This HOW TO article covers a specific problem that may cause cable service to drop for some Eastlink subscribers. If you have this issue, trying these steps could result in a quick fix. If all else fails, you're going to need to call EastLink's tech support line as usual. If they're not able to resolve the problem, they will send out technicians (free of charge) typically within the week. Don't forget to ask for a refund on your cable bill for the days of service missed.

We have Eastlink cable and Internet with the Maestro DVR. When installing our service, the technicians recommended that we install their wireless receivers (shown in the image above). This lets us have cable on several TVs in the house without needing to run any cables directly to them. The wireless receivers we have are ARRIS model IP-815W units. Each of our three TVs in the house has one of these.

Problem: On a near weekly basis, one or more of our TVs lose their cable service. Sometimes it's all of them at once. Though the technicians (by way of telephone support) often recommend unplugging the units and restarting them, this typically does not work for us. We've had three different in-home service visits, and have had the boxes changed at least twice. However, this does not prevent the problem from happening again.

Having tech support tell us to pull the plugs on every box in the house, only to have it fail to restore our cable, obviously isn't a good use of our time. After it fails to restore service, they have to send out technicians, and we've been reimbursed on a prorated basis for the days our cable was not working. Note: You have to ask for the refund.

However, there is a method of restoring cable service to the wireless boxes in about a minute.

I don't know why tech support has never instructed us to try this method. However, out of frustration, I reviewed all settings and determined this easy fix on my own.

When the cable service to the wireless boxes drop, it's not because they aren't getting a wi-fi signal from the main Eastlink cable box (ARRIS DG3270) that serves all of our TVs.

It's because it somehow loses the ability to detect the Media Gateway.

See the following error status:

If you have the wireless units and see this error when your cable drops, the following solution will likely work for you.

Basic Solution: We reset the wireless connection. When it connects again, it will rediscover the Media Gateway that it could not find at the time your cable went down.

Step 1 - Get Your Main Cable Box Ready to Have The Wireless Boxes Connect To It

The step itself sounds much more complex than it is. Just press the WPS button on the main cable box.

That will temporarily make it open for your wireless boxes to connect to it. See below for where to find the button. This photo is for the ARRIS DG3270 unit.

Step 2 - On Your TV, Go To Your Settings for "Wireless Network Setup"

If you're not certain where to find your settings, you'll need to explore with your remote. When you find the Gear icon, it will load a list of settings that you can change. We're interested in the Wireless Network Setup settings.

If your cable has dropped, what you'll likely see is a screen with information similar to the following. Basically, it's telling us that our Media Gateway is Unavailable. That is exactly what we need to fix to restore cable to the TV.

Fortunately, your solution is also found on this same settings page.

Step 3 - Select "connect using wps"

Now you will realize why we selected the "WPS" button on your main cable box. Now the task is to tell your wireless receiver to connect to it again. And when it does, within 30-60 seconds, your cable should be restored. Note: You will have to do this for each TV with a wireless receiver box that isn't working.

Step 4 - Wait Until It Reconnects, Then Check To See If Cable Is Restored

As long as you didn't wait too long between Steps 1 and 4, this should work for you and cable will be restored. If it doesn't let you reconnect, make sure you repeat the steps.

The Media Player will be reconnected to the Wi-Fi delivered from your main cable box. Once that happens, in just a few seconds the Media Gateway will be rediscovered and your cable is restored.

Repeat the steps for each of your wireless cable boxes that aren't working.

Once you've reconnected, go to your favorite channel and verify that it's working for you again.

What if this doesn't work?

Unfortunately, if this doesn't solve the problem, you'll need to contact EastLink customer support.

Is there an another solution?

If your wireless boxes continue to fail, the only reasonable solution may be to have the Eastlink technicians run cables to every TV instead of using the wireless boxes. Replacing the boxes themselves has not worked. If you have cables running to each TV, you no longer have to rely on the wi-fi connection.

NOTE: The views expressed above are my own and do not represent lokol (goCapeBreton.com). Read more