Television Troubleshooting — All about TV in our Gulf Shores, Orange Beach, and Fort Morgan Beach Homes
TV not working? Oh no! Let’s figure it out… a quick overview, then we will look at services based on where you are staying (as they vary!).
The TV won’t turn on at all…
Is it plugged in securely? Does it happen to be plugged into a switched outlet (a lot of our homes have switched outlets where 1/2 the outlet is switched from a wall switch). Will it turn on with a power button on it but not with the remote? Probably the wrong remote or dead/dying batteries.
TVs turn on, but NO TVs have channels.
Bottom line here: If NO tvs have channels, there is likely a service outage in the area. You can send an email or text, just so we are aware. The provider will have to address the service issue, just like at home when you lose services.
Some TVs won’t show channels… ah, here we go…this is where we can help most! Usually this is just from someone changing something to meet there needs and messing it up for you, or… a device needing a kick in the head (er, a reset). 🙂 Lets see if we can get them going!
First, WHERE are you staying? Services vary by location.
Night Heron or East 11 Cottages
If you are at Night Heron or East 11 Cottage A & G, then your television and internet are provided by a third party network services provider, SecureVision, and for ALL support simply call them at 251-967-4455 24/7 or, for those with phones provisioned at the home, you can also press the Contact/Help button. SecureVision is contracted to provide all support for these homes.
The Cottages at Romar: Diamond, Emerald, and Sapphire
If you are staying in Emerald, Diamond, or Sapphire in Orange Beach, at the Cottages at Romar, then your television is provided by DirecTV Stream, as part of our gigabit networks there. Each TV has a DirecTV streaming device which provides access to local, regional, and national channels. To see the channel lineup, Go to DIRECTV STREAM. From the home screen, select Guide to see your channels. A PDF Guide is available, and our service is the Entertainment Package.
Troubleshooting DirecTV Stream at Cottages at Romar. Step 1: Is the internet working?
First, do you have internet services? If not, check out our Internet troubleshooting guide. Because DirecTV Stream is a streaming service, it requires internet to be functioning. Fortunately, we have a very solid, fiber-based, gigabit connection, delivering high speed (up to 1GB!) internet which is delivered over a robust Eero-based mesh network. Things work well. If not, try the troubleshooting guide for Internet… because again, no internet at all… no tv. Gotta fix the internet first! Pay particular attention to the Cottages at Romar bit about “not unplugging things…”
Have internet at Cottages at Romar but a DirecTV stream isn’t working?
DirecTV stream troubleshooting goes here… How do we ‘tune’ into the DirecTV stream boxes from the TV (i.e. what input/channel has to be set?). TV is one. TV is set to X input. It should be HDMI 1 but check the tv to be sure that’s what its plugged into because people unplug things to use their own devices…
Set to the right input but something wonky/not working with the DirectTV Stream?
- Confirm your device cables are securely connected.
- Restart your DIRECTV STREAM device. You can:
- Press and release the red button on the side.
- Unplug your device for at least 30 seconds, and then plug it back in.
Gulf & Golf at the Plantation
Gulf & Golf has internet and television services provided by XXX. The internet is generally completely separate from the television services, so it is possible for one to be up while the other is not. If your internet is not working, see our Wifi and Internet Troubleshooting Guide, the section on Gulf & Golf. For television, this is very rare to be down, and likely is a service outage in the area. You may report it to us.
Everywhere else: Gulf Shores (West Beach), and Fort Morgan (all except the above)
Most of our homes are in Gulf Shores or Fort Morgan, and almost all of those use Mediacom for TV and Internet. TV and internet are mostly unrelated at these homes. However, if NO televisions are showing any cable channels, that is a strong indication that there is a service outage in the area (or at least outside the home). Moreover, if there are no channels, there will be NO internet. Why? Because Mediacom is a cable tv provider, and their internet comes in on the same cable as the television stations and generally speaking the television signal is more able to handle connection issues than internet, so if you don’t even have television, you will not have internet. And if you don’t have television (and don’t have internet) there is ZERO you will be able to do to get the internet up and running. No amount of resetting, whatever, will fix it. The cable tv issue (ie. the underlying signal problem) has to be fixed, and THAT involves the cable tv provider. Let us know if your internet is out AND all your tvs have no channels, and we can file a trouble ticket with Mediacom.
