Actiontec MI424WR Failed Power Adapter with Wireless Light Only - FiOS

I recently experienced an issue with my Actiontec MI424WR IPTV gateway router. And, as many of us who use FiOS or other broadband services, this particular Actiontec router is the router of choice due to the Fiber-to-the-Home (FTTH) design.


This particular issue ended up with me needing to request a replacement MI424WR for my home having a disabled Internet service for two days. So, what happened?

I arrived back from a business trip and powered up my computer to get caught up on email, blogging, and all of that other fun stuff. Once Vista Ultimate finished the loading process, I noticed that the globe, indicating Internet connectivity did not show and my Network and Sharing Center showed it as "Local Only."

I took a quick look at my Actiontec MI424WR and it was behaving very oddly. The light for wireless connectivity was on and flashing so quickly it appeared to be a little dim. In addition, no additional lights were on -- no Power, no Ethernet WAN, no COAX WAN, no Internet, or Coax LAN. Only the lone quickly flashing wireless connectivity light flashing.

I figured the router just was in a bad state. I went through the standard practices of turning the router off and on. No luck. Then I unplugged it for 60 seconds. Still, no luck. Try the reset button? The MI424WR router still did not respond.

I came to the conclusion that either the AC Power Adapter was bad or the entire router itself had gone bad. Then I made a quick call (no hold, wow!) to Verizon FiOS support. During the call, the agent mentioned that the MI424WR power supply AC adapters had been failing at a higher than expected rate. But, that he would send me both a router and a new adapter just to make sure.

The new router arrived within two days, and my connection was back to normal. Great service from FiOS Internet (I have not had the same experience with FiOS TV).

What was the problem? Appears to be another documented Power Supply issue with Actiontec MI424WR routers. The new power supply worked great on my old router.

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Verizon FiOS IMG Update Released. No 1080i fix.

Verizon FiOS updated their Interactive Media Guide (IMG) on Thursday evening 12/12 as I had reported earlier. In our opinion, it was somewhat a calamity of errors, luckily nothing fatal.

First, let's discuss the timing. Why in the world would a company EVER roll out a release of DVR software in the middle of a prime-time evening is beyond me. Verizion FiOS should had done better planning and know this rather than doing an 8:00pm upgrade. It woudl seem they could have waited until midnight.

The outcome for us? It meant that we only saw the last 30 seconds of Survivor, only enough to see Pee-Gee get voted off -- missing the rest of the episode.

Also, while a number of features were added -- the biggest defect in the software was not fixed for the cable (fiber optic) television service. Once I learned about the upgrade and new features, I ran upstairs to my Vizio LCD Television to switch the FiOS mode from 720p to 1080i.

The results? Disappointing to say the least. The wonderful green line on the right side of the screen was there. The much promised fixed to the 1080i resolution problem for LCD and plasma television sets was not included in the upgrade.

So, what was in the upgrade? A couple of new features -- mainly eye candy for us, nothing that we would really use. However, if you are interested here is the complete update:

12/12/2007 09:01pm (IMG Update)

Welcome to your FiOS TV Message Center. We are pleased to inform you that your new interactive Media Guide IMG has just gotten even better! We've improved menu navigation, reliability, visual clarity, and instruction labels.

Due to popular demand we have introduced Reminders and Favorites. Reminders allow user without DVRs to set an alert for a future show so they won't miss their shows. To set a reminder from the TV Listings Guide, press Info to see the full screen information. On the information screen, select the menu Reminder to receive an alert 2 minutes before the program airs. You can set reminders in the full screen program information. Favorites provide you with an easy option to browse what's playing on your favorite channels. To set your favorite channels go to the Main Menu, access Settings, then select Favorites.

In addition, you can order your favorite subscription package like HBO or Cinemax with the click of your remote control. Just tune to the channel you want to watch, press OK to subscribe and follow the directions to get more information or order now. All the channels included in the package will be available within a couple of minutes.

NOTE: The feature does not automatically establish a PIN for you. Please visit your Parental Control screen and setup a PIN which can be used to stop unwanted orders from being placed.

These features are just the beginning. You will continue to see new features and enhancement as we continue to improve your FiOS TV Experience.

Sincerely,
Your FiOS TV Team

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Fixed? Green Line on 1080i with Verizon FiOS IMG

Apparently I am not the only one having this problem. At first I was thinking it was my Vizio 42" 1080p LCD television having the problem with displaying 1080i resolution. Today I found out that the issue is with Verizon's FIOS Interactive Media Guide on the Motorola's QUIP6416-2 HD/DVR supporting 1080i resolution properly and not the Vizio VU42LF's fault.

Here is what I am talking about in the below picture, notice the green vertical bar on the LCD screen on the right side that the arrow is pointing towards.


How did I find out? First off, the problem only exists when I am on an actual channel that is broadcasting in high definition -- say ABC HD or ESPNHD. The problem does not exist on other channels when running in the 1080i mode. At first I tried to see if the issue was with the positioning on the screen. While I could mask most of the issues by moving the screen to the right -- it messed up the pictures on the other pages.

