Vip722 receiver to Hopper?

comfortably_numb

Dogs have owners, cats have staff
Original poster
Pub Member / Supporter
Nov 30, 2011
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Kansas City / Las Vegas
Hey, guys...I'm back. Long time no see :biggrin

Trying to help my girlfriend with her Dish setup. She currently has a Vip722 receiver and wants Hopper. She is out of contract and doesn't want to renew the contract just to get a Hopper. So, my question is, can I just buy a used Hopper on Ebay and swap it out for the Vip receiver? I don't know if any kind of different switches or anything are required. Looking to add some wireless Joey's too, possibly.
 
No, the wiring is a little different. Basically, two wires go from the dish to something called a 'solo node' (can be inside or outside). The solo node has two outputs, one goes to the Hopper, and the other goes to the Joey. (the solo node is not used with the 722). If you want two joeys, you can put a 2-way splitter on one of the solo node outputs. I am not an installer...just trying to give you a good idea of a typical setup.
 
If your girlfriend thinks that she will keep Dish for 2 years, it is probably better to get the upgrade from Dish rather than eBay. Dish makes you pay the same receiver fees whether you own the receiver or not, so you don't save any money by buying vs leasing. It might be worth calling Dish just to see what they would charge you for the upgrade (I got a very generous deal when I upgraded my 722).
 
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No, the wiring is a little different. Basically, two wires go from the dish to something called a 'solo node' (can be inside or outside). The solo node has two outputs, one goes to the Hopper, and the other goes to the Joey. (the solo node is not used with the 722). If you want two joeys, you can put a 2-way splitter on one of the solo node outputs. I am not an installer...just trying to give you a good idea of a typical setup.
So if we don't use any Joey's, can I just install a solo node at point of entry, then run a single line from the node to the Hopper?
 
Is her Dish on Eastern Arc?

When I did the Hopper Upgrade (Dish gave me the upgrade for free, with just the 2 year commitment), they replaced my Dish, to go to Eastern Arc, they then did all the wiring changes described above. And added in a Hopper Broadband Connector in the basement where the router and Dish Coax come in; that provided me with full ethernet speed broadband (roughly 100mb) instead of relying on Wifi. the end result is the ability to download Blockbuster at Home "rentals" extremely quickly, and a very high quality Netflix feed.
 
Is her Dish on Eastern Arc?

When I did the Hopper Upgrade (Dish gave me the upgrade for free, with just the 2 year commitment), they replaced my Dish, to go to Eastern Arc, they then did all the wiring changes described above. And added in a Hopper Broadband Connector in the basement where the router and Dish Coax come in; that provided me with full ethernet speed broadband (roughly 100mb) instead of relying on Wifi. the end result is the ability to download Blockbuster at Home "rentals" extremely quickly, and a very high quality Netflix feed.
Not to mention no worries about bridging it any of that bs. It all is automatically bridged via the HIC.