CableCARD Troubleshooting

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Title	CableCARD Troubleshooting

Article Record Type	Troubleshooting

Article Number	000004864

Agent Instructions

AGENT INSTRUCTIONS

KDB Resources:

Before you start troubleshooting the CableCARD:

Check the customer's case history for recent CableCARD or signal strength issues.
Ask probing questions. Does the customer have a tuning adapter? Is their cabling securely connected? Has anything in their setup changed recently?
Check the BSM for any relevant lineup/signal/network info.

IMPORTANT: Offer a three way call if:

The customer requests one.
The customer is setting up a series 5 or newer TiVo.
The customer is calling back about about the same issue.

Templates for the CableCARD numbers (for your case notes):

Motorola M-Card

Motorola S-Card

Troubleshooting:

Con (should say 'Yes'):
Val (should say 'V'):
Auth: (should say 'S'):
CCI (0x00 to 0x07):
VCTID (greater than 0):
OOB Msgs (increasing?):

CableCARD info:

CableCARD ID (13 digits):

Host ID (13 digits):

Data (11 digits):

Card S/N (12 chars):

Troubleshooting:

Auth (should say 'Yes'):
Host Validation (should say 'Valid'):
CCI (0x00 to 0x07):
Status (should say TUNED_STATE):
OOB Msgs (increasing?):

CableCARD info:

Host ID (13 digits):

Data (11 digits):

Card S/N (12 chars):

Cisco/SA (M-Card and S-Card)

Conax M-Card

Troubleshooting:

Status (should say 'Ready'):
Active program authorization (#-#-Ent):
DAVIC Status (should say 'Locked'):
CP Auth Status (should say 'CP Auth Received'):
CCI byte (0x00 to 0x07):

CableCARD Info:

CableCARD ID (13 digits):

Host ID (13 digits):

SL No: (9 chars):

Troubleshooting:

SI table Counter (increasing?):
Sync Lock (should say 'Yes'):
ECM Status (should say 'access granted'):
Level (should say 'FREE'):
Copy Protection*:

*(should read 'Validated, validation message is received, authenticated, and the IDs match those in the current binding')

CableCARD Info:

CableCARD ID (13 digits):

Host ID (13 digits):

SmartCard ID (12 digits):

NDS M-Card

NDS S-Card

CableCARD Info:

CableCARD ID (13 digits):

Host ID (13 digits):

SLNo (serial number):

CableCARD Info:

CableCARD ID (13 digits):

Host ID (13 digits):

L2 Instructions

Symptom

Some of the error codes related to CableCARDs are:
V58: Error Code - "This channel is not authorized. Contact (your cable provider) for more information."
The error is displayed when tuning to a channel, entering Live TV, selecting a program in the Guide. This message means the data is locked for that cable channel.

D256/TA07 - "Channel Temporary Unavailable."
The message is displayed if a channel is temporarily unavailable and the user may try tuning to the channel again.

Resolution

Check your setup

Before you go into the CableCARD troubleshooting process, check these common issues first:

Make sure the CableCARD is fully inserted.
Make sure your coax cables and connections are in good working order.
If you have a tuning adapter, see Tuning Adapter: Troubleshooting.
If you have recently moved or changed cable providers, you might need to Repeat Guided Setup for the new cable lineup. (Make sure you have your new provider's CableCARD as well!)
Check your signal strength and quality. See Troubleshooting Digital TV Signals (BOLT, Roamio, Premiere, Series3) for instructions.
Make sure you have subscribed to the channel you're trying to view, and that it is checked in your channel list:

For devices running the TiVo Experience 4 (Software Version: 21.X.)

TiVo Devices	Navigation Path (From TiVo Home)
BOLT Series & Roamio Series	MENU > SETTINGS > CHANNEL SETTINGS > CHANNEL LIST

For devices running the previous User Interface or TiVo Experience 3 (Software Version: 20.X. RC2) or earlier:

TiVo Devices	Menu Path (From TiVo Central)
BOLT Series & Roamio Series	Settings & Messages > Channel Settings > Channel List
Premiere Series	Settings & Messages > Settings > Channels > Channel List
Series 3 and earlier	Messages & Settings > Settings > Channels > Channel List

Go to the CableCARD Menu

When you plug in your CableCARD, the CableCARD Decoder screen should appear. From this screen, choose CableCARD options (for installers) > CableCARD Menu.

