BT TV Box - Subscription channels stopped working - error IPC6023

[GWE_47]

Hello.  As of some time last week, we have been unable to view any BT subscription channels (channels above 300 in the guide).  It previously worked fine, and there have been no obvious changes to our setup.  We simply get a black screen with the error code IPC6023.  I should note the apps (e.g. Now TV, Netflix) work fine on both boxes and we're able to stream full quality TV via the apps.

I've been using BT TV for about 3-4 years now.  We have a BT TV 4K box and a separate BT HD box in a different location in the house.  The error is identical on both boxes.  The 4K box is connected via an Ethernet cable directly to the BT Smart Hub 2 router.  The HD box is connected by an ethernet cable to a BT WiFi extender dish.  We upgraded from FTTC to an FTTP (BT Full Fibre 500 with Halo 3) in March, and it worked fine before and after that change until last week.

I initially contacted the online chat support.  They concluded that the 4K box was faulty and needed to be replaced, and that fixing that should also fix the issue on the second box.  The new 4K box arrived today, but the issue is still identical, on both boxes.

The steps I have taken so far:

- Reset Smart Hub 2 and all Halo extender dishes (multiple times)

- Power cycled the OpenReach fibre modem (multiple times)

- Factory reset the TV boxes

- Carried out speed tests - varies but normally between 200-400 MBPS download/70 upload depending on equipment running test on and time of day etc.  Using the Netflix app on the BT 4K Box reports a tested speed of just over 300 MBPS.

- As of today, replaced the 4K TV box with a new one

- Removed a "Pi Hole" ad-blocker running on a Raspberry Pi from the network to see if that had any impact on the issue (it did not)

I've seen a few other threads on similar issues here, but I don't recall seeing one with a way to definitely resolve it and wondered if there's anything BT can do to "fix" the connection...

Thanks

Graham

[Les-Gibson]

You seem to have done your homework well and just about covered everything, just one question, when you reset the fibre modem (ONT), did you disconnect any battery backup as well? If not and if the the fault does lay with that then powering down at the mains alone will not have cleared it.

[ozsat]

I've been having issues with the BT subscription channels for the past couple of days. Says they have to be setup and then fail with different codes.

The error codes indicated that the box is not connected to the Internet but the apps were still working fine.

Rebooting everything seems to bring them back for a while - but they drop off again later.

A new Box Pro is on the way.

[GWE_47]

Thank you for the reply Les.  I honestly wasn't aware there was a battery backup so no, I haven't done anything about that.  Each time, I simply pressed the power switch on the modem and all the lights went out, and then switched it back on again 30 seconds later.  It took 30 seconds or so to re-connect to the internet (for the "LAN" and "PON" lights to come on and turn green, a bit longer for the Smart Hub 2 lights to settle and turn blue), so assumed it was reset.

If there's something else I need to do, can you talk me through it?

Thanks

[Les-Gibson]

Sometimes (but not always) there is another, smaller box within close vicinity of the ONT which contains rechargeable batteries, this is used to power the ONT directly and the mains adapter plugs into the smaller box in order to keep the batteries charged and indirectly power the ONT.

If this is the case with your installation then the only way to be sure of powering the ONT down is to disconnect the DC lead which runs between the two boxes to the DC input jack on the ONT

[GWE_47]

Thanks.  No there is no evidence of a second box in this installation.  It's just a DC power supply connected to the modem.

[Les-Gibson]

In which case there could well be a problem with your DSLAM, the mods on here can usually address this type of fault @SeanD  

[GWE_47]

OK thanks for that.  In the meantime, I've been through to BT technical support by phone, and they did all the connectivity tests and so on and concluded it should work.  They were also unable to resolve it but have referred it to a higher up technical team who are due to contact me in the next few days.  Hopefully, someone will be able to fix it soon!

[DanielS]

Hi @GWE_47,

Thanks for getting in touch and for contacting our technical support team over the phone. They will most likely have escalated your case to an adviser within our Technical Management Centre. They're a very good team who should be able to help you. If you would like us to look into this for you, you can reach my team by replying to the private message that I sent you.

Thanks
DanielS

[GWE_47]

Thanks for the message and my apologies for the delay, as I missed the notification for the reply and PM.  I've replied anyway.   The team who contacted me on Monday said that it was a known issue with some equipment at the local exchange, and they are waiting for a fix.  He estimated it would be some time in September or October before the fix was available, hopefully sooner rather than later.  He said it's affecting a number of customers.  Hopefully, something can be sorted soon.  I can use the Now TV app for the Sky channels, so at least that's something.

Something that was mentioned as a workaround for watching BT Sport was "casting" from a mobile device to the TV.  I was attempting to do that (from an Iphone 13) but when I choose the option, no other devices show up.  Could anyone assist with that?  Can you "cast" Live TV from the BT Sport app to the BT Box, or does it have to be directly to the TV?  Is it only some TV's that work with it (we've got relatively recent Samsung and LG OLED TV's).

Thanks