SWM 16 and 9 Tuners

[aztlan76]

I had MRV and an additional HD DVR installed on Friday. This gave me a total of 9 tuners (4 dvr's and 1 HD box) but the installer only put in a SWM 3 LNB. One of my tuners was not working so I called the installer and he said he was going to install a SWM 16 switch. He did that today and I see the SWM16 but I only see one 8 way splitter. Am I supposed to have two 8 way splitters?

SWM1PWR connects to one line going to what I think is the SWM Power inside the house and SWM2 is feeding the 8 way splitter and there are 6 lines being used on the splitter. On the satellite signal strength screen, I only see 9 transponders for the SWM. Since I have the SWM16, am I supposed to see 16 transponders on that screen?

I've been reading the forums for the past few hours and I am on information overload. I just want to make sure the installer didn't cut any corners and I want to ensure I got what I paid for.

Thanks in advance! :)

[matt]

Each output only supports 8 tuners. The 9th is a communication channel, not a tuner channel.

Lets say there are 8 tuners on output 1 and 1 tuner on output 2. The receivers on output one will show good values for all the channels, while the receiver on output 2 will only see values for the tuners it is using.

Go check it out on all the receivers and you should see something like that.

Just based on the picture, it looks OK.

[aztlan76]

Thanks matt! Everything appears to be working as it should. I think I'll leave it alone.

[veryoldschool]

Each output only supports 8 tuners. The 9th is a communication channel, not a tuner channel.
The "comm" channel isn't displayed.
The guide data is common to all receivers and this makes up the ninth channel [which is the lowest frequency] .

[paragon]

I had MRV and an additional HD DVR installed on Friday. This gave me a total of 9 tuners (4 dvr's and 1 HD box) but the installer only put in a SWM 3 LNB. One of my tuners was not working so I called the installer and he said he was going to install a SWM 16 switch. He did that today and I see the SWM16 but I only see one 8 way splitter. Am I supposed to have two 8 way splitters?

SWM1PWR connects to one line going to what I think is the SWM Power inside the house and SWM2 is feeding the 8 way splitter and there are 6 lines being used on the splitter. On the satellite signal strength screen, I only see 9 transponders for the SWM. Since I have the SWM16, am I supposed to see 16 transponders on that screen?

I've been reading the forums for the past few hours and I am on information overload. I just want to make sure the installer didn't cut any corners and I want to ensure I got what I paid for.

Thanks in advance! :)

There is no way you can have 9 of your tuners work properly if the are ALL getting their signal from SWM2. If they are all on the same SWM port, it's basically like you just have an SWM-8. The boxes need to be split up (4 on SWM2, 1 on SWM1 for example). Is that how it is now?

[aztlan76]

There is no way you can have 9 of your tuners work properly if the are ALL getting their signal from SWM2. If they are all on the same SWM port, it's basically like you just have an SWM-8. The boxes need to be split up (4 on SWM2, 1 on SWM1 for example). Is that how it is now?

I think that is how it is now. SWM1 doesn't have a splitter and it looks like it's connected to the receiver in the master bedroom. SWM2 is connected to splitter and has 6 coax cables in the outputs. I got up this morning and turned on all the tv's and enabled Double Play on all the DVR's. It seems to be working.

[paragon]

I think that is how it is now. SWM1 doesn't have a splitter and it looks like it's connected to the receiver in the master bedroom. SWM2 is connected to splitter and has 6 coax cables in the outputs. I got up this morning and turned on all the tv's and enabled Double Play on all the DVR's. It seems to be working.

Okay, then you should be good. The 6 coax coming out of the splitter is what made me take pause. I thought maybe that 6 coax was for the 5 receivers and 1 for the broadband DECA. One of those cable is probably unconnected at the end.

[aztlan76]

Okay, then you should be good. The 6 coax coming out of the splitter is what made me take pause. I thought maybe that 6 coax was for the 5 receivers and 1 for the broadband DECA. One of those cable is probably unconnected at the end.

Hmmm, I don't have anything connected to the router. He connected my ethernet cord from my router to an r22 box. I have a line connected to a SWM Power adapter and that feeds the DECA for the R22. Multiroom is working and all of the DVR's can get onDemand.

Did he skip a step?

[paragon]

Hmmm, I don't have anything connected to the router. He connected my ethernet cord from my router to an r22 box. I have a line connected to a SWM Power adapter and that feeds the DECA for the R22. Multiroom is working and all of the DVR's can get onDemand.

Did he skip a step?

I'm not quite sure I understand your explanation of your setup, but here's how it should be.

The R22 (and all other HD receivers except HR24s and H24s) should have a DECA on it. Their should be coax coming from your SWM (i.e. through the splitter on SWM2 or through the power inserter on SWM1/PWR). The output of the DECA should have coax into the R22 and ethernet into the R22.

Then there should be another DECA which again has coax coming from your SWM. This one should have ethernet going to your router. The coax that would normally go to a receiver should instead be hooked up to another power inserter (i.e., there should be a total of two power inserters in your system, one to power the SWM, and one to power the DECA for internet access). This power inserter could be the same model as the one on the SWM (in this case, one of the coax ports on the power inserter would be unused), or it may be a smaller one that just looks like a cell phone charger.

