National Capital FreeNet
1305 Richmond Road, Suite 206 K2B 7Y4 Ottawa, ON, Canada

This #InternetIntelligence approved app is a fun one. Hushed is an app which lets you create secondary phone numbers to use. Security and privacy start with who you trust. Hushed is perfect for when you don’t want to give out your personal information: imagine you’re calling a stranger to buy their stuff and don’t want them to have your real number, or you don’t want to give your real number to a business. Have you ever wished you had another phone number to give out? Let us ...know below! This app recommendation is not sponsored content. We will not receive any compensation for this post. Thanks to @acfoottawa for their support of this work through their Bilingual Ottawa program. // Cette application approuvée #IntelligenceInternet est amusante. Hushed sert à créer des numéros de téléphone secondaires. Après tout, la sécurité commence par la confiance. Hushed est le choix idéal lorsque vous ne souhaitez pas divulguer vos renseignements personnels. Par exemple, supposons que vous achetez un objet d’un étranger ou que vous faites affaire avec une entreprise et que vous ne souhaitez pas lui donner votre vrai numéro de téléphone. Avez-vous déjà vécu une situation où vous auriez aimé avoir un autre numéro de téléphone à donner? Dites-le-nous ci-dessous! Cette recommandation n’est pas commanditée. Nous ne recevons aucune rémunération pour sa publication. Merci à @acfoOttawa de son soutien dans le cadre de son programme Ottawa bilingue.

Smartphones have enabled us to have information at our fingertips. However, they also carry our private data and sensitive information which can be put at risk if your smartphone gets lost or stolen. Apply these #InternetIntelligence steps to make sure you don't put your digital privacy at risk if your phone gets lost or stolen. Thanks to @acfoottawa for their support of this work through their Bilingual Ottawa program. //... Les téléphones intelligents mettent un monde d’information à notre portée. Toutefois, ils contiennent des données personnelles et des renseignements privés. Ces informations peuvent être compromises en cas de perte ou de vol de l’appareil. Appliquez ces conseils #IntelligenceInternet pour assurer la protection de votre vie privée numérique, même si l’appareil devait être perdu ou volé. Merci à @acfoOttawa de son soutien dans le cadre de son programme Ottawa bilingue.

We're all guilty of clicking "Remind me later" when notified by our device to perform a software update. Today's #InternetIntelligence tip is here to remind why software updates are one of the best actions you can take to keep your smartphone secure and to prevent identity theft. Feel free to apply this tip to other devices such as your computer and tablet. Let us know in the comments if your smartphone's software is up to date! Thanks to @acfoottawa for their support of this... work through their Bilingual Ottawa program. // Nous avons tous remis une mise à jour logicielle à plus tard. Le conseil #IntelligenceInternet du jour vous rappelle que les mises à jour sont parmi les meilleures façons de protéger votre téléphone intelligent et de prévenir le vol d’identité. Évidemment, la même logique s’applique à votre ordinateur et à votre tablette. Dans la section des commentaires, dites-nous si vous faites vos mises à jour logicielles! Merci à @acfoOttawa de son soutien dans le cadre de son programme Ottawa bilingue.

There is no right or wrong email service to use. As long as you know the difference between email clients and webmail, you'll be able to better understand what features your chosen email provider offers. Stay tuned for tips on how to identify a suspicious email and an app spotlight for an #InternetIntelligence approved email client! In the comments below, let us know how you check your email!... Thanks to @acfoottawa for their support of this work through their Bilingual Ottawa program. // Entre courriel Web et client de courriels, il n’y a pas de bon ou de mauvais choix. Vous pourrez faire votre choix en examinant les options proposées par votre fournisseur de courriels. Nous publierons bientôt des conseils pour vous aider à repérer les courriels suspects. Nous vous proposerons aussi un client de courriels approuvé #IntelligenceInternet! Dans la section des commentaires, dites-nous quelle solution vous utilisez pour vos courriels! Merci à @acfoOttawa de son soutien dans le cadre de son programme Ottawa bilingue.

