Investor · The worst town to live in, KS · Member since 2016 · 4k+ posts · 4k+ votes
For the last 2 years a local factory has been renting my furnished houses for their visiting Chinese engineers. They normally stay anywhere from 3 weeks to 3 months. There is a cable tv in the living room, and cable tv's in every bedroom.
Every time they leave, the cable tv's and cable boxes for each tv in each bedroom have been unplugged. The tv in the living room is working normally. It's not a big deal for me to plug the box back in. But when it's been unplugged for so long it doesn't work unless I take a picture of the serial number on the back of each one and email it to the cable company. Then it's hit and miss if they can get it working again.
It's just a pain in the butt to get every tv working again after they leave and before the next renters move in. Why do they unplug them? They do leave the coaxial cables plugged in, it's just the 110 ac wall plugs they disconnect. Why do they do this?
Rental Property Investor · Miami, FL · Member since 2016 · 173 posts · 206 votes
6y
@Paul Sandhu
I’m not sure if this is what your Chinese engineers are doing, but when my Taiwanese parents (small, Mandarin Chinese-speaking island off the coast of China) come to visit, they unplug the Roku in the guest room and hook up something called a Moon Box so they can get their Chinese language programming for free. It’s like a bootleg Roku or Apple TV. You pay once for the box, and then you don’t have to pay a monthly subscription for the shows. They always pack the Moon Box in their suitcase for when they visit. Your engineers might be doing the same.
Rental Property Investor · Phoenix, AZ and Rehoboth Beach DE · Member since 2019 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
6y
Since it's only in the bedrooms - maybe the lights on the front of the boxes or TVs keep them awake? I have been known to drape washcloths on them, or post it notes, to eliminate the light source.
Investor · The worst town to live in, KS · Member since 2016 · 4k+ posts · 4k+ votes
6y
The light on the box is the diameter of a pencil eraser, and it's not bright at all. Ambient light from the window is 100,000x more bright. When you are in bed, you can't see the cable box. They could unplug the power supply from the box, but they never do. They unplug the wall connection where the power convertor is.
If it's cable AND internet, it could just be 'hardware' related. I have not used carrier provided hardware in decades.... usually it's junk. On the internet side of it, nothing beats a router with some of the latest open source builds flashed to it. I won't even upgrade hardware if I know I can't flash better firmware to it.
Investor · The worst town to live in, KS · Member since 2016 · 4k+ posts · 4k+ votes
6y
@Account Closed It is cable and internet bundled. The cable box for each t.v. is mandatory. I can't just plug the coax to the tv. The coax has to go to the box, then the box is connected to the tv with a coax of HDMI cable. The cable company provides universal remotes that change the channel with the cable box.
Ya... Me personally, I'd skip the cable box and just stream everything. Plug the coax into a nice WIFI router, with good USB/Ethernet ports, and stream to the TV, or even in a pinch, a $35 Rasberry PI, plugged directly into the HDMI port of the TV, will catch the WIFI signal, and bypass the garbage most TV's come with as far as an operating system. It's really easy to do.
Also, if they are trying to VPN in into any services back in mainland China, they are prolly are going to be told to use specific hardware BY someone in Mainland China. I would/do when I travel.
China has a vested interest in controlling what its citizens see/watch/read on the internet https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... it helps maintain control.
Rental Property Investor · Phoenix, AZ and Rehoboth Beach DE · Member since 2019 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
6y
If the light is not the problem, the other thing that they might be doing is minimizing radio frequency radiation (RF) while they sleep. I know it's a pain to have the box disconnected for months. We used to do that at our place in the mountains, to keep the box safe in electrical storms - we had one fried by lightening. And we would have to call the company to reconnect, just like you. We had Dish, and they said after so many months of non-use, they consider your account inactive and shut off the signal - despite us still paying for it! I don't know what the solution is.
If the light is not the problem, the other thing that they might be doing is minimizing radio frequency radiation (RF) while they sleep.
I normally leave a full roll of aluminum foil in every STR. Mainly for people working night shift to block out their windows. Should I suggest to the Chinese engineers that they make some aluminum foil hats to wear while they sleep to avoid the RF radiation?
Investor · Jamestown, ND · Member since 2017 · 32 posts · 32 votes
6y
I would ask someone at the factory you know what the issue may be and then either have them communicate to them to not unplug it or put up a sign explaining not to unplug it.
Here you go:
请不要拔掉电视的电源
(Please do not unplug the Television) Chinese, not Mandarin(wasn't an option for Mandarin) but you get the idea and finding Mandarin shouldn't be too hard.
Rental Property Investor · Phoenix, AZ and Rehoboth Beach DE · Member since 2019 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
6y
@Paul Sandhu Yes! ha ha. I also saw this article about Chinese officials unplugging TVs because they suspect being spied upon. https://www.news.com.au/techno... Could it be the Chinese engineers are afraid of eavesdropping for trade secrets? It may just be a habit with them now.
Saint Joseph, MO · Member since 2018 · 401 posts · 244 votes
6y
@Paul Sandhu perhaps it’s not something in your rentals that’s bugging them. Could be a cultural difference that is a habit back home. Perhaps they do it to save energy.
Rental Property Investor · Miami, FL · Member since 2016 · 173 posts · 206 votes
6y
@Paul Sandhu
I’m not sure if this is what your Chinese engineers are doing, but when my Taiwanese parents (small, Mandarin Chinese-speaking island off the coast of China) come to visit, they unplug the Roku in the guest room and hook up something called a Moon Box so they can get their Chinese language programming for free. It’s like a bootleg Roku or Apple TV. You pay once for the box, and then you don’t have to pay a monthly subscription for the shows. They always pack the Moon Box in their suitcase for when they visit. Your engineers might be doing the same.
@Paul Sandhu a TV in the bedroom is considered bad Feng Shui. A bedroom is a place for rest and relaxation and TV brings in bad energy.
^^^ This is the best answer.
And yes, they are very energy conscious. When the house sits empty, my elec/water/sewer/trash bill is $90/month. It went to $150/month when the 4 engineers were there. Hot water, heat, stove and the clothes dryer are natural gas.