• Manually selecting a network on an iPhone
• How to set the network carrier on Android OS

Manually selecting a network on an iPhone

1. Tap the Settings icon. 
   
2. Select Carrier. 
   
3. Turn off the Automatic slider switch, and then wait while your iPhone searches for all available mobile networks in the area. 
   
4. Tap Vodafone AU to select it as your network carrier. Exit the menu to finish. 
   

How to set the network carrier on Android OS

Android OS looks different depending on your phone and software version. If these steps don't work for you, please check the manufacturer's website for a guide.

1. Open the Settings app. 
2. Tap Network and Internet. 
   
3. Tap SIMs, then select your iiNet SIM.
   
4. Scroll down and turn off the Automatically select network switch, then wait while your phone searches for available networks in the area. 
   
5. Tap Vodafone AU, then exit the Settings app to finish. 
   

• Set DNS server in Windows
• Set DNS server in macOS

Set DNS server in Windows

1. Log in to Windows with an Administrator account. If your account doesn’t have Administrator privileges, you may not be able to adjust your DNS server settings.
2. Click the Search icon (magnifying glass) in the bottom left-hand corner of the screen and search for "Control Panel". It will appear at the top of the search results as the best match
3. In the Control Panel, select Network and Sharing Centre.
   Note: If not all options show, select Network and Internet, and then Network and Sharing Centre.
   
4. Select Change adapter settings in the left-hand column. 
   
5. Right-click on your active internet connection (this may be "Ethernet", "Wireless Network Connection" or "Local Area Connection" depending on how your computer is set up) and select Properties. 
   
6. In the Networking tab, click once on Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) to highlight it, and then click Properties. 
   
7. Select Use the following DNS server addresses and then enter the following:

   Preferred DNS server: 203.0.178.191
   Alternate DNS server: 203.215.29.191

   
8. Click OK to finish.

Set DNS server in macOS

1. On the desktop, click the Apple icon in the top right-hand corner and select System Preferences from the drop-down menu.
2. Select Network.
3. Select your Connected (Ethernet or Wi-Fi) connection from the left-hand column and then click Advanced. 
   
4. Select the DNS tab and then click the plus (+) button in the lower left-hand corner of the window. 
   
5. Type the following and then click OK to finish:

   DNS server: 203.0.178.191

   

• TCP/IP Reset in Windows 10
• TCP/IP Reset in Mac OSX or macOS

TCP/IP Reset in Windows 10

1. Click the Search icon (magnifying glass) in the bottom left-hand corner of the screen and type "cmd" into the search bar. 
   
2. You'll see the Command Prompt app as the best match at the top of the list. Right-click on it and select Run as administrator. Depending on your computer settings, you may be asked to provide an administrator password before you can continue. 
   
3. A black box with a flashing cursor will open; this is the Command Prompt. Type “netsh int ip reset” and then hit the Enter key on your keyboard. 
   
4. Wait for the Command Prompt to run through the TCP/IP reset. Once it’s complete, you’ll need to restart your computer to finish.

TCP/IP Reset in Mac OSX or macOS

1. Click the Apple icon in the top right-hand corner and then select System Preferences from the drop-down menu.
2. Select Network.
3. Select your Connected internet connection (Ethernet or Wi-Fi) and then click Advanced. 
   
4. Select the TCP/IP tab and then click Renew DHCP Lease. 
   
5. Click OK to finish.

• Find the Default Gateway on Windows
• Find the Default Gateway on macOS

Find the Default Gateway on Windows

1. Open the Command Prompt program. You’ll find this by typing “cmd” into the search bar in the Start menu. Command Prompt can also be found in Start menu > All Programs > Accessories folder.
2. A black box with a flashing cursor will open; this is the Command Prompt. Type “ipconfig” and then hit the Enter key on your keyboard.
    
   
3. Wait for the test to run. Depending on how your computer is connected to the modem, you should see a heading with information listed beneath it. Ignore those that say “Media Disconnected” - these are saved settings for adapters that aren't currently being used.
4. Underneath the heading, you’ll see the list item Default Gateway. The address next to this (numbers and full stops only) is your modem’s default gateway address.
    
