Wrong local channels

One of the boxes that was correct switched back to Paducah about an hour ago. The wife is bending my ear (rightly so) because with what ever they have messed up, we cannot record any network stuff. It (the recordings) show up in the library, but gives the error that the provider only gives the content to the local area. So right now we cannot record any network channels for later viewing. All the boxes give the same error.

So the box knows you are getting the wrong locals. Hmm.

yea, so if this was a series set to record before last week, it still shows up in the library, but when you click to watch you get the exclamation mark with the statement that the owner of this content has not made it available to stream in this area.

If i am on the Paducah Ky channel and hit record right now I get a "

looks like something went wrong. We couldn't set the recording you requested message.

Bottom line, if it is on network, I have to watch it live. 

The customer service rep asked me to log in to discuss it further an hour ago, and has ghosted me after answering his questions and giving him all the requested information (which has not changed since this all started)

They refuse to put you in touch with an actual technician who could help figure this out. All just go between folks following a script, that when it fails, they are lost.

I spent 38 years as an electronics technician, so I am not clueless on technical issues and know how to troubleshoot!  

yes, location zip code, billing zip code both set to 63640.

local channels says location zip code  

Checked and it is correct on all the boxes in the house

(edited)

i know we programmed our smart switches to immediately recognize any unauthorized hardware plugged in by mac address. Certain MAC address had static ip from the dhcp server but the switch still had to allow the item through the port.

It would be easy for them to build a database that matches mac address or serial number (also reported to them) to a market area. If that database got corrupted, you could easily end up with this type of situation i am seeing right now.

It for sure is not using the zip code. If it were, all the boxes would work fine.

Update!

They figured out what needed to be done on their end. Once they did, they had me go to the account tab under settings, log out, reset via red button and then log back in. That fixed every one in the house.

Side note, it is a lot quicker to do this if you have a usb keyboard handy to plug into the back of the box. No using the remote and video keyboard that way!

Thanks to Juan for helping get this resolved.  

Everyone have a great weekend.

And you didn't already try that days ago? Interesting. 

@Ludwick577 

Take it easy on him. Not everyone is a tech expert. Geez! 

@Ludwick577 

What didn't @Michael63640 try? As I read his post he reset his device after the provider fixed something on their end, so what didn't @Michael63640 try?

If you read the entire thread, we started at day one with both the hard reset option and the log out and back in option. Neither of those did any good last week. When we ended up with "some" boxes working and some not yesterday, I tried the hard reset again, and it had no impact.  

The smartphone had the wrong channels regardless of connection to home network or cell only (like sitting at a parking lot outside Lowes).

Once they did their magic last night, the smartphone immediately went to the correct channels, and doing the log out/reset/log in on the boxes immediately fixed the issue. 

One of the boxes fixed itself before I even got to the reset process.

If you look at the entire string, it becomes obvious that the local zip code settings is not the only thing it looks at. There has to be some other data point, serial number, mac address, something that their system uses to identify each particular box and set the programming for that individual box. That is the only explanation when you have made no changes in the house and some work and some don't. 

Juan was very patient and after about 90 minutes he got back to me and said they had resolved something on their end and to try the reset procedure again. What ever they did resolved it and everything was working including my smart phone.

it is what it is, but hopefully it does not come back as it is obviously difficult for them to figure out what the problem was.

Side note, all the recording issues/ watching recordings, has also been resolved with what ever they reset.

The look up tool always had the correct local channels. It was my system that somehow was looking at the wrong channels.