I have had 3 of these boxes go DOA on me within three to four days of having them, has anyone else had this problem? I've hooked them to different outlets and none of the other devices plugged into the same outlets are dying. The only thing that I can think of is something from the cable line is killing them. Any ideas?

Thanks
Patrick

by dying I mean four dashes where the time or channel would normallly be, and I have tried all the reset procedures and none have worked, if I hold down one of the buttons I can get the mail icon to flash, and a couple other things, but I never get it to work again, and get the msg "your STB is not authorized for use"

First step is checking with your cable company to ensure their authorization for the boxes is accurate. Assume they provided the units; (usually a requirement). Hooking the incoming line to a NTSC tuner (480i SD) would let you check that analog signals are still coming in, and a service tech would first check for signal levels on various bands to ensure levels are adequate. -- John

I understand that they are running for a few days and then unable to boot. I'd say borderline signal levels are a good bet. If the digital correspondance between the box and head end goes too low then they are dead until they can talk to home base again.

TerryB

Whats too low and how do I test it without calling one of their "techs" out?

Thanks
Patrick

The box needs to be sent a signal to authorize it. Call your cable company and tell them. The customer service agent should be able to unlock it. It happened to me before and the person told me it was an accounting issue... the replacement had to be lined up in the right place on my account.

I've tried that a couple of times, each time the box failed in fact, then a couple times using the automated phone system to send the signal to the box, none of the times did it work. Driving me nuts getting a new box and having it go out every 3rd day or so, and then having to take it in and get a new one.

HELP PLEASE :)

Patrick

Schedule a service call and outline how many STBs you've tried. First speak to a C.S. person about the problem. -- John

I've tried that a couple of times, each time the box failed in fact, then a couple times using the automated phone system to send the signal to the box, none of the times did it work. Driving me nuts getting a new box and having it go out every 3rd day or so, and then having to take it in and get a new one.

HELP PLEASE :)

Patrick

Don't use the automated system. speak to a customer service rep. They are the ones who can trigger the authorization. As another personal anecdote...My bill was past due (overspent on xmas), one day i came home and there were nothing but dashes on the converter. I called, made a payment and then the rep sent the refresh signal to unlock it. Call and speak to someone. Ask for a refresh signal. and it will work again. A reboot will not fix it.

I've already done that too, twice, and both times the signal they sent didnt do anything, I also followed their advice to reset and then had them send the signals again, and still nothing. They also said that my account was fine and up to date. I'm thinking that it may be the line strength is weak like John Mason, and TerryB said. My cable modem and std cable still work on all the other TVs in the house, it's just the box that is giving me issues. I guess I'll have to have one of their techs come out.

Thanks
Patrick

I've had this box for 5 months, never had a problem, and I have the dashes. Since I'm a renter, and the account is paid by the landlord, Cox won't even talk to me. I'm extremely upset, my cable internet and phone service works fine. :mad:

use your cable modem, and hook it up directly where the outlet that is giving you problems is. If you have a laptop it is easier. Goto 192.168.100.1, and depending on what type of modem, look for "signal" or "status" something like that click on the links that you can mouse over. Look for forward and return power levels. If your modem does not lock at the given outlet, that is a sign you may need service on that outlet. If the signal levels are lower than -15, or greater than 58 you will have problems when signal levels drop at peak times.
If it is a loop system, amp it at the beginning of the loop and replace all splitters behind the wall plates with 1000mhz min splitters, ensure all fittings are secure. 90% of service relater problems stem from incorrectly installed/tightened fittings. And crappy/old/bad cables. Do that and check the levels again.