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Tried to upgrade to Genie, but Directv talked me out of it

Re: Tried to upgrade to Genie, but Directv talked me out of

The DirtMerchant said:
Just ordered the Genie ($99) to replace one of my HD-DVRs. So I'll have the 5 tuner Genie + my 2 tuner HD-DVR to be able to record 7 shows at once (when the hell is that going to happen). Doghart, I have no idea how you got that all for $49, but they just would not go down below $99 for me. There was an additional $49 installation fee, but I got around that by just having it shipped to me and I'll take care of installation. Hopefully there isn't much to change from existing wiring setup...didn't somebody post about self-install of one of these recently? Anyway...it should be here in a few days.
Click to expand...

I think that was me talking about the self install.

If you're set up with whole home DVR, you likely have something called an SWR inserter somewhere linking all your boxes. You likely also have a box that connects to that SWR inserter and brings your home network in via ethernet. The network signal would then ride the satellite coax to your boxes.

On older boxes (HR20/21 vintage), the network signal would be tapped off the satellite coax at the receiver by a white box and you'd have coax to the sat input on the box and ethernet to the ethernet input on the box. The newer boxes (HR 24/25/pretty much anything recent) don't use that white box. You DO NOT run ethernet to the ethernet port on those units (so the Genie's ethernet port stays blissfully unpenetrated). They get the network signal off the coax- when you do the install you pull out that white box and just run the coax straight to the box from the SWR inserter.

It took me a while to figure out that was why the Genie wasn't showing up on the whole home system. The DirecTV tech I called wasn't any help whatsoever with it. Once I tossed that stupid white box out of the loop everything worked great.
 
Re: Tried to upgrade to Genie, but Directv talked me out of

Akula said:
The DirtMerchant said:
Just ordered the Genie ($99) to replace one of my HD-DVRs. So I'll have the 5 tuner Genie + my 2 tuner HD-DVR to be able to record 7 shows at once (when the hell is that going to happen). Doghart, I have no idea how you got that all for $49, but they just would not go down below $99 for me. There was an additional $49 installation fee, but I got around that by just having it shipped to me and I'll take care of installation. Hopefully there isn't much to change from existing wiring setup...didn't somebody post about self-install of one of these recently? Anyway...it should be here in a few days.
Click to expand...

I think that was me talking about the self install.

If you're set up with whole home DVR, you likely have something called an SWR inserter somewhere linking all your boxes. You likely also have a box that connects to that SWR inserter and brings your home network in via ethernet. The network signal would then ride the satellite coax to your boxes.

On older boxes (HR20/21 vintage), the network signal would be tapped off the satellite coax at the receiver by a white box and you'd have coax to the sat input on the box and ethernet to the ethernet input on the box. The newer boxes (HR 24/25/pretty much anything recent) don't use that white box. You DO NOT run ethernet to the ethernet port on those units (so the Genie's ethernet port stays blissfully unpenetrated). They get the network signal off the coax- when you do the install you pull out that white box and just run the coax straight to the box from the SWR inserter.

It took me a while to figure out that was why the Genie wasn't showing up on the whole home system. The DirecTV tech I called wasn't any help whatsoever with it. Once I tossed that stupid white box out of the loop everything worked great.
Click to expand...

Will be referring to this in a few days. Thanks Ak
 
Re: Tried to upgrade to Genie, but Directv talked me out of

Up and running...sort of. Thanks Akula for the above info. Followed it and worked like a charm.

Issues: No Toslink for digital audio, so switched over to the RCA Digital Out connector, but for some reason, if I turn Digital Audio "On" on the Genie, then I get no audio from regular audio channels and if I turn Digital Audio "Off" I will get no audio from the Digital Audio channels. I was doing this at 3am, so I'm sure I was (and still am) stupid...but that was kind of odd. Have it connected via stereo RCA L/R currently. Probably a setting on my Anthem?

But the somewhat major issue...HDCP bites me again. Had forgotten about it as we haven't been watching many Blu-Rays lately, but hooked the Genie up via HDMI to my "outdated" TV...and got the HDCP message for all HD movie channels. So, had to switch over to Component cables.

I guess I really need to upgrade my display, huh? Thing is, at this point I am looking to move relatively soon and spending cash on a TV is not my idea of saving up. Especially since I just saw one of those 4K displays and would love to wait for version 2.0 that is actually affordable. But this HDCP makes me want to just go out and buy a cheapy plasma just so I have something that doesn't annoy me and can be connected the way I want.

Anyway, Genie is up and running. $99. 5 tuners + 2 on my other HD-DVR. Now to just connect the DVR I'm replacing and watch the last few shows I had on there.

Anyway have any time blocks that they think they have 7 shows they would want to record at the same time?
 
Re: Tried to upgrade to Genie, but Directv talked me out of

The DirtMerchant said:
Anyway have any time blocks that they think they have 7 shows they would want to record at the same time?
Click to expand...

I think it's really cool that you even get that option. I can see where large families may use all those tuners. My Uverse services can record upto four but I can't recall a time I needed/wanted more than three. I'm soooo looking forward to the day when DVRs become 100% cloud based. I'm convinced that in our future people will look back and laugh at the idea that we had schedule recordings that took up space on physical hard drives that wer only accessible from certain sets in the home. We're almost there.
 
Re: Tried to upgrade to Genie, but Directv talked me out of

Towen7 said:
I think it's really cool that you even get that option. I can see where large families may use all those tuners. My Uverse services can record upto four but I can't recall a time I needed/wanted more than three. I'm soooo looking forward to the day when DVRs become 100% cloud based. I'm convinced that in our future people will look back and laugh at the idea that we had schedule recordings that took up space on physical hard drives that wer only accessible from certain sets in the home. We're almost there.
Click to expand...

