Truth from the Wildblue Experienced Installers...

[rcdallas]

I hope I am posting this in the right forum, I figure since it's really a Dish Network thing now it would be appropriate to place it here.

Anyhow, how long is it taking for ya'll to install a system, say pole mount or even a roof mount.

From what I can forsee it shouldn't take anymore then 3.5 to 4 hours MAX provided nothing fancy, just a wam bam one wall penetration straight into the back of the modem, no wall fish, etc.

I'd have to say building the dish once you get the rythm down should take about 30 minutes.

The reason I ask is because I know of someone that is claiming it takes 7 hours to do a standard wildblue install, since I haven't officially installed one in the field yet, I can't give a honest how long it takes.

I can typically do a standard 4 room dishnetwork install with quality in about 3.5 hours, that's running new lines, with this in mind taking into consideration all your doing is running 1 dual cable to the modem, along with setting up the optimizer, I can_not_ forsee a wildblue install taking over 7 hours, maybe if the dish isn't pointed correctly and the attenuators are not in place and or just plain dragging feet the entire time, "smoke breaks", etc...

When I had built one at the shop and downloaded a modem, the download took about 10 minutes, building the dish with 2 helpers took 30 minutes that's being brand new, never opening a box, etc... so about 40-45 minutes total building the dish and syncing the modem.

As I say, how long is it taking the pro's who have installed these for awhile?

Thanks for any responses.

 

[HCI]

7 hours in insane for a satellite install. It should take the average tech 2 to max 4 hours on a difficult install. I do enterprise installs by myself in 3 hours.

 

[Jared Twomey]

I've been installing them for about 2 years now, and I do the install, including building the dish and updating the modem (i don't do that stuff beforehand), and the average job takes me right at 2 and a half hours

 

[ekilgus]

I had my Wildblue installed which required the installer to dig a hole for the pole, pour some concrete, mount and aim the dish, run the dual cable through the soffet into the attic for about 50 feet then through another wall to the modem. then came the activation and setup. All of this took him about 2.5 hours.

 

[KE4EST]

Yes it averages me about 2.5 hours. Yes some odd situtaions can take a little longer. Maybe if you were new at WB and ran into a strange situtaion, maybe 7 hours, I can't see it, but maybe, but every install, no. Normal should take less than 3 hours.

 

[rcdallas]

Thanks for the responses everyone. I figured once one has done a few it would only be a couple of hours.

One way I can see to speed the process up is build the skew at the shop, and perhaps with a already made test dish already aimed properly, to let the modem sync up at the shop, that should shave some time.

 

[havana]

I had Wild Blue installed last week and it took the installer about 3 hours...it was a simple roof mount and about a fifty foot cable run to the modem. The guy did a real neat job and he grounded my OTA anntena while he was at it...slipped him a twenty and a cold pepsi and I couldn’t be happier.

 

[dishcomm]

I've been installing them for about 2 years now, and I do the install, including building the dish and updating the modem (i don't do that stuff beforehand), and the average job takes me right at 2 and a half hours

I want to train for these installs..Our company is wanting us to start selling/installing them...
Questions...Is a laptop an absolute must?
If so, where did you get your laptop and how much did it cost?
What type of OS , memory, hard drive etc is required?
Certification courses are being offered here soon..I want to take advantage of this opportunity...

 

[Jared Twomey]

I want to train for these installs..Our company is wanting us to start selling/installing them...
Questions...Is a laptop an absolute must?
If so, where did you get your laptop and how much did it cost?
What type of OS , memory, hard drive etc is required?
Certification courses are being offered here soon..I want to take advantage of this opportunity...

a must, no, but i carry one just in case, I have had a few where the customer didnt have a computer available, or didnt have an ethernet card in their computer.

The one I use in the field is a cheap one I bought on Ebay for about $300. I went cheap cause it rides around in my jeep pretty much all the time and I figure i'll break it one of these days.

XP is the best in my opinion for installation purposes. I've done a couple on 95 or 98 and they seemed like a bit more work and hassle. I haven't tried on linux, but i may give that a try soon.

At the class they will tell you that a laptop is required, but in the real world, I think i have used mine maybe once or twice. Most customers have a computer and are ready to go.

Good luck with it, they aren't bad to install. Personally I prefer them over dish or direct nowadays

 

[skyviewmark]

I use my laptop on every install.. I hate haveing to deal with an unknown computer when I set up the system.. I get it all going. Then I plug in the customers computer.. It just works better that way.. I trust my laptop..

 

[chadzx11]

a must, no, but i carry one just in case, I have had a few where the customer didnt have a computer available, or didnt have an ethernet card in their computer.

What kind of moron orders internet service when a computer is not "available?"

 

[Jared Twomey]

What kind of moron orders internet service when a computer is not "available?"

people that are moving into new houses and want everything ready to go before they move in, and don't anything in the house yet. We do that all the time with dish and direct also. People dont like to wait. They want everything ready to go the day they move in

 

[Jared Twomey]

I use my laptop on every install.. I hate haveing to deal with an unknown computer when I set up the system.. I get it all going. Then I plug in the customers computer.. It just works better that way.. I trust my laptop..

but you cant do a couple installs a day that way. It takes a little while for wildblue to release your computers mac address

 

[skyviewmark]

I have no trouble with any kind of release. Never have..

 

[gernskin]

W/B install pay

What kind of pay are installers getting for W/B's

 

[dishcomm]

a must, no, but i carry one just in case, I have had a few where the customer didnt have a computer available, or didnt have an ethernet card in their computer.

The one I use in the field is a cheap one I bought on Ebay for about $300. I went cheap cause it rides around in my jeep pretty much all the time and I figure i'll break it one of these days.

XP is the best in my opinion for installation purposes. I've done a couple on 95 or 98 and they seemed like a bit more work and hassle. I haven't tried on linux, but i may give that a try soon.

At the class they will tell you that a laptop is required, but in the real world, I think i have used mine maybe once or twice. Most customers have a computer and are ready to go.

Good luck with it, they aren't bad to install. Personally I prefer them over dish or direct nowadays

Thanks....I agree with you.I am getting pretty sick of video installs...This looks like a better opportunity..I have spoked to a couple of guys that do Hughesnet..They say the pay is much hiogher than for a video install..

 

[Liquidforce88]

it's not that good of pay for WB from what I have been told.

 

[rcdallas]

I've completed two Wildblue installs today, 2.5 hours on the first job, 3 hours on the second job. Piece of cake.

The first job the dish was prebuilt, second was built on site. I definately like them better then video installs for sure.

 

[dishcomm]

What kind of moron orders internet service when a computer is not "available?"

That's good..What kind of a moron orders satellite EQ and doesn't have a clue what they bought?....
Over the last couple of years, customers seem to be less and less educated consumers.

 

[dishcomm]

people that are moving into new houses and want everything ready to go before they move in, and don't anything in the house yet. We do that all the time with dish and direct also. People dont like to wait. They want everything ready to go the day they move in

Yeah..The new move ins get all pissy when I tell them there has to be at least one tv in the home...Unbelieveable.....I have shown up at homes for new connects rung the doorbell no answer..I peerr intro the windo and there is no furniture in the house..I taq the door. They call back later in the day bitching because their closing took longer than they anticipated and want us back out that day...I actually had one of these idiots tell me they were not going to be in the house for another week....But they wanted the EQ installed that day..Putz...