MAG Device Date and Time: How to Set It Correctly (2026)

To fix your MAG device date and time, open Settings → System Settings → Time Zone, choose your region and city, then turn on NTP sync under Servers → NTP so the clock updates itself automatically. Get this wrong and your Electronic Programme Guide (EPG), catch-up TV, and portal login can all misbehave — usually by showing everything shifted by one or more hours.

This happens because MAG boxes (Infomir’s MAG 250, 254, 256, 322, 324, 349, 351, 410, 420, 424, and 524 series) don’t set their own clock. They pull raw time from an NTP server in GMT/UTC, then apply whatever timezone offset you’ve configured to convert it to local time. If either half of that equation is wrong — no NTP sync, or the wrong city selected — every timestamp on the box is wrong too. Below is the complete, model-agnostic walkthrough, plus the fixes most competing guides skip: daylight saving time drift, regional NTP pool servers, and what to do when the clock resets after a firmware update.

What You Need Before You Start

• Your MAG box powered on and connected to the internet (Ethernet is more reliable than Wi-Fi for keeping NTP sync stable)
• The original MAG remote control, or a compatible universal replacement
• Your local timezone identifier, for example Europe/London, America/New_York, or Asia/Dubai

How to Set the Date and Time on a MAG Device

Menu names are consistent across nearly all MAG models. On a handful of firmware builds the NTP toggle lives under a Servers sub-menu rather than directly in System Settings — if you don’t see it in step 6, look there instead.

1. Press the Menu or Home button on your remote to open the main portal menu.
2. Navigate to Settings and press OK.
3. Select System Settings and press OK.
4. Scroll to Time Zone and press OK. Most firmware uses a two-level list: pick your continent or region first (e.g., Europe), then your city (e.g., London). Press OK to commit — scrolling past the correct city without pressing OK is the single most common reason this setting doesn’t stick.
5. Back in System Settings (or under Servers), find the NTP Server field. The default is usually pool.ntp.org, which is fine for most users.
6. Set Sync time with NTP server to On (some firmware labels this Yes or Enabled).
7. Press Back repeatedly to return to the main menu, then reboot: Settings → Reboot, or unplug the power for 10 seconds and plug it back in.
8. After the box restarts, open the EPG and check a channel you know well to confirm the schedule now matches your local clock.

Using a Regional NTP Server for Faster, More Reliable Sync

The default pool.ntp.org works almost everywhere, but it randomly assigns you a server that could be on another continent, which occasionally causes slow or failed syncs. The NTP Pool Project maintains regional and country-specific subdomains that are faster and more stable. In the NTP Server field, try one of these instead:

Remember: every NTP server, regional or not, supplies time in GMT/UTC. Switching servers will not fix a wrong clock display by itself — the Time Zone setting is what converts that GMT feed into your local time.

Setting the Time Manually (When NTP Is Not Available)

If your MAG box has no internet access, or NTP sync consistently fails, enter the date and time by hand instead:

1. Go to Settings → System Settings.
2. Set Sync time with NTP server to Off. The Date and Time fields become editable once auto-sync is disabled.
3. Use the number keys to enter the current date (DD/MM/YYYY on most firmware).
4. Enter the current local time in 24-hour HH:MM format.
5. Press OK to save, then reboot the device.

Note: On some MAG firmware, manual time settings don’t persist through a full power cycle, especially on older units with a depleted internal CMOS battery. Re-enabling NTP sync as soon as internet access is available is always the more reliable long-term fix.

Why the Correct Date and Time Matter for IPTV

The MAG box’s system clock drives three functions that most users don’t realize are time-dependent:

• EPG (Electronic Programme Guide): Listings are keyed to local time. A clock even one hour off shifts every channel’s schedule, making it hard to find what’s actually airing right now.
• Catch-up TV: Time-shifted replays are identified by timestamp. A wrong clock means the portal can’t calculate the correct playback window, so recently aired content may appear missing or unplayable.
• Portal authentication: Some IPTV portals use time-based tokens to validate your connection. A clock that’s badly out of sync can trigger authentication failures or persistent buffering, even when your subscription and connection are both fine.

If your box connects but content still won’t load properly, it’s worth also confirming your MAG portal address is correctly configured, since portal and clock issues often get mistaken for each other.

