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Can a bad ethernet cord ruin a DVR?
In the past week I’ve replaced two DVR‘s. We had electrical power switch on and off quickly and the next day noticed that our DVR showed a red X on its TV screen. After determining that this unit was not repairable, a new one was sent and the error message was to the effect that the Uverse service “could not be found.” I moved the new DVR to another location with a direct connection to the gateway using a different ethernet cord and it worked fine. I then moved it back to the original location and it didn’t work at all! Moreover, when I returned it to the alternate spot, it continued to not work at all. So, ultimately, a third DVR unit was sent and I hooked it up in the alternate location and we’re all good.
What has me scratching my head is how a bad ethernet cord, assuming the existing locations cord somehow got damaged in the electrical situation, could result in DVR becoming non-functional. Any ideas? The DVR and gateway are plugged into a power conditioner, the gateway with battery backup.
DIRECTVhelp
Community Support
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254.4K Messages
2 years ago
Let's help clear this up, @Shyster951!
We're glad to hear that your equipment is now running properly. It sounds like the power outlet could have been a contributing factor in the DVR failure. You'll want to check to ensure that your wall outlets are working properly.
Also, we recommend plugging your devices directly into the wall. If you must use a power strip, use the surge protectors that are designed for high powered electronics. Not doing this may result in:
Receiver resets
Loss of recordings
Pixilation
Freezing
If you should experience that error again, you'll want to review our Forums post about how to fix the Red X on your DVR. This post contains helpful fixes for most errors you may encounter.
Please feel free to reach back out if you need any help in the future. Thank you for contacting the AT&T Community forums!
Lacey, AT&T Community Specialist
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Shyster951
Scholar
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13 Messages
2 years ago
The U-verse equipment is hooked into a power conditioner that cost several hundred $, not some cheapo power strip.
my question is whether it is possible for a bad (to the original location) ethernet cord to somehow transform a new and working DVR (that functioned normally hooked up to a different ethernet cable in a different location) into a unit that remained non-functional even when reconnected to the “different” ethernet cable.
to recap, the new dvr couldn’t access U-verse at the original dvr location. I moved it to a different room with a different ethernet connection to the Gateway. It then worked normally. I took it back to the original location where it failed to work, then took it back to the second location where it had just worked, but now it did not.
To me I can see why a unit wouldn't work when connected to a bad ethernet connection to the Gateway, but I can’t understand why the dvr doesn't work hooking it back up to a good ethernet connection. No ❌ involved at any time.
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DIRECTVhelp
Community Support
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254.4K Messages
2 years ago
Thanks for the update with your DVR/U-Verse TV equipment, @Shyster951.
To answer your question, your equipment setup will only ever be as good as the weakest part. While we're unable to confirm if a poor Ethernet cable could completely break a DVR, if you notice that a poor Ethernet cable is the common detractor when trying to set up your service, then our recommendation would be to use a different cable.
In your case, you can also try further troubleshooting by keeping your DVR in the same location while using a different Ethernet cable to isolate the issue and see what the actual cause of this problem is.
Let us know how this works for you, and thanks for reaching out on the AT&T Community Forums!
Jarod, AT&T Community Specialist
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Shyster951
Scholar
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13 Messages
2 years ago
Understood. The existing cable that may be “bad” runs up 2 stories from the Gateway. so, while your solution is not impossible, it is nevertheless difficult to test out absent retaining our home network guy to come rerun that cable. For now I’ve kept the DVR hooked up in its second position and get U-verse to the Old location via a new
wireless receiver. Since nobody can figure out how a defective ethernet cord could trash a DVR I may take another stab at putting the new DVR back upstairs where the old one was. For now though, I’ve spent enough time on the phone with tech support and so I’ll leave it be for a bit. Thanks.
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