CableCard installation gotchas...

[pmrowley]

I had my CableCards installed in my S3 this morning by Cox; it was a snap, and took all of about 15 minutes.

The *key* part of the installation, as outlined by the instruction guide that comes with the S3, is to install and activate ONE CARD AT A TIME. The first (bottom) card should be FULLY functional before you even think of putting the second card in. The installer mentioned that they had just had a tech meeting that morning regarding the S3 that they are starting to encounter, and the common denominator regarding all of the problem installs was inserting both cable cards at the same time, or not waiting to call and activate before putting the second one in. Don't let the techs tell you that they know best, because they sure as hell don't. They're impatient and want to get to their next call so they can have a good lunch. Don't let them push you to "try something else," swap the cards, try re-installing it, etc.

Patience is required. The first card got that ignorable error (I forget the code.) We waited a few extra minutes, and the card came up on its own, after a few messages. I verified that I was getting the premium HD channels, and off we went with the second card.

Cheers,
-P

[jfh3]

Patience is required. The first card got that ignorable error (I forget the code.)

161-4

[btwyx]

My installer decided to do both at once, no problems.

[pmrowley]

My installer decided to do both at once, no problems.

So you were lucky. You can also speed on the freeway when it's pouring rain, and you might have no problems too. Did either of your cards hiccup during install? That could have been a showstopper, but you don't know that for certain. I am offering concrete evidence of a successful install, even after a minor hiccup. I am also offering concrete evidence of several failed installs, and the common root cause among them. You are offering evidence of a single lucky flawless install, when there are obviously many, many others who have had issues.

The point is, you're FAR more likely to encounter a problem if you don't follow the instructions to the letter, which several Cox technicians in my area have discovered. I would take the Tivo instructions as a best practice. If you ignore them, you might luck out and not have any problems. You might also luck out and not have a hard drive crash for 5 years. That doesn't mean it's a good idea to ignore backups...

[btwyx]

I don't know why you're so bitter about this, I was just offering my anecdotal evidence, just as you were offering yours. I can't say I was thrilled by the installer doing both at once, but other anecdotal evidence was that it would work, so I didn't push it.So you were lucky. You can also speed on the freeway when it's pouring rain, and you might have no problems too.I don't know where you analogy is going, with the proper equipment, there's no problem with driving fast in the rain. Luckily, we have the finest equipment available.Did either of your cards hiccup during install?If by "hiccup" you mean throw out a 161-4 error, yes they both did. I am offering concrete evidence of a successful install, even after a minor hiccup.So am I, so have others who did both at once. I am also offering concrete evidence of several failed installs, and the common root cause among them.All you're offering is hearsay, no real eidence, no statistics. The point is, you're FAR more likely to encounter a problem if you don't follow the instructions to the letter, You have no evidence for this.I would take the Tivo instructions as a best practice. So would I, I assume they were written like that for a reason. I'd like to know what the reasoning behind it is.You might also luck out and not have a hard drive crash for 5 years. That doesn't mean it's a good idea to ignore backups...I know that, I just had 3 laptop drives and one TiVo drive fail.

[nhaigh]

We installed both cards at the same time - no issue at all. All worked first time.

[peekb]

Same here...both in, numbers written down, called to activate both at once, all worked. No error codes or anything.

[Roderigo]

The point is, you're FAR more likely to encounter a problem if you don't follow the instructions to the letter, which several Cox technicians in my area have discovered. I would take the Tivo instructions as a best practice. If you ignore them, you might luck out and not have any problems.
My take on the instructions is that it's conceptually easier for the installer to follow TiVo's instructions - but not technically required.

If installers are used to installing cablecards in a TV (*hah*), they put the card in, activated it, tune around to a few channels to make sure it works, and voila they're done. For the S3, it's like you're installing cards in two different TV's, so you follow the instructions twice. They have to use Test Channels so they can make sure you're testing the correct CableCARD.

[dlmart2]

my installer did both at the same time (he was sure to write the number down for each card).. called them in, no problems at all.

[classicX]

I don't know why you're so bitter about this

I'd like to know. Are you angry that other people are getting them working with no problems by installing both at the same time?