# HR-44 seems to freeze



## t_h (Mar 7, 2008)

I just got an HR44 a couple of weeks ago to replace an HR-24. I also have another HR-24 hooked up. In about three weeks I went to watch tv and the Genie won't power on from the remote or front panel and its recordings don't show on the playlist on the HR-24. Needs an RBR or power plug pull to reboot. Odd because it works fine for a week or more and then goes into this state. Sort of doubtful that its a hardware problem since I think a hardware issue would pop up more than once a week. Only thing I think might be correlated is before it went out to lunch on both occasions, I'd gone into 'other stuff you might like' from the main menu and picked a few shows, it transferred what appears to be stuff it had already recorded for me into my playlist, and I'd told it to download some on-demand movies from the usual premium channels (hbo, showtime).

Anyone else see this or know of a way to avoid the freezeup? I'd swap the unit out but really doesn't smell like hardware to me and I just put 9000 recordings and series links on it and have a ton of shows recorded.


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## SkersR1 (Jul 10, 2007)

t_h said:


> I just got an HR44 a couple of weeks ago to replace an HR-24. I also have another HR-24 hooked up. In about three weeks I went to watch tv and the Genie won't power on from the remote or front panel and its recordings don't show on the playlist on the HR-24. Needs an RBR or power plug pull to reboot. Odd because it works fine for a week or more and then goes into this state. Sort of doubtful that its a hardware problem since I think a hardware issue would pop up more than once a week. Only thing I think might be correlated is before it went out to lunch on both occasions, I'd gone into 'other stuff you might like' from the main menu and picked a few shows, it transferred what appears to be stuff it had already recorded for me into my playlist, and I'd told it to download some on-demand movies from the usual premium channels (hbo, showtime).
> 
> Anyone else see this or know of a way to avoid the freezeup? I'd swap the unit out but really doesn't smell like hardware to me and I just put 9000 recordings and series links on it and have a ton of shows recorded.


I've had my HR44-500 for about 3 weeks now and I'm getting similar. I have 2 HR24s in the house as well. I have issues with it disconnecting from the internet and whole-home about every 4-5 days. It has also done what your have described 3 times now including this morning. It has also froze during play-back of a show that was recorded on it's drive. Not sure if I got a bad unit or what is going on, but I would like to get it resolved.


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## t_h (Mar 7, 2008)

I've been running fine for a week avoiding the 'other stuff you might like' and asking it to transfer the stuff it seems it already recorded for me to my playlist, and haven't done any VOD. No problems. Only thing that's been odd (and others have noted in other threads) is the episodes not recorded "due to programming update" and because of permissions issues. I've also occasionally had the also reported problem of hitting the record button and having it tell me I don't have permission to record that channel, but hitting record in the guide works. Only seems to happen once in a while.

If it keeps going a while longer without poking at the stuff that I correlated with the prior two crashes, then I think its something in those sections of the code. Still would find it hard to believe its hardware when it runs for a week or more with no problems.

Other weird thing I'm getting is that since I connected the Genie, my asus ac66r router has been dropping its wireless network about 2-3 times a week. IIRC the genie has its own built in wireless to stream to wireless clients? I don't have any of those and the receiver is 3' from the router. Any way to turn that off? I can't imagine why I'd want to spend the same amount per month on a wireless client as an HR24, but I don't have mounted tv's and an aversion to wires.


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## Laxguy (Dec 2, 2010)

The HR44 itself can connect to WiFi, but ethernet wire is better. The Genie clients don't stream directly from a Genie via WiFi, but require a separate unit for that.

If your Genie is connected via wireless now, connect via ethernet, and rerun network settings.


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## peds48 (Jan 11, 2008)

t_h said:


> IIRC the genie has its own built in wireless to stream to wireless clients?


No, the wireless clients uses a separate access point knows as Wireless Video Bridge that connects to the SWM network. The Wireless Video Bridge creates a separate 5Ghz wireless network for the wireless mini to use. This is separate and distinct from your own wireless LAN network


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## NR4P (Jan 16, 2007)

One issue that will cause such problems is poor signal strength.
Provide feedback on 99c, 101, 103ca and 103cb SATS.

