Fios One Box/Remote Glitching When Connected With an Older Receiver

[pnutzlaw]

Has anyone experienced significant glitching with the Fios One Box/Remote when connected to an older receiver?  I am a new Fios customer and the initial setup was great.  After a few days, the remote unpaired and the box froze when I was changing the receiver volume with the Fios remote.  After several fixes and box/remote replacements, the technician advised that it is probably the receiver causing the problem.  I planned on upgrading the receiver at some point, but that timeline has been pushed up.  Anybody else have this problem?

[clem21]

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@pnutzlaw wrote:

Has anyone experienced significant glitching with the Fios One Box/Remote when connected to an older receiver?  I am a new Fios customer and the initial setup was great.  After a few days, the remote unpaired and the box froze when I was changing the receiver volume with the Fios remote.  After several fixes and box/remote replacements, the technician advised that it is probably the receiver causing the problem.  I planned on upgrading the receiver at some point, but that timeline has been pushed up.  Anybody else have this problem?

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What brand and model of receiver, and which Fios box? Are you going from the Fios box to the receiver via HDMI? Does the receiver pass through via HDMI to the TV? 4K or 1080 TV?

[pnutzlaw]

Fios TV One Box with Voice Remote connected via HDMI to Denon AVR-2313ci.  The receiver is old and does not pass 4K.  HDMI out from receiver to brand new 4K TV (LG OLED CX 77).  Because of the lack of 4K content from Fios, I was not in a rush to upgrade the receiver, which otherwise passes excellent quality HD content from Fios.  However, this remote issue is untenable.  I just purchased a Denon AVR-S960H.  It arrives Thursday, but now I need Verizon to send me yet another new box.  Hopefully, the new receiver solves the issue.  In your opinion, does it sound like the old receiver caused the glitch?

[clem21]

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@pnutzlaw wrote:

Fios TV One Box with Voice Remote connected via HDMI to Denon AVR-2313ci.  The receiver is old and does not pass 4K.  HDMI out from receiver to brand new 4K TV (LG OLED CX 77).  Because of the lack of 4K content from Fios, I was not in a rush to upgrade the receiver, which otherwise passes excellent quality HD content from Fios.  However, this remote issue is untenable.  I just purchased a Denon AVR-S960H.  It arrives Thursday, but now I need Verizon to send me yet another new box.  Hopefully, the new receiver solves the issue.  In your opinion, does it sound like the old receiver caused the glitch?

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The newer Denon receivers have a lot of control over the HDMI chain, not sure of your older one. To use the older one you need to set the Fios box to 1080I, 16x9 in the settings> audio and video>Video settings menu. While in the settings menu, turn off video input control. Then go to the fios menu, Settings>voice control>Fios TV one voice remote>program fios TV one voice remote, reset remote settings. Once that is done, go back to the same menu, choose manual setup and follow the instructions for your receiver and TV. That should get the old receiver working again. I have a 2 yr old Denon receiver so if you need help with the new one let me know.

[pnutzlaw]

I followed your instructions, but I am unable to reset the remote settings and enter the manual setup.  I get a message advising that the remote cannot connect and it instructs me to pair the remote.  The glitch does not allow me to pair the remote.  When I try, I get the message that it is paired, but the dialogue in the upper right corner of the screen repeats over and over (finding remote/paring/paied).  Ultimately, the message says "setup failed".  The problem is not that the receiver does not pass the video, but rather that the glitch has caused the un-pairing of the remote and the inability to re-pair the remote absent a hard reset from Verizon tech support.  Even if I am eventually able to pair the remote again, the same glitch happens after a few minutes.  Any advice?  Thanks again for your help.

[clem21]

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@pnutzlaw wrote:

I followed your instructions, but I am unable to reset the remote settings and enter the manual setup.  I get a message advising that the remote cannot connect and it instructs me to pair the remote.  The glitch does not allow me to pair the remote.  When I try, I get the message that it is paired, but the dialogue in the upper right corner of the screen repeats over and over (finding remote/paring/paied).  Ultimately, the message says "setup failed".  The problem is not that the receiver does not pass the video, but rather that the glitch has caused the un-pairing of the remote and the inability to re-pair the remote absent a hard reset from Verizon tech support.  Even if I am eventually able to pair the remote again, the same glitch happens after a few minutes.  Any advice?  Thanks again for your help.

