Cable boxes are often forgotten or ignored after they stop working properly. If you are experiencing issues with your XFINITY Cable Box, follow these steps to get back to normal operation.
What Is An Xfinity Cable Box?
An XFINITY Cable Box is an electronic device used to receive television programming over the airwaves.
The cable box works like this:
A satellite dish receives signals from satellites orbiting Earth. The signals come down to the ground, where they are received by a small antenna attached to the outside of the house.
A converter box converts the signal into one suitable for viewing on a TV set. The converter box has two inputs: One input is connected to the coaxial cable coming out of the wall jack and the other input is connected to the satellite dish.
When the converter box detects a signal from the satellite, it sends the signal to the TV set via its own output.
Resetting your XFINITY Cable box is simple and takes less than five minutes. This article walks through the process step by step.
Why Do I Need To Reset My Xfinity Cable Box?
A cable box has two parts: the tuner and the headend processor. When the box gets old or damaged, it might stop working properly. It could even get stuck in a loop where it keeps rebooting itself over and over. In order to fix this problem, you’ll need to reset the box.
A cable box is designed to receive signals from the cable company’s network. These signals are then processed by the headend processor and sent out through the coaxial cable to your home. The headend processor stores information about what channels are available at any given time.
When the box stops receiving new programming, it will keep rebooting itself. This means that the headend processor is constantly sending out requests to the cable company’s servers asking for more programs. Unfortunately, the server won’t respond because there isn’t anything new to send. As a result, the box keeps rebooting itself over and over.
To solve this problem, you’ll want to reset the box using one of the methods we will look at below.
Steps To Reset An XFINITY Cable Box: Factory Reset
These steps will allow you to reset your Xfinity Cable box to Factory Settings – this is also referred to as performing a factory reset of the box.
- Turn off power to the cable box (if it’s plugged in).
- Remove all screws from the front of the unit.
- Unplug the coaxial cable that connects to the cable box.
- Plug the coaxial cable into another device on the same electrical circuit as the cable box.
- Wait for the cable box to reset. It will take about 30 seconds.
- Reconnect the coaxial cable to the cable box. The cable box should now be operational again.
While the factory reset method is usually successful in restoring power to your unit, you may still find yourself without cable. if this is the case, there are a few other methods available for you to try:
Restart from My Account Online
You can restart your Xfinity Cable box from My Account Online by following these steps:
- Log in to myxfinity.com/myaccount.
- Click “My Services” at the top left corner of the page.
- Select “Cable Service.”
- Scroll down until you see “XFINITY On Demand,” then select “Manage Subscription.”
- Scroll down to the bottom of the page and click “Reset Your Device.”
- Follow the instructions on the screen.
Restart from the Xfinity My Account App
Boxes can also be restarted from the Xfinity MyAccount App, which can be downloaded from Google Play Store or Apple App store.
To restart your XFINITY Cablebox from the app:
- Open the app and tap the menu button in the upper right-hand corner.
- Tap “Settings.”
- Tap “Device Settings.”
- Tap “Reset Device.”
- Follow the prompts on the screen.
Restart from the Help Menu
To restart your Xfinity Cable box from the Help menu, follow these steps:
- Press and hold the “Menu” button on the remote control for 10 seconds.
- Release the “Menu” button.
- Press and hold the “+” button on the remote for 5 seconds.
- Release the “+” button.
- Press the “Home” button on the remote.
- Press and hold “OK” on the display.
- Hold the “Menu” button while pressing the “OK” button.
- Release both buttons when the message appears.
Restart Using the Power Button
You may also be able to restart your box using the power button, and this is achieved in the following way:
- Turn off the power switch on the back of the box.
- Wait 15-20 minutes.
- Plug the coaxial cable into the back of the box and turn the power switch back on.
- If the box does not start up automatically, press the power button on the front of the box.
- If the box starts up successfully, wait approximately 20 minutes before trying to use the box again.
Note: This method may cause damage to the box if done incorrectly.
Restart Using the Power Cord
For one of the simplest options, you can try and restart your box using the power cord – simply plug it in and turn the power switch on. If that doesn’t work, please contact us so we can help.
Restarting a Cable Box with the Remote Control
If none of the above methods have worked, you will need to reset the box using the remote control. Follow these steps:
- Turn the box on.
- Press and hold any channel number key on the remote.
- While holding the key, press and release the “Power” button on the remote (the symbol looks like an arrow pointing upward).
- Press and release the “Channel Up” button on the remote as soon as the box turns off.
- Repeat Step 3 until the box restarts.
Restart from Device Settings
Another option is to try and restart via Device Settings. The settings are located under the device settings section of the My Account App.
- First, open the My Account App and log in.
- Next, go to the “Services” tab.
- Look for the “Cable Service” listing.
- Click on it and scroll down to find the “Reset Device” option.
- Select the option and follow the prompts.
Final Thoughts
If you are having issues with your Xfinity Cable box, try one of our methods for a fast reset, and get back to enjoying your favorite shows in no time!
