V6 BOX FREEZING AND THEN REBOOTED AND STUCK ON STARTUP

[ALF28]

V6 issues- no tv at all this evening on virgin, using freeview now.

This hapened again today, picture freezes and than goes black and V6 reboots buts sticks on starting up. Rebooting with power off/on did not resolve this so rang 150 and they put signals to the equipment and sent an udate to my box, and after being stuck for 15minutes or more it restarted and ran for half an hour but has now gone off again and white light has gone gone out then turned green with loss af all channels, also making a strange noise. Light now turned red and trying to restart on welcome screen, then starting up again but seems to stick. I have connected an ethernet lead direct from my own router and rebooted and back on starting up but sticking again.

Virgin say they can not support a third party router so does this mean I need to reconnect to the hub3 and Take out of modem mode in order to check if the V6 box will then work?

Status check on tv and broadband all checked and no area or equipment issues.

I will ring 150 again if keeps happening and perhaps take my hub 3 out of modem mode?

It has just come back on after starting up for half an hour but seems eratic and channels sometimes all go off, but is working now but for how long?

Box is warm but not hot, but has a quiet whiring noise inside and sometimes a clicking noise.

network connected ok via ethernet now and has been updated today 12.15 (may have missed this) next update 18.33 today so will see if that helps as it may have missed an update?

hard disc seems ok plays recordings.

alf28

[japitts · Accepted solution]

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@ALF28 wrote:

Virgin say they can not support a third party router so does this mean I need to reconnect to the hub3 and Take out of modem mode in order to check if the V6 box will then work?

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The V6 needs an internet connection to work, that has to come via a VM Superhub. Whether the SH is in router mode, or modem mode with your own router, shouldn't make a huge difference to most functions, however... VM support for using your own kit will be limited and I'd fully expect them to suggest a direct connection for the purpose of any diagnostics. If, having connected directly, the symptoms haven't changed, then IMO that disproves your router as a cause - and you can just tell any VM support person that your 'net connection is working. Caveat: Prove any Ethernet cable & ports as working with other kit.

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@ALF28 wrote:

Box is warm but not hot, but has a quiet whiring noise inside and sometimes a clicking noise.

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Physical fault with the hard drive?....

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@ALF28 wrote:

network connected ok via ethernet now and has been updated today 12.15 (may have missed this) next update 18.33 today so will see if that helps as it may have missed an update?

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Nah, that's a shade over 6 hours which is about right.

[ALF28]

Resolved now for the time being, but can be complex to sort out, many possible causes.

Thanks for the good advice, the V6 box is "working now", not sure what happened to cause the problem but I have had the same issue when connected to the superhub in the past before buying my own router recently.

Reboots do occur regularly while watching TV but usually the TV channels return and can sometimes upset scheduled recordings, I always assumed it is virgin updating the V6 box.

The fault has cleared, but took an hour to reset itself which was unusual, so any fault may appear again.

This has highlighted that that the V6 tv box needs the broadband connection  to get the updates or the box may stop working and aslo needed for the apps to work and the epg to update.

All my network connections have always been ok in the settings-network page, but if using my own router there is no support for that. Unlike the earlier Virign tv boxes the V6 need a broadband connection to function correctly.

As the V6 box updates approx every 6 hours, if it does miss an update for some reason, this may upset the V6 box  but it is a good idea to click "connect to virgin media  services" in the settings network page, which is a "manual update", I have just done that now and it has updated and then gives time of last attempt and succeeded.

I think it is now fixed unless the V6 has an intermittant fault, and presume the unscheduled reboots of the V6 box occurs because an update has failed due to equipment being turned off or wifi failing or a loose connection etc, so the V6 tries to udpate itself by rebooting perhaps and if that fails the V6 box locks out on starting up, so all the checks have to be done in that case as you mention in the reply.

I am also unsure why the updates took so long in my case, the V6  box updated twice yesterday with my interventions, and half an hour each time before working again.

Otherwise, no other problems with the V6, so hope it contiues working and I have left the ethernet cable plugged in now in case of wifi problems and I will also check the updates and do  a manual update regularly if needed. I do switch off the V6 and TV and router  at  nightime so that may be a cause of the updates failing due to the broadband connection being off or the v6 box being off and the next catch up is 6 hours if one is missed.

I has similar problems with my sky now box  which is wifi connected and thought it may have been the router auto channel selection but the fault remained when I fixed the channel on 1 so then I fixed my sky now box with a "factory reset" and had to log in again but now works properly each time used and no longer looses connection. Perhaps the V6 needs a factory reset also, but I would not want to loose all my recordings?

The problem was either due to connection issues or udatings issues or may even be an intermittant hardware fault or the V6 box  software may be corrupted and needs a factory reset? 

I will see if it happens again?

The probem is that when it locks out you can not get into the settings page and the remote also stops working so best to ring 150 for signals to be sent and then leave on startup which can take a long time, in my case half an hour (even with the etherenet cable)  and aslo check all physical connections on the V6 box  and that broadband connection is working on other equipment, mine was working as my laptop continued to work even though the V6 box was faulty indicating broadband was ok on wifi.

I think connecting an ethernet cable to the V6 box may have helped solve the problem and eliminate any bad wifi or weak wifi signal, my own router is set on medium strength which the V6 box says is "fair". perhaps I will try the high setting and that my help.

