Official Ceton Echo Extender Info Thread - Page 122

The red LED's are the internal recovery mode. This is the one that could take longer. Other's have had this problem and had the unit recover. You might want to start a support ticket. Sometimes you need to put it in the DMZ of your router and send your public IP address to ceton and they will access it through the internet to get it going again. This happened to me but I didn't have the little red lights though.

If yours didn't get a link light on the switch, I'd suggest you RMA it right away. Mine was like that and no amount of waiting will help because there will be no network traffic going through it. I said earlier this month that there seems to be a hardware design issue and I was right.

Narcissistic, much?

My opinion is that you might not realize how you come across to others. Given your experience, age and intimated economic level most people would expect you to be more balanced in your responses and feedback. As it is you are sort of abrasive. You are an "early adopter", but don't seem to be exhibiting the typical early adopter attitude of being accepting of bumps in the road. You can be disappointed and think poorly of the company. It doesn't really matter if you have a real issue and others have it. You are just being a jerk about it. Given your level of satisfaction at this point I think the only possible choice for you is to return the item for a refund and move on. If you keep it you might want to lower your expectations to increase satisfaction.

Out of curiosity how did you come to buy this product? What are the features that sold you on buying one before they shipped?

Why early adopter needs to bend over to accept a lower standard?

Nobody said they should. Just don't throw a temper tantrum and be an A-Hole about it when a brand new product has a few problems. Every manufacturer can have a DOA product, it happens. Don't be an A-Hole is pretty good life advice in general though.

Finally got my shipped email from Newegg! I'm kind of surprised it didn't ship out of the Memphis or Jersey though as others have mentioned, considering I'm in Kentucky. Mine is coming all the way from Cali.

Just hooked up my echo. It says "Waiting for Network" across the whole screen, and at the bottom MAC: Unknown, IP: None, Version: Unknown. Nothing is happening. Just the ceton logo is lit up, and nothing else.

I unplugged it, then plugged it in again. It is hooked up to a cisco router, and that is hooked up to the latest apple airport extreme. Previously, I had my blueray player hooked up the exact same way and it accessed the internet and network just fine.

What do I do?

So for all newegg orders this is what they said:
Newegg is processing and shipping Echo pre-orders as fast as the can. Due to the popularity of the Echo pre-order, combined with the timing of Black Friday and Cyber Monday, it’s taking them longer than usual. They’ve brought on board additional resources to work through the backlog and they tell us that all Echo pre-orders should be shipped by tomorrow.

So a few troubleshooting this that I have written up from the beta and also people that just got theirs. This will soon be posted on the site and knowledgebase as well.

Issue: My Echo updates to X% and then reboots.
Solution: While we have tested the Echo against a large amount of routers and switches there might still be some incompatibilities. If you are using a switch please try a different switch first or a direct connection with the router. This usually solves any update issues that are occurring.

Issue: My Echo updated fine,but will not establish a link with my Windows Media Center PC.
Solution: Please ensure that DHCP is enabled on your router as this is usually the issue.

Issue: The volume buttons don't do anything.
Solution: Media Center Extenders only have control over Mute when it comes to volume, in a future update HDMI CEC will be enabled which will allow you to control your TV or AVR's volume if HDMI CEC is supported by those devices.

Issue: I installed the Echo Settings plugin, but it is not showing up on my Echo?
Solution: In some instances if Echo or WMC is open during the plugin installation you might not see the plug. First restart both WMC on your HTPC and also reboot the Echo. If it still does not show up please follow these steps:
1.) Turn off Echo
2.) Close Windows Media Center on your PC
3.) Uninstall the "Ceton Echo plugin" on your HTPC by going to Computer->Uninstall or change a program -> Ceton Echo
4.) Re-install the Ceton Echo plugin (ensure you have the latest version).
5.) Turn on Echo.

Issue: I have my Echo hooked up to a 1080p TV, however my TV is reporting 720p
Solution: Please install the Ceton Echo plugin for Windows Media Center. After the installation you can go into the Echo Settings under Video and select 1080p.

Issue: Xbox 360 is being controlled with my Echo Remote:
Solution: The Xbox by default is set to receive both the xbox remote and MCE remote IR input. So on your Xbox you have to go to: Settings -> System -> Console Settings -> Remote Control -> Then select Xbox 360 Media Remote

If your Echo goesn't even know its own MAC address, there is no way to get IP address from any DHCP server.

Whoa! Since when did expecting a little of tha old fashioned personal(human) touch become obsolete nor frowned upon.

The OP received a device it appears(Ed) to be defective, he requested a return phone call for troubleshooting purposes okay. He/ questioned the Process by which Ceton chooses to provide support. Questioning, and asking for a higher/different level of service is perfectly okay. It does not mean that Ceton has to oblige. Lets not forget that the epitome of any great organization is how well they adapt to the needs of their customers/consumers. I would think if more folks request a phone call and it starts to show a trend, then it's probably time to adjust your support model to address a growing need.

Perhaps taking it to a public forum was not the best approach but it's part of the age we live. The Internet make it, the Internet shall taketh away.

Personally, I have never had to use "phone" type of support nor had to question the Ceton support process but asking for a return call is not that out of this world. Honestly, he didn't come across that privileged nor "intimated economic level " whatever that is.

This is a known beta bug and was/is accepted for resolution by Ceton. It doesn't appear to be in this initial post beta FW release but, I believe it to be in the backlog.

So I went directly to the router to plug it in, and it finally downloaded the latest firmware. After it rebooted, I took it back to the bedroom, and it was able to find the network again just fine. FYI, my entire house is CAT6 gigabit ethernet.

