What To Do If You Forget Your Parental Control’s Password?

DirecTV offers us one of the greatest inventions of modern TV, something that lets us actually relax while our kids watch TV. Parental Controls are something we all face as kids, and that we now, as parents are implementing in our own houses. The thing with parental controls is that you can be sure your kids aren’t watching anything they aren’t supposed to. Parental controls are supposed to block and protect your family members (especially children) from watching anything you consider inappropriate. However, if you often don’t watch TV, or don’t watch the restricted programs often, you probably end up forgetting what your PIN or password is. If this has happened to you, you are not alone, here are a couple of steps and things you can try to unlock it.

Master codes and direct PINs

First you have to turn your TV into the channel you are attempting to view so that the box requesting the PIN or password will appear. You’ll see the parental control’s warning and you can now try to unlock it. There is no such thing as a master code, but you can always try with the PIN’s DirecTV has set as default, you are likely to unlock it like that. The default PINs DirecTV uses are 0000, 1234, and 1111. These combinations are actually very likely to unlock the controls, either because you didn’t pay attention to the password they told you, never changed it, or it was at some point reset from the company and you never found out.

If this doesn’t work…Account number trick

You are going to have to take some other steps to get your password back. First look for any billing statements you have of the last few months, you have to look for your account number in there. You can also log into the DirecTV’s website and access with your DirecTV username and password to get your account number.

Now that you have your account number, here is another thing that might work. Go to the TV and the channel that is imposing the parental controls. Then get the PIN box and enter the last four digits that are in your account number, then press the enter button in order to try to unlock the channel. This might either unlock the channel or it can allow access and sidestepping of your previously set password. Now you can watch your restricted channel, you are welcome.

If this doesn’t work…check the manual

Your DirecTV manual might actually contain the answer to all your prayers. Each model and receiver has a specific configuration, and often they also have different default PIN codes with them. It depends on the make and the ones provided above are usually the ones that the receivers will use. However, you might find a different number, some manuals even have a section on what to do if you forget your Parental Control password.

If this doesn’t work… Reset

Well, you can always go ahead and try to reset it. By resetting the memory cache everything scheduled should go away, this includes parental controls. Here is how to do it.

First, you have to press the "Menu" button on your DirecTV remote control, this will take you to the menu interface. Then, you’ll see a list of setup options, you have to scroll down through them using your down-arrow key until you find the option that reads “Reset”. Click on it. After pressing the option, go to the subheading that reads “Reset Defaults”, this was you can get rid of all the preferences you have set on the device, meaning they aren’t factory made. These includes scheduled programming, guide settings, favorites, and of course, parental controls.

So, if you don’t mind all of that options you have crafted getting lost. Then resetting is a good option for you to unlock the parental controls fast.

If this doesn’t work (or you didn’t feel like resetting your TV)…call DirecTV

Well, first I’m sorry if you did a reset on your TV and it didn’t work, this isn’t an exact science. But now, let’s get to the obvious answer that should’ve occurred to all of us before we did all of the above. Get help.

Yes, we all hate making phone calls, but sometimes here is nothing else you can do. You’ll probably miss the program you want to watch but this is an issue you need solved. The DirecTV direct communication number is 800-531-5000. Grab all your account information before calling because you’ll probably be asked to identify yourself with it before anyone gets to help you with the issue. Once you are connected with a call center helper, and you have verified your identity, then your parental controls will either go through a reset and you’ll have to set them up again, or they’ll tell you the PIN so you can enter it. Another thing that might happen is that they’ll ask you to provide a new password, which they’ll change and you can therefore continue to enter it and unlock parental controls.

How not to forget your password

Write the password down. Obviously write in on some kind of code and don’t write in under the legend “Parental control password”, since your kids could find it and you probably don’t want that. But, do make sure you wrote it somewhere and remember where you did so.

Parental controls are great, and you can use them to be at ease with what your kids are watching on TV, just avoid yourself some trouble by making sure you remember them, use a pin you commonly use, or maybe your bank account PIN so you make sure you don’t forget it.