Email can be a convenient tool for many of us, but as with any tool, we need to know how to use it safely. Use today's #InternetIntelligence tips to make your email experience as safe as possible. Let us know what other email safety tips you have by commenting below! Thanks to @acfoottawa for their support of this work through their Bilingual Ottawa program.... // Le courriel est un outil très pratique, mais il faut l’utiliser avec prudence. Les conseils #IntelligenceInternet d’aujourd’hui vous aideront à communiquer en toute sécurité. Avez-vous d’autres bons conseils à partager? Indiquez-les dans la section des commentaires ci-dessous! Merci à @acfoOttawa de son soutien dans le cadre de son programme Ottawa bilingue.

Zimbra is a good Webmail option, but if you're looking for a trusted email client consider Mozilla Thunderbird. Whether it’s a shipping receipt, bank statement, or photos from family, emails contain a lot of personal info. Keep your data safe from Internet creeps with today’s #InternetIntelligence approved app -- Mozilla Thunderbird is free for download on Windows, MacOS, and Linux. This app recommendation is not sponsored content. We will not receive any compensation for th...is post. Thanks to @acfoottawa for their support of this work through their Bilingual Ottawa program. // Zimbra est une bonne option pour le courriel Web et Mozilla Thunderbird est un client de courriels digne de confiance. Les courriels contiennent beaucoup de renseignements personnels : reçus, relevés bancaires, photos de membres de la famille, et bien plus. Protégez vos données des regards malveillants en utilisant l’application approuvée #IntelligenceInternet Mozilla Thunderbird. On peut la télécharger gratuitement pour Windows, macOS et Linux. Cette recommandation n’est pas commanditée. Nous ne recevons aucune rémunération pour sa publication. Merci à @acfoOttawa de son soutien dans le cadre de son programme Ottawa bilingue.

It can be hard to tell the difference between a legitimate email and a fraudulent one. Remember these #InternetIntelligence tips the next time you're not sure if an email is legitimate. Share this post with others to make sure no one has to fall victim to a spam email. Thanks to @acfoottawa for their support of this work through their Bilingual Ottawa program.... // C'est parfois difficile d'identifier la différence entre un courriel légitime et un courriel frauduleux. N'oubliez pas ces conseils #IntelligenceInternet la prochaine fois que vous êtes incertains de l'intention d'un courriel. Partagez cette publication avec d'autres personnes pour vous assurez que personne ne doit être victime d'un courriel frauduleux. Merci à @acfoOttawa de son soutien dans le cadre de son programme Ottawa bilingue.

Today's our 28th anniversary! LOTS has changed, but we continue to work so that everyone has access to a high quality connection they can afford and understand how to use, while feeling safe online. Check out our history here: http://ncf.ca/history #communityisp #digitalaccess

The installation of an additional network gateway firewall is complete. The gateway bridges NCF servers with DSL modems and the Internet, providing security, routing, and connectivity. Having additional devices helps ensure network resilience. #digitalaccess #communityisp

Welcome (back) to Andrew Martey Asare as our Community Mesh Feasibility Study Coordinator! It’s a mouthful of a title but it means NCF is looking at how we can offer faster internet speeds and lower prices in urban and rural areas, driven by community participation. COVID-19 has shown how especially crucial affordable and reliable internet connections and this is part of our COVID response, as well as a continuation of the work we’ve been doing since 1992 to connect our comm...unity. Andrew used to be our Service Operations Manager so he brings tech, business and social enterprise skills to this work. Thanks to our partner @SPCOttawa in this work and to United Way East Ontario - Centraide de l'Est de l'Ontario for the funding to make this happen!

Today was Sophie's last day with us as a HelpDesk Analyst: we'll miss her! Thanks @ESDC_GC for the #canadasummerjobs funding to make it happen. Read about what Sophie learned over the last 14 weeks here: https://ncf.ca/en/blog/summer-working-ncf-during-covid-19/

Congrats to Younes, who is transitioning from full-time to part-time work on our HelpDesk to go back to school for a certificate in computer science from @collegelacite to complement his Masters in Telecommunications Engineering. Good luck!

Welcome (back) to Rami Hilan as our Public Education and Web Strategist! Rami is going into his last year of his Economics degree at Carleton University and hopes to go into professional writing, making the complicated easier to understand. Last summer he did that for us by writing a handbook about saving money using online tools, while still respecting privacy and protecting copyright. This year he's working on our social media and will be helping coordinate a campaign on ...internet safety. He speaks English, Arabic and Spanish and loves soccer. Thanks to the Canada Summer Jobs program for supporting this position and three others at NCF this year!

