FAQs

I am having a password issue.

Click here to access the password station. If you have already enrolled with the password station, you will be able to then change your password. If you have not enrolled, the password station will prompt you to do so. Once you have enrolled, the password station will prompt you to enter your username and current password and then verify via DUO or another method. You will then be directed to the Change Password page.

To reset your password, click here to access the password station.

If you have already enrolled with the password station, you will be able to recover your password. Enter your username and on the next screen click “Forgot your password?” below the password field. Fill in your username and the Captcha and then you will be prompted to verify the account.

Your proposed password may not meet these minimum complexity requirements. The requirements are listed on the same screen where you change your password in the password station. As you type your new password in, green checkmarks will appear next to each requirement to indicate the requirement is met.

In most cases, an account locks when the wrong password has been submitted to the server more than 11 times. Usually, either the incorrect password was manually entered 11 times or the incorrect password was entered by a device that automatically sends credentials to the server, such as mobile email, WiFi or Outlook on your local computer.

You can unlock your account through the password station.

Click here to get to the password station, click on “Account locked out?” and enter your username and the Captcha text and click continue.

Can I start an Xvand session with something other than a Windows PC?

Yes, you can connect to Xvand from many devices including Apple computers, laptops, iPhones and iPads, or Android phones and tablets. Below are directions for the most common devices.

From your desktop, open the App Store. Search for and install an app called “Microsoft Remote Desktop.” Once the app is installed, open your internet browser and navigate to the Xvand website’s login page. Once you enter your username and click “LOG IN,” you should be prompted for your password.

Mac / Apple Application

From your home screen, open the App Store. Search for and install an app called “Microsoft Remote Desktop.” Once the app is installed, open your internet browser and navigate to the Xvand website’s login page. After you click log in, you will be prompted to open a downloaded file. Select “Open,” then select “Copy to RD Client” in the list of options. The app will open and prompt you for your credentials. Submit them to begin your session.

iPhone/iPad Application

From the home screen, open the Play Store. Search for and install an app called “Microsoft Remote Desktop.” Once the app is installed, open your internet browser and navigate to the Xvand website’s login page. After you click log in, you should get a prompt at the bottom of the screen to open the downloaded file. Tap “Open” and you will be prompted for your credentials. Submit them to begin your session.

Android Application

To set up access to your business email from your mobile device, you must contact your supervisor for authorization. Your supervisor will need to send an email to help@xvand.com to request the change. After we respond to your supervisor, use the following instructions to complete setup.

iOS/Android

Adding a Mail Account to the Native iOS Mail App

Under Settings on your iOS device, go to Mail > Accounts > Add Account. From Add Account, tap Microsoft Exchange. Enter your email address, then tap “Next.” Tap “Sign In.” You should then get a list of items to sync. Choose which items you wish to sync and then tap “Save.”

Adding a Mail Account to the Outlook for iOS/Android

These instructions only pertain to the Outlook apps for iOS and Android. You can download both from their respective app stores (the Apple App Store or Google Play). Open the Outlook application. If it’s your first time using Outlook for iOS, you will be prompted to enter your full email address. After entering your email address, tap “Add Account.”

If you have previously added a different account to Outlook, tap the icon for that account at the upper left corner of the screen, then tap the gear icon in the lower left corner. Choose “Add Mail Account” and then “Add email account.” If you have not previously added any accounts to Outlook, proceed to the next step.

You will be prompted to choose your email provider. Choose Office 365 if you are an office 365 user or Choose exchange if you are not. You will be prompted to sign into the account. Enter your Xvand password and tap “Sign In.” You will be prompted to verify the account if you are an MS365 user

How To...

If you experience issues connecting to Xvand remotely, follow the troubleshooting list below.

Check if sites other than Xvand are accessible.

If other sites are NOT available, check the status of your physical or wireless connection. Your PC or Apple computer will indicate if you are plugged in or connected over wireless. If you are at home, rebooting your modem and router could solve the problem.

If other sites ARE available, call Xvand’s helpdesk at 832-204-4900. We will verify the status of our service. If you are using a wireless connection, try using a wired connection. If the issue persists, call the internet service provider. If the problem goes away, proceed to the wireless troubleshooting checklist below.

Note: Some public internet locations restrict the use of the Windows Remote Desktop services required for Xvand. If you find that to be the case, you may still access your email via mail.xvand.com.