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Try pulling out the batteries from the remote for at least 5 minutes and pulling the power to the Fios box for at least 3 minutes. Plug the Fios box back in, then add the remote batteries when the box is done rebooting. See if you can pair the remote and go through the setup again. If you have a second box, maybe you can switch remotes between the boxes by re-pairing both. Make sure the TV and Receiver are both on through the entire procedure.

[pnutzlaw]

Thank you.  It is working for -- for now.  I believe this has been done in the past, but I do not believe that the Fios box had ever been set to 1080i.  When I paired the remote, it automatically paired with the LG, but not the receiver.  However, I was able to manually configure the receiver like you suggested as the receiver model number was on the list of Denon products provided by the Fios box.  I am cautiously optimistic that this will work.  In the past, things sometimes worked well for a few days until the glitch occurred.  Sometimes, a few hours or a few minutes.  I will keep you posted.  If it is a permanent solution, I now need to decide whether to keep the new receiver or not spend $700!  Thanks again!

[pnutzlaw]

UPDATE:  The remote did not stay connected for more than 5 minutes.  It actually froze as I was navigating the menu.  Eventually, it wanted to re-pair and it no longer controlled the LG or the receiver.  Again, I unplugged the box, took the batteries out of the remote and waited 5 minutes.  It again successfully paired and controlled everything, but failed after a few minutes.  Since this is my third Fiox box, I can only assume that the old Denon receiver is causing a handshake issue with the box which does not show up right away.  Hopefully, the Fios box with the new receiver works flawlessly.

[clem21]

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@pnutzlaw wrote:

UPDATE:  The remote did not stay connected for more than 5 minutes.  It actually froze as I was navigating the menu.  Eventually, it wanted to re-pair and it no longer controlled the LG or the receiver.  Again, I unplugged the box, took the batteries out of the remote and waited 5 minutes.  It again successfully paired and controlled everything, but failed after a few minutes.  Since this is my third Fiox box, I can only assume that the old Denon receiver is causing a handshake issue with the box which does not show up right away.  Hopefully, the Fios box with the new receiver works flawlessly.

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Ok, try NOT setting up the receiver or TV and see if the Fios remote stays paired with the Fios box. Do you have another Fios box in the house like a mini? If so unplug its power while you pair the remote for the DVR. I'd even try going from the Fios box directly to the TV via HDMI and see if the remote stays paired. If that still causes problems you know the receiver isn't the problem. At that point I'd get Verizon to send you a new remote. As far as the Denon goes you want to look in the HDMI settings menu for: HDMI control, Standby source and power off control. Some combination of those settings should work correctly for you, but it is setup dependent.

[pnutzlaw]

I have 3 mini boxes in our bedrooms, but I would prefer not to mess with them as all 3 work perfectly.  I did connect the Fios box directly to the television -- same problem! After unplugging the box and removing the remote batteries, the remote paired and seemed to work fine for about 10 minutes. Then, it froze. I am at my wits end. I really do not want to switch back to cable, but this situation is becoming untenable. Is it possible that the receiver caused the box/remote to permanently have a problem?

[clem21]

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@pnutzlaw wrote:

I have 3 mini boxes in our bedrooms, but I would prefer not to mess with them as all 3 work perfectly.  I did connect the Fios box directly to the television -- same problem! After unplugging the box and removing the remote batteries, the remote paired and seemed to work fine for about 10 minutes. Then, it froze. I am at my wits end. I really do not want to switch back to cable, but this situation is becoming untenable. Is it possible that the receiver caused the box/remote to permanently have a problem?

