Picture freezing on 5662 4K PVR

[Bills1]

I have a 5662 4K PVR. In the last 3 months I have had 2 replacements. Same picture freezing problem. Finally a Technician was sent out & he was not able to fix the problem. He told me that it was a new software problem that was causing the PVRs to act up. Bell is now sending me a 3rd replacement PVR, supposedly a brand new one. I am sick & tired of unplugging & reconnecting the modem & PVR. My recordings are freezing up & are not watchable. If this 4th PVR has the same issue I am switching to Rogers. Unbelievable that Bell knows they have a problem & don't do something about it & meanwhile keep raising their prices.

[BellPatricia]

Hi there @Bills1

Welcome to the Bell Community.

I wanted to check in with you to see if you got the replacement 4K receiver, and how everything is working now. If you are still having trouble we invite you to share a bit more information so the Community can help.

Which modem & internet package do you currently have? Are you using any other TV receivers, and is this affecting them as well?

How is the receiver connected to your Internet (Wi-Fi or Ethernet)?

• If you are connected via Wi-Fi you will see the wireless signal strength indicator located on the front of the 5662. What color is the indicator, and how many bars are lit up? 

When the picture freezing occurs, if you notice that not all of the Wi-Fi Bars are lit up or if they are red, that indicates a poor Wi-Fi signal which could cause issues such as what you described.

A few things you can consider in that case are:

• Ensure your TV receiver is not on top of any other Wi-Fi/electronic  device that could cause signal interference. 
• Move the receiver and modem closer together.
• Test with a direct Ethernet connection between the receiver and modem.

Please keep the Community posted and let us know if you need any more help.

@BellPatricia 

[Bills1]

Upgraded to Bell Fibe July 2023. PVR VIP5662W 4K. 2nd receiver VIP2502 hardly used in the basement. WIFI connection. Fibe 50. All bars lit. Never any red bars. To the best of my recollection everything more or less OK until around June 2024. Picture freezing - PVR replaced. Still having picture freezing - PVR replaced again - August. Still having picture freezing. Technician came September 14 2024 & he was not able to fix the problem. He told me that it was a new software problem that was causing the PVRs to act up.  Technician never suggested moving the receiver and modem closer together or test with a direct Ethernet connection between the receiver and modem. Note - strong WIFI signal 5 bars lit green. PVR is supposed to be able to record up to 4 programs at the same time & has been capable of doing this in the past. Presently I can only watch live TV without the picture freezing. If I try to watch live TV & record just one program at the same time both the recording and live TV start to freeze up. With the Fall TV season beginning I expect to be able to watch and record several programs at the same time as I have in the past. I have not received the "new" PVR as of today. Super frustrated. Hard to believe that Bell continues to charge me for something that doesn't work properly and is unable to fix.

Thanks for allowing me to vent,

Bill

[BellPatricia · Accepted solution]

Hello @Bills1,

Thank you for your reply 🙂

Although not suggested by the technician who visited, we still recommend testing further by moving the 4K receiver/modem closer together. And, if you are still having trouble try connecting your receiver directly to the modem using an Ethernet cable. 

Please try out those options, and let the Community know if there is an improvement.

Looking forward to hearing about the results.

@BellPatricia 

[Incredible]

Hello

I have the same issue. I have already changed the receiver 3 times! The only good news is that with this third one the image freezes and then it continues with the two previous ones, the image stayed frozen and it would not move at all.

I haven’t asked for a technician to come, because I thought it was really the receiver.

But reading your post now I understand.

I am wondering are we the only ones having this issue?

Should I just cancelled everything and move to Videotron?

I have one Fire Stick and it seems that using it make things worst.

We changed for one Giga in our internet service to see if things get better.

[Bills1 · Accepted solution]

Success! Technician came Sunday afternoon to my surprise as the appointment was scheduled for Tuesday afternoon. She had to reroute the incoming cable so that the modem could be placed closer to the PVR receiver. It has only been one day but so far no more picture freezing or pixilation. Bell finally sent someone who was knowledgeable & willing to do the work to resolve the issue. The issue originally started some time after Bell switched me over to fibre even though the modem was in the same place as before. It appears that the fibre modem needs to be closer to the PVR receiver. I guess another solution is to connect the modem & PVR directly with an ethernet cable as previously suggested. My question is why was the above not done when I was switched to fibre in the first place & why did Bell keep sending me replacement PVRs instead of sending a knowledgeable technician who was willing to troubleshoot & do the work in the first place. This could have saved Bell unnecessary shipments etc & me a lot of aggravation and numerous phone calls to Bell representatives. I also don't think the customer should have to troubleshoot or reroute cables etc. Bell needs to improve on their customer service.

