New construction wiring for DirecTV

[paulheck]

I am wiring a new house and I want to pre-wire for DirecTV. I am setting up a structured media panel where I will "home run" all my coax locations. The following is my understanding of coax wiring for direcTV:

You must wire with RG6 rated coax
For DVR DirecTV boxes you have to run two RG6 wires to each location
From my satellite location to my structure media panel I need the number of DVR DirecTV boxes times two. For example I want to put in three TVs with DVR capabilities so I will need 6 (3x2) coax runs from my satellite to my panel.

Please let me know if I have this right.

 

[Cranked]

Pretty sure you only need one coax at each location. My HDDVR only has one coax cable to it but I have a SWM setup so im not sure if that has anything to do with it. It would probably be cheaper for you to get the multi room viewing deal rather than 3 DVR boxes. If you are pre-wiring anyway all you would need to do is run some Cat 5/6 cable to each area.

 

[wildbill129]

Paul,

Use RG6, solid copper core. With SWM, you only need one RG6 to each location. However, having two allows you to run one OTA if necessary, or if one is bad, you have an extra. I would run two to each. Cable is cheap. Run Ethernet to each location as well, plus a phone line. You can use Cat 5 or 6 for both.

 

[ebms1]

I am wiring a new house and I want to pre-wire for DirecTV. I am setting up a structured media panel where I will "home run" all my coax locations. The following is my understanding of coax wiring for direcTV:

You must wire with RG6 rated coax
For DVR DirecTV boxes you have to run two RG6 wires to each location
From my satellite location to my structure media panel I need the number of DVR DirecTV boxes times two. For example I want to put in three TVs with DVR capabilities so I will need 6 (3x2) coax runs from my satellite to my panel.

Please let me know if I have this right.

for the swm dish all you need is one wire from the dish to your home runs ,then one wire to each recvr location...a switch needs to be connected between your single wire from the dish & each location wire ... with the swm dish you can only do 8 tuners....4 dvr's (2 tuners each) or 8 single tuner recvrs or any combination to equal the 8 tuners


if you use the (non) swm dish you will need to run 4 lines from the dish to your home runs ... & one line for each tuner ... (2 for dvr locations ) a switch will need to be connected to your 4 dish lines & each line for you recvr locations (2 for dvr)


so .... if i were you .... id go head & run the 4 from dish & 2 to each recvr location........ that way you will have enough for anything you want ....if you do swm you can use the others for HD ant ... or cable ... or xm or sirius radio or what ever...


standard now days is 5 to 6 (4 min ) in & 2 to 4 (2 min ) out to each location

6 in will do dtv + sat radio + cable or ant

4 to main media room dvr + sat radio + cable or ant

2 to other locations dvr or cable or ant



also with swm 8 switch you can do even more.....

if you run more than you need .... you wont be tring to figure how to ad later

 

[paulheck]

What are the pros and cons of the swm dish? Obviously one pro is it uses a lot less wire. Are there any cons?

I know Ethernet serves to help download movies and other content. Are there other needs for it at TV locations? Is the phone line for dialing out to order Pay-Per-View?

Thank you for your responses. I had to look up a lot of the terms you guys used, but I'm following you now. As I see it, the average homeowner only really needs 1 "in" from the satellite and 1 "out" to each location. I don't think I even know anybody who has both satellite and cable; not to mention OTA and sat radio.

 

[Jimbo]

What are the pros and cons of the swm dish? Obviously one pro is it uses a lot less wire. Are there any cons?

I know Ethernet serves to help download movies and other content. Are there other needs for it at TV locations? Is the phone line for dialing out to order Pay-Per-View?

Thank you for your responses. I had to look up a lot of the terms you guys used, but I'm following you now. As I see it, the average homeowner only really needs 1 "in" from the satellite and 1 "out" to each location. I don't think I even know anybody who has both satellite and cable; not to mention OTA and sat radio.

ebms1 has a pretty good layout for you there.
Only issue is, you don't know for sure if your going to get the SWM set up or not.
It never hurts to run extra coax.
Make sure you LABEL them on BOTH ends.

From the dish to the media center/ ground block you need 4 lines at most for the dish.
If you get the SWM you'll have plenty of spares, if not you'll have the required 4... maybe you should run 5 that way you have a spare in case you may need it down the road.

It use to be that you wanted 2 coax runs to each DVR as it required 2 lines for two tuners. recently they brought out the SWM set up to alleviate the extra coax runs.

Don't forget to have power available if you end up with thew SWM you'll need it.

 

[paulheck]

Do I also need a #10 ground wire at the satellite that connects to the home central grounding?

Can someone also address the need for Ethernet and phone at a TV location?

 

[wadethecableguy]

The ground wire is required by the NEC. It is a good idea to ground your system. The Dtv installer is actually required to do so if he says he's not, he's lying. Phone lines are for PPV ordering with the remote control. Ethernet serves many possible uses. Downloading on demand movies, multiroom functions are a few. It is always a good idea to run a few extra wires as scenerios change constantly. It wasnt long ago one coax was standard. Cat5 or 6 wire can be used for many different applications, IR control, audio and video distribution to name afew. Put the wire in while you can or pay for it later! Never know what the next technology will use.

 

[Ripper]

I'm about to start the same project - thanks for the tips.
Just curious if there's a recommended solid-core cable (and source) - Home Depot only carries the copper-clad steel in a quad shield.
Thanks!

 

[Happy Camper]

Things I learned wiring our house two years ago:

1. Always put in two more wires than you need. Wire is cheap, retro wiring is not. I would have had to add wires for Sirius radio tuners, whole house modulator feedback and two extra antenna wires for my new TiVo boxes.

2, Add much more Cat 5e or Cat 6 than you think you need. In just two years, I've networked two DVRs, a Roku, a Slingbox, a TV and a Blu-ray at one location in the family room. Eventually, network switches hung all over the place does not get it. Evryting is networked, or will be. Cat 5e or Cat 6 is really cheap, but not if you don't have it. Don't forget the possibility of HD over Cat 5e.

3. Wire for fiber optics, even if FIOS has not made it to your neighborhood yet. Run the Cat 5e or Cat 6 to the corner of the house in the the garage, and have a power outlet there. You may want it later.

4. Wire for an antenna, in the attic if it will work there-we put ours just below the edges of reflective attic roof coating, inside. Works great.

5. Obviously, don't forget lots of electrical outlets. All three of my home theater full setups have two seperate, 20 amp dedicated lines on opposite rails in addition to regular plugs. Glad we did that. You will always want more plugs.

6. If you want to put your stuff in a remote closet or cabinet, make sure plugs are there, that HDMI, subwoofer and speaker wires go exactly where you want them. Provide for A/C or ventilation-a bigger rig generates a lot of heat.

Maybe you should just take everything you think you need and double it. Wish I'd done that, but I did not allow for satellite radio, extra antenna lines, modulator feedback lines, networked Rokus, Blu-rays, TVs and receivers, etc. Fo sure, you will need ,more lines than you thought sometime later-just have them there-we have nine RG-6 cables running to the family room and use them all.

Get someone who knows what they are doing and wire for the future, and maybe not just DirecTV secific. We had D* for fourteen years and just switched to FIOs....

Happy building!

P.S. you could even future wire for active speakers. Two friends of mine have switched to Martin Logans or Maggies in the last year-both wished they'd put plugs about where you'd put the speakers. Big Def Techs? More plugs!

 

[Happy Camper]

Buy Belden RG-6 in bulk.