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No, I doubt the receiver has anything to do with the box and remote not working, especially once you connected the box and TV direct. The receiver has no influence whatsoever on the remote. The only thing I can think of is the other remotes are messing with the pairing on your DVR, that's why I suggested turning any other Fios boxes you have off when you pair the DVR. Saw this happen to someone else a while ago.

[pnutzlaw]

Thank you for your advice.  I believe that the technician who performed my installation hooked up the main box prior to connecting any of the mini boxes in the home.  I should add that I received my fourth Fios main box yesterday and it was that box which I connected directly to the television.  I was on the phone with a very understanding tech support person yesterday when I did it.  He also walked me through unplugging and resetting the mini boxes because they needed to connect to the new main box.  Verizon was already sending me a new remote and he advised me to try and pair the new remote with the new box which is now connected.  If that does not work, which I suspect will be the case, he will have the issue escalated.  Are you aware whether Verizon has a level of technicians who are more advanced that the typical techs?

[clem21]

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@pnutzlaw wrote:

Thank you for your advice.  I believe that the technician who performed my installation hooked up the main box prior to connecting any of the mini boxes in the home.  I should add that I received my fourth Fios main box yesterday and it was that box which I connected directly to the television.  I was on the phone with a very understanding tech support person yesterday when I did it.  He also walked me through unplugging and resetting the mini boxes because they needed to connect to the new main box.  Verizon was already sending me a new remote and he advised me to try and pair the new remote with the new box which is now connected.  If that does not work, which I suspect will be the case, he will have the issue escalated.  Are you aware whether Verizon has a level of technicians who are more advanced that the typical techs?

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Yes, like most other support departments, there are several levels of support. Hope you have the solution in hand!

[pnutzlaw]

So, the new remote came today.  Everything paired flawlessly and is still working.  I did not dare try pairing it while hooked up through the receiver.  Instead, I have the HDMI cable hooked up from the Fios box directly to the LG OLED.  Because the TV is mounted and the cable is installed behind the wall, I had to remove the end of the cable which was plugged into the HDMI Out port on the receiver.  For now, if I want to use my PS5 (or the Denon setup menu), I will need to remove the HDMI cable from the Fios box and put it back into the HDMI Out port on the Denon.  I still have my surround sound because I have an optical audio cable going from the TV to the receiver.  The only inconvenience is that I need to switch the receiver input to TV Audio every time I turn my equipment back on.  I am assuming I can change the default input to TV Audio somewhere in the Denon settings menu, though.  After the remote paired with the box and TV, I was able to manually configure the remote so that it operates the power, volume and mute functions on the receiver.  I opted to cancel my new receiver purchase for now and will upgrade in the future.  I cannot thank you enough for your help and advice.

[clem21 · Accepted solution]

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@pnutzlaw wrote:

So, the new remote came today.  Everything paired flawlessly and is still working.  I did not dare try pairing it while hooked up through the receiver.  Instead, I have the HDMI cable hooked up from the Fios box directly to the LG OLED.  Because the TV is mounted and the cable is installed behind the wall, I had to remove the end of the cable which was plugged into the HDMI Out port on the receiver.  For now, if I want to use my PS5 (or the Denon setup menu), I will need to remove the HDMI cable from the Fios box and put it back into the HDMI Out port on the Denon.  I still have my surround sound because I have an optical audio cable going from the TV to the receiver.  The only inconvenience is that I need to switch the receiver input to TV Audio every time I turn my equipment back on.  I am assuming I can change the default input to TV Audio somewhere in the Denon settings menu, though.  After the remote paired with the box and TV, I was able to manually configure the remote so that it operates the power, volume and mute functions on the receiver.  I opted to cancel my new receiver purchase for now and will upgrade in the future.  I cannot thank you enough for your help and advice.

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In the Denon HDMI menu is an option for Stand by source, use last chosen input when restarting. I really don't think you have anything to worry about by putting the Denon back in the chain. There is NOTHING the receiver can do to unpair the remote. I think the last APR update was the culprit here and the new remote solved the problem. I'd just make sure the other Fios boxes in the house are OFF if you have to reprogram or re-pair the DVR remote.