Then another oddity -- my Sony Projection Television did not have the same symptoms running at 1080i, so I assumed it was a problem with the Vizio LCD television. After some research though, I have determined that is not the case.

Basically, because of the scanning / overscanning on projection type televisions -- they are not affected by this particular problem with the green line, and in some cases a partial picture on the left side. However, most LCD and plasma televisions experience this sort of issue with the Verizon FiOS IMG service.

Luckily, the issue does not happen on other resolutions including the 720p resolution on IMG. The picture below shows the television picture running at 720p without the annoying green line on the right side.


What's the fix? Currently there is not a fix for the 1080i resolution problem on the Verizon FiOS Interactive Media Guide system. However, I did speak with a technical support representative today to log the issue on my account. The representatvie stated that this was a known issue and will be fixed in the next patch or upgrade in 4-6 weeks. That and a few other "stability" fixes for the Motorola QUIP6416-2 and the IMG operating system.

I would recommend switching to 720p for the time being and then once the fix is out there, switching up to 1080i to enjoy it without the green line. I will be updating my site once the fix is out.

Are you also experiencing the Verizon FiOS green line issue on your television? If so, can you leave a comment with your television model number to help others?

Update: An IMG update was made to all Verizon FiOS boxes on 12/12/07, however that fix did not correct the 1080i and green line issue. Please click here for the details.

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ActionTec MI424WR Default Password and Reset Information

Today I needed to make some quick updates to my Verizon FiOS Internet service, specifically with the ActionTec MI424WR (or MI424-WR) router that Verizon gives you as the default fiber-optic broadband router for their FiOS service. Depending on how long ago you had your router installed, it is very possible that you may have forgotten the default username and default password for the ActionTec MI424-WR broadband router. In my case, that is exactly what I did.

So, after a few minutes of Googling, I was able to locate the exact information on the internet and wanted to post to make it easy for anyone who is looking to find.

First, let's talk about the default username and password. The default username for the Verizon FiOS ActionTec MI424WR broadband router is "admin" and the default password is "password". In many cases this might not work for you as the the technicians that install them often change them from the defaults. You may also want to chech and see if the default password of "password1" works for your installation as it is a common setting.

So, what do you do now if the defaults do not work for you? The easiest method to figure out the password would be to reset the ActionTec MI424WR to the default settings in order to restore the default username of "admin" and the default password of "password". In order to do this, locate the reset button on the back of your router (shown in picture below circled).


From there, find an object similar to a paper clip and depress the button for at least 10 seconds. I recommend 30 seconds to be safe. From there, wait approximately 30 seconds for the router to reboot and then you will be able to access the router via you internet browser at http://192.168.1.1 with the default username of "admin" and the default password of "password". Warning, of course any of your custom setting will be lost by performing this action!

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Verizon FiOS - It's Working!

Great news to report -- finally, after almost a week of frustrations with Verizon FiOS's customer service, my FiOS TV and more importantly the HDTV service is working. The Oxnard service center, true to their word was able to get me setup.

Overall the picture quality now is pretty darn good. The best news is that over Time Warner -- all of the HD channels are included, you do not get nickel and dimed for every additional channel like HDNET that you want!

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Verizon FiOS - Almost there?

Today I did not have time to give Verizon FiOS a call with everything going on at work and my pending trip to Bangalore, India on Friday. That being said, I had a somewhat pleasant surprise in the afternoon.

When I checked my Gmail inbox, I had a message from the manager of operations for Ventura County, California seeing if there was anything that still had not been resolved. After exchanging a couple of emails with him, I received a call from one of the folks out of the Oxnard service center.

While she could not help me out immediately as the provisioning & billing center was closed, she commited that she would facilitate the closure of the issue, by Wednesday (tomorrow). I must admit, I am hoping this whole ordeal is almost over.

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Verizon FiOS – The Saga Continues

Well today is Monday evening and I still do not have the HDTV channels for my Verizon FiOS TV service. I feel like it is getting closer, but it is still taking too long. Here is today’s update.

I started today by placing a call to the Verizon call center to inquire about my HDTV television service for my TV. After a couple of minutes the call representative mentions that it is not on the account. I mention that I have a HDTV television set but no stations and he mentions that he should be able to take care of that for me.

After a couple of minutes, the customer service person comes back on the line and mentions that their systems are currently down (3rd time in a week when I have been on a call), and the changes cannot be made. However, he would make sure that the changes were made to my account when it came back up. And, that finally I should have the HDTV channels when 8:00pm came around.

As you might imagine, 8:00pm rolls around and still no HDTV. Looks like another night with sub-standard service from Verizon and their FiOS system.

On another note, I was contacted by a Verizon FiOS media contact based on my blog. Perhaps that will be more fruitful than going through the standard Verizon support process.

