HURRICANE INFORMATION

When a Hurricane Comes - Storm Terms - Questions and Answers --Emergency Contact Information

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Storm Preparation

The best way to protect your computers, TVs, cable modems, stereos, DVD players and home entertainment equipment is to turn them all off and COMPLETELY unplug them before the storm arrives. When the electricity goes off, there's no way of knowing if the outage will last for a few seconds or continue until the storm ends and crews restore electricity. Electronic equipment is often damaged as a result of surges when power is restored.

In addition to unplugging power cords, make sure you also unplug any telephone or coax cable lines. Lightning strikes and surges can travel through power, phone and cable lines, and failing to disconnect any one could result in damage to your electronics.

Many consumers use power strips, Uninterruptible Power Supplies (UPS) or surge protectors. These devices provide varying degrees of protection, but they are not fail-safe. If you are using power strips, surge protectors or a UPS, Bright House Networks recommends Panamax surge protectors which include protection for coax cable lines.  Again, the best way to avoid damage to your electronics is to completely unplug them, including any power strips, surge protectors or UPS units. This is particularly important if you are ordered to evacuate, as a UPS can be damaged or rendered useless if the batteries are completely drained in your absence.

Take these steps to protect your equipment and avoid costly repairs:

• Shut down your computer's operating system before powering it down. The procedure will vary slightly depending on the operating system. Unplug it from the outlet. Unplug any computer peripherals like speakers or printers from outlets.
• For convenience, if computers, peripherals or electronics are plugged into a surge protector, UPS or power strip, once they've all been powered down, simply unplug the power strip, surge protector or UPS from the wall. But remember to power down the UPS first, and don't forget to unplug cable and telephone lines from the outlets or the devices.
• Walk through your home, checking each electronic device. If TVs, stereos, VCRs and DVD players are protected by surge protectors or power strips, unplug them from the wall.
• Unplug cable boxes and cable modems from electrical outlets and disconnect the coax cable.
• In case of a power outage, have a portable radio or TV with fresh batteries.

If you do lose power, when it's restored, plug in and power up your PCs and electronics in the following order:

• Plug in your UPS, power strip or surge protector. (Note: If you have problems with your UPS, it may be necessary to reset it by unplugging it, disconnecting the battery from the unit, waiting for a few seconds, and then reconnecting the battery.)
• Hook up any telephone or coax cable lines you disconnected.
• Plug your computers, cable modems, peripherals or electronics into your power strip, surge protector or UPS.
• Turn on your UPS, power strip or surge protector.
• Power up your cable modems or cable boxes.
• Turn on your computers, peripherals and home electronics.

Please note that if you do unplug all your electronics, when you plug them back in, you may need to tune your TV to channel 3 or 4 (or the appropriate video input) in order to receive the signal from your cable box.

Getting service after the storm

1. My neighbor across the street has cable and high speed Internet, but I don't have service.
2. My power is restored, so why can't I see any channels or the Navigator interactive on-screen guide?
3. I can see the Navigator interactive on-screen guide, but all of the channels say "NO DATA."
4. I can see all the channels, but my Digital Remote doesn't seem to work.
5. Will I receive a credit to my account for the time my service was out?
6. My cable service is working but the picture quality has degraded after the storm came through. Why?
7. Why can't I turn my television or digital set top box on?
8. The power on my cable modem is on, but I can't get online.
9. The power on my cable modem is on, but when I pick up my telephone I don't hear a dial tone.
   

1.       My neighbor across the street has cable and high speed Internet, but I don't have service.

Your neighbor's service may come from a different area of the cable network. If that's the case, cable service to the area of the network that serves your home may not yet be restored.

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2.       My power is restored, so why can't I see any channels or the on-screen program guide?

There may be two reasons:

         Some televisions automatically turn on to channel 2 after the power is lost. Our digital set top boxes must have the television tuned to channel 4 to function. Verify that your television is set to channel 4 (or the appropriate video input).

         Your television may default to an audio/video input that may not be the one used by your digital set top box. Verify that your television's video input is set to the input used by your digital set top box.

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3.       I can see the on screen program guide, but all of the channels say "NO DATA."

If your digital set top box does not display or loses the Navigator interactive on-screen guide data, follow these steps to reboot the digital set top box:

1. Press and hold the volume up, volume down, and info button simultaneously on the face of the digital set top box until the time disappears from the display.
2. The digital set top box will cycle for a few seconds before the current time is restored. Sometimes the digital set top box will automatically turn itself on once the current time displays. If not, press the power button.
3. An "Explorer" screen will display followed by the message "Loading Data" if your television and set top box are powered on before the rebooting sequence is finished.
4. Once the digital set top box has finished rebooting itself, you should be returned to regular programming and your problems should be resolved. If not, try rebooting the digital set top box one more time.

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4.       I can see all the channels, but my Digital Remote doesn't seem to work.

If the light at the top of the Digital Remote lights up when you press a button, it is not necessary to replace the Digital Remote's batteries. Otherwise, if it does not light up, it may need new batteries.

Once you have verified that the batteries in your Digital Remote are working, it may need reprogramming. Click for instructions about programming your Digital Remote.

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5 .     Will I receive a credit to my account for the time my service was out?

Our billing system automatically provides credits to our customers in areas that we have identified as not having service for 24 hours.

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6.      My cable service is working but the picture quality has degraded after the storm came through. Why?

