722k w/ Sling Adaptor, Error 2, can't connect to live TV via Dish Remote Access

[L*F*A]

Hi folks,

I semi-consistently get an unable-to-connect message (Error 2) when trying to view live TV via Dish Remote Access. I can log in and view my TV grid, DVR recordings, and other items, but I usually can't watch a program. I see the same behavior on two different XP computers (with SP3), though the issue was originally present only on one computer (since Dish was installed about a month ago). Then the issue went away when I reformatted that hard drive (i.e., I could connect anytime, any day, on either computer), but then the issue appeared on both computers a few days ago almost simultaneously after being prompted to install the Sling plug-in for Firefox & Internet Explorer. Curiously, when troubleshooting the issue the past couple days, I've been able to connect once per computer, per day, but not more than that and I can't predict which attempt with connect. In addition, I can reliably connect via the Dish app on my phone, via my WIFI and 3G networks.

For additional details, perhaps check out the two pages of thread I've already hashed out in another forum (my apologies if linking to it is poor netiquette here)... but I'm relocating my issue here in hope that the Dish wizards of SatelliteGuys will have additional insight.

Thanks in advance!

 

[TonyT@DISH Network]

HIYA! Intermittent connection issues are typically related to "speeds" and available bandwidth. If it were consistently not connecting, that would suggest other issues. Speedtest.net - The Global Broadband Speed Test can help you determine speed issues (and offers a "copy to forum") when the test is complete. Post back here so we can check it out.

I will say that today there was a known issue with DRA, but I am not sure if its related.

 

[L*F*A]

HIYA! Intermittent connection issues are typically related to "speeds" and available bandwidth. If it were consistently not connecting, that would suggest other issues. Speedtest.net - The Global Broadband Speed Test can help you determine speed issues (and offers a "copy to forum") when the test is complete. Post back here so we can check it out.

I will say that today there was a known issue with DRA, but I am not sure if its related.

Actually, it's not connecting about 97.493 percent of the time, which is inconsistent by definition but is consistent by practical purposes. I've tested my network speed several times before and have never had an issue. I tested again moments ago and the speeds are fine, but I just tried viewing live TV and can't (same Error 2).

 

[L*F*A]

Also, FWIW, my wireless router broadcasts at 54mb and I've confirmed it doesn't matter if my computers are wired or wireless.

But I appreciate your help troubleshooting.

 

[TonyT@DISH Network]

What are the computer specs, themselves? Do they meet (or preferably exceed) these specs?

• PC
  • Intel 2.4 GHz Core 2 Duo class processor or equivalent
  • 2 GB of RAM
  • Video acceleration support desirable on graphics card
  • Operating System: Windows XP, Windows Vista or Windows 7
  • Browser: Internet Explorer 7 or later, Firefox 3.5 or later
• Mac
  • Intel 2.4 GHz Core 2 Duo class processor or equivalent
  • 2 GB of RAM
  • Operating System: Mac OS X 10.5.7 or later
  • Browser: Safari 4.0 or later, Firefox 3.5 or later

Also, if you could try entering and viewing an SD channel, rather then an HD, that would be beneficial. I say that because SD only requires:

• PC
  • Intel Pentium 4 class processor or equivalent
  • Operating System: Windows XP, Windows Vista or Windows 7
  • Browser: Internet Explorer 7 or later, Firefox 3.5 or later
  • 256 MB RAM
• Mac
  • Intel-based Mac
  • 2 GB of RAM
  • Operating System: Mac OS X 10.5.7 or later
  • Browser: Safari 4.0 or later, Firefox 3.5 or later

Give it a shot.

 

[L*F*A]

I can't really watch HD on either computer, but SD is/was quite doable.

