[Gary16]

DirecTV turned on my MRV the other day (I sent your recommended email and got a response less than 30 minutes later that it had been turned on so thanks for the tip).
I have 5 HD-DVR's sharing through Ethernet connections (2 other HD-DVRs are currently not part of the MRV). DSL to router sending internet via wi-fi and direct ehternet connection through Netgear Powerline units.
The HD-DVRs are 1 HR24, 1 HR22, and 3 HR20's. All are fed via single wire SWM. The 24 and 22 are both in my theater room and the others are in bedrooms and the family room.
When I try to play something on the theater room units or one in the master bedroom I can pull from any of the other DVR's with perfect picture and sound. However, when trying to play on the units in the family room or downstairs extra bedroom I get freezing, and stopping and starting.
The only thing I can determine that's different, even though the theater room is fed by a wi-fi extender that is picking the signal up through the air and then sending it via ethernet to the DVR's and all the other units are fed via Powerline directly, is that the theater room and master bedroom are in the newer part of the house (additions) and are all wired with 3 prong outlets. The other two rooms are in the old part of the house and have 2 prong outlets. Could that make a difference? Any thoughts?

 

[dennisj00]

I read your post several times and I still can't conclude where the wireless extender and Power Line units are positioned, (not enough coffee!) but if the Wireless is G you'll have mixed results with video. Same for Powerline units. . . they can work well one day and iffy the next.

If I were you, I'd order 3 DECA modules and one Wireless CCK (it can also serve as a DECA) and add these to everything but the HR24. And be sure your splitters are green label.

Lots of pictures in the sticky thread.

 

[Go Beavs]

DirecTV turned on my MRV the other day (I sent your recommended email and got a response less than 30 minutes later that it had been turned on so thanks for the tip).
I have 5 HD-DVR's sharing through Ethernet connections (2 other HD-DVRs are currently not part of the MRV). DSL to router sending internet via wi-fi and direct ehternet connection through Netgear Powerline units.
The HD-DVRs are 1 HR24, 1 HR22, and 3 HR20's. All are fed via single wire SWM. The 24 and 22 are both in my theater room and the others are in bedrooms and the family room.
When I try to play something on the theater room units or one in the master bedroom I can pull from any of the other DVR's with perfect picture and sound. However, when trying to play on the units in the family room or downstairs extra bedroom I get freezing, and stopping and starting.
The only thing I can determine that's different, even though the theater room is fed by a wi-fi extender that is picking the signal up through the air and then sending it via ethernet to the DVR's and all the other units are fed via Powerline directly, is that the theater room and master bedroom are in the newer part of the house (additions) and are all wired with 3 prong outlets. The other two rooms are in the old part of the house and have 2 prong outlets. Could that make a difference? Any thoughts?

I read your post several times and I still can't conclude where the wireless extender and Power Line units are positioned, (not enough coffee!) but if the Wireless is G you'll have mixed results with video. Same for Powerline units. . . they can work well one day and iffy the next.

If I were you, I'd order 3 DECA modules and one Wireless CCK (it can also serve as a DECA) and add these to everything but the HR24. And be sure your splitters are green label.

Lots of pictures in the sticky thread.

+1

MRV over WiFi can be very flakey and throw power line in the mix and you have the potential for a very unstable system.

WiFi on client boxes worked for me but when the box was a server, I experienced all sorts of troubles. Really, do yourself a favor and switch over to DECA.

 

[Gary16]

+1

MRV over WiFi can be very flakey and throw power line in the mix and you have the potential for a very unstable system.

WiFi on client boxes worked for me but when the box was a server, I experienced all sorts of troubles. Really, do yourself a favor and switch over to DECA.

I get the message. Thanks!

 

[jdzier]

First, I'd like to say that I read a LOT of the posts and replies here before trying this to help me decide. Then, I just went for it:

Wow. I received my response in about 10 minutes that my MRV was activated. Aleiza processed my order. When i installed my network for DVR, one of the guys i work with recommended replacing my hub with a new switch. I installed a TrendNet GreenNet 8 port switch that i bought on ebay for 26.50 (incl shipping) and 8 new Cat 6 cables (varied length) from monoprice.com for 44.50 (incl shipping). I am absolutely amazed at my throughput! Moving from a hub to a switch shows definate performance improvements in my overall network and I would highly recommend it even if you weren't about to do this install.

1 HD DVR, 2 HD Receivers, 1 Blu-Ray (w/Netflix), 1 Desktop (1TB Media Server), 2 Access Points, 2 laptops, 1 wifi Printer, 2 iPods, One Android, One Blackberry, 1 Wii, 1 PS2

If you have need for a network anyway, go with the unsupported method and save yourself the installation bucks!

