Can I unplug my satellite box without losing info?

Question

I just had satellite tv service installed today. Unfortunately I didn't think of asking this until after the technician was gone.

But anyway...I'm trying to reduce my household's power consumption and don't like to leave things plugged in when they're not in use. Can I unplug my satellite box (the thing he put on my entertainment center shelf) without it losing things like my parental control and favorite channel settings? Would unplugging this box erase any programming I have saved on it?

I hope I can unplug it without it losing anything. But if not, is this kind of device an energy hog? Does it have phantom power?

I hope someone can answer my questions. I'm not too thrilled with their customer service, but maybe someone on here knows the answers. Thanks!

Answer 1

OK now for the the specifics.

1. NO You Will Not Lose Any Of Your Settings If You Unplug The Unit.

2. No It Does Not Use Very Much Power When Turned Off.

3. Yes It Is Recommended To Leave It Plugged In, Your          

    Receiver Will Do Software And Program Downloads

    When Powered Off. If It Is Unplugged You Will Not Get

    Updated Information. And Eventually It Will Deactivate.

Answer 2

it should stay plugged in if possible. it wont ruin it if you unplug but after a few days it will lose all the on screen guide info and any software updates that it may have missed. its easy to update by resetting the receiver. after about a week or so with no power, the internal smart card will lose its authorization and you ll have to call dish networks cust service to have it re-authorized. .they hardly use any power when not in use

Answer 3

i am not sure about unplugging it,but they usually only use like 5-10 watts when on,or if in standby,like .5 watts. not much to worry about,just put it in standby when not in use.

Answer 4

Do not unplug the receiver unless you want it to reset.  It will reset whenever you plug it back in and you will have to wait for it to receive info from the satellite all over again, but your settings will remain.  If you press the power button, it will go into standby mode (it still uses minimal power).  This is how it retains the info that it already has.  Unplugging the receiver is actually one of the ways that the Customer no-Service reps tell you to reset the receiver when there are problems.