Daylight Saving Time: The Issue Most Guides Skip

MAG boxes generally do not auto-adjust for daylight saving time the way a smartphone does. When clocks change in your region, the EPG can suddenly appear an hour off even though nothing in your settings changed. According to Infomir’s own support documentation, EPG metadata is timestamped in UTC, so any device or feed that fails to account for a DST shift will display listings offset by an hour. If this happens on your box:

1. Re-open Settings → System Settings → Time Zone and re-select your city, even if it already looks correct — this forces the box to recalculate the current GMT offset.
2. Reboot the device.
3. If the EPG is still off by exactly one hour after the reboot, check whether your IPTV provider’s EPG feed itself has updated for the DST change; some third-party EPG sources lag by a day or two after clocks change.

A known community workaround for UK/Ireland users whose EPG runs consistently ahead: selecting a timezone city with the equivalent GMT offset you actually need (rather than your real city) can force the correct display until the underlying firmware or EPG source catches up. Treat this as a temporary fix, not a permanent setting.

Troubleshooting: Date and Time Still Wrong After These Steps

Time zone is set but the clock still shows GMT/UTC

NTP synced successfully, but the timezone offset was never applied. Go back to Settings → System Settings → Time Zone, re-select your city, press OK to confirm, then reboot.

NTP sync fails every time

Confirm the box has a working internet connection first: Settings → Network Settings → Status should show a valid IP address. If the connection is fine but sync still fails, replace pool.ntp.org with time.cloudflare.com, time.google.com, or your regional pool subdomain from the table above.

After a firmware update the clock resets to 2000 or 1970

This is normal on many MAG units after an update, since the update process can reset the timezone to UTC. Simply repeat the setup steps above after every firmware update. If the clock resets on every single reboot rather than just after updates, the internal CMOS battery has likely drained on an older unit — contact your MAG reseller about a replacement.

EPG still shows wrong times even after the clock looks correct

Force a fresh EPG download: from the portal home screen, press the Guide or EPG button, let it fully reload, then check a channel you know well. If it’s still off, the problem is likely the EPG feed itself carrying incorrect timestamps rather than your device clock — contact your IPTV provider.

If these steps didn’t resolve things, our broader MAG box troubleshooting guide covers the other common causes of freezing, buffering, and portal errors beyond just the clock.

New to MAG hardware entirely? Our complete MAG box explainer covers the different models and how the platform works, and our MAG portal guide explains how the portal address, MAC address, and clock all work together to authenticate your service. Ready to test a service that just works? Start a free RevoIPTV trial — no credit card required — or compare pricing and subscription plans first.

FAQ

Why does my MAG box keep losing the correct time after I unplug it?

MAG boxes rely on NTP to reset the clock after every power cycle. If NTP sync is disabled, or the box loads the portal before the internet connection is fully established, the clock reverts to a default value. Enable NTP sync in System Settings and make sure your network connection is stable at boot, ideally over Ethernet.

Does the wrong timezone affect my IPTV subscription itself?

It doesn’t affect your subscription, but it does affect what you can watch. The EPG displays every programme offset by the difference between your real timezone and the one configured, and catch-up TV can fail to load because the playback window calculation is wrong. Some providers also use time-based authentication tokens, so a badly wrong clock can occasionally cause login or buffering errors too.

Can I use a custom or regional NTP server on my MAG device?

Yes. In Settings → System Settings (or under Servers), clear the NTP Server field and enter any public NTP hostname, such as time.cloudflare.com, time.google.com, or a regional pool like europe.pool.ntp.org. Save and reboot for the change to take effect.

Why is my EPG off by exactly one hour after daylight saving time changed?

Most MAG boxes don’t auto-adjust for DST. Re-select your city under Time Zone (even if it looks unchanged) to force the box to recalculate its GMT offset, then reboot. If it’s still off afterward, your provider’s EPG feed itself may not have updated yet for the DST change.

Will changing the time zone interrupt a channel that’s currently playing?

Yes, briefly. The timezone change requires a reboot to take effect, so any live stream will stop during that reboot. Make the change during a break in viewing; the stream itself isn’t affected once the box comes back online, only the EPG display changes.

My MAG box has no Settings menu on the home screen — where do I find System Settings?

On older MAG firmware, press Setup on the remote instead of Menu. On portal-locked units, your IPTV provider may have hidden the settings menu entirely; contact them for access, or check the RevoIPTV FAQ for provider-specific guidance.