IPTV - Expat Vision

[insite]

I have been using the IPTV service of Expat Vision for a number of years and whilst there have been outages or prolonged freezing from time to time this has generally not lasted for longer than a few weeks.

Presently however I am having a protracted problem now going into months.

The TVSP has suggested that the issue was most likely with the ISP however previously the ISP was PLDT and currently it is Starlink yet the problem remains the same. Both ISP assured me there was no issue with their service and both are at fiber feeds of 200 Mbps and with very low latency.

At peak hours between 19.00 and 23.00 I get freezing - it is not constant but erratic between these times - it was not happening during off peak hours but now it has started to do so.

The server generally used is Singapore however in trying the other test channels from different international servers I get the same result. I am attaching a screenshot showing ping test results to the Singapore server which show numerous time out's which i think to be the problem however EV assures me it is not.

In speaking to Expat Vision they assure me that they have other customers in Davao where I am based ( and throughout the Phils ) and they are not reporting similar problems.

I would like to ask if any of the members have a current or previous contract with  EV vision and if so what is or has been their experience with the service.

Furthermore any advise from any teckies on how to deal with this problem would be appreciated.

[Huggybearman]

I have had Expat Vision for a number of years now and find it generally very good. Your problem may lie in the Set Top Box. I did have a lot of problems with my previous set box which was an early Infomir brand Mag 322, and used to get a lot of issues similar to the ones you are experiencing. I was using both PLDT and Globe fibre internet.  About a year ago I upgraded to the Mag 524w3. The improvement was immediately noticeable!  I no longer have problems to the extent that you have but occasionally I still get freezing of the picture, sometimes the picture freezes but the sound continues and also, occasionally the program suddenly exits back to the program guide with the message 'file missing' displayed. In the case of 'file missing' if I switch off the set top box and restart it, the program reappears. With most issues, however, If I exit the tv program and go back to the tv guide and restart playing it usually works fine. I currently use Converge internet and find it vastly superior to both PLDT, which was twice the price, which I have since ditched, and Globe which I keep as a backup. I very rarely use Globe as Converge has proved much more reliable. The only issues I have had with Converge has been when they have connected other subscribers to the street box and rather unhelpfully disconnected mine in the process! 
I hope that helps.

Edited February 5 by Huggybearman

[insite]

Thanks for the reply - are you still using EV ?

Which part of Mindinao are you based and if Davao in which Barangay.

With regard to the box I was quiet some. time back i was using a Mag 254W -over two years ago I started using an Xiaomi M1 box on the Mistra platform - ran perfectly for quiet some time and in different parts of the city as I moved and was on PLDT ( Matina Pangi and Maa ) - as mentioned before it would start to give a lot of problems which could last a few weeks and then come back completely normal with no issues  in the new house I moved to a year back it was again terrible and so after a long period of really bad service I got Starlink - this ran perfectly for 6 months or so but now for the last three months it has been abysmal as is the live support - 6 weeks back they told  me that the best system to use for their service is Smart STB and so i installed that ( https://www.smart-stb.net ) - no improvement - further to this I have Stalker on my phone and this is also responding the same way - particularly during peak. hours

This makes me think it is definitely not the box (s) but either the server of ISP - today its freezing the entire day yet my speeds are right up there - see attachment.

[HappyJack]

 

Possible causes:

Your ISP

YOUR connection to your ISP

Your STB

Their server

 

If possible try your STB somewhere else using your ISP and your STB. 

If there is no problem then the issue is most likely your home connection. 

If there is a problem the issue is your ISP or your STB or their server.

Try another location using a different ISP.  If it works fine u know your STB is good and the issue is your ISP or YOUR connection at home.

 

You can try another IPTV for a month and see if that works.  Text or call this guy. 

09173168660.  I have no affiliation with him, just that he provides this service.  I will be signing up with him when I get back to the Philippines.