   
5. IMPORTANT: If the default gateway shown begins with “169.254”, then your modem is failing to get a response from the DHCP server. You should reset your TCP/IP settings and if the issue persists, reset your network adapter.
6. On a computer or device that's connected to your modem via Ethernet or Wi-Fi, open your web browser.
7. Type the default gateway address into the address bar and then hit the Enter key on your keyboard.
    

   e.g. Microsoft Edge

   

   e.g. Firefox

   

   e.g. Google Chrome

   
8. To log in, you can find the default username and/or password on your modem's barcode sticker. If you have custom login details, you'll need to use those instead.
9. If you’re unable to browse to the modem’s gateway address, you may need to troubleshoot a communication error between your computer and your modem.

Find the Default Gateway on macOS

1. On your desktop, click the Apple icon in the top left-hand corner and select System Preferences from the drop-down menu.
2. Select Network. 
    
   
3. Select your Connected internet connection from the left-hand column. This may be the Ethernet section if you're connected via Ethernet cable, or the Wi-Fi section if you're connected via Wi-Fi.
4. Wi-Fi: Click Advanced in the bottom right-hand corner of the window, and then select the TCP/IP tab. You'll find the default gateway address listed next to Router.
    

   Ethernet: You’ll find your modem’s default gateway address next to Router as shown below.

   
5. IMPORTANT: If the default gateway shown begins with “169.254”, then your modem is failing to get a response from the DHCP server. You should reset your TCP/IP settings and if the issue persists, restart Wi-Fi/Airport.
6. On a computer or device that's connected to your modem via Ethernet or Wi-Fi, open your web browser.
7. Type the default gateway address into the address bar and then hit the Enter key on your keyboard.
    

   e.g. Firefox

   

   e.g. Google Chrome

   

   e.g. Safari

   
8. To log in, you can find the default username and/or password on your modem's barcode sticker. If you have custom login details, you'll need to use those instead.
9. If you’re unable to browse to the modem’s gateway address, you may need to troubleshoot a communication error between your computer and your modem.

• Common addresses to ping
• PingPlotter on Windows
• PingPlotter on macOS
• PingPlotter on iOS (iPhone/iPad)
• Ping test in Windows
• Ping test in macOS
• Understanding ping test results

Common addresses to ping

PingPlotter on Windows

1. Download PingPlotter at: http://pingplotter.com/download 
    
   You don't need to buy a subscription, you can use the Free version.
2. Open PingPlotter and hit the + (plus) icon to open a New Trace tab. 
   
3. Type iinet.net.au or another address you want to to ping or traceroute, then hit Start.  
   
4. Let the test run for at least 60 seconds, then hit Pause.  
   
5. Hit the Print Screen (PrntScr) key on your keyboard to screenshot your test results. You can use CTRL+V to paste your screenshot into any text editor, image editor or email app.

PingPlotter on macOS

1. Download PingPlotter at: http://pingplotter.com/download 
    
   You don't need to buy a subscription, you can use the Free version.
2. Open PingPlotter and type iinet.net.au or another address you want to ping or traceroute, then hit the Start. 
   
3. Let the test run for at least 60 seconds, then hit Pause. 
   
4. Use the Command ⌘+Shift+3 keys on your keyboard to screenshot your test results. You can use Command ⌘+V to paste your screenshot into any text editor, image editor or email app.

PingPlotter on iOS (iPhone/iPad)

1. Open the App Store and search for 'PingPlotter" to install PingPlotter. 
   
   You don't need to buy a subscription, you can use the Free version.
   
2. Open PingPlotter and type iinet.net.au or another address you want to ping or traceroute, then hit Start. 
   
3. Let the test run for at least 60 seconds, then hit Pause. 
   
4. Hit the Share icon and select Screenshot. 
   
5. You can choose to save your screenshot to Pictures, or share it by Mail.

Ping test in Windows

1. Hit Search and type "cmd" into the search bar. 
2. Open the Command Prompt app. 
   
3. Type “ping” then hit Space on your keyboard. 
4. Type the address you want to ping, e.g. "ping iinet.net.au" then hit Enter on your keyboard.
   
