What you'll notice
Every decoder in the property lost signal simultaneously. No storm, no visible damage, nothing changed.
Why it happens
The multiswitch power supply has failed — commonly after a surge — or the multiswitch itself has died. Both take out every outlet at the same instant, which is what makes this so recognisable.
Simultaneous total failure across every TV is one of the most diagnostically useful symptoms in the whole system: it narrows the fault to the shared head-end immediately.
What "all at once" rules out
It rules out anything in an individual room — cables, wall plates, decoders — because those cannot fail together. It points squarely at the LNB, the multiswitch, the multiswitch's power supply, or the dish. Of those, the power supply is statistically the most likely.
Why the power supply goes first
It is a small plug-in adapter, usually in a roof space or a cupboard, exposed to years of load-shedding switching transients and often to considerable heat. It is the least robust component in the chain and it fails silently.
Where to look
The multiswitch is generally in the roof space, a service cupboard or a distribution box. Its power adapter is plugged into a socket that is easy to switch off by accident — worth checking that the socket is live and the plug is in before calling anyone. On more than one callout, that was the entire fault.
Preventing the repeat
A surge-protected outlet at the head-end costs very little and protects a unit that is far more expensive and far more disruptive to replace. We fit one as a matter of course on commercial and multi-room work.
How we fix it
We test for power at the multiswitch and signal on its inputs and outputs, then replace the supply or the unit. We also fit surge protection at the head-end where there was none, because this failure repeats otherwise.
Still not working?
If the checks above haven't restored your multiswitch & splitter, this usually needs a technician. Our Multi-Room Installation service covers exactly this fault — from R1 450, quoted upfront.