TIP: Press and hold {INFO} to test your DIRECTV receiver

Do you suspect problems with your DIRECTV receiver? There’s a simple way to check that everything is ok, and it’s right under your thumb.

Using the white DIRECTV remote, press and hold the {INFO} button for about three seconds. You’ll be taken to the system test screen where you can run an automatic system test or just look at more information about your receiver. The system test doesn’t give a lot of information while it’s running, but when it’s done, it will generally return “All items OK” if it doesn’t find anything. If it does find something, you’ll get a diagnostic code. Check our comprehensive list of error codes here to see what the code means. Generally you’ll get a 5-digit code, but the first two numbers are all that matter.

By the way, if you don’t have a phone line connected, this test will return an error. You aren’t required to have a phone line connected as long as you have an internet connection to your receiver.

Selecting “More System Info” will give you more than you ever wanted to know about your receiver including its temperature, selected dish type, IP address and more. It will give you all the information about parental controls, favorites, and display preferences in one place. Press {EXIT} to go back to watching live TV.

If you don’t have a white DIRECTV remote handy, you’re not out of luck. Simply press the {MENU} button, then go down to “Settings & Help”, then press {SELECT}. Press {SELECT} again on “Settings” and again on “Info&Test.” It takes a few steps but you can get to the same place.

About the Author

Stuart Sweet
Stuart Sweet is the editor-in-chief of The Solid Signal Blog and a "master plumber" at Signal Group, LLC. He is the author of over 10,000 articles and longform tutorials including many posted here. Reach him by clicking on "Contact the Editor" at the bottom of this page.