi–Free network First, you need a WiFi-enabled computer. Most desktops and laptops sold today already have a built-in WiFi capability. It is an easy and relatively inexpensive add-on for older computers - available from most any computer-related retail store. To connect to the MetroFi network, users will select either the "MetroFi-Free" or “MetroFi-Premium” network ID when searching available wireless networks on their computer. Once connected, users will open their browser and see a MetroFi registration page where they are asked to register. Users will only need to register once, the first time they log on. On subsequent visits, users will be instantly connected to the Internet. When surfing the web with our free service, users will see an ad banner at the top of their browser page with local and regional advertising sponsors who help support the network and allow MetroFi to offer its WiFi service for free to the residents and visitors. MetroFi’s premium service is available for $19.95 per month and eliminates MetroFi’s ad banner. *MetroFi Premium service is not available in Riverside. « back to top What is the difference between the paid and free service? As a user of the MetroFi's Free network, you will see a banner advertisement at the top of your browser and occasional full page ads as you use the free service. For $19.95 per month, users can access the MetroFi network and not see any ads. Access speeds are the same for both free and fee based services (1 MB/s Downstream 256 Kb/s Upstream). * MetroFi Premium service is not available in Riverside”. « back to top How do I cancel my MetroFi fee based account? Please contact MetroFi customer service by email with your account information termination date. « back to top Can I get MetroFi inside my home or office? If you are within our coverage area, you may be able to connect to MetroFi’s WiFi network by simply finding and selecting the MetroFi free or Metro Premium network IDs indoors. However, in many cases, distance from our access points and interference from walls and other devises can affect your ability to connect inside. We therefore strongly recommend that you use an indoor “WiFi booster” if you plan to use MetroFi inside your home or office. There are a variety of products available to boost a WiFi signal. We have tested and can recommend Ruckus MetroFlex. For our FAQs on WiFi boosters, click here, or buy a Ruckus MetroFlex now. « back to top Can I send and receive email over the MetroFi Network? Web based e-mail services can be accessed using MetroFi. However, POP and/or IMAP based e-mail cannot be accessed because MetroFi blocks Port 25 as an anti spam measure as part of its free service offering. For users who require unblocked Port 25, MetroFi offers a fee based service of $19.95 per month. Click here to sign up for this service. « back to top How good is the connection to MetroFi? What aspects impact a reliable wireless connection? The reliability of your connection is affected by several factors. Distance from the access point, obstructions such as walls, buildings, trees, other tall objects, the use of cordless telephones and microwave ovens all may interfere with your signal. Additionally, we operate in what is referred to as the unlicensed frequency spectrum under the FCC Part 15 guidelines. Therefore, our transmission signal is working within a spectrum shared amongst a variety of service providers and products. « back to top Why is there a banner ad on my browser all the time? In order to provide Free service, local advertisers pay MetroFi to place a small banner inside the browser window. If interested in advertising with MetroFi please email our sales team at advertise@metrofi.com for information. MetroFi also provides a fee based service that enables access the Internet without the ads being present. When switching to a different connection the ad banner might still be present. Please clear the browser cache, exit, and restart the browser to correct this error. The ad banner should no longer appear. Click for more information on how to clear a browser cache. « back to top Why is there a 15 minute timeout? If you don’t access the network for 15 minutes, your session will be automatically timed out. MetroFi has established a 15-minute timeout in order to effectively manage its network assets that are being utilized throughout a deployed City. If your session has timed out, close your browser and relaunch in order to connect back to the MetroFi wireless network. « back to top Will the MetroFi network interfere with my own wireless network? The MetroFi network should not interfere with your personal wireless network, and can even be used in conjunction with the MetroFi service if correctly setup. Technically savvy customers can run and maintain a personal wireless network using a different wireless channel and connect to its SSID. MetroFi primarily runs its network on channel 1, and also use channel 6 and 11 to avoid self-interference in some networks. Using our technique, please use channel 1, 6 or 11 for your own personal wireless network to avoid interference too. « back to top Can I connect any computer to the MetroFi network? Yes, you can connect any computer with wireless access to the free MetroFi wireless network. A wireless connection using 802.11 b/g technology, which can receive the SSID "MetroFi-Free" with open security and strong signal strength, should connect. Typical Setup Operating System: PC: Windows 95 or higher (Windows 98 or higher recommended) Mac: OS 9 or OS X Linux Windows: Firefox 1.5 or newer Internet Explorer version 6 or newer Netscape version 7 or newer Macintosh: Firefox, Safari, or Netscape « back to top I am interested in advertising on MetroFi network, what do I have to do? Please click "Advertisers" link for more information. You may also send an email to advertise@metrofi.com. « back to top Why is the access point map incorrectly showing my location on the map? Like most mapping software, the MetroFi geocode engine only approximates a real address into latitude and longitude coordinates. In most cases the error is minor, but MetroFi access points should still be able to be located based on the map information to locate a MetroFi-Free signal. « back to top What is the difference between MetroFi and other Internet connections? MetroFi’s goal is to offer nearly city-wide access to the Internet at no charge to the user, making it a great option for mobile consumers. The service offers access speeds up to 1Mbps downstream and 256Kbps upstream. Once you are registered as a user on our network, you can use the service anywhere that MetroFi Free service is offered. We do offer a Premium service for those who prefer to surf the web without MetroFi’s ad banner. « back to top Can I purchase MetroFi stock? MetroFi is a privately held company. It does not offer publicly traded stock. « back to top Can I connect any 802.11b/g wireless device such as a PDA to the MetroFi network? Only devices that support an advertisement banner can authenticate and connect to the MetroFi wireless network for Free. However, if you are a current paying customer, you should be able to access MetroFi network in your coverage area with any 802.11 enabled mobile device. Please contact us with the MAC address of the mobile device that you are trying to connect to the network. Subscribe with MetroFi for $19.95/month for high-speed Internet service with no ads and surf in your network area with hand held devices such as the Sony Play-Station®Portable, PocketPCs (Asus, Dell Axim, HP iPAQ), PDAs (LifeDrive, Tungsten C, Palm, Clie), or other wireless 802.11 devices to the MetroFi network. « back to top Can I access secure (https://) web sites with the MetroFi ad banner? Yes, you can access secure web sites and log in with confidence when using MetroFi. The site will show the lock on the browser and the ad banner will no longer appear, ensuring that your information is encrypted. « back to top What does, "Windows unable to find certificate to log you on the network MetroFi- Free, and unable to connect to MetroFi-Free" mean? When connecting to a new unsecure network Windows XP will display a prompt asking if you wish to connect to the MetroFi network.  After checking the box to allow, hit the connect button and then you should be able to surf the Internet. If you are receiving poor signal or surfing speed then you might need a wireless adapter to boost your signal or an outdoor solution. « back to top How do I switch SSIDs? I only connect to MetroFi-Free and not my own home wireless network? Microsoft XP allows multiple wireless networks to exist on your machine and allows you to switch between them. To switch between MetroFi and your home network or to change the order of your preferred networks do the following. start -> control panel -> network connections -> (right click) wireless network connection -> properties -> click wireless networks tab (see picture to the left).  Otherwise, search for wireless connections by clicking the "view wireless networks" button and switch by connecting to other available wireless networks. « back to top |