If anything is in the 70s or below, that's another contributor.

Alternatively, it reminds me of HR34 problems with internet conflicts.
If there are internet connectivity problems, it can cause the Genie to freeze and disconnect from the network.

Easy test
Remove internet connectivity from the HR44
Pull the eithernet cable or if you have wireless, reset it.
And if you have a CCK or DECA, disconnect it from the internet

Not saying remove clients, just the public internet connection.

Reboot it.

If things settle down and work smoothly for a few days, then you have a home networking issue.


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## t_h (Mar 7, 2008)

Its connected via ethernet. I don't even see an option to connect it wirelessly. My router 'lost' its wireless again this morning but was fine after a reboot. I did a VOD download last night for the first time in a week, which is when my router lost its wireless last.

What sorts of 'home networking issues'? I haven't had any trouble with anything other than the genie freezing up dark and wireless clients losing their ability to see the routers wireless network and connect to it. Both of those do seem to be correlated to doing a video on demand download and/or seeing 'other shows you may like' and having it add those recordings it made on its own to my playlist.

Only change in the entire system was removing an HR24 and installing the HR44 in its place with the same wires, except power supply.

I was going to move everything into a new cabinet this week, which will entail unplugging everything, removing all the cables and reinstalling. We'll see what that does to me.


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## k_yarina (Oct 2, 2007)

I've had the same about weekly hangs with my HR44 since it was installed, accompanied with it's saturating my home wired network when it locks up - even the 1Gb direct connection between this PC and the router; everything else is through a 100Mb switch. Pulling the HR44's ethernet connection unlocks my network. I originally thought it was a router issue, and replaced my FVS318 with a TL-R600VPN, with no changes.

Sat signal's in the 90s (I'd have to go up a couple floors and check the exact numbers, but >95). I've left it unplugged for extended periods of time, but to be honest don't recall if it's locked up with the cable disconnected.

Just what do you mean by connectivity problems? I retired from an ISP network admin job, so I know a bit (never enough...) about networking.

Kirk


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## Laxguy (Dec 2, 2010)

You might try a static IP, set on the Genie itself. That solved long ago network problems for me some time ago. Then see if its more stable. By resetting Network, or by resetting the whole box, you'll be assuring it's not trying to connect via built in wireless and the wired connection. 

No way should it mess with your LAN as you described.


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## k_yarina (Oct 2, 2007)

I've always had a static IP for my DTV DVRs, dating back to my first HDVR2.

Yeah, it shouldn't mess with my LAN like that. Sure wish I had a sniffer or similar - there were some advantages to coax and hubs.

I've done resets, CLEANMYDVR, etc. Every time I think it's getting more stable it proves it isn't. If it wasn't such a pain to replace it (regular season pass list backup was a real advantage of a hacked DTiVo) I'd just call DTV for a replacement. Besides, like the OP it sure sounds like a software bug, although one HR44 and a single client doesn't sound like a particularly strange setup.

Kirk


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## t_h (Mar 7, 2008)

k_yarina said:


> Just what do you mean by connectivity problems? I retired from an ISP network admin job, so I know a bit (never enough...) about networking.


I ran IT for a fortune 500 and did networking gigs with companies like 3Com and Banyan and Intel.

The three things I've seen are 3 instances of the router still working for hardwired connections but my 5GHz network can't be seen and the 2.4 can be seen but won't accept a connection. 2 instances of the router running but couldn't see the ISP, while cable modem says it has a connection. and one instance of the router lights being all happy but I couldn't even connect to the admin console.

Zero problems for many months before the genie. I'd hate to think it requires a static IP in this day and age, nor can I imagine how it could 'stun' the router as I mentioned above. I did hear a few things about improperly formed packets and it persistently trying to use its own local '169.x.x.x' network. Still, bizarre if that's hitting my router.

No instances of the genie going dark/dead since I stopped going to 'other programs you might like' and having it move stuff to my playlist that it had already recorded. So unless it pops back up again, there's something in that area of code that seems to crash the genie soon after using it. I can try going in there and fiddling with that and see if the genie goes dead again.