 

[veryoldschool]

If you have need for a network anyway, go with the unsupported method and save yourself the installation bucks!

While this is a viable method, not all the newer receivers have ethernet, so this may not work.

 

[jdzier]

While this is a viable method, not all the newer receivers have ethernet, so this may not work.

Fair...but if you can get your hands on the equipment, I'm in support of unsupported.

 

[Gary16]

Sent my "new" second request in on Monday and it was promptly denied stating that I needed to request installation of the proper equipment for $199. Replied to that reiterating that I wanted to be activated in unsupported mode. Then received a reply that my request was forwarded to a specialist. At 11:30 that night I received an email that my service had been activated. A longer process than some have endured but it was done. Thanks to all the folks on here for pointing the way. BTW, my units are networked with Trendnet 200mbps Powerline adapters and the whole home service is working very well, including ff, rw, and 30 skip.

Could you briefly explain your path from your modem to your boxes? I'm using Netgear Powerline 200 and 500mbps. Some recordings stream fine to the other boxes but some stop and skip and stutter (but always play ok on the box that it was recorded on) so I'm having trouble figuring out what the problem might be. How fast is your internet service?

 

[veryoldschool]

Could you briefly explain your path from your modem to your boxes? I'm using Netgear Powerline 200 and 500mbps. Some recordings stream fine to the other boxes but some stop and skip and stutter (but always play ok on the box that it was recorded on) so I'm having trouble figuring out what the problem might be. How fast is your internet service?

What it sounds like is the problem is the powerline adapters aren't on the same circuit, so the path is much longer, and thus why powerline and wireless isn't always the best option for MRV.

 

[Gary16]

What it sounds like is the problem is the powerline adapters aren't on the same circuit, so the path is much longer, and thus why powerline and wireless isn't always the best option for MRV.

Sounds logical (unfortunately). 3 of the receivers are in newer parts of the house that were added over the last 10 years. The other receivers are in the original part of the house where there are still two-prong outlets, etc.

 

[lugnutathome]

Though that may imply the same circuit panel it may not mean the same circuit itself. Likely not.

There is no substitute for a hardwired network, period. Direct TV has come up with a reliable alternative turning their already required coax infrastructure into its own networking fabric specifically for this purpose. It was made for people in exactly your situation.

Unless you already have a hard wired network in place, you are in for frustration. Negotiate a price for the DECA conversion and then let Direct TV do the debug and maintenance while you enjoy the service without having all the fussy almost good enough work arounds.

Don "zero cost advice from one whom is running using his own LAN (happily)" Bolton

Sounds logical (unfortunately). 3 of the receivers are in newer parts of the house that were added over the last 10 years. The other receivers are in the original part of the house where there are still two-prong outlets, etc.

 

[zx10guy]

Sounds logical (unfortunately). 3 of the receivers are in newer parts of the house that were added over the last 10 years. The other receivers are in the original part of the house where there are still two-prong outlets, etc.

It could be the quality of the wiring causing issues. Also, if the powerline adapters are connected across different circuit breakers, this can cause issues too. There is a sticky on troubleshooting powerline adapters on the Netgear support forums. In this sticky, there has been discussions on problems users have been having with powerline adapters communicating across circuit breakers. Some users have indicated Netgear support stating the adapters were not designed to work across circuit breakers.

 

[sweep49]

Could you briefly explain your path from your modem to your boxes? I'm using Netgear Powerline 200 and 500mbps. Some recordings stream fine to the other boxes but some stop and skip and stutter (but always play ok on the box that it was recorded on) so I'm having trouble figuring out what the problem might be. How fast is your internet service?

All 3 of my adapters are on different circuits and one of them is on a separate panel which is connected to the house's main panel. Using the Powerline Utility I have one running at 188 and the other two at 135 Mbps. I think the unit running at 188 is on the same circuit as the adapter which plugs into the router.
At first, I had one of the adapters plugged into the surge protection socket on an APC UPS, and this reduced its rate to 90-100. Now, all three are plugged straight into a wall outlet. What I have found is that these units are sensitive to AC line noise. Plug a vacuum sweeper into a circuit an adapter is on and its thruput rate will drop dramatically. I have a treadmill on one of the circuits and when its on, I can't use mrv on that dvr.

You asked what my internet speed is and I'm not sure; but this makes no difference for mrv playback. Internet thruput only matters for vod download.

So, in summary:
Use the Powerline utility program to check your mbps rates for each adapter; hopefully each runs at least 20% faster than 100mbps which is the rating for the dvr's ethernet port.

