I can't connect to my Slingbox when I am at home
Did you hook up your Slingbox and install the software only to find that the SlingPlayer can't seem to find your Slingbox anywhere? See this article for details.
Does the Network light on the front of your Slingbox keep blinking? If so, that usually means there is a problem. Below are a few tips and tricks to help you get that thing to stop blinking and get you back up and running.
It is normal for the light to blink for as long as 30 seconds, maybe a minute in some cases, immediately after plugging in the Slingbox. It is during this time that the Slingbox is getting and IP address from your home router and is communicating with our servers (This communication is encrypted and cannot be viewed by us).
If the Network light continues to blink slowly (meaning just about 1 time per second) then your Slingbox is having problems. Below are some of the most common reasons why the might be happening and some solutions.
1) Are the lights on the front of the Slingbox blinking?
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If so, then the first question is, is your Internet access working? If you are reading this article on the Sling Media website, the answer is most likely Yes. But just in case, this should be the first thing you check. Just try to visit your favorite website (http://www.slingmedia.com) and see if it comes up. If it doesn't, then that is the problem, and once Internet access is restored, the light stops blinking.
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2) Restart your stuff
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The next thing to try is restarting both your Slingbox and your home router. Here's how:
- Unplug your Slingbox from the power outlet
- Unplug your router from the power outlet
- Wait about 5 seconds
- Plug the router back in
- Wait 30 seconds
- Plug the Slingbox back in
If that doesn't work, move on to step 3.
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3) Check your firewall software
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Are you using firewall software, such as the firewall that's built into Microsoft Windows and the Mac OS? Or are you using any Internet guarding applications such as ZoneAlarm (Windows) or Little Snitch (Mac OS?) If so, make sure that they are not blocking traffic to/from your Slingbox. If you're not sure how to check this, refer to the documentation that came with the firewall or Internet guarding software.
There is always the chance that the reason your are seeing this issue is because we are currently performing maintenance on the Slingbox Locator service. If it is down or unavailable for some reason, this light will start blinking.
Stop by the main support site (http://support.slingmedia.com) and see if there is an outage notification. If there is, that is your problem. Just wait until the maintenance is over and the light should stop blinking.
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4) Reset your Slingbox
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If you know that the connections are good and that there are no problems with the Slingbox Locator service, the final step is to reset the Slingbox. Resetting the Slingbox restores the Slingbox back to its original factory settings. You will lose all of your customization and configuration, but the Slingbox will probably start working again.
To reset your Slingbox, hold down the Reset button on the back of the Slingbox for 5 seconds. |
