FAQ
Ready to get broadband Internet service to your home? Coastal Fiber is here! You've got questions, and we've got answers. Still need more information? Be sure to contact us.
What makes fiber better?
In a nutshell, fiber delivers the fastest Internet speed, so it's better at handling multiple devices being connected at once as well as streaming, gaming, and web surfing without buffering or interruptions.
When will fiber be available in my area?
Coast Fiber’s Gigabit broadband and phone service is now available in select areas in Bryan, Liberty, and Long counties, but the full build-out into all areas will take some time. Updates can be found on our Service Area page and our News page.
What residential Internet packages are available, and how much does service cost?
Basic residential Internet service is $59/month, and One Big Gig service is $89/month. Please take a moment to learn more and compare plans before making your selection.
What business Internet packages are available, and how much does service cost?
Basic business Internet service is $59/month, One Big Gig service is $89/month, and our top-notch Business Plus is $250/month. Please take a moment to learn more and compare plans before making your selection.
What residential phone packages are available, and how much does service cost?
Standard residential phone service is $19.99/month, and Select service is $24.99/month. Both are add-on services. Please take a moment to learn more and compare plans before making your selection.
What business phone packages are available, and how much does service cost?
Prime Voice phone service is $9.99/month, and Premium Voice phone service is $29.99/month. Both are add-on services. Plus, select from more than a dozen add-ons to complete your business setup. Please take a moment to learn more and compare plans before making your selection.
Can I change my plan or add a voice plan at any time?
Absolutely. No contracts are required for Internet or phone packages, so you can switch up plans as your needs change.
What equipment will I need, and what will it cost?
Coastal Fiber will provide a state-of-the-art router designed to deliver our promised Internet speeds. The router is included as a "lease" as part of your monthly service fee and must be returned to us should you discontinue service at any point.
What if I am happy with my present broadband provider. Will you still bring the fiber to my electric meter?
If a member does not want broadband from Coastal Fiber, then we’re not going to immediately install the fiber drop to their meter base. We plan to prioritize those requesting service.
Will you have to dig up my yard as another provider did?
If your electric service is overhead, then the fiber drop will be overhead.
If your electric service is underground and in conduit, then we’ll push the new fiber service through the conduit, so there won’t be a need to dig up your yard.
Our practice of installing the electric service in conduit started in 2006. If your electric service is underground and direct-buried, then we’re going to have to trench in the fiber service.
What kind of technical support can I expect?
Coastal Fiber offers 24/7 technical support at 833-685-0640.
Does Coastal Fiber provide an email address with my account?
Yes, an email account – a username or handle of your choice @coastalfiber.com – is included with your Internet service. It can be accessed via our website (a Webmail Login button appears at the top of every page on this site).
You can also use an email program such as Outlook Express or Thunderbird to access your Coastal Fiber email account. Please see the FAQ topic below to learn more about connecting your email program and multiple devices to your new email account.
How do I set up my email to work with email software and on multiple devices?
POP3 and IMAP email settings
The email service that is included with your Coastal Fiber account can use either POP3 or IMAP.
Below are the settings for most mail clients:
POP3
Incoming POP3 Mail Server: mail.coastalfiber.com
Outgoing (SMTP) Mail Server: smtp.coastalfiber.com
Username: username@coastalfiber.com
Password: Your password
Outgoing Server Port (SMTP): 465 using SSL
Incoming Server Port: 995 using TLS
You also need to set the outgoing server to require authentication.
IMAP
With IMAP, you can keep your email on the server to be accessed from multiple devices. If you are using IMAP, be aware that our current limitation on mailbox size is 16 GB.
Incoming (IMAP) Mail Server: mail.coastalfiber.com
Outgoing (SMTP) Mail Server: smtp.coastalfiber.com
Username: username@coastalfiber.com
Password: Your password
Outgoing Server Port (SMTP): 465 using SSL
Incoming Server Port: 993 using TLS\
You also need to set the outgoing server to require authentication.
How to check other email accounts from the Gmail desktop »
How to add another email account to the Android Gmail app »
How to add another email account to the iPhone and iPad Gmail app »
How to add an email account to Microsoft Outlook »
How to add an email account on Android »
How to add an email account to your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch »
How to add an email account to Mail on your Mac »
How to add an email account to Mozilla Thunderbird »
Disconnecting your service?
DISCONNECTING YOUR SERVICE?
01. LOCATE YOUR ROUTER/ ONT WITHIN THE HOME.
02. REMOVE THE SLIDE PANEL
Look for the two tabs near the yellow LAN ports. You can use these tabs to slide off the back panel for access to the fiber.
03. REMOVE THE GREEN FIBER CONNECTOR
Hold the fiber by the green connector piece, and pull it straight out. Be careful not to bend the wire, as this could damage the fiber. Also, please do not cut the fiber. Replace the slide panel on the ONT.
04. RETURN EQUIPMENT TO COASTAL ELECTRIC
You must return the equipment to the Coastal Electric office in Midway, located at 1265 S Coastal Hwy. Once you have returned the equipment, please give us a call at 833-434-3311 to remove your service in our billing system. Unreturned equipment will result in a $315 replacement fee.
Are You Gigabit Ready?
While Coastal Fiber can provide you with top-notch Internet service, it may take some fine-tuning in the home for you to enjoy maximum speeds. Here are a few tips and tricks:
Tip 1: Make sure you have high-quality cables
To achieve the fastest speeds possible, the most important thing you can do is use the right cables to connect to your modem and/or router. Cat 5e cables can handle our top speed of 1 Gbps, so if you already have 5e cables, you're good to go. If you have Cat 6, you'll be set for a long time.
But if you need to purchase new cables anyway, we advise springing for Cat 6. Cat 6 can support 10 Gbps – 10x our current top speed – so as speeds go up, your cables will be able to handle the future increases.
Tip 2: Careful where you place your cables
Placement of your cables is more important than you might imagine. Interference from electrical wiring and cords can create issues with speed and reliability. Avoid this problem by simply making sure you don't run your data cables parallel to electrical cords.
Tip 3: Consider using a hard-wired connection
Wi-Fi technology is advancing rapidly, but reaching gigabit speeds is currently only 100% possible when you connect your modem and/or router directly to your computer with a Cat 6 cable.
Tip 4: Check your adapter
If you're using a laptop, you may not have an ethernet port, which means you can't set up our recommended hard-wired connection without an adapter. If you have an adapter or are purchasing an adapter, make sure it's gigabit capable.
Tip 5: If you are using a Wi-Fi connection, optimize your setup
Many things can interfere with a Wi-Fi signal and slow down your connection, from fluorescent lights to wireless headphones to the placement of your modem and/or router. A sporadic or slow connection can be avoided by making sure you're on a channel that isn't connected to an excessive number of devices and sitting close to the modem and/or router.
Tip 6: Be realistic about your computer
To take full advantage of your speedy new Internet, you will need a newer computer with an up-to-date operating system, a powerful processor, and plenty of free memory and disk space available.
If your computer is older, it may not support gigabit connections. Unfortunately, that means you can't necessarily expect to experience the full-speed Internet of your dreams on a computer that wasn't designed to support such speeds.
That's not to say you're going to have to run out and buy a new computer to enjoy your new fiber Internet, only that you may need to adjust your expectations until you are able to upgrade your equipment.