Computer A -- the one that could reliably connect the first three weeks after Dish installation -- specs:

XP Pro
Firefox 3.6... & 4.0 (tried both, same results)
Internet Explorer 8
Intel 1.83GHz Core 2
1GB Ram
DirectX 9 w/ DirectDraw & Direct3D Acceleration enabled (AGP Texture Acceleration not available)
​

Computer B -- the one that couldn't connect the first three weeks of service until after I reformatted the hard drive, but then connected reliably for only about a week -- specs:

XP Pro
Firefox 3.6... & 4.0 (tried both, same results)
Internet Explorer 8
Intel 2.00GHz Pentium M
1GB Ram
DirectX 9 w/ DirectDraw, Direct3D, & Texture Acceleration enabled
​

 

[TG2]

sorry... been all over.. trying to help someone else with a similar problem.. they hvae a 922 though.. and right now.. I'm trying to force the install of the newest plugin .. just found evidence there is a v.117 out there.. fist one I had was v.111 ... then about a week or three ago.. there was a .115 that showed up.. and installed from my going to DishOnline.com and now slingbox is trying to run a java script on someone else to get that 117 version.. will check back in a few..

 

[TG2]

There's a new version of the active X plugin (for IE) If you wanna try it..

Click this.. but **save the file** don't run it as is..
http://plugin.slingbox.com/downloads/msi/1.4.0.117/WBSP_IE_Setup.exe

Next.. close *all* internet explorer windows ... then uninstall the old Web Sling Player via Add/Remove Programs in the Control Panel...

Then install the downloaded file.

Then go to Dish Remote Access (login, etc..) the first thing that will happen when DRA opens is that you'll get told it needs to update (the message in the center of the play window) and at the same time ... IE should give you the Info Bar that the DRA website wants to RUN the active x..

you can allow it to run on all sites or just this one.. I don't like the all sites idea in case there's a flaw that a hacker could exploit.. but I'm a slightly bit more paranoid than some..

refresh your browser if you ahve to.. and it should start the plugin without further prompt..

now if this fixes it.. then it was probably the .115 plugin that was having the problem .. this new one is .117 ... and its only about a month or so after the .115 ...

 

[L*F*A]

There's a new version of the active X plugin (for IE) If you wanna try it..

Thanks for trying, but I followed the steps you provided and it didn't work. Still can't access.

Haven't had time to try anything else (I have a newborn who demands quite a bit of time), but will as soon as I can. Would be happy to hear any other suggestions.

 

[TonyT@DISH Network]

I can't really watch HD on either computer, but SD is/was quite doable.

Computer A -- the one that could reliably connect the first three weeks after Dish installation -- specs:

XP Pro
Firefox 3.6... & 4.0 (tried both, same results)
Internet Explorer 8
Intel 1.83GHz Core 2
1GB Ram
DirectX 9 w/ DirectDraw & Direct3D Acceleration enabled (AGP Texture Acceleration not available)
​

Computer B -- the one that couldn't connect the first three weeks of service until after I reformatted the hard drive, but then connected reliably for only about a week -- specs:

XP Pro
Firefox 3.6... & 4.0 (tried both, same results)
Internet Explorer 8
Intel 2.00GHz Pentium M
1GB Ram
DirectX 9 w/ DirectDraw, Direct3D, & Texture Acceleration enabled
​

Looked into this a little further. The error message you are getting is a general one. From the computer specs you have posted here your computers are not capable of HD, and really they seem below specs for SD too. Might see connection issues do that fact alone.

Try running the connectivity test ( TV Everywhere - DISH Network ) and see what it comes back as. It might say network is capable, but the computer is not. I have the feeling computer specs are generating that Error 2.

From what I could find, Error 2 is a "catch all" type error when the issue does not fall into a particular category. Computer specs are not a device issue, so that would qualify. See Post 5 in this thread and you will see that your computers are below spec.

 

[L*F*A]

...your computers ...seem below specs for SD too. Might see connection issues do that fact alone.

Try running the connectivity test ( TV Everywhere - DISH Network ) and see what it comes back as.

...See Post 5 in this thread and you will see that your computers are below spec.