 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/296341243133446?_rdc=1&_rdr

[insite]

Thank you for the message HJ.

The point is that the system works perfectly on this ISP and IPTV at times and not at others both on the M1 and SSTB.

I have tried it on Stalker on my IPhone in a different location and with a different ISP but with the same result - I can also connect on a web page on my phone and this also gives the same result so my thoughts are it is either the IPTV SP and ir the server in from Singapore hence my thought to find others in the Phills using the same system.

[HappyJack]

 

Its like an electrical gremlin.  Always a pain to track down, especially when its intermittent. You may want to try another IPTV provider and see if there are any issues.

[Huggybearman]

19 hours ago, insite said:

Thanks for the reply - are you still using EV ?

Which part of Mindinao are you based and if Davao in which Barangay.

With regard to the box I was quiet some. time back i was using a Mag 254W -over two years ago I started using an Xiaomi M1 box on the Mistra platform - ran perfectly for quiet some time and in different parts of the city as I moved and was on PLDT ( Matina Pangi and Maa ) - as mentioned before it would start to give a lot of problems which could last a few weeks and then come back completely normal with no issues  in the new house I moved to a year back it was again terrible and so after a long period of really bad service I got Starlink - this ran perfectly for 6 months or so but now for the last three months it has been abysmal as is the live support - 6 weeks back they told  me that the best system to use for their service is Smart STB and so i installed that ( https://www.smart-stb.net ) - no improvement - further to this I have Stalker on my phone and this is also responding the same way - particularly during peak. hours

This makes me think it is definitely not the box (s) but either the server of ISP - today its freezing the entire day yet my speeds are right up there - see attachment.

 

I am still using EV and am very happy with it.

I am in CDO and both my internet speeds are 150mbps which are adequate for my needs. I could go up to 500mbps but don't see myself needing that kind of speed. I find Converge very reliable.

I cannot think how to assist you further. These kind of gremlins are very difficult to eradicate. You seem to have changed just about everything you can! I hope you get it sorted out, I know how frustrating it can be!

[insite]

I would love to try some of the other providers however the problem with each and everyone is they have a two year lock in and if a changeover to a different ISP is not the answer then your snookered with a contract you done need or want ..........

I think Globe have a non lock in but they just get the money from you in a different way , swings and roundabouts

Are you aware of othre expats using the system either on Mindinao or elsewhere in the Phills ?

 

[hk blues]

40 minutes ago, insite said:

I would love to try some of the other providers however the problem with each and everyone is they have a two year lock in and if a changeover to a different ISP is not the answer then your snookered with a contract you done need or want ..........

I think Globe have a non lock in but they just get the money from you in a different way , swings and roundabouts

Are you aware of othre expats using the system either on Mindinao or elsewhere in the Phills ?

 

Butting in here - if you've changed your ISP and still getting the exact same issues that would suggest it's not an ISP issue so I wouldn't recommend changing ISP on that basis.   When you changed over, did they replace the fiber cable from your modem back to their main box or just piggy back onto the previous ISP's cable?  Another angle - we had ongoing issues for months (Globe) years ago and it turned out the problem was they had overloaded the box and at peak times this was causing intermittent issues with my connection - that was in the old copper days though.  

Out of interest - do Converge share resources with  PLDT i.e. the same mainline fiber cable?

[insite]

Thanks HKB ,

Your thoughts are welcome.

I was of the opinion the Converge indeed piggybacked on PLDT

My current ISP is Starlink - there is a dish , on the roof of 4 story building and so no obstructions , and a modem ( which I have bypassed ) - the dish is connected directly to a three station Xiaomi mesh down through the house.

There is no fiber cable - it a satellite feed.

I think it can only be one of two things , either EV have problems with their servers  ( but that would not explain why HB is not having this problem unless perhaps it is to do with geo location as he is CDO and I Davao ) or there is congestion on the Starlink feed .

Isn't technology just great when it works .................