To seek guidance on setting up your modem, please click the link below.
How long do I have to pay my bill?
We have a 7 business days grace period from your bill date before you’re disconnected. Our system will try to take payment automatically every one and half days and you’ll receive an automated message when it fails. If you are going to pay within 7 business days then you don’t need to notify us.
I want to make automatic payments
We can’t accept automatic or partial payments. You will need to pay your bill in full on your monthly billing date.
Do you accept bank transfers?
No. We only accept credit or debit card payments. If you need to update your card details, you can do this on our website. Select “My Account”, and then log in using the email and password you used to sign up to HotShot Unlimited.
Once you’re in My Account, you can change your card details as needed.
Why have you charged me when I’ve just got connected?
You’ll be charged your first bill the day you’re connected. HotShot Unlimited is a prepaid service, you’ll be charged on your bill date for the month ahead.
Can I change my bill date?
We can’t change your bill date. We set your bill date from when the network company has completed your order.
Can I change my plan?
Sure you can! Just log into “My Account” and choose “Switch Plan” then you are good to go! Please be noted that the new plan you chose will take effect from the beginning of your next billing circle.
How can I get faster and more stable WiFi?
Customers often tell us that their internet isn’t working, and it’s really just their WiFi. There’s a lot of confusion about what your internet connection is and what WiFi is and this is totally understandable.
To many, WiFi is the internet. It’s the technology that your phone, iPad, and lots of other devices use to get online. But, “WiFi” isn’t the same as “My internet connection.” It’s always tough when we get one of these messages because it’s difficult to explain that we can’t usually affect how well your WiFi works. We just supply the connection.
Put more simply: WiFi is not the internet.
Think of your ISP (HotShot Unlimited) as a power company, we deliver the electricity to your property and look after the meter. The WiFi is like the internal wiring and other things in your home which give you access to the power such as sockets, light switches etc. iPads, laptops and smartphones are like the devices that you plug into the sockets and use the power with such as the iron or the TV. The biggest difference between us and the power company is that if you have something wrong with your WiFi then we will do all we can to help you resolve it but we are often limited as to what action we can take. A lot of the things that will affect your WiFi are outside both ours and your control.
Below are some nifty hints and tips for how to improve your WiFi at home.
How do I know if the problem is with HotShot Unlimited or my WiFi?
The easiest way for you – and us – to tell whether a problem is related to your WiFi or to your HotShot Unlimited connection is to test using an Ethernet (LAN) cable (the blue or yellow cables which came with your HotShot Unlimited modem). If the WiFi doesn’t work, it could be any number of problems. If a wired connection doesn’t work, chances are the problem is on HotShot’s end – and it’s much easier for us to diagnose and fix it.
When your internet is slow or not working at all, an isolation test can often fix your problem straight away! We might also ask you to do one so that we can see whether the issue you’re having is being caused by the WiFi or something a technician will have to fix.
To carry out this isolation test you will need:
- Your HotShot modem
- An ethernet cable (the HotShot modem comes with one of these)
- A computer with an ethernet port
Please follow the steps below to carry out the isolation test:
- Turn off the WiFi on your computer and then connect it to your HotShot modem (Lan1 port) via the ethernet cable
- Ensure that the power to the modem is turned on both at the wall and on the modem itself
- After it’s taken a little time to connect up, the lights on the HotShot modem should look as below:
- Power – Solid green light
- WAN – Solid green light (will flash while connecting)
- Internet – Solid green light
- LAN1 – Solid green light
If you’re able to browse the internet when you are connected via ethernet cable, then the issue is with the WiFi either on your device or on the modem. Before contacting our support team, if you could try on another computer and see if you have the same problem or check out the WiFi tips from www.hotshot.nz/support-centre/support/ .
Please let our support team know the steps you’ve tried – that’ll help speed up us working out what’s wrong!
There are a lot of factors which can make an internet connection less reliable (slow or unstable). In many cases it’s something quick and easy you can sort with your equipment.
