5 Tips to Resolve a Non-Functional On-Demand Box

All major UK broadcasters offer online programme viewing services. Depending on the on-demand TV service you use, you can view satellite television shows through the internet for up to 30 days after the first broadcast. All you need to view free on demand TV is a high-speed broadband connection.

However, paid on-demand TV services such as BT Vision, and Virgin Media also require a set top box. The on-demand TV set top box is connected to the internet using a mobile internet connector, a broadband router using an Ethernet cable, or in-built Wi-Fi.

If at any time you find that the on-demand box is not working, carrying out the following corrective steps may solve the problem.

    1. Ensure that the broadband is working. To watch on demand programmes, you need to have basic internet speed. Check the exact internet speed requirement in the user manual of your on demand box.  Additionally, if the speed of your household broadband connection is lower than 12 mps, you should consider upgrading the connection, for a better viewing experience.
    2. Check that the on demand box is connected to the internet. Go to the settings option of the set top box, select network setup and test connection. The exact steps for checking the internet connectivity on your box will depend on the model you have.

Ensure that Ethernet cable is connected to both the Ethernet port on the box and on the wireless connector. To check if the Ethernet cable is faulty, connect both ends of the cable to the same router and check if the port lights turn on. If this does not happen, it means you need a new Ethernet cable.

  1. Remove potential interferences in router signal:
    • Check that there are no other electrical devices that use wireless signals around your wireless router (include cordless telephones, fax machines, microwaves, mobile phones)
    • Remove physical objects around the router that may block the signal ( particularly metal and water based)
    • Do not place the wireless router near a window ( the signal strength may be affected by outside interferences)
  2. Manually reset the router. If there is no problem with the network connectivity, switch off the router for about a minute before turning it on to check if the problem has been resolved.
  3. Reset the set-top box. Unplug the power cord for the set-top box.  Wait for a minute before turning it on again. If the problem is not resolved, contact your service provider for further troubleshooting help.

If your set-top box needs to be reset frequently, then most likely the on-demand box is faulty.

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