That said, the rest of this is for those of you who have channels and operational tvs in some rooms, but some are ‘misbehaving.’ Let’s see what we can do to get those working!
To begin troubleshooting the T.V. Please determine whether there is a black Mediacom box attached to the tv. If so, Please follow the directions below. If not, skip down to the next section: “No Mediacom Box”
Mediacom box is provided
First, Is the light on the Mediacom box SOLID GREEN, BLINKING GREEN, or NO LIGHT
NO LIGHT
If there is NO LIGHT (as shown in picture), check that the power cord is plugged into the Mediacom box AND into the wall. If not, please plug them in. If they are, please unplug them and plug them back in to reset the Mediacom box. It should start blinking and then become solid green. If it does not light up, it is not receiving power, which could be a bad plug, a bad outlet (not likely) or a shorted out cable box. Please send us a service request.
BLINKING GREEN LIGHT
If the green light is BLINKING, check your cables (both the power and the cable tv cable) and make sure that they are attached correctly at both ends (wall and device). Unplug the Digital Adapter, plug it back in, then wait five minutes for it to reset. The green light should be solid at this point. If not, Please contact the office.
SOLID LIGHT
If the light is SOLID (as shown Below) and you still are not getting channels, Check that the TV is set to the proper HDMI input or tuned to the proper channel (Ch 3 or Ch 4).
If it is using an HDMI cable from the DTA to the TV, check which HDMI input it is in, and be sure the TV is set to that HDMI input (using the TV remote).
If it is NOT using an HDMI cable from the DTA to the TV (that is, if it uses a ‘cable’ cable), please make sure the tv itself is on CHANNEL 3 and that the switch on the back of the Mediacom box is ALSO set to Channel 3. Both need to be on 3 in order to have a signal. (They can ALSO both be on 4, but… they need to match, and cannot be one on 3 and one on 4…). Make the channels match!
DTA GUIDE: More than you ever wanted to know about Mediacom’s DTA
You must use the Mediacom remote
If you have Signal, and are wondering how to change the MEDIACOM CHANNELS, you have to use the MEDIACOM REMOTE. IF YOU USE THE REGULAR TV REMOTE, THAT CHANGES THE MAIN CHANNEL ON THE TV AND WILL CAUSE SIGNAL TO BE LOST (as it will no longer be on Channel 3 or the correct HDMI input and you’ll have to put it back).
NO Mediacom Box
Does the TV turn on at all?
Be sure you have the correct remote and it is controlling the TV. You may be able to find a manual power button on the TV. If the remote isn’t working but the power button does, then its either the wrong remote OR the batteries are dead. Although housekeeping tries to put remotes back, sometimes the go walkabout in the homes–we have no idea why they decide to walk around on their own… and the right remote may be elsewhere.
TV won’t power on, even with the correct remote or a physical power button (not all tvs these days have these, or channel selectors, etc, which is kind of annoying)? Check the power cord to the TV and wall to be sure they are securely connected. ALSO, you might change the outlet the tv is in, from the top to the bottom one or the bottom to the top. Why? Because some of our homes have switched outlets (from a light switch at the entry) and if it happens to be plugged into one of those (usually HALF an outlet is switched), then if the switch is off, it won’t work…).
TV turns on, but no signal?
Please make sure the coax cable on the back of the TV is connected securely to both the TV and the wall, that is is not loose.
Once tv is on, and you are sure it is connected to the cable securely, Please make sure the tv is on the Correct Input (WHICH SHOULD BE TV) or IF you have RokuTV, Please make sure to choose LIVE TV.
-If the TV is not a Smart TV, and TV is showing no signal, please do a Channel scan by going to
- MENU
- CHANNELS
- SCAN FOR CHANNELS
- CABLE
- START
-If the TV is a Smart ROKU tv, Please choose the following to restore Signal TV Inputs
- Live TV
- Scan for channels
If you have completed either the TV or RokuTV channel scan (as applicable to your tv), and after scanning is complete, you are still showing NO SIGNAL or have no channels, and you checked that the RG6 cable is securely connected to both the TV and the wall, then please send the office a note.
If after troubleshooting the above, things still are not working, send us an email or text, and we can open a trouble ticket. Be sure to include
- the full unit name,
- the room with the problematic TV (or rooms if more than one)
- the reservation # and/or name of the primary guest,
- a brief description of the problem and what you tried to do to fix it.
We will have someone reach out to assist you.