There are a few common causes of slow internet:
- Wireless signal strength
- Other devices using the internet at the same time
- Low powered computers
WiFi issues
The first one that’s easy to eliminate is wireless signal issues. If you notice that your internet gets slow or disconnects on one device, or in a particular room of your house it may be due to a poor wireless signal.
The best way to eliminate wireless signal issues is to connect up to your modem via an Ethernet cable, as this won’t be affected by distance or signal issues at all, and is much more reliable.
If that’s not possible (because you’re using a device without an Ethernet port, for example), check out the guide on www.hotshot.nz/support-centre/support/ to make the most of the wireless signal in your home:
If you notice that even when you connect via Ethernet that you still have trouble, it’s likely that there’s something else causing trouble.
Congestion
The next thing that you can rule out is other devices using the line at the same time.
Some common things which use lines can include:
- Computers downloading updates
- Uploading photos to Facebook
- Large game downloads
- Syncing files to an online backup provider
- File sharing applications
Please make sure that there’s nothing else running on your network when you’re having trouble with the connection. If you’re not sure which computer or device is using the connection, the best way to check is to disconnect or turn off all of your devices except for one.
When you have only one device, (preferably a computer) connected to the modem, make sure that there’s nothing running in the background on the device, and check to see if your connection improves. If you notice that performance is better, it’s likely that one of the other devices you had connected before was using the line heavily, slowing down the internet for other devices.
Device issues
Another issue which can show itself, especially on Fibre connections is an old or low powered computer. You may notice that your connection speed is not reliable on one computer. If you find that speeds are better on another computer, it is likely that there’s something on the slow computer limiting its performance. This could be software running on it, or it could be the hardware in the computer itself not being up to the task of making full use of a Fibre connection.
Other stuff
If after trying all of the above you notice that your connection still drops out, please take a note of what the ONT and modem lights do when you notice the connection drop, and get in touch with our support team on SERVICE@HOTSHOT.NZ so we can help you get it sorted.
In the event your UFB line stops working there are a number of steps to help work out where the issue lies. It’s important that you go through these steps, as most of the time internet troubles can be down to something easily fixable with your equipment.
Physical setup
If you’re having trouble with your internet, please make sure you have your modem hooked up to the ONT, and that both your HotShot modem and the ONT are powered on. There’s a handy guide on the back of your modem box to help you with this!
You’ll need to have the WAN port on the back of your modem plugged into the ONT with an Ethernet cable. Note that only one port on the ONT will provide service. In most cases this is GE1 or LAN1, but could be other ports. If we’ve asked you to use a port other than number 1, make sure you’ve got your modem connected to this port.
ONT lights
Depending on where in NZ you live, the ONT at your place can look a bit different.
If you’re in a Chorus region, on your ONT you want to see the Power and Optical lights on green, and the appropriate LAN light on orange. If you don’t see the lights as described, please make sure you have both the modem and ONT plugged in and turned on.
If you’re in an Enable or UFF region you want your ONT to have the Power and PON lights on green, and the appropriate LAN light on green. If you don’t see the lights as described, please make sure you have both the modem and ONT plugged in and turned on.
If the Power light is off on the ONT, make sure you have the power cable connected, and plugged into a working power point. If the ONT has a power switch on it, make sure it’s in the ON position. If you can’t get the Power light to turn on on the ONT, please get in touch with us.
If the Optical light is not green, or the LOS light is on please get in touch with us, as there may be an issue with the ONT, or the fibre cable to your address.
Modem lights
After the ONT is powered on and showing the correct lights you’ll need to check what the lights on your modem are doing.
You want to make sure that the Power, WAN and Internet lights are all on solid green:
If your modem isn’t showing a solid green power light (and this will mean all lights are off, as above), make sure the powerpoint you have it connected to is working, and that the power switch is in the ON position. You can find the power switch on the side of the unit:
If your modem doesn’t show a solid green WAN light, please make sure there is nothing connected to the DSL port, and you have the WAN port connected up to the ONT via an Ethernet cable.