Wireless Troubleshooting Checklist

Restart the internet service provider equipment and wireless router. Sometimes the device is a 2-in-1.

Signal Strength

If your device does not show 75% or better on the signal strength indicator, do the following:

Make sure your wireless router is placed as follows:

  • Outside of any metal enclosures (closet wiring panel, in or near metal cabinets, etc.).
  • Away from large bundles of cables, coiled up power cords, or other sources of electromagnetic interference.
  • Oriented properly. If the router has feet on the bottom, it needs to stand up, if the mounting plate is designed to hang it on the wall, it must be vertical and not horizontal.
  • In plain sight, with minimal obstructions between it and the target wireless client (your laptop, tablet, etc.).
  • Do not place behind large electrical equipment such as TVs,refrigerators or dense wooden furniture.

Check your wireless client (your laptop) location:

  • Within the same work area, try to rotate your laptop to see if any noticeable increase of signal strength occurs. If a better position is found, try to set up around the location.
  • Experiment with the location within your wireless domain. If you find a better signal in one area versus another, there is likely a source of interference between your device and the wireless router. Avoid it if you can.

Advanced user section

Ping Test

For Windows: Type “command” into your search bar on your local machine to run a ping test in your Command Prompt. Type “Ping -t google.com” into the command and hit enter.

For MAC OS: Open Finder. Go to Applications, then Utilities. Find and open the Terminal application and type “Ping -t google.com” into the command and hit enter.

Look for ping response time. Under 20ms is good, over 100ms is worse, over 300ms is bad.

Ping

Use speedtest.net or any other speed tester of your choice. Look for your download/upload rate to be 10Mbit/5Mbit or better. Slower speeds would still work with Xvand, but other network traffic on your local PC (updates, streaming, FTP downloads, etc.) might overwhelm the connection.

Channel Management

Check what wireless channels your neighbors and other broadcasting devices are using. Adjust your wireless modem to work on a channel that is less used to prevent interference. If you do manual adjustments, ONLY use channels 1,6,11 for 2.4Ghz networks, and any available channel on 5Ghz.

  • 2.4Ghz vs 5Ghz
  • 2.4Ghz may work better if the issues experienced are primarily caused by distance from the router or solid surface interference (furniture, walls, etc.).
  • 5Ghz has better frequency range to avoid interference with other routers.

Spam, junk, and unwanted subscription emails are frustrating time-wasters, and some can be dangerous. Dangerous emails are usually from scammers trying to get your personal information. At the very least, if you respond, they now have your email address to use for scamming others. The worst malicious emails are ransomware and sextortion emails.

Spam or phishing emails come in many forms:

  • Commercial advertisements
  • Money scams
  • Email spoofing (mimicking legitimate email addresses)
  • Virus warning or computer repair scams
  • Unclaimed prizes or monies scams

These emails are difficult to stop but not impossible. Our Barracuda Spam server filters out many of these emails so they never reach your inbox; however, there are other ways you can guard yourself and prevent headaches in the future.

Note: If an email is in your “Junk” folder, it probably is junk, but sometimes wanted emails do end up there. If an important email ends up in your “Junk” folder, send the email’s address to the helpdesk so it can be resolved.

What to look for

The email address isn’t quite right. It looks like it is coming from someone you know, but the email address is wrong. Generic Greeting? Most SPAM is sent in bulk, so it will not be personalized. Is the sender asking you to do something right away or as soon as possible? Are there grammatical errors? Urgency and bad writing are red flags. Are there links to click on in the email? They may be dangerous. Do not click on them. Does the email ask you to download a file or update your information for an account? Hold your mouse pointer over the link and see if the address it is sending you to is legitimate. It may likely be sending you somewhere other than indicated by the email.

What you should do

If the email is from a commercial advertiser...

These emails usually are not dangerous, but they are annoying. At the bottom of the email there should be an “Unsubscribe” link. If you do not wish to receive these emails anymore, unsubscribe from their list. If there is no “Unsubscribe” link, the email may not be legitimate.

For all other suspicious emails...

  • Check the sender’s email address.
  • Do not click on any link that is not legitimate.
  • Do not respond to suspicious emails.
  • Forward all suspicious emails to the helpdesk.

Do your part

You can use Outlook options to block junk email and spam. These options can minimize the amount of spam and unwanted emails you see in your inbox. Right-click on the unwanted email and select “Junk.” A side menu will pop-up and give you the option to “Block Sender.”