So everything is working now. Too bad the picture looks pretty bad. I switched the resolution from auto to 1080p, and turned on an HD channel. The colors are off, and the choppiness is killer. Maybe this is the 1080i bug everyone has been talking about?

Menus are also slow and choppy. My mkvs are playing through media browser, but some play without sound, and others play without video. Overall, the device seems incredibly underpowered, or the software is incredibly un-optimized.

WHY ARE THEY WORKING ON ANDROID??? FIX ALL THIS STUFF FIRST!

In this situation did you already pair it with WMC?

If this is the case try to go into your HTPC WMC and uninstall the echo from the settings->extender menu and then reboot the echo and re-establish the connection.

The reason that Android is coming in a future update is that our primary focus through the beta and currently is on the extender software on Echo.

Hey, stop listening to these guys .. I want all of it including Android goodies and I wanted it yesterday.

Spending even one day of development time on android was a mistake, if it meant shipping the echo with the current laundry list of issues. The public interest (and surely the marketing feedback) for the echo has always been about it being the ultimate WMC extender. People preordered a WMC extender. Make it awesome, fast, and stable at doing everything a WMC extender is capable of doing. For 180 bucks, it should be just as smooth and capable as an xBox.

Of course, you wouldn't have heard a single whine about Android development if the echo met these core requirements. Everyone would be busy watching buttery smooth high def content.

Welcome to the extended beta club

Right now this thing is a p.o.s. but it was even worse a month ago! Maybe in 6 months this thing will live up to all the hype...

The Echo isn't a P.O.S. - but unfortunately it is indeed a W.I.P. It would have been to Ceton's benefit to delay release 30 days IMO; though water under the bridge at this point. I'm still very confident it'll get there and Ceton is dilligently working things out; hopefully folks can be patient. But dang, the real work begins now that pre-orders are being filled and "judgement" ensues.

Well you have your opinions and I have mine. If we were still in beta testing I would agree with you but now that the general public can buy it, it's a p.o.s.

I'm a developer and if my team and I released any product that had as many errors and glitches as the echo does right now, I'd be looking for a new job. This is almost 2013, tech devices are excepted to work, period... I totally agree that Ceton should have delayed this product at least another month. I feel bad for their programming team as the amount of stress they must be under... but no excuses anymore, consumers will not be as nice as the beta team was. I am pulling for Ceton big time, but right now it is what it is.

I got my Echo set up tonight. It works but still has some problems that need to be ironed out. My goal is to get three rooms running on Media Center so I can turn in my cable boxes and save $40 a month. It looks like I'll be keeping them a little while longer. The front panel looked like it was scratched up a bit when I took it out of the box but after I peeled off the plastic film it looked like brand new. I followed the Installation Guide on the Ceton website. The web instructions had me download and install the media center plugin first but that isn't mentioned on the Quick Start card that comes in the box. Maybe that's why some people are having trouble? The navigation isn't smooth but I can live with that. There is some picture jitter during recorded wtv playback and live tv but not anywhere near as bad as what I saw with the 29/59 bug. I didn't notice it too much while watching movies but it was very annoying while watching football. The tiny buttons on the supplied remote are frustrating and you have to point it right at the echo for it to work. I won't be using that for long. The supplied remote doesn't use the same codes as the media center remote that I use with my HTPC so I'll have to do some research to get my Harmony set up.

Regarding the OP, the OP didn't require a phone call in his ticket so much as demand - he stated (in his initial message to us, so it's not like we had spent days troubleshooting) that he would not work via email, and if he did not get a phone call by the close of business, he would be returning the item to the place of purchase.

If a large group of people begin demanding phone support, we would certainly need to consider offering it, but keep in mind that may result in having to raise prices to be able to pay for it. Alternatively, it might require moving that phone support to an offshore contractor. Right now all Ceton support is handled in the US, and to be quite honest, I'd much rather keep it here than to go with an offshore phone support group.

I honesty find phone support a waste of time, especially if it's subcontracted out. I've got better things to do than sit on hold, or listen to people who read from scripted troubleshooting documents. I think support is just fine via email or support tickets, since they are answered by people with firsthand knowledge of the products.

I find the avsforum ceton threads to be the best method to get the bugs ironed out!

Three Quick Questions:
1) Are there any Cox customers that have tested the Echo with the Plus Package (H.264) Copy-Once channels, and do they display correctly.
2) Does the Echo support 1080i yet.
3) Does the Echo support 1080p MP4 and MKV
Edited by Bryan_CoxPHX - 11/30/12 at 3:30am

On the subject of Ceton support, I used it recently for my tuner card and I was very happy. Clear instructions were given and I felt completely satisfied when finished, you can tell these people care.

2 days of use with the extender, is it perfect, no, but what we are using it for, which is just live tv and recorded tv, it has filled our needs. Yes you see things like scrolling messages aren't smooth, as for the menu navigation, with a different remote, it functions as well as any other cable/satellite box I have used.. My wife almost gave approval last night, but wants to spend another couple days with it when I am not home before giving in....

^^ People who demand phone support amaze me. It's seriously the most inefficient method of technical support that currently exists. Email and online chat are significantly more efficient, both for the company and for the customer. If I have to call up a company for tech support, it's not going to be pleasant - give me options that don't waste my time.

For anyone interested, our review of the Echo when live last night.

Great! Unfortunately an ad on the page makes it impossible to read it on mobile chrome on my galaxy nexus. After the video finishes I can't close it or scroll at all.

Yup. Mine is DOA.

I think I'm going to try to RMA it through newegg since someone here said the RMAd through ceton and it took 3 weeks (!!!)

Yes, I did. I have a show recorded just for this purpose. It plays fine but suffer the same 1080i deinterlacing problem.

very good review. I didn't know Echo is clipping blacks at level 18!