If the CableCARD Decoder screen does not appear (or you have already installed a CableCARD previously), you can either unplug the CableCARD and plug it back in, or you can access the MMI screens as follows:

For devices running the TiVo Experience 4 (Software Version: 21.X.):

TiVo Devices	Navigation Path (From TiVo Home)
BOLT Series & Roamio Series	MENU > SETTINGS > REMOTE, CABLECARD, & DEVICES > CABLECARD DECODER' > CABLECARD OPTIONS (FOR INSTALLERS) > CABLECARD MENU

For devices running the previous User Interface or TiVo Experience 3 (Software Version: 20.X. RC2) or earlier:

TiVo Devices	Menu Path (From TiVo Central)
BOLT UESs & Roamio Series DVRs	Settings & Messages > Remote, CableCARD, & Devices > CableCARD Decoder > CableCARD options (for installers) > CableCARD Menu
Premiere Series DVRs	Settings & Messages > Account & System Information > CableCARD Decoder > CableCARD options (for installers) > CableCARD Menu
Series 3 and earlier DVRs	Messages & Settings > Account & System Information > CableCARD Decoder > Configure CableCARD 1 (or 2) > CableCARD Pairing (tm)

Write down your CableCARD info

You can determine your CableCARD brand based on the menu options that appear in the CableCARD Menu. Use the table below to identify your brand.

(The options that are highlighted in bold type are the screens you will be using to troubleshoot)

Select your CableCARD brand
(click brand name)

Motorola

Conditional Access
CableCARD(tm) Status
Network Setup
CableCARD(tm) Pairing
DSG
Interactive Info

Cisco/Scientific Atlanta

SA CableCard CA Screen
SA CableCARD/Host ID Screen
SA CableCARD IP Service
SA CableCARD DAVIC Info
SA CableCARD CP Info
SA CableCARD Diag Screen
SA CableCARD ASD Info
SA CableCARD DSG Info

Conax

CableCARD Diagnostics
SCTE55-2 Network Interface
CA Diagnostics
Copy Protection
Host/CableCARD Binding

NDS

Conditional Access
CableCARD DAVIC Info
CableCARD CP Info
CableCARD/Host ID Screen

Motorola CableCARD Troubleshooting

From the CableCARD Menu (see Step 2, above), select Conditional Access. Copy the values for the following fields:

Con (should say 'Yes')
Val (should say 'V')
Auth (should say 'S')
CCI ('0x00' or other numbers. See Copy Protection: FAQ)

Press Clear on the TiVo remote to return to the CableCARD Menu, then select Network Setup. Copy the values for the following fields:

VCTID (should be a number greater than 0)
OOB Msgs (a number that should increase every time you press Select)

If you see different values for any of the above fields, go to CableCARD MMI Screen Information and select Motorola to see more troubleshooting steps.
If your troubleshooting reveals that the CableCARD is not correctly set up or is otherwise faulty, you need to call your cable provider to resolve the issue. First, gather the CableCARD's identifying data so that your cable provider's agent can correctly activate and pair the card to your TiVo box:

Press Clear to return to the CableCARD Menu, then select CableCARD(tm) Pairing. Write down the following values:

CableCARD ID (13 digits)
Host ID (13 digits)
Data (11 digits)
Card S/N (12 chars)

Click here to proceed to Step 4

Cisco/Scientific Atlanta CableCARD Troubleshooting

From the CableCARD Menu (see Step 2, above), select SA CableCARD CA Screen. Copy the values for the following field:

Status (should say 'Ready')

Push Select on your remote to check the other tuners.)

Press Select on the TiVo remote twice. This will bring up the Active Program screen. Copy the value for the following field:

Active program authorization (#-#-Ent)

(Push Select on your remote to check the other tuners.)

Press Clear on the TiVo remote to return to the CableCARD Menu, then select SA CableCARD DAVIC Info. Copy the value for the following field:

Status (should say 'Locked')

Press Clear on the TiVo remote to return to the CableCARD Menu, then select SA CableCARD CP Info. Copy the values for the following fields:

Auth Status (should be 'CP Auth Received')
CCI (0x00 to 0x07)

If you see different values for any of the above fields, go to CableCARD MMI Screen Information and select Cisco/Scientific Atlanta to see more troubleshooting steps.
If your troubleshooting reveals that the CableCARD is not correctly set up or is otherwise faulty, you need to call your cable provider to resolve the issue. First, gather the CableCARD's identifying data so that your cable provider's agent can correctly activate and pair the card to your TiVo box:
1. Press Clear to return to the CableCARD Menu, then select SA CableCARD/Host ID Screen. Copy the values for the following fields:

CableCARD(tm)
Host ID

Press Clear to return to the CableCARD Menu, then select SA CableCARD Diag Screen. Copy the value for the following field:

SL No.

