BT TV not connecting (using wired connection)

[TimCurtis]

@oldhasbeen 

Have you tried any of the suggestions made here before deciding that a new ISP is the answer because if you haven't then it's possible that any new ISP won't solve your problem.

[stereohaven]

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@oldhasbeenwrote:

A helpful engineer visited us last week. He suggested the box could be the problem, so he replaced it.

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Based on the problems described and as numerous forum members have already suggested, the most likely culprit here are the powerline adapters.

An "engineer" from BT will almost always just swap the TV box as a fresh device clears most ills, even if it is only a temporary fix, after which they are long gone.

I have three BT supplied powerline adapters in my home setup and they are generally rock solid, apart from one of them (the upstairs one), needing a reset once or twice a year. Problems usually start presenting as apps not working and live channels pixelating or going blank or a network error message on screen.

Up to you if you want to move to a new provider, but I will happily join the list of people telling you to reset the powerline adapters first, then go from there.

[oldhasbeen]

They should be the latest PowerLine adaptors as BT only sent me them a couple of months ago.

Someone suggested to me that as our upstairs and downstairs electricals are on different circuits it's unsurprising that powerline adaptors haven't really helped.

[oldhasbeen]

I'm pretty sure Virgin TV would be better as we've got a Virgin ultrafast fibre connection. We had a Virgin TV box for years, it was great until it got old and unreliable and needed replacing. Unfortunately, Virgin said we couldn't get just a Virgin box any more, we had to get Virgin Wi-fi as well - which  has a very iffy reputation round here and their customer service is notoriously poor. 

[stereohaven]

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@oldhasbeenwrote:

They should be the latest PowerLine adaptors as BT only sent me them a couple of months ago.

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Not relevant, they can still need a reset, especially when there is a change or interference on the electrical network in the home.

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@oldhasbeenwrote:

Someone suggested to me that as our upstairs and downstairs electricals are on different circuits it's unsurprising that powerline adaptors haven't really helped.

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Powerline adapters do not work across different electrical circuits, but if that is true in your case, they will never have worked.

So the question is, did they ever work and have they only recently started misbehaving, or have they always been problematic?

[stereohaven]

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@oldhasbeenwrote:

I'm pretty sure Virgin TV would be better as we've got a Virgin ultrafast fibre connection. We had a Virgin TV box for years, it was great until it got old and unreliable and needed replacing. Unfortunately, Virgin said we couldn't get just a Virgin box any more, we had to get Virgin Wi-fi as well - which  has a very iffy reputation round here and their customer service is notoriously poor. 

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Now I am beyond confused?

If you’ve got a Virgin ultrafast connection, why (and how) are you using BT TV?

[rbz5416]

Your prerogative to decline the help you've been offered to date, but I'm lost as to the purpose of re-posting? If you want to change provider just get on with it.

[chrisjp]

I messed around with powerline adapters for quite a while and also experienced the sort of issues that the OP has described.
I then ditched them and went to a mesh WiFi distribution system (BT Wholehome with 3 discs). This has provided reliable WiFi throughout my "difficult" house with lots of solid walls, ever since.

[Midnight_Voice]

@oldhasbeen 

So do you have two separate electricity meters, one for upstairs and one for downstairs?

If not, then you just have upstairs and downstairs ‘fused’ separately (strictly, these days, on separate circuit breakers rather than fuses), but not separate in any sense that would defeat PLAs.

[oldhasbeen]

Thank you. I was confused about this.

I will try a few of the expert tips in the next day or 2.