Prewiring For DirecTV Question

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HTInstallNJ

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Sep 21, 2013
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Hi Guys,

Thanks in advance for any answers that you can provide me with. I'll start off by saying that I am knowledgeable in home theater however when it comes to running satellite lines I could definitely use some improvement in my knowledge of how things work.

Here is my situation:

I have a home that I am building and I want to pre wire it with the ability to either use cable, satellite or both at once! From my understanding, I know that I need to run a home run from the multiswitch to each cable box/sat box location.

I want to make sure that I run enough lines from where the satellite will be placed (on the roof) into a central distribution spot in my basement (don't want the DirecTV guys running any of the wiring, or installing the dish for that matter). Please correct me if I am wrong, however I believe I should run a total of four lines from the dish location to the basement where the multiswitch would be placed.

Now here comes the tricky part. I will have a total of 7-8 televisions that I would be interested in setting up the DirecTV DVR with genies (one main DVR and the rest genie clients). Four of the televisions are going to be in the 40 to 60 ft range from the multiswitch however the remaining TV's will be in a separate building anywhere from 150 to 200ft or so away from the multiswitch. Is it going to be possible to get a signal over those distances if I am using RG11?

I am not too familiar with the setup for DirecTV, but I believe that I would need to run two lines from the switch to the main DVR and then a separate line to each mini client from the multiswitch (please correct me if I am wrong). Also, will I need an ethernet connection at genie?

I guess my last question would be, is it possible to hook up more than one multiswitch? So for example send a line to the next building approximately 120 ft away and hook a multiswitch up at that point to distribute to the boxes in that area?

Once again I appreciate any help I can get.

Thanks so much!

Dave
 
I can answer some general questions..

A.... You would need a swm16 times 2..... The Genie uses 5 tuners and depending on if you use Genie Clients . If you use DVR's each have two tuners.

B. As for roof mount, you would have to look to see if you have a clear view of the satellites. There ate a few programs out thete which tell you which way you have to look. If you live in the North, you might consider a ground mount. www.dishpointer.com
 
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PLEASE somebody correct me if I'm wrong, I am still in training but since nobody else has answered the questions I will try to make the best of it.

You wouldn't be able to combine CATV and the genie on the same cables, the frequencies used between the genie and clients is in the same range with cable internet and some CATV channel frequencies. You can run a separate CATV line to the genie and use an AM21.

Yes, You will need 4 lines from the dish to the multiswitch.

You could use a SWM8 multiswitch with your setup but might consider a SWM16 to future proof yourself. With the 5 tuners the genie has you will only be able to add 1 DVR with a SWM8, with a SWM16 you could add 5 more DVRs or another genie.

With this large of a set up keep in mind the genie can only handle up to 8 clients (9 TVs total) and only 3 can be active at the same time (plus the genie itself). You should be ok with a maximum of 200' of RG11 but there is a SWM inline amplifier if you experience a signal problem. The maximum is 300' before requiring an amplifier.

You only need one line to each receiver including the genie. You also need to have a power inserter at some point between the multiswitch and genie. You don't necessarily need ethernet AT the genie, if you are placing your router near the splitter you can run a coax line off the splitter to a DECA and into the router or the HR44 genie has WiFi built in.

It is possible to use more than one multiswitch but not really necessary in a residential setup. You can just use a second splitter at the other building.
 
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