I've done the connectivity test on both computers and the results "you will be able to watch TV Everywhere" and, as you suspected, results also say my computers need upgrading. However, considering both computers are close enough to minimum specs, AND considering I was able to watch live TV reliably -- i.e., every time I tried to connect -- on Computer A the first couple weeks I had service, and then reliably for about a week on Computer B, it doesn't make sense to me that connectivity should suddenly cease. Eh?

Thanks for your feedback. Call me stubborn, but it seems like there's something else going on here. I've been tempted to buy a new computer anyway, but I'll be pissed if I can't connect on that either, and I hope to find a solution/work-around to the issue before I shell out the extra $. But, if you're absolutely certain I'm wrong, feel free to say so.

 

[TonyT@DISH Network]

From what I could see, both computers are running half the RAM required. That could cause issues if there are background tasks running and memory is limited. Best way to check would be for you to PM me your account number or phone number. If it works from my end, issue is computers. If it does not, we can see what else is going on.. Any recent firmware updates on the router as well?

 

[L*F*A]

From what I could see, both computers are running half the RAM required. That could cause issues if there are background tasks running and memory is limited. Best way to check would be for you to PM me your account number or phone number. If it works from my end, issue is computers. If it does not, we can see what else is going on.. Any recent firmware updates on the router as well?

I haven't applied any firmware updates, but perhaps one is available. I'll have to check on it later.
Sent you a PM.

 

[pjsjeep]

My suggestion to the OP is to go to the liberary or a friends house and try another computer. A new one, and see if that works. Will let him know if it is computers or network issues.........

 

[TG2]

My suggestion to the OP is to go to the liberary or a friends house and try another computer. A new one, and see if that works. Will let him know if it is computers or network issues.........

first off... the library suggestion is not a good idea .. you'd be using an untrusted computer system with your user name and password. At the very least you'd have to change your password before and after using such a system.

The suggestion for a friends computer is also fraught with the same problems, but usually less risky than a library, unless you have those type of friends.

Second .... if the problem still occurred on another computer outside the home or inside the home, it still wouldn't prove computer or network problem. If a network problem it would still happen.. now if it were a computer from a user that *also* has a sling adapter in their house, and they are not having any problems using that computer in the other house or outside of the other house network, that computer could test remotely and then be taken to our OP's house to test inside. If it failed both at that point you'd point more toward a networking issue ... which is still where we're at. (I tend to disagree with computer spec issues simply because I'm using less than recommended without real problems, and because our O.P. was using everything just fine until an update of the plugin)

Something I did find however .. in trying to research ways to troubleshoot plugins.. was this about plugin's under FF4 (beta but could easily be a continued problem under RTM)
http://answers.slingbox.com/message/37222

This would not answer why the plugin doesn't work under IE though. (note IE was checked in the other thread our O.P. mentioned on dishsupport.com) unless there's some link to the plugins ... even though different browsers (ie. like they modify some registry info or something that would be common to both browser's uses of DLL's and other binary code?)

 

[TG2]

Another thing to try.. see if the error is any different from Sling's site

http://watch.slingbox.com

There are issues to this method ... but it might give a different error to help track/troubleshoot... the biggest problem going this route .. is that the slingbox often can't see the sling adapter as a sling box.. but other times it does..

Also try this one
http://setup.slingbox.com/web-setupassistant/start/start#

either may or may not work for you.. and again, if you try 100 times, you might get it to work 50% of the time.. I've tried different links on Sling's website for troubleshooting a "sling box" over the past 2 weeks, and suddenly today I'm getting real control options?

and the odd thing here.. as I read more and more posts at Sling's website about connection problems, I'm starting to build a very bad picture of sling ... where it seems that these types of connection problems associate themselves to user ip space (ie. the ip address the user comes from).

Something that additionally bothers me..
http://support.slingbox.com/get/KB-5000268.html

In sling's apps ...

Error code: W107
Connections to your Slingbox have been disabled. Please contact your Sling subscription provider.

that someone could do this, suggests the real reason why our sling(s) have to have an internet connection .. DRM. They find you hacking and distributing signals, streams, etc.. they disable your ability to access the box.

