What does having my receiver networked do for me?

2319 Views 35 Replies 24 Participants Last post by kw2957, Aug 7, 2008

CompiledMonkey

Discussion Starter · Aug 5, 2008

I don't have easy access to my home network where my TV equipment is. I was thinking about making that happen so I could have a hardwired connection for my game systems instead of using the wireless adapters. This would also let me connect my HR21 to the network.

I'm not really sure what this does for me though. Can anyone enlighten me?

1 - 20 of 36 Posts

dave29

· #2 · Aug 5, 2008

as of right now. VOD is available. also, if you cant hard wire it...... i would consider the directv powerline adapters. they work great(and are pretty cheap as well)

Rakul

· #3 · Aug 5, 2008

There is also the ability to order PPV from the remote without the need of a phone line. Some other stuff down the road from reading some posts, but what the stuff is who knows.

johnck78

· #4 · Aug 5, 2008

At some point in time in the unknown future, you would be able to to Multi-Room Viewing via network.

dlt4

· #5 · Aug 5, 2008

dave29 said:
as of right now. VOD is available. also, if you cant hard wire it...... i would consider the directv powerline adapters. they work great(and are pretty cheap as well)

What are the powerline adapters used for?

GutBomb

· #6 · Aug 5, 2008

Rakul said:
There is also the ability to order PPV from the remote without the need of a phone line. Some other stuff down the road from reading some posts, but what the stuff is who knows.

I have heard this many times but every time I try to order a PPV with the remote and only a network connection it tells me it can't do it without a phone line or internet connection, although i do have an internet connection because VOD works fine.

kw2957

· #7 · Aug 5, 2008

dave29 said:
as of right now. VOD is available. also, if you cant hard wire it...... i would consider the directv powerline adapters. they work great(and are pretty cheap as well)

How cheap are we talking here??

grape

· #8 · Aug 5, 2008

$25 each. But you need two initially. One for the router, one for the receiver. Additional receivers would only need one.

DrummerBoy523

· #9 · Aug 5, 2008

dlt4 said:
What are the powerline adapters used for?

basically, they allow you to use your existing electrical wiring as a network (instead of wireless).

You plug one adapter into an electrical outlet near your router and run an ethernet cable from your router to that adapter. Then, you plug the other adapter into an electrical outlet near your receiver and you run a ethernet cable from that adapter to your box.

cable/dsl modem -> router -> powerline adapter -> existing home electrical wires -> powerline adapter -> receiver

grape

· #10 · Aug 5, 2008

So far I haven't seen anything I would use a network for (outside sending bug reports for CE). It seems to cause some people problems. But I'm one of those that doesn't see the value of VOD over my internet connection and don't order PPV.

I may dd-wrt a WRT54G (wireless bridge) and try it at some point in the near future (for CE). That looks like fun for an aging geek.

reber1b

· #11 · Aug 5, 2008

dave29 said:
as of right now. VOD is available. also, if you cant hard wire it...... i would consider the directv powerline adapters. they work great(and are pretty cheap as well)

Dave could you point me to an info source for the basics of powerline netwotking, and where to buy the gear?
BTW, can I assume you have personal experience in powerline networking, or know someone who has?

TIA, this sounds like a great altenative to drilling holes or using wireless.

durl

· #12 · Aug 5, 2008

MediaShare. If you have music and photos stored on a networked computer, you can access them via your Directv receiver, even playing your mp3s while you view a slideshow of your photos, all through your TV setup.

dave29

· #13 · Aug 5, 2008

reber1b said:
Dave could you point me to an info source for the basics of powerline netwotking, and where to buy the gear?
BTW, can I assume you have personal experience in powerline networking, or know someone who has?

TIA, this sounds like a great altenative to drilling holes or using wireless.

yes, i have 4 hr2x's hooked up via powerline. i love it. they are basically plug and play. very, very simple and very stable. i think they are $25 each from the directv website. log into your account and then go to "my setup" then click on "add kits and equipment" you need 2 adapters initially for your first receiver, then you only need one for each additional hr2x

ysiamrich

· #14 · Aug 5, 2008

I also use the powerline adapters from directv.com and they were easy to install and work great. I find I get faster speeds than my wireless G.

The only issue that I had was that my broadband connection in general seemed to slow down when the DVR was connected. I raised my service level at the cable company and all worked well after that (I wanted an excuse to upgrade anyway).

Canis Lupus

· #15 · Aug 5, 2008

One thing to remember about Powerline is that they don't work in all situations. In my case, I had a house addition, and the different wiring didn't get along, so I had to hardwire. But as mentioned, those who have them working well really like them. In fact, the Powerline I couldn't use at home works just fine at my work office.

gregjones

· #16 · Aug 5, 2008

Canis Lupus said:
One thing to remember about Powerline is that they don't work in all situations. In my case, I had a house addition, and the different wiring didn't get along, so I had to hardwire. But as mentioned, those who have them working well really like them. In fact, the Powerline I couldn't use at home works just fine at my work office.

Yes but the likelihood of powerline failing in a particular installation is substantially lower than wireless. With wireless you can get interference from neighbors, your own cordless phone, etc. The interference can show up the first day or six months later.

Nothing replaces the stability of an ethernet cable, but powerline adapters have the advantage of working or failing fairly obviously from day one. You have to alter your home wiring substantially in order to make these fail later.

bigpuma

· #17 · Aug 5, 2008

grape said:
So far I haven't seen anything I would use a network for (outside sending bug reports for CE). It seems to cause some people problems. But I'm one of those that doesn't see the value of VOD over my internet connection and don't order PPV.

Yeah there isn't too much on there yet, however I am looking forward to seeing what they offer from the olympics via On Demand. It would be nice just to get the highlights each day without the human interest crap.

Canis Lupus

· #18 · Aug 5, 2008

I agree completely. Just to be clear though, I was not making a comparison between Powerline and wireless.

gregjones said:
Yes but the likelihood of powerline failing in a particular installation is substantially lower than wireless. With wireless you can get interference from neighbors, your own cordless phone, etc. The interference can show up the first day or six months later.

Nothing replaces the stability of an ethernet cable, but powerline adapters have the advantage of working or failing fairly obviously from day one. You have to alter your home wiring substantially in order to make these fail later.

gregjones

· #19 · Aug 6, 2008

Canis Lupus said:
I agree completely. Just to be clear though, I was not making a comparison between Powerline and wireless.

I just wanted to point out that networking an HR2x is not the best "first visit" into setting up wireless networks. It is an option for folks if they have already ruled out the other two for some reason.

A lot of people I have seen complaining about the networking features of the HR2x are not having problems with the features: they are having issues because they have no idea how to setup a wireless network. Removing that unnecessary step often makes the process considerably less complicated.

Mainea

· #20 · Aug 6, 2008

gregjones said:
I just wanted to point out that networking an HR2x is not the best "first visit" into setting up wireless networks. It is an option for folks if they have already ruled out the other two for some reason.

A lot of people I have seen complaining about the networking features of the HR2x are not having problems with the features: they are having issues because they have no idea how to setup a wireless network. Removing that unnecessary step often makes the process considerably less complicated.

So can I just plug a cable from my reciever to an open port on my wireless router and have it work?

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