Make sure each adapter is not running thru a surge protector or UPS unit.

If you have an adapter running a slow mbps rate, check for induced line noise on that circuit from another electrical device powered on that circuit. Perhaps something which runs continuously like an aquarium pump, for example. Remember, that things like vacuum sweepers, treadmills and blenders for example, can induce line noise when they are on.

 

[MRinDenver]

I am late to the party, I guess. Sent the email yesterday and was connected in less than two hours. This is a service I think we will actually use! My thanks to DBSTalk for the information!

 

[vict]

To the OP:

Definitely go DECA. I did the wireless thing for a while and even with wirless n devices, I could not completely prevent stuttering and buffering.

Also, you have most of the hardware you need already installed. If I'm reading correctly all you really need are DECA adapters for your DVRs.

Another thing I didn't see mentioned is getting the MRV off your home network. When I was wireless, when anything else was using the network (iphone, laptop, whatever), it caused a lot of stuttering and buffering if I was using MRV at the same time. The DECA cloud let's you avoid this issue.

 

[Gary16]

To the OP:

Definitely go DECA. I did the wireless thing for a while and even with wirless n devices, I could not completely prevent stuttering and buffering.

Also, you have most of the hardware you need already installed. If I'm reading correctly all you really need are DECA adapters for your DVRs.

Another thing I didn't see mentioned is getting the MRV off your home network. When I was wireless, when anything else was using the network (iphone, laptop, whatever), it caused a lot of stuttering and buffering if I was using MRV at the same time. The DECA cloud let's you avoid this issue.

The remaining negative to going DECA as I understand it is that I would no longer be able to feed with my roof antenna thru to the OTA tuners in the boxes. I need the antenna feed since DirecTV does not carry any of the .2 channels from the local stations. At this point in time, having the OTA is more important than a non-stuttering Whole Home unless someone has a workaround.

 

[lugnutathome]

Now THAT I can relate to!

I have 2 and 3 coax lines per room to feed pre SWM DVRs with wideband HD and terrestrial. Not a low cost fix. (started with a single coax and diplexers pre HD)

However all the "work arounds" (wireless, power line) for LAN distribution are no substitute for a hard wired network. If you want it to be reliable you'll have to pull some wire for something.

I run a 10/100 switched network with 6 workgroup switches off a main backbone switch with flawless Whole Home streaming. Adding several DECA only boxes saw me create a mini DECA cloud on one of the SWMs and that bridges to my LAN via the older CCK (ICK), again flawlessly.

I maintain a separate terrestrial coax network though I don't frequent the sideband channels like I first thought, it's mainly an FM antenna distribution for me now.

Conventional cat[x] networking is a viable distribution medium for WH traffic but it means when it glitches and it does from time to time (DECA or not) you can't call the helpless desk for support.

Don "for most subscribers that would be a problem" Bolton

The remaining negative to going DECA as I understand it is that I would no longer be able to feed with my roof antenna thru to the OTA tuners in the boxes. I need the antenna feed since DirecTV does not carry any of the .2 channels from the local stations. At this point in time, having the OTA is more important than a non-stuttering Whole Home unless someone has a workaround.

 

[vict]

The remaining negative to going DECA as I understand it is that I would no longer be able to feed with my roof antenna thru to the OTA tuners in the boxes. I need the antenna feed since DirecTV does not carry any of the .2 channels from the local stations. At this point in time, having the OTA is more important than a non-stuttering Whole Home unless someone has a workaround.

Are you only running OTA on the HR20s? (I didn't think HR24s and 22s had an OTA tuner). I'm assuming your running your OTA on the single coax, and using a diplexer at the DVR?

I'm currently running DECA and OTA on my HR20. However, I have a separate coax for the OTA (not diplexed).

In any event, if you want to keep your current settup, and get better functioning MRV, I think you need to pull some CAT5. Or pull some coax from your antenna/OTA, and run DECA on your SWM.

 

[dpeters11]

Are you only running OTA on the HR20s? (I didn't think HR24s and 22s had an OTA tuner). I'm assuming your running your OTA on the single coax, and using a diplexer at the DVR?

Not built in, though they can use an AM21.

 

[tenn_]

Hope I'm in the right thread here, if not please direct me?

I want to get hooked up with DirecTV WHDVR service. I have two HD DVR's and a SWM that were DirecTV installed. I'm a three year DirecTV customer.

I do not have an On Demand configuration installed yet. What hardware do I need to set up the On Demand and WHDVR service and where should I get it? What steps should I take with DirecTV to get the service. I am an electronics tech.

Thanks for any assistance.