[FergienFinee]

Five TV has been consistently freezing or lagging when watching.  It’s not limited to one TV box, any one channel or any one show.  It’s incredibly frustrating and increasingly getting worse.  Virtual repair tool did not resolve, rebooting both the boxes or the modem did not resolve.  Is not an issue while watching streaming services, is strictly within the Fibe TV service.  So much so, we are looking at other cable providers or dropping cable all together…..

[BellPatricia]

Hey @FergienFinee 

Welcome to the Bell Community.

Can you please clarify which TV receivers and modem you have? Is the equipment connected via Wi-Fi or Ethernet?

If connected via Wi-Fi we recommend that you check the wireless signal strength. If the signal is poor it could contribute to picture lagging and freezing like you've described.

One option if the Wi-Fi signal is poor is to test with a direct Ethernet connection. 

You can also use the Wi-Fi check up tool to see your devices and troubleshoot your Wi-Fi connections. For more information take a look at this How To: Ensure optimal home Wi-Fi connection with the Wi-Fi Checkup Tool

Let us know if you need any more help.

@BellPatricia 

[FergienFinee]

• We have one 4K PVR and to receivers.  It is all connected via wifi.  Signal strength seems to be fine.
• the cable
• The bell cable box located on the street (not the one attached to our home) is laying on it’s side, all wires exposed.  Does anyone check on these with any regularity?
• regularly when testing our speed we never get the speed we are paying for.  Rogers representatives canvas about once every six weeks and have us test the speeds to show that the speeds are not up to standard.

[BellPatricia]

Good day @FergienFinee 🙂

What model are the other receivers, and which modem do you have? Did you check the signal Wi-Fi signal strength in the Wi-Fi app?

We recommend that you also try the suggestions posted in these Helpful replies and let the Community know how everything is going.

@BellPatricia 

[Fully Annoyed]

I have the exact same problem. I even got a new router, and same thing. Their tech support is useless. Every option is to reboot everything. They refuse to do anything about it. 

[Fully Annoyed]

Mine shows 3 bars for the wireless signal, and a extender pod, and still cannot watch HD channels. Please just issue a statement saying 4K service is unavailable from Bell. Or should the CRYC say it for you?

[BellNick]

Hi there @Fully Annoyed 
Thank you for your post and welcome to the Community.
Have you attempted to move your receiver and modem closer together?
Have you tested an ethernet connection?
If you are referring to the Bell WiFi Pod when you say "extender pod", please note that these do not work with our older television equipment, as the VIP5662 uses a TV specific WiFi band, which the pod does not have.
Please keep the Community updated on how moving the equipment closer goes or how an ethernet connection goes and if the issue persists.

[Arjuna]

This is not a question more of a recommendation to both Bell and users.  More than 2 years ago we moved from Rogers to Bell TV and Internet.  The Internet (100mbps the best offered by Bell in our area) was amazingly stable, however, the TV 4K receiver would work well for a few months and then commence glitching.  Bell's solution was to replace the 4K receiver, which connects via wifi, and again it would work for a few months and then rinse and repeat.  Finally, 2 weeks ago, a Bell technician showed up and connected the 4K receiver via ethernet cable to the nearest pod.  Subsequently, the previously very stable internet began glitching very badly to the point that it was unusable.  I kept calling the help desk usually in the evenings and they were absolutely useless other than to suggest that I reboot, which was no help at all.  

Finally, I called during the day and for my good fortune, the help desk person named Larry was quite knowledgeable and indicated that the 4K TV receiver should never be connected to a standard pod.  He sent over a technician the next day who brought a modem, the VAP 3400 and connected same to the 4K receiver.  That resolved the internet issues immediately and the TV reception is also fine, at least so far.  Had someone in the evening help desks possessed the knowledge to realize this I would have been saved 2 weeks of aggravation, which leads me to my main issue; the quality of the personnel in the after hours help desks (outsourced to the Philippines, based on the accent) seems abysmally low, other than suggesting that the modem be rebooted or blaming the customer, "you have too many devices connected" they have nothing that is value added to offer.

Bell needs to take a long hard look at their outsourcing to ensure that the staff in the Philippines posses the basic IT capacity and are adequately trained in the Bell systems.  My two weeks sample based on calling literally daily seems to suggest the opposite. 

[User561]

did they fix your problem? I’ve been having the same issues forever and they keep sending me receivers but nothing ever works. They won’t send a technician out without charging me $75