Troubleshooting TV box that won’t turn on

If your TV box won't turn on, you can troubleshoot the issue using the steps and tips found below. The most common causes are wall outlets, power bars, remote control issues and TV settings — all easily fixed using the instructions below. In some cases, if there is a power/service outage in your area, your TV services may be unavailable for a short period of time.

Restart your TV box

Sometimes all it takes to correct this issue is restarting your TV box.

Power off your TV Box.

Remove the power cable from the back of the unit.

Unplug the power cable from the wall outlet or power bar.

Wait 30 seconds, then reconnect the power cable.

Wait 30 seconds to 2 minutes for the TV box to reboot

Power on your TV box to see if it works.

Note: Your guide listing might read "To be announced" for up to one hour after restarting the TV box. Then, your guide information will automatically return.

Use the physical power button

Try powering on the TV Box by pressing the power button located on the front of the device. All of our TV boxes have a power button on the front, except the DCT 700 and Gateway Portal.

Check the wall outlet & power bar

There might be an issue with the power outlet or power bar you have your TV box plugged into. While you try the troubleshooting options below, be careful while unplugging cables from wall outlets and power bars. 

Troubleshooting your wall outlet

Try plugging the TV box into a different wall outlet.

Locate your home breaker box and check to see if the breaker for the wall outlet has tripped. If it has, turn the breaker to the "on" position to restore power to that outlet, then try to power on your TV box.

Investigate whether the wall outlet your TV box is plugged into is a "switched outlet" that a wall switch controls.

Troubleshooting your power bar

Try plugging the power bar into a different wall outlet.

Try plugging the TV box directly into a wall outlet. If the TV box can then be turned on, the issue might be your power bar.

Some newer power bars have a "master" port. When devices plugged into these ports are shut off, power will turn off for everything else plugged into the power bar.

Use the remote's CBL mode button 

Some of our remote controls have buttons at the top that let you control different types of devices. These buttons are labeled CBL, TV, VCR, AUX, AUD and DVD. If you press one of the mode buttons, the remote control will be controlling that device until you press a different mode button. 

Press the CBL (Cable) button, so your remote control is controlling your TV box. Then press the PWR (Power) button to turn on your TV Box.

Note: The CBL button should light up when pressed. If it doesn't light up, replace the batteries in the remote control and try again. 

Reprogram your remote

Another possible reason your TV box might not power on is that your remote may have become deprogrammed. Access these instructions for how to program your voice remote with Rogers Xfinity TV.

If you have another type of remote, the reprogram steps may differ. For example, to reprogram a legacy Atlas model remote, you would:

Press the CBL button on the Remote

Press and hold the Setup button until the CBL button flashes twice in a row

Enter 1376, CBL should flash twice

Press Power on the remote to test it

If you are using another kind or third-party remote control, refer to the device manufacturer's support website for help.

Disable your TV's dynamic light sensor

Some TVs have automatic sensors that adjust their contrast and brightness settings. These sensors can sometimes cause a conflict with the infrared sensors in remote controls.

To check if your TV's light sensors are interfering with your remote:

Turn off the TV.

While the TV is off, try to power on your TV box using your Rogers Remote Control.

If your TV box turns on, this means that your TV may have an ambient sensor installed that's interfering with the remote. You can use the remote control that came with your TV to find and disable this feature. It might be labelled as Light Sensor, Brightness Sensor, ECO mode or Back Light. Refer to your TV's manual or the TV manufacturer's website for more details. 

Step 1: Check for Outages

If it’s more than one TV in your home that you are having issues with, there could be a network outage in your area. Visit Network Help & Outages to ask our virtual assistant Anna if there are any service issues in your area.

Step 2: Double-check that your TV is plugged in and turned on

It seems obvious, but it’s a common mistake with modern TVs!

Step 3: Make sure your Rogers Xfinity Entertainment Box and Rogers Xfinity Voice Remote are functioning properly

If your Rogers Xfinity Box is on, there will be a white light on its front edge.

If you don’t see the white light, try the following steps:

Press the Power button on your Rogers Xfinity Voice Remote to see if it turns on. If this doesn’t work, check that the LED at the top of your Rogers Xfinity Voice Remote is lighting up when you press any button. If it’s not, it’s time to replace the batteries. Do this and try again before continuing.
Make sure the power cord is tightly connected to the Rogers Xfinity Entertainment Box and the power outlet on your wall. Note: When possible, avoid power bars and wall outlets controlled by light switches as these tend to get turned off. If you must use these, check that they’re turned on.
Try plugging your Rogers Xfinity Entertainment Box into a different power outlet. If it turns on now, it means there’s something wrong with the original outlet. We suggest you contact a local electrician to repair the outlet.
Refresh your Rogers Xfinity Entertainment Box via MyRogers to try to force it to restart and turn on.

- Sign in to MyRogers.
- Select Usage & Services
- Navigate to Rogers Xfinity Entertainment Box Settings.
- Select Refresh your Rogers Xfinity TV Box(es).
- A success message will confirm the request to reset. The reset will then start in 5 minutes and take an additional 5 minutes to complete.

Step 4: Check the HDMI cable

Check the HDMI cable connecting your Rogers Xfinity Entertainment Box to the TV to make sure both ends are tightly connected.

Step 5: Try a different input

The TV may be on the wrong input. Using the TV Input button on your Rogers Xfinity Voice Remote or the Input/Source button on your TV remote, try toggling through each of the input options to see if one of them works.

Tip: The best way to make sure your TV is on the correct input is to follow the HDMI cable from the Rogers Xfinity Entertainment box to the back of your TV and take note of the input it’s physically connected to.

Once you know exactly to which input the Rogers Xfinity Entertainment box is connected (e.g., HDMI2), you can then use the TV Input button on your remote to switch your TV to that corresponding input.

Note: If you’re trying different inputs but your TV display doesn’t show any indication of the inputs changing, there may be something wrong with your TV’s display or your TV is off or unplugged.

Step 6: Remove any third-party equipment between the Rogers Xfinity Entertainment Box and your TV

If you currently have any third-party equipment, like speakers or sound systems connected between your Rogers Xfinity Entertainment Box and your TV, try removing it so that your TV and Box are directly connected. This will rule out any issues that may be caused by extra equipment.

Step 7: Restart your Rogers Xfinity Gateway

Restarting your Rogers Xfinity Gateway is a simple way to resolve various technical difficulties. You can restart the modem quickly and easily from anywhere using the Rogers Xfinity app or by unplugging the modem for 15 seconds.