HDHomeRun PRIME FAQ

This indicates that the HDHomeRun has a network connection but is not getting an IP address from your router. Check to make sure that the DHCP function is enabled on your router, and that either the allowed devices/access control/MAC filtering function on the router is disabled, or that the HDHomeRun is on the allowed list.

This indicates that either the CableCARD is not initializing correctly, or is not getting an out of band connection. Check to make sure that signal is present on the cable line you are using. Also check the CableCARD Menu screen on the HDHomeRun PRIME’s web page and make sure that the card information is present, and that the Card Authentication shows “success”. If both of these are true, please do the following:

1. Go into the Advanced tab in HDHomeRun Setup, and check the Send diagnostic information to SiliconDust support box
2. Unplug the power cord from the HDHomeRun, count to ten, and plug it back in
3. After the HDHomeRun finishes initializing, remove the CableCARD
4. On the Tuners tab in HDHomeRun Setup, set one tuner to Digital Cable
5. On the Digital Cable tab, run a channel scan
6. After the scan finishes, reinsert the card and set the tuner back to CableCARD
7. Open a support ticket. Make sure to include the 8 digit device ID for your HDHomeRun so our support personnel can review your diagnostic data. Note that you do not need to send any files, all information is sent automatically once the box is checked.

First, verify that the second LED from the left on the HDHomeRun is solid green. If not, follow the above steps.

If you are using a Motorola CableCARD, go to the web page for your HDHomeRun device (click on one of the tuner numbers on the Tuners tab in HDHomeRun Setup), then click on CableCARD Menu, then Network Setup. Look for the VCTID, and VCT or VCT Rcvd entries.

If the VCTID is 0, this indicates that the cable provider has not yet initialized the CableCARD. Contact the provider and ask them to perform a “cold init” or “DAC init” on the card.

If the VCTID is something other than 0 but VCT/VCT Rcvd is 0, this indicates that the CableCARD has been configured incorrectly by the cable provider and is not receiving a channel lineup as a result. The provider will typically need to change the hub or headend setting associated with the card in their system. In the case of Comcast, this is not something that can be performed by a phone representative. Either the phone representative needs to escalate the issue to the local operations/warehouse/addressability people, or a tech needs to visit, and make a call to those same people and have them correct the setting.

If the VCTID is something other than 0 and VCT/VCT Rcvd is also non-zero, then please send us diagnostic information and open a trouble ticket:

1. Go into the Advanced tab in HDHomeRun Setup, and check the Send diagnostic information to SiliconDust support box
2. Unplug the power cord from the HDHomeRun, count to ten, and plug it back in
3. On the CableCARD tab, attempt to run a channel scan
4. Open a support ticket. Make sure to include the 8 digit device ID for your HDHomeRun so our support personnel can review your diagnostic data. Note that you do not need to send any files, all information is sent automatically once the box is checked.

Go to the web page for your HDHomeRun device (click on one of the tuner numbers on the Tuners tab in HDHomeRun Setup), then click on CableCARD Menu. Make sure that CableCARD Validation shows success. If it shows none, contact your cable provider, as the card must be validated in order for copy-protected channels to be received.

If you are using a cable provider that uses switched digital video technology (including but not limited to TWC, Brighthouse, Charter, and Cox), check with your provider to determine if a tuning adapter is needed for CableCARD devices in your area. If so, make sure that you have one and that it is connected. Check the Tuning Resolver Menu on your HDHomeRun PRIME’s web page and make sure that it shows success, success, success, and ready, indicating that the TA is functional.

If you have a tuning adapter or are in an area or using a provider where one is not needed, and the CableCARD is validated, please do the following:

1. Go into the Advanced tab in HDHomeRun Setup, and check the Send diagnostic information to SiliconDust support box
2. Unplug the power cord from the HDHomeRun, count to ten, and plug it back in
3. On the CableCARD tab, run a channel scan
4. Open a support ticket. Make sure to include the 8 digit device ID for your HDHomeRun so our support personnel can review your diagnostic data. Note that you do not need to send any files, all information is sent automatically once the box is checked. Also include a few channel numbers that you should be receiving but are not.

Card validation is entirely a function of the cable provider sending the correct message to the CableCARD. The most common cause of problems is simply typing in the wrong numbers. Ask the support representatives from your provider to read back the numbers entered in their system, and make sure they match what you see.

If you are using a Motorola CableCARD, both the Host ID and Data numbers must be entered. One or more of the other numbers may also be needed, though it will vary by provider. You may want to refresh the page after they perform their actions and make sure that the Data number remains the same. If it did change, then this indicates that your provider unpaired or reset the CableCARD. This is not necessarily incorrect, but if they do this, you must provide the new Data number before they try to validate again, or it will fail.

If you are using a Cisco CableCARD, the host ID number must be entered into the cable provider’s system. One or more of the other numbers may also be needed, depending on the provider.

Go to the web page for your HDHomeRun device (click on one of the tuner numbers on the Tuners tab in HDHomeRun Setup), then click on CableCARD Menu. Make sure that CableCARD Validation shows success. If it shows none, contact your cable provider, as the card must be validated in order for copy-protected channels to be received.

If validation is showing success, then go back to the main page for the device, click on Status Menu, then Log. You should see a log entry for the channel attempting to be tuned (the timezone listed will be UTC, so subtract the appropriate number of hours to reach your local time – during DST, 4 hours for Eastern and 7 for Pacific; during standard time, 5 hours for Eastern and 8 hours for Pacific). If you see a line that says “subscribed”, then 5 seconds later a line that says “not-subscribed”, this indicates that the card has not been staged correctly by the cable provider. In many cases this can be resolved by having them perform a hard reset on the CableCARD. In other cases, they need to remove the card from the account, reassign to inventory, then pull it back out, readd to the account, and set it up from scratch.

If the card is validated and the log shows just a single line that says not-subscribed, then the card does not have the correct channel packages added to it. Contact your cable provider.

This indicates that the HDHomeRun does not have a network connection. Please try a different network cable and port on your switch/router. If the issue persists, please open a support ticket.

This indicates a hardware issue with your HDHomeRun. Please open a support ticket.

Go to the web page for your HDHomeRun device (click on one of the tuner numbers on the Tuners tab in HDHomeRun Setup), then click on CableCARD Menu. If the Card Manufacturer, Card Authentication, and Card Validation lines all show as none, this indicates that the CableCARD is not in a usable state. The most common cause of this would be if the card is not inserted correctly. The card should be inserted with the colored label facing up, and the 68 pin connector going in to the HDHomeRun. It will require a slight amount of force to seat the card in the socket. Approximately half an inch of the CableCARD will remain outside of the HDHomeRun when fully inserted.

If the card information is still missing and you have verified that the card is inserted correctly, try another CableCARD.

The logs may show 2 lines like this, particularly when working with the cable provider to get the CableCARD set up:

• CableCARD: message: A technical problem is preventing you from receiving all the cable services at this time. Please call your cable operator and report error code 161-0 to have this problem resolved.
• CableCARD: card indicated fatal error or firmware upgrade (ccio_detect:xxx)

CableCARD: technical error 0 (ccio_detect:215)

This is not necessarily an error. This is simply how the CableCARD asks for itself to be rebooted, which is often necessary for changes made by the cable provider to take effect. You do not need to call your cable provider, as it is normal to see this when they are working with the card, or if a firmware update is done to the card.

When using a Cisco CableCARD, you may see a message in the logs saying:

invalid session 0xDEAD (cchost_session:x)

This is completely normal. Cisco cards are designed to do this when they first boot up. It does not indicate any kind of problem. Simply disregard the message.