Cincinnatibell Portal FAQs
What is a portal?A portal is another name for a home page. In this case, our portal is http://www.cincinnatibell.net. We encourage you to make this your home page—the page your computer will automatically open to when you access your internet browser. Back to TopWhy would I want to log in to the portal?The portal or home page is a robust and dynamic source of information and services, including national and local news, sports, and entertainment. By logging in, you instantly access your Cincinnati Bell email, and you can also customize the content and location of information on the page, making it truly unique to your interests and desires.
How do I log in to the portal/home page?You log in to the portal/home page with your Cincinnati Bell email address and password. You can call 513-397-4357 to obtain an email address and password if you do not have one. Log-in access is available in the upper right hand corner of the portal. Back to TopHow do I make the portal my Homepage?There are two ways to make the surewest.net portal your Homepage:
In Firefox:
How do I get back to the Cincinnati Bell portal/home page (main page)?The portal has a home page, plus many other pages that you typically access by clicking on components or channels. When you go to another page, simply click on your browser’s “back” button or choose “Home” towards the top of the page. If you have not set http://www.cincinnatibell.net as your home page, and you navigate to other URL addresses on the web, when you want to get back to http://www.cincinnatibell.net, you will need to enter http://www.cincinnatibell.net in the browser address bar to return. This is another great reason to make the Cincinnati Bell portal your home page on the Internet. Back to TopWhat are the recommended system requirements to access content on the portal?
What can I do in My Account?Fast and secure online account management… anywhere, anytime. My Account gives you fast and secure access to your account online – and, it’s FREE. All you need to do is register. Here are some features that make it easy for you to manage your Cincinnati Bell services anytime, day or night.
How do I manage my Cincinnati Bell account on the portal?Use the My Account link to manage your Cincinnati Bell account. Back to TopWill accessing the portal and logging in put cookies on my PC?Yes, in order to access the portal your browser must be set up to allow cookies. Back to TopWhat are cookies?Cookies are simple pieces of text sent by a server to a web browser. Cookies not harmful to your computer; they are used for authenticating, tracking, and maintaining specific information about users, such as site preferences used in customizing the portal or the content on the portal. Back to TopWhat are internet premium packages?Internet premium packages are premium services available exclusively for subscribers. The content comes from many of the best of the web’s service providers. By bringing them together for you on the Cincinnati Bell portal, we are able to offer you a special deal and add the cost directly to your Cincinnati Bell bill. Back to TopHow do I purchase Internet premium packages?While on your http://www.cincinnatibell.net, click on any ad for Internet premium packages. You will be taken to another page to learn more about the package. This page will also have a “sign up” button that will take you to a page where you can agree to subscribe to the Internet premium package and have the cost added to your Cincinnati Bell monthly bill. Back to TopWho can I contact with portal-related support needs?For questions or issues related to your cincinnatibell.net homepage, please call the help desk at 513-397-4357. Back to TopWhat is a component?A component is a section of the portal that is complete within itself. It can be moved or removed within the space of the portal when you are logged in. For instance: “3 Day Forecast” is the Weather component on the page. Back to TopHow can I add back a component that I have just removed from my Homepage?When you are logged in on the portal, click on the “Personalize” link at the top of the page. The home page will shift down and open the content discovery portion which allows the user to select a category specific to the content that they want to add to their homepage.
- To remove a component from the homepage, simply click on the X in the upper right corner Content is arranged in categories Back to Top How do I move components?– To move a component, place your mouse on the component banner (where the name is visible) and as your mouse changes to the 4 headed arrow, hold the left mouse button down and drag and drop that content to any column on the portal Back to TopHow do I customize the TV Listings component?Several things can be customized within the TV Listings component. Click on the TV tab and then click on "Settings" in the upper right hand corner of the component. You can adjust the following:
Click "Submit" after making your changes. This will return you to the Homepage, where you can see your changes. Using "Advanced Search" from the TV Listings component, you may search for shows by name, date, channel or category. You can sort them by date or title. And you can select how you would like your results displayed. Back to Top How do I customize Quicklinks?Use Quicklinks for fast and easy access to your favorite websites.
How do I customize the Local channel?The "Local Channel" can be found in the directory across the top of the Homepage. The Local Channel can be customized whether you are logged in or not—by clicking on the local channel and then entering your desired zip code and clicking "Go." If there is a local component on the Homepage, the content there will also change to reflect the zip code input on the Local channel. Back to TopHow do I update the Weather component?Within the Weather component, there is an edit link where you can enter any zip code or city and state. Simply enter a zip code or city and state to see the weather conditions in the place you are interested in. You can also change whether the display is reported in Fahrenheit or Celsius by choosing the corresponding icon in the top right of the component. Back to TopHow do I update the Market Watch component/Add new stock symbols?The Market Watch component functions in three ways:
How do I access email?Email can be accessed in the upper right corner of the Cincinnati Bell portal home page. You must be logged in to access your email. Simply click on the email link to get in to your mailbox. Back to TopHow do I download necessary plug-ins to view my portal?To download programs necessary to support premiums content, such as flash or plug-ins, go to the Footer directory (located at the bottom of the homepage), then click on “Downloads and Plug Ins.” After clicking on the link a window (or a refreshed page) will appear outlining the necessary software to download for the various services. This process is easy and the Multimedia Assistant will even indicate what you have already downloaded and what you have not. In order to download a specific plug in click on Download now! to the right of that plug in. Back to TopWhy would I want to download the Cincinnati Bell Toolbar?There are many helpful functions available through the toolbar. By adding the toolbar, you can have these functions available to you, no matter what Internet web page you are on. These functions include:
How do I download the Toolbar?To download the Cincinnati Bell toolbar, go to the top of the home page and click on the Toolbar link. You will be taken to another page that highlights the features and benefits of having the toolbar as well as directions for downloading Back to TopWhat are the system requirements for Cincinnati Bell Toolbar?
Will downloading the Cincinnati Bell Toolbar put spyware on my PC?The Cincinnati Bell Toolbar collects information, such as your IP address and zip code to customize the content you see, fulfill requests for products and services, conduct research, provide anonymous reporting, and to ensure that you always have the most up-to-date version of the toolbar. This information is not sold, disclosed or reported on to any other companies or websites.
Can I sign up for other services from Cincinnati Bell on this home page?Yes, links to core products offered by Cincinnati Bell are available within the footer at the bottom of the page. Back to TopHow do I access additional support?At the bottom of the home page there is a Support link, click here for additional help on the following:
Unable to log in due to account being disabledIf we detect abnormal or suspicious activity that may indicate that your account has been compromised, we may temporarily disable access to protect you from bigger problems. When this happens you will be shown an error message indicating that your account access was disabled. In order to restore your account access you need to call us at (513) 397-4357.
Unusual or suspicious account activity includes, but is not limited to:
Disabling an account is pretty drastic, so it is only done in order to protect you from threats such as potential Identity Theft. In order to best protect yourself if it recommended that :
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