It is likely that the cable line feeding your neighborhood has been damaged and may need to be repaired.  To report this situation please contact us.

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7.       Why can't I turn my television or digital set top box on?

Outlets controlled by a light switch - the equipment might have been plugged into the unswitched wall outlet prior to the storms, but in the switched outlet after the storms.

Switched outlet on the digital set top box - if the default setting is for the television to be turned on and off with the digital set top box, this may have been reset when the digital set top box lost power. Refer to your digital set top box's manual or contact usfor information on how to configure it.

Tripped outlet - if the outlet contains trip/reset buttons, power outages may have tripped it and pressing these buttons in may resolve the issue.

Surge protector trips/fuses - some surge protectors can be tripped or reset, and some have fuses. Press the reset button or check the fuse, if one exists.

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8.       The power on my cable modem is on, but I can't get online.

There are other factors contributing to online access. You may need to "reboot" your modem. Follow these steps:

1. Unplug the power cord from the back of the modem.
2. If you have a router, unplug the power cord from the back of the router.
3. Wait approximately 20 seconds.
4. Plug the power cord back into the modem. Depending on your modem, lights will flash on or off at different intervals. Wait approximately one minute for the modem to reset itself.
5. If you have a router, plug the power cord back into the router, after waiting at least one minute from the previous step.
6. You should now have Internet access.

Modem Lights Diagram

Here is a listing of modem lights and what they mean (modem lights and color may vary by make and model):

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9.       The power on my cable modem is on, but when I pick up my telephone I don't hear a dial tone.

• Locate the Digital Phone modem (See Fig #1 make and model may vary) that is attached to your main phone cord from the wall.  If you have High Speed Internet service from Bright House Networks, there will be a connection for that as well.

   

  Fig #1

• Check the Digital Phone modem to see if your equipment has a standby button.  If this has been accidentally depressed it can cause loss of dial tone and/or loss of Internet connectivity.  
• Check the back of the Digital Phone modem to see if the phone cord from the wall is plugged into Line 1 and not Line 2 (See Fig #2 location may vary on by modem).  If it is plugged into Line 2, please remove it and plug it into Line 1.  At this point check all other connections to the Digital Phone modem, wall phone jacks, power cord, etc. to be sure they are all plugged in and secure.  Also check the round cable wire (coaxial) that comes from the wall to the Digital Phone modem and make sure the connection is secure.

Fig #2

• Reset the Digital Phone modem by gently inserting a small object such as a paper clip, or pen point  into the hole labeled Reset (See Fig #2).  Please allow 3 ~ 5 minutes before testing your phone, this will allow the cycle to complete without interruption.  Keep in mind that doing this step will not only completely take your Digital Phone offline; it will cause you to lose your internet connection. 
• If you have another phone such as a second land line (a traditional phone) or a cell phone, call your Bright House Networks Digital Phone number and make note of any error messages, tones, etc. you may receive.  This would also be the information friends or family may have reported to you if they have tried to call your number and were unsuccessful. 
• If you still don't hear a dial tone after resetting or you are getting an error message on inbound calls, please call to speak to a Technical Support Representative to schedule a free service appointment.

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Panamax Powermax 8 Surge Protector

         Protect or Disconnect circuitry handles an unlimited number of surges. Panamax will protect your equipment no matter how big the surge or disconnect the power keeping your equipment safe.

         Eight AC power outlets. All outlets are spaced for transformers. Four Always On and four Switched outlets provide maximum flexibility.

         One In/Out coax connector. Two female "F" connectors. Coax jumper cable included.

         Diagnostic lights for your safety. Ground OK light, when lit, indicates proper grounding and outlet wiring. Power Protection light is your assurance that the Panamax protector is doing its job.

         Lifetime $100,000 Connected Equipment Warranty* Panamax will protect your equipment or Panamax will repair or replace up to $100,000!

         Lifetime Product Warranty (please see warranty for complete terms and conditions) If your Panamax surge protector is ever damaged, for any reason, Panamax will replace it free!

Agency Approvals & Warranties

         UL 1449 Rating - 330V

         Lightning Protection - Free Replacement

         Lifetime Product - Free Replacement

         Connected Equipment - Up to $100,000

         Surges can damage both the TV and cable modems through the AC power and the coax connections.

         Lightning & surges cause over $4 billion in insurance claims annually.

         Ordinary or cheap power strips do not protect both signal lines.

         Serious power surges occur during lightning, wind, or utility repair work when the power is turned back on.

         Tested and approved by Bright House Networks in both field and lab testing to provide a trouble-free solution for the lifetime of the product.

         Panamax specifically engineered the coax connections to exceed Bright House Networks specifications for surge protection.

         Panamax guarantees your connected equipment will not be damaged as long as both the Coax and AC lines running into your equipment are properly installed.

Disclaimer

Surge Protection from Panamax: I understand that I am in possession of a Panamax Powermax 8 surge Protector. This item is warranted and serviced through Panamax and not Bright House Networks. I further understand that Bright House Networks is not to be held liable for this device or any item connected to this device and that I will contact Panamax, Inc. with any issues or questions pertaining to this device. The information for contacting Panamax is located within the warranty information and also on the back of the actual device at 1-800-472-5555.

This surge protector has 4 "Always On" and 4 "Switched" outlets for a total of 8. When connecting the cable modem to this surge protector please plug the Cable modem into one of the "Always On" outlets.

Call 1-888-289-8988 for more information or click here to place an online order.