Click here to proceed to Step 4

Conax CableCARD Troubleshooting

From the CableCARD Menu (see Step 2, above), select CableCARD Diagnostics. Copy the values for the following field:

SI table Counter (a number greater than 0, should increase when you refresh the screen)

Press Clear to go back to the CableCARD Menu, then select SCTE55-2 Network Interface. Copy the value for the following field:

Sync Lock (should say 'Yes')

Press Clear to go back to the CableCARD Menu, then select CA Diagnostics. Copy the values for the following fields:

ECM Status (should say 'access granted')
Level (should say 'FREE')

Press Clear to go back to the CableCARD Menu, then select Copy Protection. Verify the pairing information:

Copy Protection (expand for more information)

(Should read 'Validated, validation message is received, authenticated, and the IDs match those in the current binding.')

If you see different values for any of the above fields, go to CableCARD MMI Screen Information and select Conax to see more troubleshooting steps.
If your troubleshooting reveals that the CableCARD is not correctly set up or is otherwise faulty, you need to call your cable provider to resolve the issue. First, gather the CableCARD's identifying data so that your cable provider's agent can correctly activate and pair the card to your TiVo box:

From the CableCARD Menu, select Host/CableCARD Binding. Copy the values for the following fields:

CableCARD ID
Host ID
SmartCard ID

Click here to proceed to Step 4

NDS CableCARD Troubleshooting

From the CableCARD Menu (see Step 2, above), select Conditional Access. Press Select again to access the NDS CA Diagnostics screen. Copy the values for the following fields:

Smart Card Status (should say 'Ok')
CA Status (should be a series of numbers beginning with 00 01)
VCT ID (should be a number greater than 0)

Press Clear on the TiVo remote to return to the CableCARD Menu, then select CableCARD DAVIC Info. Copy the value for the following field:

Status (should say 'Locked')

Press Clear on the TiVo remote to return to the CableCARD Menu, then select CableCARD CP Info. Copy the values for the following fields:

Auth Status (should say 'CP Auth Received')
CCI (0x00 to 0x07)

If you see different values for any of the above fields, go to CableCARD MMI Screen Information and select NDS to see more troubleshooting steps.
If your troubleshooting reveals that the CableCARD is not correctly set up or is otherwise faulty, you need to call your cable provider to resolve the issue. First, gather the CableCARD's identifying data so that your cable provider's agent can correctly activate and pair the card to your TiVo box:

Press Clear to return to the CableCARD Menu and select CableCARD/Host ID Screen. Copy the values for the following fields:

CableCARD ID
Host ID

Click here to proceed to Step 4

Call your cable provider

Your cable provider will need to send a signal to your CableCARD to activate and pair the CableCARD with your TiVo DVR. It's a short, simple process that solves the vast majority of CableCARD issues.

You will need:

The CableCARD numbers that you just wrote down at the end of Step 3
The TiVo Service Number of your DVR (found on the System Information Screen)
The phone number for your cable company's tech support department

Note: See Cable Company Support and Contact Info for a list of common providers, or search your cable company's website.

Many cable providers have a CableCARD-specific hotline in addition to their regular technical support teams. These employees are experts at CableCARD troubleshooting, and can often help you resolve your issue more quickly than a regular technical support employee.

When you reach the agent that can help you with your CableCARD, tell them that you want to activate and pair your CableCARD with your TiVo. The agent will ask you for the CableCARD and host information (which you've just written down in Step 3) and send the pairing/activation signals. Once the CableCARD is correctly paired, your TV channels should start coming in within a few minutes (if not immediately).

If you experience problems with the CableCARD pairing process, contact TiVo Support for assistance. We will make a three-way call with you and your cable provider to resolve the issue.

Note:

7 day card provisioning - A CableCARD is only able to be paired with a host device if done within 7 days of the cable provider flashing it with the correct connection information. This connection information is no longer valid after 7 days.

If the cable provider has the CableCARD delivered by a technician, verify with the technician how long ago he got the card. If longer than 7 days, the CableCARD will have a higher probability of not being able to be paired.

Summary

URL Name	CableCARD-Troubleshooting

Publication Status	Published

Last Modified Date	7/26/2018 8:49 AM

First Published Date	1/19/2016 2:53 PM

Last Published Date	3/13/2018 11:21 AM