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[Fixed] Amazon Fire Stick Not In Range

One of the top video streaming services in the world, the Amazon Fire Stick was brought to us by, as its name indicates, Amazon, the multimillion dollar e-commerce that has been around everywhere lately. The Fire Stick is a device with an HDMI connection you just need to put in the HDMI port (it’s like a USB stick). Once you connect it you can watch all your favorite streaming platforms and access a variety of other services. Some of the things you’ll be able to access are Amazon Prime, Netflix, BBC, iPlayer, and other video services. You can also access other things from the Amazon line, or from other companies, among them there is Prime Music, and Spotify, in which you can hear your favorite music. Amazon has also innovated and given us access to the fast- growing video games library they have been putting together for a while now.

Even though the concept is pretty cool, there has been a series of complaints, especially regarding the remote. One of the most common complaints is that the remote seems to be “out of range”, which happens because the fire stick is different from other remotes in your house. So, if you want to figure out why your fire stick might be failing lately, let us enlighten you.

What does “out of range” means?

Basically, it means that the remote is at a longer distance from either the fire stick or the Wi-Fi router than it can be. Because of this distance, the remote is not able to connect with either of the devices, because the waves won’t be strong enough to make it work. There is a wide range of varied reasons as to why your control might not be getting enough signal to work, not only distance.

What is the range of the remote supposed to be?

The thing is, the Fire Stick works through Bluetooth. Unlike the other remotes and devices in your house that likely work with infrared (which is why you have to point to the device for the remote to work). The theoretical range for something working through Bluetooth is of about 30 feet, the actual range tends to be lower for a number of reasons.

What are obstructions and what can cause them?

Obstructions are anything, from walls to other electronic devices that cause for the connection between the Fire Stick and the Remote to not be strong enough. While you obviously don’t need a direct line between the fire Stick and the remote, you do need them to be within the same range to work. The things that could cause for a range obstruction are usually devices such as Microwave ovens, Wireless speakers, Unshielded coaxial cables, Wireless phones, Wireless speakers, and other wireless devices. This is because they saturate the Bluetooth signal within your place.

How can I fix it?

As we mentioned before, the Fire Stick remotes don’t work with infrared but rather with Bluetooth, so the direct line is not necessary and pointing your remote to the TV and pressing the buttons harder won’t work this time. The orientation of your remote has absolutely nothing to do with how effective it is, so save yourself some time and don’t intensely point at the TV with it.

When it comes to a Bluetooth device, there is a theoretical range that was mentioned above, that is usually much smaller and reduced for a series of factors. The obstructions cause a significant reduction in range, which can really affect the performance of your Fire Stick remote.

Some ways in which you can solve your problem are very logical, however, the first thing you need to do is check whether the problem is distance or obstructions.

First, move your remote closer to the Fire Stick, physically closer, make sure there aren’t any possible obstructions between your remote and your Fire Stick device. If the remote is only working when you place it really close to the TV, or when it is behind the TV, then you need to use the Fire Stick extension dongle in order to do a reposition for the device for it to be closer to you. If the TV is mounted in a recess, a cabinet, or an entertainment center, you’ll probably need a longer extension than the one that comes with the Fire Stick. In addition to this, if your TV is mounted in any of the previously mentioned structures try to remove it from the enclosure it is in. See if your remote works, the enclosure is likely to have cause a certain obstruction too.

To avoid obstructions as much as possible, try moving any wireless device, or anything else that could be causing a Bluetooth interference (see the devices listed above) in the area of your Fire Stick. If moving the devices is not an option, then you can try shutting them down and unplugging them one at a time, this way you are going to be able to see which one exactly is causing the interference with your remote based on when the remote is working. This way you can define the source and you can either remove it from the area, or shut it off when you are going to be using the remote.

In addition to all of this, if the remote is still out of range, or it is really hard to get it in range, the it might be a factory issue. If it is extremely hard to get the remote to work, the make sure you contact the manufacturer (also known as Amazon) and file a complaint in the remote. If the warranty is still valid, you’ll probably get the remote replaced within the next week.

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