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Verizon FiOS – Installed and Working, Kind of

Well today, I finally had my Verizon FiOS Television service installed. And it is now here late in the evening, working – for the most part. The only parts that are still not working, and I have to wait and talk to billing on Monday are the HDTV channels. Which, unfortunately are the channels that I care about most and were the main reason for the decision to switch to Verizon FiOS. I get the first 9 channels for HD Broadcast, but not the next 13 under HD National of 5 under HD Premium.

What an experience it was. For all the negative things that should be said about provisioning and the customer service department, the technicians that service that customers are first rate and deserve kudos. It was true with the initial Verizon FiOS Internet installation and this FiOS Television installation by Kelly was a good experience. He worked hard and long on the issues that were encountered, and even came back later in the evening to see if everything was fixed. He even had an HD cable to hook up my Vizio 42” LCD with. Definitely went the extra mile on the installation.

The initial installation went well and the cable levels came up pretty quickly. The main problem was that my Internet connection was still down from the night before and that is what the Motorola QIP6416-2 HD/DVRs require to get the guides working. Not to mentioned, I really wanted the Internet back on.

As hard as Kelly worked at solving the problems, it ended up that my previous evening suspicion was correct and provisioning really messed something up with my account. Basically something along the lines of my setup disappeared from my account the previous evening and was still missing. A lot of time was spent making calls back and forth to finally get it to come back on. However, once we got the “green” Internet light back on, meaning there was connectivity – things still did not work.

Not until around 8:00pm did the Internet connectivity and the guides for the Motorola 6416 HD/DVR receivers come up. And, the majority of the HD is still missing.

Overall, even as good as Kelly was this process has been negative for me and negative for my perception of Verizon.

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Verizon FiOS Installation – A Big Disaster, Mishandled by Verizon

It’s been a frustrating day, culminating a frustrating week in trying to switch from the Time Warner Cable service to the Verizon FiOS (Fiber Optic) Television service that I have been in the process of adding to my Internet service that I receive from Verizon currently. The summary, before reading the rest of the article and series of events is that I as of today – I still do not have Verizon FiOS TV service, my Internet service is out, and I would not recommend going with the Verizon FiOS service.

I had mentioned in a couple of articles earlier this week that I had contacted Verizon to confirm the Friday appointment at home. This is very important because one, I am leaving for a business trip to India next week and two – I needed to work from home while waiting, when I would prefer to go into the office. On both instances of my previous calls, Verizon confirmed my appointment. While they could not narrow down the timeframe from “all-day”, they were able to confirm it.

And, again on Friday morning I gave the Verizon FiOS customer service number a call to confirm the appointment. I was able to get connected faster than earlier in the week and was told that my appointment was still scheduled for some time during the day. However, the systems were down and they could not be more specific. So, I went on with my day as planned.

Around 2:00pm, I started to get nervous because I had not received the “pre-call” that Verizon requires before the technician shows up at your door – usually 30 minutes before arrival. It had not come on either phone number and I was nervous something was awry. I place another call to Verizon’s customer service department and connected with a gentleman out of the Everett, WA call center.

Very quickly, my concerns were confirmed. After asking what I perceived to be some strange questions, he asked me – Do you have television service? I responded no, I did not – but I was supposed to get it today. He mentioned then the system showed my order complete and asked if a Verizon technician came by today. I mentioned one had not, but I was expecting them at my house now. He put me on hold to give ordering, provisioning, and the local office a call.

After 5 minutes he gets back on the phone and says sorry but my order was lost and there is nothing that could be done today (still 3+ hours left in the day) and I would need to reschedule for next Wednesday and have someone at the house ALL DAY again. I told him my situation and that it was unacceptable and someone must come out today – after saying he was sorry, I asked to speak to a supervisor or manager.

After sitting on hold for 25 minutes (it was now closing in on 3:00), I was finally transferred to a supervisor. I spoke with the manager named Jason and he was both sympathetic to the situation and he said he would make a couple of calls and get back to me. I felt that while it was a long shot – there might be something that happened today.

Then 3:30pm came. Then 4:00pm came. Then 4:30pm came. Then 5:00pm came. Then 5:30pm came and still no call back from Verizon and I knew I had wasted my day at home. At this point, I am at the point where I am planning on cancelling my order and switching back to RoadRunner cable service because no company that treats customers this way deserves to be in business.

Finally, at 5:38pm a customer advocate called. She was very pleasant and asked if anyone had called me – I mentioned “no”, explained my frustration and the expectation that someone would be out today since I already had the basic FiOS service it would be a matter of minutes for my setup. She said she did not think that was possible but was working an escalation path to get a Verizon technician to my house in the morning. That was the only possible scenario in which I was willing to entertain still being a Verizon customer. She called me back in 20 minutes and confirmed that Saturday morning appointment. However, I was surprised that not even a basic offer of a free month’s worth of service was given for them wasting my time. Simply, an explanation of a “lost” order – hard to buy that in these days and times.

Everything seemed to be going ok until 6:30pm, and then my Verizon FiOS Internet service just dropped off the map. I figured it had to do with provisioning, and that because of the upcoming TV service something was going on.

I placed a call into technical suppo