Switching to Directv: Wireless or Wired Genie Minis?

[RobDMB]

I'm switching to Directv and am pretty sure new cable will have to be run in my home. I am wondering what everyone recommends as far as wired or wireless minis. I assume I'll have to pay a fee to have the wires fished through walls but also know there is a fee for the wireless minis. Ideally the wireless sounds great, but I'm concerned it will be less reliable and/or lead to interference with my existing wireless network. My house is also a ranch house with an unfinished basement and attic so I'm hoping fishing wires won't be too hard.

Any thoughts are appreciated. Thanks.

 

[raoul5788]

to Satelliteguys RobDMB!

From what I have read, the wireless is very reliable, but I would go with wired if possible. I think the charge to install the wireless is $100, but the wall fishing may be more than that. The wireless operates on a separate network, so it won't interfere. If the wires are run in the walls then you will likely incur a charge. If they come through the floor then probably not.

 

[RobDMB]

I would definitely request that the wires be run through the wall. It would be for three rooms but as I have a ranch with an unfinished basement and attic I am hoping it will not be too difficult. I think I'd rather spend the money toward having a solid wired system than $100 for the 1st generation of their wireless boxes.

 

[raoul5788]

I agree, but others may prefer wireless.

 

[whitewolf8214]

to Satelliteguys RobDMB!!!

 

[maestro7]

The wireless Genie minis are fantastic. We have one with our system.

DirecTV makes you pay $99 for wireless bridge install (this uses the coax network and not wifi).

While wired is always best, the wireless minis are definitely a worthy addition.

 

[raoul5788]

I would definitely request that the wires be run through the wall. It would be for three rooms but as I have a ranch with an unfinished basement and attic I am hoping it will not be too difficult. I think I'd rather spend the money toward having a solid wired system than $100 for the 1st generation of their wireless boxes.

If you have some basic skills you can prep for the wall fishing. Go to HD or Lowes and get the low voltage wall brackets like this: http://www.homedepot.com/p/Carlon-1-Gang-Non-Metallic-Low-Voltage-Old-Work-Bracket-SC100RR/100160916
Cut the holes where you want the outlets and install the brackets. Make sure you don't cut the hole right at a stud. If you measure carefully, you can figure out where to drill up from the basement in order to go into the wall nearby the outlet. Use a known spot to measure from, like a heat pipe or electric wire.

 

[acostapimps]

Know that the Genie HR34 or HR44 DVR is required for wired or wireless clients to work,
Since it's basically a extender to the Genie DVR itself, meaning that there's no tuners on them,

I also have wireless client and they work great, No coax needed on the client box, other than the wireless video bridge itself,

but it can't be too far away from the client or it'll lose connection.
But since you'll have coax setup in the room and not moving clients around much, then the wired ones should do

 

[jborchel]

Is the wireless protocol used for the Genie to mini a unique Directv signal or does it use a more universal protocol. I am looking at an LG PF87K projector and it has two wireless technologies built into it. One is wi-fi and the second is Intel® Wireless Display (WiDi). Will either of these work with the Genie, a 44 in my case?

 

[twizt3dsist3r]

Please be aware all directv techs have the right to refuse to wallfish. It is custom labor and will be billed to you at the time of install for a fee of 50 usd per wire per wall. This is not able to be added onto your bill and there is no guarantee that the tech assigned to your install will be able to wallfish.

The wvb uses a proprietary 5g wifi signal that pairs with wps. I'm not sure of the channel used but I know other devices are not able to connect to it. The genie itself can connect to any WPA 2.4 or 5g wifi.