Blog - Softcom Internet Communications, Inc.

Technology advances to watch for in 2019

April 2, 2019 General News, Tips and Helpful User Information

The only thing constant is change, and that’s definitely true when it comes to technology. If you’re wondering what the future holds for us in 2019, here’s a few things that tech experts are predicting will affect our homes, lives and businesses.

Cyber-attacks move into the real world

According to an Inc. Magazine article, experts are predicting that cyber-attacks will move from the digital world to the physical world in what they are calling “cyber-physical hacking.” Some examples include interference with things like manufacturing equipment, surveillance cameras, or data centers with the potential to shut down businesses or at least cost them a lot of money, along with even more invasions of identity and privacy. For everyone from the teenager using a computer at home to professionals and businesses, safe and strong security measures are an issue that will continue to be at the forefront of our future for a long, long time.

What is internet throttling and how do I check for it?

March 27, 2019 4G LTE, General News, Internet Service Area News, Tips and Helpful User Information

Did you know that ISPs are required to disclose certain aspects of their service to their customers, including things like data throttling? Here’s what that means, and why Softcom will never participate in blocking or throttling internet access for its customers.

Throttling is when an internet service provider (ISP) purposely slows down your connection speeds. We’ve rounded up the following information about throttling to educate our readers about this practice, give you the tools you need to research and take action, and assure you that Softcom does not participate in this practice.

When it comes to wireless – the future is now

March 10, 2019 Ask The Experts, Equipment Upgrades

Twenty years ago, a lot of people were just starting to get comfortable making the switch from pagers to cell phones. Things like real-time video chats and self-driving cars were only seen in big-budget movies. Fast-forward to today and people are using phones, computers, tablets, and watches to connect with the world from their homes, schools, cars, yoga studios and coffee shops, all because of wireless internet. Twenty years ago, that might have sounded like a scene from the Jetsons, but today it’s not just normal, it’s necessary.

No longer a luxury, wireless internet has become a must-have for entertainment, education, healthcare, business, travel, shopping, news, communications and more. Wireless technology is advancing so quickly that experts predict that things like self-driving cars and smart cities will begin to reach the average consumer household in the next few years.

Softcom policy on Chinese telecom equipment protects customers

February 27, 2019 General News, Online Security, Tips and Helpful User Information

There has been a lot of concern recently about telecommunications companies building their networks with gear made by Chinese telecommunications companies – namely, Huawei and ZTE. The concern centers around the Chinese government installing backdoors in the equipment to spy on users of the equipment. The equipment may be inexpensive, but the cost to security has been high, to the point that President Trump is considering signing an executive order to ban Chinese equipment from U.S. telecom networks.

What is the FaceTime bug and how it affects iPhone users

February 1, 2019 Online Security, Tips and Helpful User Information

The news went viral this week when a FaceTime bug was discovered that made it possible to listen in on, or even see someone, during a Group FaceTime call, even if the person receiving the call didn’t pick up. There’s a temporary fix in place, with a permanent solution promised by Apple to be coming next week. Meanwhile, here’s how this happened, and what you should do.

Were you in the “Collection #1” data breach? You might be surprised!

January 28, 2019 Ask The Experts, General News, Tips and Helpful User Information

In what is being called the “mother of all breaches,” security experts have reported that a massive database of nearly 773 million unique email addresses and more than 21 million unique passwords was recently posted to an online hacking forum. Referred to as “Collection #1,” it appears that the data didn’t come from a single source, site, or company but is an aggregation that includes fully exposed passwords.

How to pick the right internet service for you

January 20, 2019 4G LTE, Ask The Experts, General News, Tips and Helpful User Information

Everyone loves to clear out the clutter when it comes to New Year’s resolutions. Here’s a new take on that: Make sure you’ve got internet service that isn’t a mess by using our checklist to identify what it takes to make sure you’ve got the very best.

Understand your data needs

Activities like streaming, video conferencing and gaming will need a higher level of service than someone who just uses their computers for email and online shopping. If you have a home office or multiple devices that will all be online at once, this can also affect the level of service. Understanding this and discussing it with an experienced customer service representative will elevate your online experience asap. To learn more about connection speeds and choosing the right plan, read “What internet speed do I need.”

What internet speed do I need?

January 11, 2019 4G LTE, Ask The Experts, General News, Internet Service Area News, Tips and Helpful User Information

Signing up for internet service is easy. Deciding on the speed and level of service you want? That can be the hard part. Some of the most frequently asked questions we get are about understanding the difference in our 4G LTE plans, especially when it comes to connection speeds.

Here at Softcom, we don’t sell plans based on data usage because we offer true unlimited data for our customers, no matter what plan they choose and without affecting the speed of service. Other companies don’t do this, and in fact will reduce connection speeds once their customers exceed their set data caps within a billing cycle. Depending on how much streaming or data-consuming work is done from the home or office, this could result in a week or two of fast speeds, followed by frustratingly slower connections until the billing cycle resets.

How the government shutdown is affecting your online activity

January 3, 2019 General News

You’ve probably been hearing a lot of news about how the government shutdown is affecting people’s jobs, travel and life. But did you know that it’s also affecting the safety and efficiency of your online activities? Here’s what you need to know.

When government shuts down, so do government-run websites, including consumer protection ones like the National Do Not Call Registry, where a message stating that “due to the government shutdown, we are unable to offer this website service at this time” is all that you’ll see. Similar websites that have also been shut down include identitytheft.gov, an FTC site where identity theft victims can report such activity; and ftc.gov/complaint, where consumers can log complaints.

How to find the best rural internet service provider for you

December 4, 2018 Internet Service Area News, Tips and Helpful User Information

If reliable internet is a priority, then finding the best provider and services near you should be too. If you live in Galt or communities throughout Sacramento and San Joaquin Counties area, we’ve got you covered. If you’re from outside our service area, though, and want to find the best options for you, here’s some tips.

When people want to find an internet service provider for rural areas located nearby they often sit down at the computer and type in the search “internet service provider near me” or “rural internet services near me.” That’s a good place to start and likely to get you a list of results in your area. But narrowing it down even more is essential.

The next thing you need to do to find the best provider to fit your needs is to focus your search even more. Some people try to do this by searching for “best rural internet service for me” or “best internet provider for me.” That’s OK, and you might even get some good results worth looking into, but there are more steps to be taken after that using the power of your mind and not Google.

Search: