[acreguy]

Thanks, Dr. Dave. I've already tried hardwiring the 2502 directly to the modem with a CAT 6 cable. Bell tech says the 2502 works with either CAT 5 or 6. It didn't make any difference. I bought a Wi-Fi booster and it helps a bit but I honestly believe the 2502 is just not up to the task. Is the 2202 older or newer than the 2502?

The only thing that helps is to unplug the 2502 and PVR at the beginning of each day, and then you wait forever for it to reconnect everything- something else I don't understand with this high-speed technology.

I have asked Bell about a better receiver and they offered up a wired version but I forget why I turned it down. Perhaps the price was outrageous. I really don't remember. I can see why the 2502 is a standard issue for them because there's no wire fishing required. Guess I'm stuck with this piece of crap. A tech at Staples, where I bought my signal booster hinted that the CAT jack on the 2502 may not be for routine use but for bench testing and troubleshooting only. That makes sense otherwise it should have jumped to life after being connected through a CAT 6 cable - more proof that the receiver is a toy.

 

[Dr.Dave]

The VIP 2202 is older and technically slightly slower and I believe it is Bell Canada's wired model.
2202 1000 DMIPS
2502 1100 DMIPS

My configuration is typical for new installations by Bell MTS even now. My sister, also in Winnipeg, has a 2502 and a few 2202s with no problems.

There were some posts in our Bell Fibe TV forum years ago that pointed to problems using the 2502 in wired mode, but I can't recall the details.

If most of your problems are because of Netflix, maybe you should use a different device for Netflix.

I've never used the 4K PVR, but I can imagine response would be instantaneous and the difference with the 2502 would be noticeable. My experience with the 2202 is response time is less than a second, except for apps which are a second or maybe 2 at the most.

The only thing that helps is to unplug the 2502 and PVR at the beginning of each day, and then you wait forever for it to reconnect everything

What problems does that resolve? Is it enough to reboot the 2502? Is there something that causes the 2502 to bog down, such as watching Netflix?

 

[ExDilbert]

I believe you're mistaken,...

Quite possibly. I read some posts about a couple of 5000 series receivers being faster than the 2502. Are they the PVRs?

 

[acreguy]

Hi Dr. Dave,

Netflix is only one annoying problem. It should act the same as in the PVR but it isn't even close. The same thing with the Restart function when playing back recorded shows from the 2502. When you select Restart, the show never goes back to the beginning. It plays from the previous stop point. You must select the Back button and the Restart again before an actual restart occurs. What the heck is with that??

The bigger issue is the slowness of the 2502. There is a lag when toggling through the TV guide, selecting channels, and calling menu items. Funny enough, these lag times are only a few seconds but when you use the PVR, a home PC or Mac, iPad, or other such devices, their speed is radically faster in comparison and completely what we're all used to. I know a few second lag is really nothing but it is eons in terms of computer performance time. If the PVR is that fast, why not the 2502? Why the huge difference?

It's like getting used to a modern-day PC with 32 GB RAM, multiple cores, and high-speed CPU, and then switching over to a 286 from the 1980s. Equally annoying is when I was with Cogeco, my remote receiver was connected via 75 Ohm cable and was as fast as the PVR. Holy socks, 75 Ohm cable was brought out in the mid-60s and is faster than Wi-Fi in this case!! Moving to Bell Wi-Fi for the remote receiver is a major step backward. We deserve far better performance. Why can't a decent speed be obtained using a CAT6 cable into the 2502? It makes no difference, never mind all the software glitches.

As for rebooting, perhaps I could just reboot the 2502. The reason I reboot is because it's the only answer Bell tech people give you.

 

[Dr.Dave]

Quite possibly. I read some posts about a couple of 5000 series receivers being faster than the 2502. Are they the PVRs?

Bell uses the Arris VIP 5662W, which is the 4K PVR with a 12,000 DMIPS processor.

 

[TheNit]

Bell uses the Arris VIP 5662W, which is the 4K PVR with a 12,000 DMIPS processor.

I've mentioned previously that there is 5602 which is the non-PVR version of the 5662. It has the same processing power and can display 4K for those of you that may have two 4K sets (only one 5662 allowed per network). Does anybody know if I were to get a 5602 from somewhere, would it work in a Fibe TV network with the 5662? My main TV is not the 4K TV but I want the most powerful one where I watch TV the most (Pioneer Kuro). The current HD STBs are underpowered and don't display 4K (not that there is anything available) but I want the power as well. I'm switching from Cogeco and am tired of waiting for the DVR/PVR to respond.

 

[Dr.Dave]

Does anybody know if I were to get a 5602 from somewhere, would it work in a Fibe TV network with the 5662?

The short answer is no. Bell can only activate STB serial numbers that are its database (STBs that it provided directly or possibly indirectly through a retailer.) If you were to acquire a Telus 5602, it could only be activated on Telus.

Have you considered putting the 5662 PVR on your main TV (Pioneer Kuro). It would mean you that you could only watch HD content through the Bell STB on your other TV, but you said there isn't any 4K content available.