If he didn't do it this way, there are other ways that would "work" but they aren't how it is supposed to be done. If any of your receivers have ethernet going directly to the router, he did it the incorrect way.

[aztlan76]

I'm not quite sure I understand your explanation of your setup, but here's how it should be.

Then there should be another DECA which again has coax coming from your SWM. This one should have ethernet going to your router. The coax that would normally go to a receiver should instead be hooked up to another power inserter (i.e., there should be a total of two power inserters in your system, one to power the SWM, and one to power the DECA for internet access). This power inserter could be the same model as the one on the SWM (in this case, one of the coax ports on the power inserter would be unused), or it may be a smaller one that just looks like a cell phone charger.

If he didn't do it this way, there are other ways that would "work" but they aren't how it is supposed to be done. If any of your receivers have ethernet going directly to the router, he did it the incorrect way.

I don't have a 2nd power inserter nor a DECA going to the router. I just have the ethernet cord going straight to the R22 box. I don't know if I should contact Directv or just leave it as is.

Thank you for all your help! I really appreciate it.

[paragon]

I don't have a 2nd power inserter nor a DECA going to the router. I just have the ethernet cord going straight to the R22 box. I don't know if I should contact Directv or just leave it as is.

Thank you for all your help! I really appreciate it.

If you want it done right, you should call them and make them come back out.

Are you sure you don't have another DECA somewhere else in the house that is connected to the router? With the setup you describe (and I could be misunderstanding), I am not sure how the other boxes in your house can talk to the R22 or the internet. Does your R22 have 2 ethernet cables hooked up to it (1 to your router and 1 to a DECA)?

[aztlan76]

Are you sure you don't have another DECA somewhere else in the house that is connected to the router? With the setup you describe (and I could be misunderstanding), I am not sure how the other boxes in your house can talk to the R22 or the internet. Does your R22 have 2 ethernet cables hooked up to it (1 to your router and 1 to a DECA)?

No DECA's are connected to the router. The R22 has a DECA with a ethernet cable connected to one of the ports and the ethernet cable from my router to the other ethernet port.

It's working the way it is. I can see the other playlists and I can download from OnDemand. I did pay for the install so I should probably call.

[veryoldschool]

No DECA's are connected to the router. The R22 has a DECA with a ethernet cable connected to one of the ports and the ethernet cable from my router to the other ethernet port.

It's working the way it is. I can see the other playlists and I can download from OnDemand. I did pay for the install so I should probably call.
This needs to be changed.
Using the R22 with both ports isn't the way it "should be" done.
Remove the ethernet to router cable and get another DECA + PI and then use this to connect to your router.

[paragon]

This needs to be changed.
Using the R22 with both ports isn't the way it "should be" done.
Remove the ethernet to router cable and get another DECA + PI and then use this to connect to your router.

Yep. Call them and insist they do this.

[aztlan76]

This needs to be changed.
Using the R22 with both ports isn't the way it "should be" done.
Remove the ethernet to router cable and get another DECA + PI and then use this to connect to your router.

Thanks VOS. I will call Directv to come out and fix it. Will they have to do anything to the switch? Thank you all for your input.

[veryoldschool]

Thanks VOS. I will call Directv to come out and fix it. Will they have to do anything to the switch? Thank you all for your input.
Switch? If you mean the SWM.. nope. this is just a networking mod and shouldn't change anything [other than taking some network load off your R22].

[aztlan76]

Switch? If you mean the SWM.. nope. this is just a networking mod and shouldn't change anything [other than taking some network load off your R22].

Yes, sorry I meant the SWM. I'm on the phone with them now, and the tech support rep is a little lost. I guess this would explain why R22 seemed a little more slower than usual. She is saying that I should have a broadband DECA connected to the router.

[veryoldschool]

Yes, sorry I meant the SWM. I'm on the phone with them now, and the tech support rep is a little lost. I guess this would explain why R22 seemed a little more slower than usual. She is saying that I should have a broadband DECA connected to the router.
Yes, "but" the actual DECA she's talking about isn't out yet, "so" a normal DECA and a PI [to power it] is all that there is for this right now [and works just as well].
One more DECA and a 18 volt PI [or the 21 volt PI from the SWiMLNB if no 18 volt around].

[ndole]

While you've got them out, they should clean up the cabling a little bit. You're missing a terminator on your SWiM splitter. And those drip loops aren't going to do you any good if they're touching your connectors anyway. The water will run right onto them.
Also, every one of those connectors should be swapped out for the newer [Black band] PPC EX6XL ones.

[aztlan76]

While you've got them out, they should clean up the cabling a little bit. You're missing a terminator on your SWiM splitter. And those drip loops aren't going to do you any good if they're touching your connectors anyway. The water will run right onto them.
Also, every one of those connectors should be swapped out for the newer [Black band] PPC EX6XL ones.

Thanks! I had her notate that in the form she is submitting. A supervisor is supposed to be calling me back within the hour. This installer is pretty sloppy. Take a look at my LNB.

[ndole]

Thanks! I had her notate that in the form she is submitting. A supervisor is supposed to be calling me back within the hour. This installer is pretty sloppy. Take a look at my LNB.

Yep. Those LNB screws should be fully inserted, and secured with nuts on the other side.
On the other hand, the LNB looks a lot better than the cockeyed cabling running down the roof! :(