The V6 tv box does not have a reset pin like the hub3, so not easy to sort problems without help from the virgin helpline  on 150, but wise to do own checks also as pointed out.

alf28

[japitts]

I may have missed some of your issues, but I'll pick out some obvious quick ones...

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@ALF28 wrote:

Reboots do occur regularly while watching TV but usually the TV channels return and can sometimes upset scheduled recordings, I always assumed it is virgin updating the V6 box.

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VM-initiated reboots should only occur occasionally and overnight. If a box is rebooting during the day, it's probably faulty.

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@ALF28 wrote:

This has highlighted that that the V6 tv box needs the broadband connection  to get the updates or the box may stop working and aslo needed for the apps to work and the epg to update.

All my network connections have always been ok in the settings-network page, but if using my own router there is no support for that. Unlike the earlier Virign tv boxes the V6 need a broadband connection to function correctly.

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All VM TV boxes need an internet connection to use anything internet-based - OnDemand, streaming, EPG & software updates. The difference with the V6 & 360 boxes is they don't have an in-built modem like the earlier TiVo.

And there's never - AFAIK - been any formal support for using your own router. VM provide the functionality to use your own, and many people (myself inclued) use a V6/360 in this way. But Virgin aren't going to support equipment they've not supplied.

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@ALF28 wrote:

I do switch off the V6 and TV and router  at  nightime so that may be a cause

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All VM kit is designed to be switched on 24/7 with power-saving as apppropriate. Powering your equipment down at night is a recipe for problems sooner or later.

An Ethernet cable connection to your V6 will always be recommended given the choice. Wireless introduces more variables that are best avoided if possible.

[ALF28]

V6 tv box- no internal modem.

It is interesting that the V6 has no internal modem and therefore requires an internet connection to function. This means that the Virgin TV package will not work unless you can connect to the internet so is not a stand alone TV service, as it was years ago ,when I had  an older V box (but not a tivo- never had one) which do not need or require an internet connection.

Does that mean the virgin V6/360 tv boxes  also require broadband or mobile internet connection to work and update  and will the V6 work with any internet connection that may be an alternative  provider.?

What happens if a customer  does not use broadband or mobile internet?, does this mean the V6 box would not function and will it only work with virgin broadaband which requires 100mb speed, so would not work with adsl or mobile network connection, I presume streaming would be affected but some tv boxes will work on adsl at slower speeds of 10mb speed.

I suppose the package price works out cheaper with TV and broadband together.

It also means if the virgin broadband goes down or faulty for any reason this would restrict the V6 box operations (apps,epg, etc) so both would be lost but the normal tv channels should still work.

alf28

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[japitts]

VM TV-only customers are restricted to the TiVo-box.

V6 & 360 boxes require VM broadband.

[ALF28]

Virgin tv boxes

Thanks for the informative reply, I was not aware that tivo boxes were still available, I was upgraded to the V6 free when my old V box was phased out but not offered the tivo, which usually required an upgrade or fee, which is best?

Are the services on the tivo the same or different to a V6 box. There is a 360 box now, is that different.

Provide it works, which it does most of the time I am happy with the V6 box. My issues may be due to switching things off at night, the hub is in a bedroom so not really convenient to leave on at night and the advice is to switch off devices to conserve energy and fire risk of leaving  things plugged in, perhaps I could leave them on and see if things improve.

alf28

[japitts]

TiVo & V6 both run the same software, but V6 are by far the better box in terms of hardware. TiVo's are perfectly serviceable, but are night & day different to V6. Some of the recent streaming apps aren't available on the TiVo, and I dread to think how slow they would be if they were.

360 boxes are the same hardware as V6 but completely different software. It's the newest platform, but take the marketing blurb away and it's best described as "substantially different"

[ALF28]

My V6  virgin TV stopped working yesterday, the first indication is when the remote would  not function and the box is frozen, so rebooted twice and still sticking on startup- getting a regular event now.

There is no reset button on the V6, so I rang 150 and it  automatically tested my system which takes a few seconds and then sends a reset but this can take 5 minutes or more for the V6 to update and start working.

It always happens after the network update fails for any reason, this stops the V6 working.

I have altered my wifi settings with great effect to give a stronger signal 67% and changed channel and width to 40 from 20 which all seems to help, but my router may have been off when I was not at home, and confirms that unless the V6 has a 24/7 connection to broadband for updates it can stop working, so is dependant on having a connection or will not function if it misses the next update time?, but it seems to be a random event and works most of the time OK.

I am not sure if going through the service status TV options by logging into my virgin account would also reset the V6 box or is a 150 call needed each time to reset the V6, this is beacause the V6 has not got its own modem which to me appears to be a design flaw and only the tivo will work without a separate broadband connection, so perhaps the tivo was a better design in terms of a reliable tv service?

I also had problems with wifi to other equipment, now sorted by changing my router wifi settings, and notice any equipment near to metal objects/cases can inhibit the wifi signal. so the location can be important.

alf28

[japitts]

Yes, all VM TV boxes need a permanent connection to the internet - this is how OnDemand, streaming & updates work. On a V6 & 360, this is via your homehub.

In your V6 power-saving, check that you don't have Eco lower-power enabled, this also disables remote access to your box. Home > Help & Settings > Settings > Devices > Power saving

You can reset your V6 by following Home > Help & Settings > Clear or restart.

The V6 is a much better box than the TiVo - absolutely no question.