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metahome's avatar
metahome
On our wavelength
2 years ago
Solved

TV service suspended "On wrong network" when internet fails-over to backup service

I have a VM360, connected to my own router, which connects to Virgin Hub in modem mode. I also have a secondary internet connection to my router using a GPRS dongle which the router fails over to if the VM internet dies.

When VM internet fails (as it has done today) and my router fails over to the backup internet connection the VM360 TV service stops. However a power cycle of the VM360 gets the TV back for a short period (say 10-20 minutes) then up pops a message saying "Service suspended. Connected to the wrong network" and the TV service stops. Power cycling the VM360 restores the TV service again for a while then it pops up the error message and suspends again.

Can anyone explain to me what is going on here? It is clear that TV signal is coming down the cable, and when the TV service is working I can get the TV guide OK so that must be coming through my backup internet connection. So why is the VM 360 exhibiting this behaviour and suspending the TV service every so often and what can I do to stop it from happening?

Thanks in advance for whatever wisdom the community can share with me.

  • nodrogd's avatar
    nodrogd
    2 years ago
    metahome wrote:

    Thanks for the response. I understand what you are saying about the infrastructure but I still don't understand why my TV service works for about 20mins after I power cycle my VM360. I'm not expecting to get the fix I would like, but it seems puzzling to me that it seems to work for a while before suspending. One of life's little mysteries I guess.

    Not a mystery at all. The TV channels are linear DVB-C2 broadcast channels that are delivered directly to the box through the coaxial cable to the boxes 6 TV tuners in the same way as a satellite or Freeview receiver gets its channels. However, the boxes regularly check that they are authorised to decode the subscribed channels via the local server, hence the box ceases to work when this check fails. This also stops anyone moving boxes to different locations to where they are supposed to be being used, as the boxes also have to match both the hub in use & the network location where the account has been set up for.

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  • japitts's avatar
    japitts
    Very Insightful Person
    2 years ago

    TV360 is at heart a server-based system, with the "HDD in the master-box" a UK-specific tweak. Furthermore, VM's TV360 & V6 (runs TiVo-software not Horizon-software, but the concept here is the same) both rely on a Virgin broadband connection and will not run on any third-party ISP.

    When your VM broadband fails, your TV360 therefore has to work with one hand tied behind its back. Incidentally, do you really mean a GPRS dongle? That's 2G-only which has very limited data speeds.

    • metahome's avatar
      metahome
      On our wavelength
      2 years ago

      Thanks for the response. I had a "firm discussion" with a customer service rep this evening who assured me that VM offer TV packages on top of other suppliers internet packages, so that not being connected to VM internet would not be the issue (not sure I believed him).

      Based on other discussions in the community about this error I wondered if it relied on VM DNS providing some hidden VM internal IP addresses, but my router forces all DNS through Quad9 using DoT even when connected to VM internet, so I don't think it can be that. I'm puzzled. 

      Oh and GPRS was a bit of a generic term on my part - it is a mobile data SIM giving me about 35Mb/s down and 12Mb/s up - enough to keep email, basic web browsing and a few other essentials flowing when VM internet falls over.

       

      • japitts's avatar
        japitts
        Very Insightful Person
        2 years ago
        metahome wrote:

        Thanks for the response. I had a "firm discussion" with a customer service rep this evening who assured me that VM offer TV packages on top of other suppliers internet packages, so that not being connected to VM internet would not be the issue (not sure I believed him).

        You were correct to not believe him. All of VM's TV services except for the legacy TiVo (with inbuilt internet) require a VM broadband connection. The various servers that make TiVo & TV360 work are closed off from the outside world and only accessible from VM's network.

  • nodrogd's avatar
    nodrogd
    Very Insightful Person
    2 years ago

    V360 Horizon works from a local server at the headend that controls your part of the network. This server only connect to your local network, so only a VM hub connected to the same line can see the server. All boxes use the same address for the server as only the local one can be accessed at any point on the network, so putting it into the "outside world" it will never connect.