5. Wait for the ping results.
   
   
   If a ping test fails, you'll get a "Request timed out", "Destination host unreachable", or "Transmit failed, error code #" messge instead of ping results. You may need to troubleshoot your internet if a ping test fails.
    
   With some browsing issues, you may be able to ping a DNS server, but not a web address. If this is the case, you should try manually setting your DNS server.
6. To copy-paste your ping results: Highlight the text results and simply press the Enter key.
   
   Note: For Windows 10, right-click in the Command Prompt window and select Mark to turn on the cursor. You can use the up/down arrow keys on your keyboard to move the cursor to the start of the text you want to copy.
   
   Hold the Shift key and use the down/right arrow keys to highlight the text you want to copy, then hit the Enter key to copy the text.
   
   Open Word, Notepad or any other text editor or email app and use CTRL+V to paste the copied text.  

Ping test in macOS

1. Hit Search and type “network utility” in the search bar.
2. Open the Network Utility app.
    
   You can also find this app at /System/Library/CoreServices/Applications.
   
3. Select the Ping tab and type the address you want to ping, , e.g. "google.com", then hit Ping.
   
4. Wait for the ping results.
    
   If a ping test fails, you'll get a "Request timed out", "Destination host unreachable", or "Transmit failed, error code #" messge instead of ping results. You may need to troubleshoot your internet if a ping test fails.
   
   With some browsing issues, you may be able to ping a DNS server, but not a web address. If this is the case, you should try manually setting your DNS server. 
5. To copy-paste your ping results: Click and drag the cursor to select the text you want to copy, then right-click and select Copy, or hit Command ⌘+C on your keyboard.
   
   Open TextEdit or any other text editor or email app and use Command ⌘+V to paste the copied text.

Understanding ping test results

Ping test results look similar in both Windows and Mac OS.

1. If a ping test is successful, it means that your computer was able to connect to that address.
2. You’ll see a "reply" listed for each data packet sent in the ping test, and how long it took, e.g:
   
   "Pinging google.com.au [142.251.221.67] with 32 bytes of data:
   Reply from 142.251.221.67: bytes=32 time=53ms TTL=119
   Reply from 142.251.221.67: bytes=32 time=53ms TTL=119
   Reply from 142.251.221.67: bytes=32 time=56ms TTL=119
   Reply from 142.251.221.67: bytes=32 time=57ms TTL=119"
    
   A Windows ping test will typically send 4 packets; a macOS ping test may send more. 
   
3. The statistics will show if any data packets were lost during the ping test, e.g:
   
   "Ping statistics for 142.251.221.67:
   Packets: Sent = 4, Received = 4, Lost = 0 (0% Loss)
   Approximate round trip times in milli-seconds:
   Minimum = 53ms, Maximum = 57ms, Average = 54ms".
   

• Network congestion
• Local congestion

Network congestion

Network congestion is temporary, and it depends on the current usage of the entire network. When we say 'network', this can mean any part of the physical network infrastruture that connects the internet outside your house, across Australia, and worldwide.

Sometimes network congestion can be a result of an outage or planned maintenance on this infrastructure. Websites like Is It Down Right Now? will help you check. If you're particularly tech-savvy, running a traceroute can show you which servers are running slow.

You're most likely to have experience network congestion in the evenings, when everyone is more likely to be at home and using their internet.

Network congestion isn't a 'you' problem and one person's usage can't make or break a whole network in terms of congestion, so don't worry too much about how you use your internet service. We're always working to improve performance on parts of the network that are within our control.

Local congestion

Local congestion is all about the connections between your devices and your modem.

If too many devices are apps are running at the same time, there may not be enough internet speed (or bandwidth) to go around. Think of bandwidth like a pizza - if you cut it in half, the slices are massive. If you cut it into ten slices, the slices are little.

Note: Realistically, the size of the pizza slices will vary depending on the abilities of the connected device or the type of app its running, but you get the idea.

If you're worried about local congestion, try these tips:

• Try to schedule big downloads or game patches to run overnight or anytime you're not using your internet for other stuff.
• Close any unnecessary background apps and turn off any internet-connected devices you're not using.
• Check our website or give us a call to see if there's a faster internet plan or a faster type of interent service available at your address.