After you’ve got a solid green WAN light on your modem, check to see what the Internet light is doing. If your internet light is not on solid green after the modem and ONT have been on for 5 minutes, please factory reset the modem and reconfigure it again.
After you’ve factory reset your modem, and the modem has turned back on you should have a solid green Power, WAN and Internet light. If you don’t get a solid green Internet light, please try connecting your modem to each of the LAN ports on the ONT for 5 minutes, and seeing if the Internet light on the modem turns on. If you can’t get the Internet light to turn on when the modem is connected to any port on the ONT, please get in touch with us.
After your modem is showing a solid green Power, WAN and Internet light, you should be able to get online. Just make sure that your device (computer, tablet, etc) is connected up to the modem, either via an Ethernet cable to one of the yellow LAN ports, or via the wireless network from the modem. The default wireless information for the modem can be found on the sticker on the back.
If after trying all of the above you’re still having trouble getting online let us know by emailing us on SERVICE@HOTSHOT.NZ or messaging us on HotShot Broadband website.
Because you can see some web pages and not others, this has nothing to do with the modem. It is likely that the page that you are trying to view is currently down (offline), or restrict access from certain areas.
You can try again later to access this page.
If your device does not have Wi-Fi, you can still connect to the internet using the Ethernet cable that comes with your HotShot Unlimited modem. (You’ll find it in the box)
Simply plug this cable into one of the four yellow LAN ports on the back of the modem, along with the other end into the Ethernet port on your computer and you should be up and running!
This could be because the modem is not on, the Wi-Fi has been turned off on the modem, or your device is too far away from the modem to receive the Wi-Fi signal.
First check the front of the modem. The WLAN and power lights should both be showing green.
If the power light is off:
Ensure the power switch on the modem is in the on position
Ensure the power adapter is connected securely to both the modem, and a known working power point
If the WLAN light is off:
Press the WLAN button on the right side of the modem for around 1 second, then let go. You should see the WLAN light turn on.
When the WLAN light is on, the modem is producing a WiFi signal for your devices to connect to.
If after you have the WLAN light on the modem on your devices still do not detect the network, ensure that WiFi is enabled on your device, and try getting closer to the modem.
If your Wi-Fi network still doesn’t display on your device, try on another device (eg a phone or laptop).
If after trying all of the above you still have trouble connecting to your Wi-Fi network please get in touch by emailing us on SERVICE@HOTSHOT.NZ or message us on HotShot website.
The website you are trying to access might be down or you may not be connected to the internet.
If the page is down then you will need to try again later on.
If you are not connected to the internet, you will need to check the connection to your modem from your device and also that your modem is receiving signal.
This could be because there is no connection to the internet or it could be something to do with your email provider.
If you are not connected to the internet, you will need to check the connection to your modem from your device and also that your modem is receiving signal.
If you are connected to the internet then you need to contact your email provider
This is a common cable and can be found in most of electronic stores.
If you’re experiencing buffering when watching online TV, or pages are taking a while to load, it’s a good idea to run a speed test to check if that’s the issue. When we at HotShot hear you’re having speed issues, we want to get them fixed up as soon as possible. We’ll need your speed test results to get a clearer picture of what’s going on at your end. We can then use this together with our line tests to find out the cause of the issue you’re having.
To carry out an accurate speed test you’ll need the following:
- A computer with an Ethernet port
- An Ethernet cable (your Skinny modem comes with two of these)
- Your HotShot modem
Please follow the steps below to carry out the speed test:
- Connect your computer to the modem via the Ethernet cable
- Turn off the WiFi on your computer
- Open a web browser (for example Internet Explorer or Safari)
- In the address bar, please type www.speedtest.net
Click on the map on screen and choose the New Zealand area. This will bring up a zoomed-in map. Position this to the Auckland area and choose the Auckland Spark Server
When you choose the Spark server the test will begin automatically.
You’ll need to provide us with the download and upload speeds as well as the ping result.
If you’re contacting our support team, it’s handy to have this information handy so they can help you quicker. If you’re contacting us via email please copy and paste the result link from the ‘share this result’ option.