 

[TheNit]

That is my plan. The Kuro is the main TV so I want it to have the quickest responding STB which I assume based on DMIPs is the 5662. This leaves me with the 2202/2502 for the 4K TV but as I said, there's very little 4K material to watch. That will likely change so hopefully Bell will get a 4K STB so people with two 4K TVs can watch 4K on both of them. You would think that Bell must realize this. You can only have one PVR (5662) in your network.

I'm a little old school so I prefer hardwiring. Do you see any pros/cons for the 2202 (ethernet) over the 2502 (wireless)? By the way, I was told that the 2502 may have a LAN connection but it is not supported by Bell. I have 3 TVs, the Kuro (5662 with ethernet), the 4K (2202 with ethernet because it is 6 ft from the HH3000) and another TV about 40 ft away which I'm undecided on. I have no plans to move any of them so the flexibilty of wireless is not an issue other than there being no cables but I already have a coax cable going to the 3rd TV so replacing it with an ethernet cable is not a problem. Cat 6 is generally thinner than coax anyways.. I'm just wondering which STB connection (ethernet or wireless) will perform the best (response time, picture quality).

 

[Dr.Dave]

I'm with Bell MTS and they only use the 2502 where required, for portability or where wiring isn't practical. They also charge extra for it.

I haven't seen any problems with either the 2202 or the 2502, but you can read the other complaints about the 2502. The processor is very similar so the performance should also be similar, as long as you have a good Wi-Fi signal.

 

[Norman_C]

I'm just wondering which STB connection (ethernet or wireless) will perform the best (response time, picture quality).

Wired is always better (or, at worst, equal to). Run your Cat 6 cable, IMO.

 

[TheNit]

This question should probably be in a different thread but...
What connections are made on the HH3000 if I go ethernet? I have a picture of the back of the HH3000. There is a WAN port for fiber input (?), 2 DSL ports, 2 TEL ports and 4 LAN ports. I am going to have a switch for some internet ethernet connections (TV, Bluray) which I assume would be connected to one of the LAN ports. Where will the 5602 and 2202 ethernet cables attach to the HH3000? Do they take up LAN ports? I thought they were somehow separated (wireless TV vs wireless internet) but now I'm a little confused as to where my ethernet cables will be running.

 

[Norman_C]

You will be using two of the LAN ports for the two connected Bell units, unless you add a managed switch to handle TV.

 

[TheNit]

You will be using two of the LAN ports for the two connected Bell units, unless you add a managed switch to handle TV.

So the 4 LAN ports can be used for Bell TV or internet ethernet connections. I've purchased an 8 port switch for internet which will take up one port and I use the other 3 for a 5562 and two 2202s.

 

[Dr.Dave]

Your wired solution should work. I use a similar setup, with a wired PC, 2262 PVR and 2202 STB. Here's a quote from the Home Hub 3000 thread for those that use wireless Fibe TV.

The Home Hub 3000 has 3 Wi-Fi radios - one 5 GHz is reserved for Fibe TV leaving one 5 GHz and one 2.4 GHz for your own devices.

 

[TheNit]

Again I should probably start a new thread but the question relates to STBs. I just called Bell for a quote and when they asked how many TVs, they also asked if I would be watching recorded programming on the 2 non-main TVs. He said if I don't it would be cheaper to buy 2 Firesticks for those TVs rather than renting two 2202/2502s. I have a Samsung 4K smart TV which I've pointed out will not be the main TV so I would only use a 2202 with it and not get 4K. Can I just download the Bell Fibe TV app to the Samsung and watch all Bell Fibe channels without renting the 2202 plus get 4K? The main difference is it would be via internet vs the Fibe TV network if it matters. I purchased a Roku streaming stick for my non-smart non-4K main TV which would use the 5662. Obviously I'm new to this. I currently have 5Mb d/l so never got into streaming.

 

[Dr.Dave]

There already is a thread that discusses using the Bell Fibe TV app on a Fire Stick or certain other devices as an alternative to renting a STB. The app doesn't run directly on a smart TV, so you would still need a supported device for your Samsung TV to watch Bell programming. Fibe Internet unlimited usage is required.

 

[terrorindeed]

I am soon to acquire a Telus 5602W, and will attempt to force boot the STB in the hope that it will load the Bell preload firmware software package. I will report back Tuesday night.

 

[Dr.Dave]

You won't be able to use any STB on Bell until Bell activates it on you account. The same is true of most TV providers.

 

[ExDilbert]

Don't know about Bell Fibe receivers but many working receivers will get a barker channel when not authorized. Whether Bell will authorize it is another issue. Forcing a Telus receiver to load Bell firmware may make it unusable on both systems.

 

[terrorindeed]

I have access to both Bell Unlimited and Telus Unlimited. While I wait for my Telus 5602W, I force reset my Bell 2502 while connected via Ethernet to my Telus line.

Now, since I don’t actually subscribe to Telus Optik, I do not have a confirmation code to activate after the update completes.