Dish vs. DirecTV wireless set top boxes?

[hennesseystealth]

I am a current Dish customer with an H3, 2 access points, and 4 wireless Joeys. I find the wireless Joeys to be flaky in that I get a lot of pauses and one (the furthest from the access point) won't connect at all half the time.

My 2 year contract is up in a few months and I wanted to see if anyone has any experience or knowledge of:

1) any new equipment coming out from Dish that would improve the wireless connections?

2) is the DirecTV wireless system better?

Thanks in advance for any help or advice.

 

[mdram]

im a directv customer
the hs17 or hr54 would be a downgrade in equipment from your h3

 

[hennesseystealth]

I know their DVR packages are not as good, but they are more than enough for my use. My issue is getting the best wireless set top boxes.

 

[HipKat]

I know their DVR packages are not as good, but they are more than enough for my use. My issue is getting the best wireless set top boxes.

Your issue can be fixed. The WAP for that distant WiFi Joey can be relocated, for one thing. Unless you're real techno-savvy, a good visit from a Dish tech will get you fixed up.

 

[KaptainRandom]

I'ma say,
each installation environment is different,
Walls, in wall wiring, type of wall material, distance between base unit and remote, other electical equipment in area,
SO,
I'ma say,
You won't know how different equipment works in your install environment until/unless you have it installed.

Sounds like you might benefit from the expense of hardwiring joeys instead of wireless.

 

[hennesseystealth]

Two things. Even the joey that is line of sight to the WAP pauses. That is about 25' of straight shot. A really bad router can do better than that. Secondly, since the WAP has to be hardwire connected to the H3, how to you relocate it unless you have CAT5 already running through the walls?

 

[DishSubLA]

FWIW and AFAIK, DirecTV and Dish use the same technology of sending the signal wireless and creating a separate network for their wireless clients (minor differences in how the WAP or DTV's Bridge connected to the server, but the wireless part is the same technology), so there is nothing intrinsically, at its foundation, different between the two wireless client technologies they use. The difference would be if there is a difference in who makes the hardware/software for each company for the WAP (or WVB, as DirecTV refers to it) wireless client systems. It could result in one being slightly more robust than another, but I would not count on that. If you're having problems related to distance, than don't count on either performing better than the other. Maybe, but the odds are long.

As HipKat said, a tech could place the wireless bridge in a better location. Ask for Dish to do that or talk to a local retailer about doing that. That could solve the problem.

However, if DirecTV has some sort of 30 day trial period, you could have a DirecTV system and wireless clients installed while you can put your Dish account in a hibernation while you test out DirecTV. Just an idea. I'm sure someone will add if this is a good idea or not.

 

[DishSubLA]

Two things. Even the joey that is line of sight to the WAP pauses. That is about 25' of straight shot. A really bad router can do better than that. Secondly, since the WAP has to be hardwire connected to the H3, how to you relocate it unless you have CAT5 already running through the walls?

Running a longer network cable from the H3 that, depending upon your domicile, can be dropped from the attic into the wall or up from under the house to the WAP.

Hmm, could you not get Dish to replace the problem wireless Joeys when the problems began? Dish should have sent someone out to your home upon your first complaint.

I don't know if Dish could add an additional WAP to cover distant Wireless Joey's. Someone here could answer that.

The Wireless Joey at my aunt's house has been working great from day one and the signal has a wall to go through and a distance of about 20'. In fact, the Wireless Joey is faster and far more responsive than my Joye 1's have ever been.

 

[HipKat]

Two things. Even the joey that is line of sight to the WAP pauses. That is about 25' of straight shot. A really bad router can do better than that. Secondly, since the WAP has to be hardwire connected to the H3, how to you relocate it unless you have CAT5 already running through the walls?

Run a cable from any point in a client line - in other words, a client line straight from the hub/node to a point closer to the Joeys or split an existing client and run to the same place - closer or more central to the joeys and connect it to a HIC (Hopper Internet Connector) then connect a WAP to the HIC via Ethernet. The WAP doesn't need to be directly connected to the Hopper and I bet trhe guy who installed your system didn't know. A lot of techs don't

 

[HipKat]

Running a longer network cable from the H3 that, depending upon your domicile, can be dropped from the attic into the wall or up from under the house to the WAP.

Hmm, could you not get Dish to replace the problem wireless Joeys when the problems began? Dish should have sent someone out to your home upon your first complaint.

I don't know if Dish could add an additional WAP to cover distant Wireless Joey's. Someone here could answer that.

The Wireless Joey at my aunt's house has been working great from day one and the signal has a wall to go through and a distance of about 20'. In fact, the Wireless Joey is faster and far more responsive than my Joye 1's have ever been.

No, only 2 WAPS per Hopper, 3 Joeys per WAP

 

[ncted]

2) is the DirecTV wireless system better?

Based on the experience of my parents with DirecTV wireless clients, no.

 

[Claude Greiner]

I have installed wireless clients a few times, and every time had to either relocate the video bridge or run a hard wire.

Unless you got a small 1200 sf house, I would avoid

 

[Jim5506]

I see the draw of wireless, but have never felt it was reliable enough and I don't move things around that much.

Even the wireless Fire Stick has a few glitches occasionally.

I just run wires.

 

[rad]

Guess my experience is the exception. I have three wireless clients in my setup and not having issues (DIRECTV). I’ve got them in bedrooms where I didn’t want to run coax along baseboards for a wired client.

 

[Claude Greiner]

I see the draw of wireless, but have never felt it was reliable enough and I don't move things around that much.

Even the wireless Fire Stick has a few glitches occasionally.

I just run wires.

Exactly.

It’s not hard to run wires

 

[dare2be]

Exactly.

It’s not hard to run wires

Depends.

My house with vaulted ceilings throughout means I would have to crawl half-way across my house in a 3-foot attic crawl space just to get to my living room wall.

No thanks.

 

[Claude Greiner]

When I built my house I ran 4 coax cables and 2 cat 5 to every wall in every room.

Just go in the basement and connect the wires and I’m good to go

 

[littlecloud319]

When I built my house I ran 4 coax cables and 2 cat 5 to every wall in every room.

Just go in the basement and connect the wires and I’m good to go

Some may say overkill but I say future proof.

If I was having a house built today I would run several cat 7 and rg-11 cables to each room at multiple points. And I would run those inside conduit for future upgrades. I might also run fiber optic to each room as well but of course a couple extra runs of conduit would be fine at the moment until Ethernet cable will no longer be fast enough.

 

[Claude Greiner]

Rg11 is not necessary unless you have long runs.

I agree on the fiber, but Your better off running conduit at this point.

New House Photos

 

[DishSubLA]

No, only 2 WAPS per Hopper, 3 Joeys per WAP

Thanks. Good to know.