With the disjointed WebSlingPlayer for Dish, and Sling Player for Sling ... its quite possible the errors are not being mapped properly... ie.. is an Error 2 on our side the same as an error W202 on the sling *box* side?

W202 Your Slingbox has been disconnected because of a poor Internet connection. Try connecting again. You may need to use another location.

lots of sideways thinking here I know.. but you have to wonder what's going on since the technology clearly comes from sling, the connections clearly go back to sling, and clearly Dish people aren't the only ones having these problems..

 

[L*F*A]

Another thing to try.. see if the error is any different from Sling's site

Slingbox - Country Selector

Couldn't connect here and after declining to try again I received a message that said, "Your DISH Network SlingLoaded™ DVR can only be watched on DISH Remote Access and your compatible mobile device. Please log-in to www.dishnetwork.com and click on DISH Remote Access link."

Also try this one
Slingbox - Country Selector#

No luck, and this time it couldn't detect my Sling Adaptor.

I tried each method only once.

 

[TG2]

Figured you'd get some of those.. I could link you to a download of the Sling Player stand alone application... and put you through the steps I used to get to the point that I could actually watch live TV through the "sling box" software app ... and that would probably get you to the point I've been .. which is sometimes those links work..

Here's something else.. can you look to see if you have the following folder:

C:\Documents and Settings\ *** your User name *** \Application Data\Sling Media\WebSlingPlayer

if you do.. we need to chat .. log files are there.. in particular WebSlingPlayer.txt ... I started DishRemoteAccess ... started it attempting to play a recording I have of Harry's Law (good show nbc monday nights) and as soon as I had about 10 seconds of *IT* playing (note when player first starts its whatever channel was on first, then starts dvr'd playback) and at that time stopped it.

For that minute or so.. I had just over 1000 lines logged to that txt file.

just cruising through the 1000 lines I see on stop it tore down a temp directory, (scrolling up) see it logging video display size, audio bit rate, box information (Name=Dish 722k ... etc) and I'm going to guess... if we find this file on your system we might find a failure logged there...

** EDIT ** I did this and found the logfile grew, when using Internet Explorer (haven't tried FF yet to see if it accesses the same files)

 

[TonyT@DISH Network]

My suggestion to the OP is to go to the liberary or a friends house and try another computer. A new one, and see if that works. Will let him know if it is computers or network issues.........

Its a good idea, but it does not check the network. Mainly, if a network setting is off and preventing the 'Sling' it won't work from anywhere, and we will have erroneously negated a network issue. We have tried this with a known good computer, BTW (I did it myself) to no avail. It means that network settings or some sort of connectivity issue is likely the culprit.

Now we are focusing on network settings. I mentioned updating MTU setting to 1500 (max) or 1492. The message it prompts is a general warning I believe, but you should be able to change it. The packets used by Sling devices are rather large, so that might be contributing to our issue. Worst case scenario, we have to change it back later.

We should also look for any router firewall settings that might be blocking it. A lot of times, the router will log attempts on external connections that fail, or just list the types of connections its blocking.

 

[L*F*A]

...I mentioned updating MTU setting to 1500 (max) or 1492....

I guess when I told you earlier my MTU was setting was 1472, that was the max I was able to ping on one of my computer. (Sorry, I'm new to this. But I just checked my router setting and it's 1500, which is unchanged since installation.

We should also look for any router firewall settings that might be blocking it. A lot of times, the router will log attempts on external connections that fail, or just list the types of connections its blocking.

I confirmed there aren't any sites listed as blocked. Also, I viewed the log displayed in the router's UI after unsuccessfully trying to connect to DRA and it doesn't list any errors. The most recent entry is when I logged in to the router. However, it does list a few DoS attacks from a couple different IPs within the last four days, such as "[DoS Attack: ACK Scan] from source: 199.59.163.36, port 80, Wednesday, April 06,2011 13:26:33." I can't verify all of the times listed, but at a glance they don't appear to correspond with DRA connection attempts.