What are some indications that a Uverse receiver is going bad?

Let me make sure I understand this:

1) Change channel

2) Channel comes in fine

3) Some seconds later, the channel freezes

4) 2-5 minutes later, the channel comes back and stays okay until the next channel change

Is that correct?

A handoff occurs normally 10 seconds after switching channels.  At the point of the channel change, a request is made of the AT&T network to send you both a UNICAST version of the channel you request and also to send a MULTICAST version of that channel.  Your box immediately starts getting the unicast version and puts it on the screen.  Meanwhile it starts watching for the multicast, attempts to sync with it, and then switches to it seamlessly and the UNICAST stream gets dropped.  The reason for this is that it can take a while for the IGMPv3 signal to get processed by your Gateway, for your DVR to get in on the idea that it needs to start capturing the multicast traffic, etc., so meanwhile you get the UNICAST so changing channels is lightning fast.

I've often heard that the channel freezes after 10 seconds, usually because someone has put a piece of equipment that didn't know what to do with IGMPv3 and/or multicast between their Gateway and the Receiver.  I've never heard anyone say it came back 2 to 5 minutes later.

I am having the same issue. It happens all day and night

Happy to help you with your receiver, Dianne53!

As gr8sho suggested, you'll want to try restarting your system to refresh the connection.

Reboot your receiver by following these steps:

• Press and hold the power button(located on the left side of the receiver) for 10 seconds.

• Unplugging the power cord from the wall outlet for 10 seconds is another option.

Follow these steps to reboot your gateway:

• Unplug the power connection behind the gateway for about 15 seconds.
• Plug it back in and waiting for the broadband light to turn green.

Give that a try and let us know if the problem persists.

Aminah, AT&T Community Specialist

We have the Cisco ISB7005 receiver and after using it a few years, the Uverse signal goes out daily usually around 11 pm PST, we then need reset the receiver and after a few minutes it comes back and generally it is fine until the next evening at 11pm, when it does the same thing again. We did have an ATT tech come out several years ago and only thing he could think of doing was replace the Uverse receiver box and the WAP. It was ok for about 6-8 months and then problem began again and over time gets worse.  We have had Uverse for about 8 years now. Almost never any issues with the Residential Gateway or Internet service, just Uverse. Any suggestions how to get Uverse to stop doing this daily or would switching to Direct TV Streaming be a better solution?

More often than not, these issues are with your home networking. Switching to DIRECTV stream while you have uncorrected network issues will not result in a better experience.