Your Cox Contour box keeps rebooting, and you don’t know what to do. We’re here to help!
Typically, sudden Cox receiver reboots are caused by insufficient power supply.
Well, there is much more to this error than just that, so to understand the issue entirely, we will review all the underlying causes in this guide and then provide you with some of the best-working solutions.
The Cox Contour TV box might be rebooting due to undetected power supply issues or a hardware equipment fault. To address the rebooting issue, you must update the firmware, verify the electrical source, and perform the factory reset process.
Here’s more about the issue…
Why Does the Cox Cable Box Keeps Rebooting?
If your Cox Contour receiver is constantly rebooting, this is not a good sign and sometimes indicates a serious hardware problem.
However, we’ll exclude this possibility just for now! Here are the causes that make the Cox Contour TV box restart:
Is There Any “Reboot” Pattern?
One of the most important factors before troubleshooting the receiver is identifying the periods of restarting and whether there are any patterns.
Identify the periods when the receiver reboots and determine if the equipment makes a buzzing noise, which might suggest the issue’s origin.
Note: The most significant sign of a power malfunction with the receiver is a buzzing noise from the power adapter or outlet.
Cox Contour Box Keeps Rebooting – 7 Solutions that Work!
Tip: Follow our troubleshooting steps in consecutive order!
1. Wait for Pending Firmware Upgrades!
Service providers often push substantial software updates during off-peak hours to the Contour cable box, which could result in a reboot.
The cable box must restart once or twice, based on the update size, to ensure the proper installation of the firmware upgrade.
How to Tell if Cox Cable Box is Updating?
There is no exact way to tell if the Contour or other Cox receivers are undergoing an update, but these reboots regularly happen after midnight.
Hence, if you’re streaming Cox service after 12:00 PM, this is the time that service providers tend to update client equipment.
How Long Does a Firmware Update Last?
Based on the update files’ size and the service’s strength, a Cox firmware update could last between 5 to 10 minutes.
It could sometimes last longer than that, but only if the receiver has been unplugged during the process or your services have been temporarily stopped/suspended.
Info: Once the firmware is complete, the Cox receiver will reboot for a final time and display the home screen.
2. Diagnose the Cox Service Quality
Sudden Cox receiver restarts could also be caused by poor or non-existent signal quality.
Hence, if the receiver cannot produce good enough quality for live TV and on-demand content viewing, it may reboot to improve the signal strength and fix any underlying issues.
Signs of Bad Signal Quality On Cox?
Here are the significant signs of lousy service quality while streaming Cox:
- Pixelated broadcast.
- Loading broadcasts.
- Image distortions.
- Syncing problems.
If your service equipment experiences any of these symptoms, the Cox Contour service might be insufficient for streaming.
Hence, that could cause the Cox receiver to reboot constantly.
Tips to Improve Cox Signal Quality?
Here are a couple of reliable ways to improve the signal quality:
- Reconnect the service (coaxial) cable from the receiver.
- Check the outlet connection of the coaxial TV box cable.
- Inspect the coaxial cable for any visual hardware damage.
- Connect the Cox Contour receiver to another service outlet.
Note: If any damages were spotted in your setup, contact Cox technical support!
3. Power Cycle the Cox Contour Box
One of the fundamental reasons why the Cox Contour box is constantly rebooting might be due to fluctuating power supply.
A compromised electricity supply might cause the TV box to reboot or even shut down until the power income is stabilized and the equipment is inspected.
To correct issues with the Contour power supply, apply the “power cycle” process:
- Make sure that the receiver is turned on.
- Press the “Power” button on the remote.
- Wait until the Cox TV receiver powers off.
- Unplug the power cable from the TV box.
- Keep the TV box unplugged for 60 seconds.
- Reconnect the TV box to the power outlet.
Note: When you turn on the Cox Contour box, the receiver might take up to 60 seconds to re-detect the Cox service and start working.
4. Connect Your Cox to a Proven Outlet
Another reason why the Cox Contour box keeps rebooting is due to an insufficient electrical outlet power supply.
Utilizing third-party equipment, such as outlet connectors, power cable extenders, strips, or dividers, can additionally reduce the power supply of the Cox TV box.
Connect your Cox TV box directly to a proven power outlet!
Identifying Issues from Third-Party Devices!
While re-routing the connection through a third-party device, a stip or divider, for example, any underlying power issues will be transferred to the receiver.
Thus, if the third-party device stops working, the receiver will shut down or reboot until the power supply is restored.
So, ensuring the Cox receiver is connected to a working power outlet and no third-party devices are re-routing the connection is vital.
Once the TV box is plugged in, wait at least 2-3 minutes to determine if the receiver will power off or reboot.
Note: Power strips often produce power fluctuations!
5. Prevent Cox Receiver Overheating
Overheating could also cause the Cox receiver to shut down or reboot once the thermal limiter has been reached.
If the hardware gets too hot and the internal components increase their temperature rapidly, the system will shut down to preserve the hardware of your Cox TV box.
How to Know if Cox Contour is Overheating?
It is easy to tell when a receiver is overheating by placing your hand on the top panel.
If the receiver’s top, side, or bottom panel is hot to the touch, there might be a danger of overheating and elevated hardware temperature.
Overheating is mainly caused during the warm seasons, especially when the room has not been ventilated, and the receiver has been working for prolonged periods.
Don’t worry, there is a fix!
Alert: Overheating could be lethally harmful to your Cox Contour!
Ways to Prevent Cox Contour from Overheating?
Here are the easiest ways to prevent a Cox TV box from overheating:
- Clean all of the side/top and bottom ventilation openings.
- Clean the dust accumulation on or around the receiver.
- Keep your Cox TV box in a well-ventilated environment.
- Dislocate any heat conductors close to the Cox receiver.
- Prevent all utilization of the receiver’s software resources.
Note: Check if the Cox receiver is still hot to the touch after preventing potential overheating!
6. Restore Cox Contour to Factory Defaults
If all else fails and you still cannot prevent the Cox receiver from rebooting, it is recommended to utilize the Cox “Cable Connection Reset” tool.
This will restore the Cox Contour box’s setup, delete all settings, and erase data and personalization preferences from the device.
Follow these instructions to restore the default settings of the Cox receiver:
- Access the official Cox reset page through a browser.
- Scroll downwards and press “Reset Your Receiver.”
- Sign in using your client details and given password.
- Select the equipment that you would like to restore.
- Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the reset.
After completing all the given steps on Cox’s reset page, your service receiver will reboot, and you will return to the initial setup screen.
All of the previous information will be deleted.
Info: Once the receiver factory reset starts, do not unplug or power off the TV box!
Need More Help?
If nothing from the guide helped, and your machine is still rebooting, there may be a hardware failure.
So, contact Cox Customer Service for more assistance or check the device’s warranty and deliver the unit to the local merchant.
Best of luck!
Quick Recap:
Thus, to fix whenever the Cox Contour box keeps rebooting, power cycle the TV receiver and inspect the quality of the signal.
If the issue is still there, check for pending service firmware updates and reset the services of the Cox Contour receiver box from the web.
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Finn Wheatley holds a Master’s Degree in Computer Science from UCL, London. He helped small data science consultancy firms, helping large corporations to grow their data capabilities, deploy advanced machine learning-based analytics and troubleshoot tech-related issues. Check out more about him here.