Suddenly Poor Picture Quality and Missing Channels After Years of Perfect Reception

[stampman1]

I don't understand it.  We didn't do anything!!!  Last Friday evening, we are looking at television and suddenly all of the channels blacked out.  Verizon schedules a tech to come out the next day, then the upstairs TV starts partially working.  I guy comes the next day and gets all the TV's working.  Then around 10 PM, we start losing channels.  A guy comes in yesterday and gets the channel working again, replacing every wire in sight.  By the time I get home, Velocity channel, the only darn channel I look at starts breaking up, along with several other channels.  They want to say its our fault but we have had cable in the house for 30 years!!!  And FiOS for about 3 years.  We can get bad reception from a satellite disk for a tenth of what we are paying.  Does anyone know what happened all of the sudden?  Did FiOS change their signal?  Is it too weak?  Too strong?  Is there some kind of line filter I can purchase to fix this, or is this a house that can no longer have FiOS?

[CRobGauth]

Did tech replace all coax and splitters?

Is issue with all STBs?

If all coax and splitters weren't replaced, more than likely one of them is going bad.

[stampman1]

All splitters and cables were replaced.  STB's were not.  So you think if I just start eliminating STB's the problem will eventually clear up?

[CRobGauth]

What model stb do you have?

If you have VMS and ipcs, do the following:

Hit d button.

Select my connected devices

Hit ok.

Chose one of the stbs.

Hit ok.

select advanced

Use the down arrow.

Go to page 2.

See what moca speeds you have. Should be 600+.

Also, do menu system system info.

hit info and see what RX level is.

do this one on all boxes.

[stampman1]

I have QIP7100 STB's.  There is no "Advanced" button to select.

[CRobGauth]

Did you try this?

Also, do menu system system info.

hit info and see what RX level is.

do this one on all boxes.

[stampman1]

The thing is, if we had bad boxes, they would have fixed that already.  We had techs come in twice a few weeks ago.  When they leave, things are working perfectly, but as the hours go on, things start getting shaky.  I suspect they call for a signal boost, which works, then they take it away a few hours later.  

I did an experiment today.  I bought a 50 ft cable, connected it directly to the Verizon junction box in the basement, and ran it to the STB/Internet splitter in the living room.  The signal was worse.  I then connected through the MoCA bypass amplifier that added a few weeks ago and it was better, but still a lot of the channels we used to watch regularly are still badly distorted.  I have come to the conclusion that whatever the problem is, it is not in this house and can be fixed, even if just temporarily, with a phone call to Verizon.  I just don't know what to ask them to do.  There is nothing for me to check, nothing for me to fix, no numbers for me to report.  I just have to wait for them to realize that they are sending out a messed up signal and fix it...

or just live with paying full price for half service.

[CRobGauth]

Why was an amplifier added?

Did you do the check I suggested that looked at SNR and RX level on each box?

[stampman1]

A few weeks ago we lost ALL channels. They came in and replaced old splitters.  A few days later we a lot, but not all channels so they sent a 2nd guy out.  This time they replaced all wires and splitters and put that amplifier in.  Bear in mind we watched cable TV for 30 years in this house and switched to FiOS about 3 years ago.  Nothing like this ever happened to us before.  We replaced a few TV's but besides that we did nothing different.

The photo above shows SNR values for a STB and one of the many distorted channels.  I am not sure which SNR you are asking for but this is what it looks like on the big TV in the living room.

[stampman1]

Sorry, the previous image I posted had personal info on it and got deleted.  Here is my 2nd attempt:

[Fairmindedberea]

I don't know if this is the problem or will help, but we experienced a problem which continued to exist in a similar manner.  They finally replaced our (working just fine) router box and that seems to have fixed the problem.   The thing is, my son went through the "new" router box's history and found that it had been "refurbished".  

You may be unaware of it, but if you had anything installed FROM Verizon, they rarely use "new" devices (even if the packaging appears that way).  Virtually all of it is recycled and refurbished.  In other words, you may be experiencing somebody else's problem which is now in your house.  Just a thought.  

[stampman1]

Thanks for the reply.  This is really frustrating watching these guys come in here already assuming the problem in in a house where NOTHING changed, instead of their equipment.  I plugged one TV connected to one cable box DIRECTLY into their main box in the basement and STILL have a bad signal.  But I am still being told to look for old splitters and reset STB’s.  

[CRobGauth]

When you say connected directly to box in basement, I assume it is ont. Are you using any of the  same cables?  If so, is it possible to try a brand new cable direct from ont to a stb? And then run snr test? If still poor, that should be enough to prove it can only be FiOS equipment. Cables can go bad over time. Develop small cracks and then let moisture in.

[stampman1]

Yes, I bought a brand new cable to do that test.  The thing is,  there is something the techs do to make it work for a few hours, long enough for you to think the problem is fixed, then things go back to the way they were.

[CRobGauth]

Sorry to keep asking, but when you say Verizon junction box, do you mean direct to the ONT? Or is there another cable between ONT and this junction box?

[stampman1]

Sorry, I am not up on the abbreviations.  There is a black box by the back door.  Inside there is something that looks like a brick-sized power supply,  below it is something that looks like a brick-sized modem.  The wire from the street plugs into it, there are 2 phone jacks coming out and a place where coax screws in.  The is the box where FiOS comes into the house.  I guess that has to be the ont.

[stampman1]

That is where I plugged in my test wire.

[CRobGauth]

Yes, that is the ont.

Do you have more than 1 stb? If so, have you done this on others to make sure it is not a single box issue.

I know you have gone through support before, but try reaching out via twitter @verizonsupport

Let them know everything you have done.

Sounds like an ont issue. Have you tried to power reset it?

[stampman1]

I have 6 STB's.  I did not try other STB's because one of the things the last tech did was switch them around, trying to see if that made a difference, it did not make a difference.  None of them can show Velocity channel, along with FYI, NFL Network, History Channel or the HD ABC affiliate.  They are all failing the exact same way.  Every STB has been reset, the ONT has been unplugged and plugged and unplugged and plugged and so were all of the STB's.  So my wife will call again, one of us will miss another day of work, they will will look at numbers and reset and unplug stuff, then make that phone call and everything will work... then stop working around 10:30 PM or so.  

[stampman1]

We have had 6 STB's for over 3 years now with FiOS, and we had 6 when we were with comcast.

[Verizon_Support]

What you are describing sounds like a wiring issue as opposed to a signal issue coming into the home. Have we done any work with the ONT at this time?

Thanks,

~Rich