    • metahome's avatar
      metahome
      On our wavelength
      2 years ago

      Thanks for the response. I understand what you are saying about the infrastructure but I still don't understand why my TV service works for about 20mins after I power cycle my VM360. I'm not expecting to get the fix I would like, but it seems puzzling to me that it seems to work for a while before suspending. One of life's little mysteries I guess.

      • roy247's avatar
        roy247
        Hero
        2 years ago

        Is it just live TV that works or can you still use the apps.

        If it's only live TV I suspect it's the time it's taking to check your box through the network.

         

  • Roger_Gooner's avatar
    Roger_Gooner
    Alessandro Volta
    2 years ago

     I had a broadband failure the other night but my 360 continued to deliver live TV.

    • nodrogd's avatar
      nodrogd
      Very Insightful Person
      2 years ago
      Roger_Gooner wrote:

       I had a broadband failure the other night but my 360 continued to deliver live TV.

      The box cable tuners can still operate independently of the server network for short periods until authentication checks fail. Its when you try to do anything with your recordings that the problems will start.

  • Topbloke's avatar
    Topbloke
    Up to speed
    2 years ago

    @metahome

    I can not be 100% sure of a solution but its a more networking technical one.

    There is an excellent read over here with others that also get the not connected to right network error and how they got around the issues.

    I have the same error pop up a lot, this can occur when you are using modem mode with your existing virgin media hub or using your own Wifi wireless access point or back up internet dongle or your own 3rd party Router or a combination of those.

    The settings within the 3rd party router or device etc have to be set up in a similar manner so it works like it would be with the existing Virgin media hub if it was in its normal Router type mode. 

    So your back up internet dongle or 3rd party router be it Asus or netgear etc if it has the ability you need to configure it with the same Virgin media DNS and also the IP address needs to be Reserved properly, you may also have to block the IPv6 since it appears this is causing many of the issues of wrong network error message.

    I am still trying to figure all the above out, but you need to be good with computers and more importantly with networking, the above link there are a few who mentioned how to worked around the issues so worth a read.

    • nodrogd's avatar
      nodrogd
      Very Insightful Person
      2 years ago
      Topbloke wrote:

      @metahome

      I can not be 100% sure of a solution but its a more networking technical one.

      There is an excellent read over here with others that also get the not connected to right network error and how they got around the issues.

      I have the same error pop up a lot, this can occur when you are using modem mode with your existing virgin media hub or using your own Wifi wireless access point or back up internet dongle or your own 3rd party Router or a combination of those.

      The settings within the 3rd party router or device etc have to be set up in a similar manner so it works like it would be with the existing Virgin media hub if it was in its normal Router type mode. 

      So your back up internet dongle or 3rd party router be it Asus or netgear etc if it has the ability you need to configure it with the same Virgin media DNS and also the IP address needs to be Reserved properly, you may also have to block the IPv6 since it appears this is causing many of the issues of wrong network error message.

      I am still trying to figure all the above out, but you need to be good with computers and more importantly with networking, the above link there are a few who mentioned how to worked around the issues so worth a read.

      Very informative, but for one point. The OP is using a third party ISP as a backup network. As this is outside Virgin’s cable infrastructure, any attempt to connect to the 52 local Horizon servers would fail, as they only connect internally to the Virgin customers downstream of them. Third party routers on the Virgin network is a separate issue, & as long as customers steer clear of VPN connections there is usually a workaround.

  • Roger_Gooner's avatar
    Roger_Gooner
    Alessandro Volta
    2 years ago

    You can use whatever DNS you want, I use and recommend Quad9 (9.9.9.9). On the network: you either have to use the hub in router mode (with an optional means to extend the network such as WiFi boosters) or have the hub in modem mode with your own router. By doing it these ways the network is part of the VM network, thus enabling all connected devices including TV boxes to work.