There was a major power outage at Carleton that affected our data centre: this knocked all our services temporarily offline, including DSL connectivity, email and our website. All services are now back-up. Sorry for the interruption in service and thanks for your patience. We know how important internet is, and take steps to ensure our network is as resilient as possible. That said, there are a lot of moving parts and we can't control external issues and issues with our supp...liers. If you're still having connectivity issues, please try power-cycling your modem by unplugging it for 10 seconds and plugging it back in again. Please don't hit reset on your modem as this will erase your configuration and your modem won't connect again until it is re-configured. If you still need to contact the HelpDesk, email [email protected] or call 613-721-1773 ext. 0. Thanks for your ongoing support!

The Bell outage is resolving: if you are still experiencing connection issues we suggest you power cycle your modem by unplugging it and plugging it back after 10 seconds. If the problem persists, please contact our HelpDesk at 613-721-1773 ext. 0 or email [email protected].

There appears to be a network-wide Bell outage. We are working with our suppliers to find out more and will keep you posted.

Hey folks! I'm collecting testimonials for the new NCF website (launching Monday!) If you're interested in contributing, please post your comment on this post! Some of you have previously posted things here that we used for the 25th anniversary book -- if that's the case, I'll be in touch to see if we can also use them on the website.

My name is Nathan Medema and I wanted to introduce myself as NCF's new Operations and Development Manager. A longtime Ottawa resident, I come to NCF with a degree in Computer Science from Carleton University. After time at Nortel, Corel, and small local start-ups, I spent a number of years doing web and project co-ordination work in non-profit and governmental arts organizations, before settling into IT and Office Management for the past nine years for CDF Canada, a charity w...orking in international development. I’ve been an NCF member since 1994, and have grown with its service offerings from email, to dial-up, and now high-speed DSL on a dry line. I’ve always appreciated NCF’s commitment to affordable internet access, and its friendly and excellent HelpDesk, and am looking forward to sustaining and strengthening those services for our members. I know I have big shoes to fill with the departures of Andrew Martey Asare, the Service Operations Manager, and Will Robson, the Service Development Manager. I'd like to thank them both for their workin the last five years they have laid the groundwork for all that we’ll be introducing in the months ahead. I’m excited about the plans we have in store, beginning with the launch of our new website on July 6th. One member to another, I'm eager to hear any suggestions and feedback you have on NCF’s current services, and what you’d like to see us provide for the future. Feel free to drop me a note anytime at [email protected].

Meet Sophie Vu, our latest Summer Bilingual HelpDesk Analyst! Sophie is studying Computer Science at the University of Ottawa. In her spare time this summer she is working on a fitness app and taking classes. Welcome Sophie!

We care about the health and safety of our members, staff and volunteers. As such, we have taken steps to limit exposure while still meeting member needs. Our HelpDesk is working remotely and is available from Monday - Saturday 10am-5pm by emailing [email protected] or calling 613-721-1773 ext. 0. The NCF Office is currently open Monday-Tuesday and Thursday-Friday 10am-5pm. The office is closed Wednesdays and Saturdays. ... We ask that you only come into the office for essential services, for example if you need to pick-up or test your modem. There is also a lockbox in the lobby stairwell for leaving payments and modems. It is checked regularly. During this time, NCF is taking guidance from Ottawa Public Health: www.ottawapublichealth.ca/coronavirus The full details of NCF's COVID-19 response plan are available at www.ncf.ca/covid19

EDIT: The NCF office is closed this Tuesday and Wednesday to facilitate some additional COVID-19 planning and protocols but the HelpDesk is still working remotely 10am-7pm. If you have a service or billing issue, you can call 613-721-1773 ext. 0 or email [email protected]. If you have to drop-off a modem for testing or make an in-person payment by cash or cheque, we have established a dropbox in the downstairs stairwell of our building at 1305 Richmond Road. There is an updated NCF Response to Coronavirus available here: www.ncf.ca/coronavirus. Thank you and take good care.