I also downloaded the latest 'merlin' firmware for my router and did a clean reconfigure on it. The merlin version has a lot of bug fixes that asus seems to not get around to fixing. I'm also (maybe today) going to move everything to a new cabinet which will require unplugging about 30 network cables, the router, modem, all the dvr's, roku players, pc's, xboxen, several switches, the directv moca router thingy, the power inserter, etc. I'll check all the cables and connections as I go. Maybe I'll find something.

I also cleaned out the router logs so next time it starts flaking out I can check in there to see what problems may have been reported. Haven't done that yet, I usually just hit the reset button on the router to get it back. Also may be some issues with my ISP (comcast). My whole line went down a couple of months ago and they had to trench and lay a new cable. If mine went bad its possible someone elses line is going south and putting some noise in the system.


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## t_h (Mar 7, 2008)

And what the heck is CLEANMYDVR? I googled it, didn't see anything other than deleting all the shows. Is that some sort of special command that does something beneficial? I'll look more on this site when I get back later.


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## Laxguy (Dec 2, 2010)

If you mean "CLEARMYBOX", it does what a double menu reset does, i.e., flushes the Guide. Possibly re-setting another thing or two, but that's not been identified or published. 

Some are using it as a panacea, but frequently it's the first reset that puts things back to rights.


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## k_yarina (Oct 2, 2007)

t_h said:


> And what the heck is CLEANMYDVR?


Sorry, bad memory  I really meant CLEARMYBOX, That's why I wrote it down and keep it by the Genie - plus it stays in the search history, which must not be part of the magic clearing.



t_h said:


> I ran IT for a fortune 500 and did networking gigs with companies like 3Com and Banyan and Intel.
> 
> The three things I've seen are 3 instances of the router still working for hardwired connections but my 5GHz network can't be seen and the 2.4 can be seen but won't accept a connection. 2 instances of the router running but couldn't see the ISP, while cable modem says it has a connection. and one instance of the router lights being all happy but I couldn't even connect to the admin console.
> 
> ...


My basement office PC is directly connected to a 1Gb port on the router, everything else is through a 24 port 100Mb switch. The genie is connected to a port on the upstairs wireless AP (on the theory the extra hop would tame it), which is then connected to a 8 port 100M dumb switch, then via 50' or so of cat 5 to the 24 port, then to the router. It's all hung when the genie's out in gonzo land, comes back when I disconnect the port to upstairs. Nothing in the router's log. Usually find it's hung in the morning, and figure out how long by the error email from weather underground for the house wx station. I don't think the switch will go into promiscious mode so I could sniff the traffic, so I have no idea if it's to an APIPA address, routable traffic, or just malformed trash.

I've poked around in 'other programs you might like', but not very often. I don't have time to watch everything that's being recorded and don't need more suggestions. I do some VOD - I tend to binge watch individual programs, and use VOD if I get more than 10 episodes behind. Maybe it hangs more during VOD downloads, which I usually leave running overnight, but if there's a pattern it's subtle.

Good luck with that move and recable; they're a pain. I like 1' and 2' patch cables from Monoprice (if they'll reach), cuts down on the danglers.

Kirk


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## WestDC (Feb 9, 2008)

I would suggest you get a CCK (or now called) a Cinema connection kit from D* Connect it to your SWM Block (rg6) then connect a Cat5 Jumper to your (switch/router) then unplug the genie cat5 and let all your receivers connect over the RG6 - it will move all the D* traffic off your local network & might solve your issues.

If you have a RC71 remote set the genie for RF(it can do Both RF &IR) and you won't have any lag or lock up issues.

I'm using a ASUS Router and have a HR44/200 - (2) Hr22's & (1)H21 and all my receivers use the CCK and I have comcast 50mb internet running the current software Ox8C2 on the Genie and I have none of those issue's

All my receivers have Static IP Address that I assigned -I found from the days before Swm and using whole home only on my home network- it's one less thing the receivers have to "THINK" about when they reboot .


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