Q: How do I submit a ticket if my Internet is down?
A: Call the nationwide Sniper Support helpdesk at DSN: 318-845-6006. SniperHill associates manning the 24/7, 365 number will field your trouble call and will log, create, assign and route your ticket to the appropriate site. Issues like username/password and other minor issues will get instant resolution.
Q: I did not write my password down and cannot remember it to log in, what do I do?
A: Use the automated SniperHill Password Retrieval System (SPRS) by clicking HERE. SPRS will email you your username and password instantly.
Q: Why is it that I have the 128k plan but when I download something my transfer rate says 16 or even less but not 128?!!!?
A: Data is measured in multiples of the units, bit per second or byte per second: “b” stands for “bit” and “B” stands for “byte”. One byte refers to 8 bits. Therefore the highest possible transfer rate for 128kbps is 16KBps. (16KBps x 8bps = 128kbps.)
Q: I’m trying to download a large file but the download always breaks halfway through and then I have to start all over again.
A: Try using a download manager that is able to resume broken downloads where they left off. Several reliable and free downloads are available on the web. Just type in keyword “download managers” in your favorite search engine.
Q: Why is it so expensive to get service here in Iraq as opposed to back home?
A: Overhead and bandwidth in Iraq is extremely costly due to the existing infrastructure, unconventional methodology, and the maintenance and use of satellites (with multiple International satellite hops) that’s required to get the bandwidth in and out of the OIF theatre. At home none of these constraints exist. Also, bandwidth at home is nowhere near the cost it is in Iraq because of America’s unsurpassed Internet and Wi-Fi infrastructure, the surplus of fiber backbones and high speed cable lines to propagate the bandwidth. There is obviously none of that in an underdeveloped third world war-ravaged country. If there were, speeds would skyrocket and monthly prices would decrease. To this end we are working with the prevailing host nation government agencies and other parties to bring a fiber optic-fueled backbone to all of our sites. Our number one goal is to increase speed and lower costs so we can pass the savings directly on to you. Until we’re successful with our fiber initiative, we’ll never be able to match the commercial Internet experience we all enjoy back home. Nobody can. But we can do our best to be in the ballpark… even though costs may be higher.
Q: Why does SniperHill not use wireless access points or allow us to connect wireless routers to your network?
A: Wi-Fi is great in airports and Starbucks but not in a warzone. Notebooks and Macs, regardless of how new or powerful they may be, cannot send and receive packets over a long distance and certainly not through blast walls and Hesco barriers even if the hotspot access point signal radiates strongly to your machine. Normal wireless is much uncontrolled. It’s a lot like a walkie-talkie. If only a few people are trying to use it at once it works fine, but as more people get on the channel they interrupt each other more, and less information gets through. Standard built-in wireless wasn’t designed to be used by hundreds of people in a very small area.
Q: Why can I not create my own username and password?
A: User-generated usernames and passwords are not allowed due to underlying security measures and IAW OPSEC, INFOSEC and TRANSEC
Q: I want to play my game online but it is not working.
A: Contact us with the name of the game and we’ll see if we can assist you.
Q: What do I get when I sign up for “one month”?
A: You get credit for 30 consecutive days. For example, if pay on the 1st of October and you will have unlimited Internet access until the 30th of October.
Q: Why are accounts only valid for 30 days?
A: To avoid locking you into a long commitment and to allow an option to upgrade or downgrade your plan.
Q: How can I make sure my computer isn’t downloading or file sharing while I am away?
A: When you’re finished surfing, just shut down your laptop or unplug the Ethernet cable connected to your computer.
Q: I tried playing an online game and the game’s latency was extremely high.
A: Online gaming requires a lot of bandwidth. At least 700ms latency and 1000-2000ms is expected because the data travels a very long distance over International satellites before reaching SniperHill’s towers located throughout Iraq.
Q: How can I determine what my IP address is?
A: Click on your start menu then select [run]. Type “cmd” in the popup window and click [ok]. A black window will appear. Type “ipconfig”. Your IP address is the third line from the bottom. Type “exit” to close the window.
Q: What is up with the latency? Why is it higher than in the US or most other parts of the world?
A: Latency is the delay between requesting data and getting a response, or in the case of one-way communication, between the actual moment of broadcast and the time actually received at destination. Compared to ground-based communication (such as fiber or cable lines), all geostationary satellite communications experience higher latency than that of ground-based communications due to the signal having to travel 22,000 miles out into space to our satellite in geostationary orbit and back to Earth again.
The signal delay can be as much as 900 milliseconds or more, which makes any Satellite-based service unusable for applications requiring real-time user input, such as online games or remote surgery. This delay can be very unpleasant with interactive applications, such as VoIP, videoconferencing, or other person to person communication. The functionality of live interactive access to a distant computer can also be subject to these problems caused by high latency. These problems are more than tolerable for just basic email access and web browsing and in most cases are barely noticeable.
There is no simple way to get around this problem. The delay is due to the speed of light being 186,282.397 miles per second in a vacuum. Even if all other signaling delays could be eliminated it still takes the electromagnetic wave 233 milliseconds to travel from ground to the satellite and back to the ground, a total of 44,000 miles to travel from source to destination. That’s 88,000 miles round trip (user to ISP, and then back to user). Factoring in normal delays from other network sources gives a typical connection latency of 500–700ms. This is worse latency than that of what the most dial-up modem user experiences which is typically only 150–200ms total latency.
A proposed alternative to the geostationary relay is a special solar-powered ultra-light airplane, which would fly along a circular path above a fixed ground location, operating under autonomous computer control at a height of approximately 20,000 meters. Onboard batteries would charge from solar panels covering the wings during the daylight hours, and would provide power to the plane during the night. Ground-based satellite dishes would relay signals off the plane, resulting in a greatly reduced roundtrip signal latency of only 0.12 milliseconds. This is obviously a pipe dream in the active warzone that is Iraq.
Q: How do I sign up for service?
A: PC & MAC (Wired)
Once your room has been outfitted for service:
1. Simply plug your existing in-room cable (from the wall, ceiling or floor) into your notebook or PC.
2. Launch your Internet browser.
3. Choose your package by clicking on one of the following bandwidth option icons, “64k Marksman, 96k Sharpshooter, 128k Target Practice, or 128k Expert”.
4. Key in your payment information.
5. Write down your username and password and keep it in a safe place.
6. Check your email for your account information.
A: PC (Wireless)
1. Mouse over your computer icon in your lower right start bar tray.
2. Click “connect to a wireless network”.
3. Select the SniperHill Wi-Fi hotspot registering the strongest signal on your notebook.
4. Do not connect to any hotspot access point with anything registering below three bars of signal strength. (Connecting to anything below three bar signal strength this will result in substandard performance for which SniperHill cannot be held liable.)
5. Choose your package by clicking on the grey underlined “Sign up now!” icon.
6. Key in your payment information.
7. Write down your username and password and keep it in a safe place.
8. Check your email for your account information.
A: MAC (Wireless)
1. In the upper right of your upper screen Mac bar, click Wi-Fi icon, turn on Airport Scan; select SniperHill Wi-Fi.
2. Choose your package by clicking on the grey underlined “Sign up now!” icon.
3. Key in your payment information.
4. Write down your username and password and keep it in a safe place.
5. Check your email for your account information.