Once space (HDD, SSD or whatever is next) becomes (REALLY) cheap and can hold 10X or 100X as much, and doesn't take up so much physical space and we couple that with high speed networks...yup...I'm with you. Almost there...
 
Re: Tried to upgrade to Genie, but Directv talked me out of

Discovered one major flaw of the Genie. It eats up a ton of my wifi signal. I have 12MB speed (on my main computer directly hooked up to my router I'm actually getting slightly over 12MB) now before Genie I was getting around 7-8MB wifi speed on my iPad using speedtest. After Genie I'm now getting 3-5MB. At first I thought it was my router so Centurylink sent me a new one and still slow speeds. So went to Centurylink dot com and clicked on connected devices and sure enough the Genie is displayed as active even when off (same with my AppleTV). I thought of buying a wifi extender to boost signal but tried my iPad right next to router and I'm still getting slow speeds so that won't work. Centurylink says there is nothing I can do as the Genie needs an Internet connection and can't be disabled and the best they offer is 12MB so now I suffer slow speeds all because the Genie is hogging my wifi.
 
Re: Tried to upgrade to Genie, but Directv talked me out of

Buy a WiFi access point and setup a second WiFi network for all your personal devices. The result will be one WiFi network for Genie and AppleTV and another for your personal use devices.
 
Re: Tried to upgrade to Genie, but Directv talked me out of

Can't you just run an Ethernet line to it?
 
Re: Tried to upgrade to Genie, but Directv talked me out of

Get this wireless access point and set it up as an Access Point and create a new WiFi network with its own SSID and password:

http://www.amazon.com/TP-LINK-TL-WA801N ... cess+point

Switch all of your personal devices to use the new WiFi network and leave the Genie and the AppleTV on the old WiFi network.

It supports faster 802.11n and all the older WiFi speeds.

Assuming you cannot connect stationary devices to a physical Ethernet wire (always the best option), that's what I'd do.
 
Re: Tried to upgrade to Genie, but Directv talked me out of

Thanks Flint that is a great idea. Just ordered it, hopefully not to confusing to set up.

Tom can't do the Ethernet cable, I could but would require squeezing in tight attic space and drilling holes which I'd rather not do. Flints suggestion seems the best option.
 
Re: Tried to upgrade to Genie, but Directv talked me out of

Matt -

Try to place the new access point at a location as far from the wireless router as possible. Most modern WiFi devices will scan for other WiFi radios and try to pick frequencies which are different from the nearest signals. If you find one or the other (or both) WiFi networks seems to be sketchy, you may need to force both of them to different specific radio channels. But, don't worry about that initially. Just setup the new Access Point and create a new SSID and security password.
 
Re: Tried to upgrade to Genie, but Directv talked me out of

Will do buddy and thanks again.
 
Re: Tried to upgrade to Genie, but Directv talked me out of

MatthewB said:
Discovered one major flaw of the Genie. It eats up a ton of my wifi signal. I have 12MB speed (on my main computer directly hooked up to my router I'm actually getting slightly over 12MB) now before Genie I was getting around 7-8MB wifi speed on my iPad using speedtest. After Genie I'm now getting 3-5MB. At first I thought it was my router so Centurylink sent me a new one and still slow speeds. So went to Centurylink dot com and clicked on connected devices and sure enough the Genie is displayed as active even when off (same with my AppleTV). I thought of buying a wifi extender to boost signal but tried my iPad right next to router and I'm still getting slow speeds so that won't work. Centurylink says there is nothing I can do as the Genie needs an Internet connection and can't be disabled and the best they offer is 12MB so now I suffer slow speeds all because the Genie is hogging my wifi.
Click to expand...

Is there a difference in setup that you are not getting the network signal in off the coaxial?
 
Re: Tried to upgrade to Genie, but Directv talked me out of

The DirtMerchant said:
MatthewB said:
Discovered one major flaw of the Genie. It eats up a ton of my wifi signal. I have 12MB speed (on my main computer directly hooked up to my router I'm actually getting slightly over 12MB) now before Genie I was getting around 7-8MB wifi speed on my iPad using speedtest. After Genie I'm now getting 3-5MB. At first I thought it was my router so Centurylink sent me a new one and still slow speeds. So went to Centurylink dot com and clicked on connected devices and sure enough the Genie is displayed as active even when off (same with my AppleTV). I thought of buying a wifi extender to boost signal but tried my iPad right next to router and I'm still getting slow speeds so that won't work. Centurylink says there is nothing I can do as the Genie needs an Internet connection and can't be disabled and the best they offer is 12MB so now I suffer slow speeds all because the Genie is hogging my wifi.
Click to expand...

Is there a difference in setup that you are not getting the network signal in off the coaxial?
Click to expand...

It sounds like he doesn't have the network inserter box pushing the network signal to the SWR. If you don't have a network box in a location that would allow one to run a coax back to the SWR then it's either drill holes and run cable or turn to wifi.
 
Re: Tried to upgrade to Genie, but Directv talked me out of

Don't know about that. With my old DVR I had a separate box that was attached to my sat box (connected via coax) that picked up the Internet while not connected to my home Internet system. Think it was hooked up to Directv server via coax for my unlimited movies. The new box the tech unhooked the separate box altogether and it's in my garage collecting dust. The new sat box had my movie, pandora and YouTube apps built in but had to manually be connected to my WPS wifi signal. Hence why now my signal is so slow. To tell you the truth the only benefit to the new Genie is just being able to see my DVR'd shows in other rooms. So far the downside is all my channels are HDCP which fucks up my DVDO scaler using HDMI (can't use component because the colors are all washed out not using HDMI) and the Genie sucking up my wifi.
 
Re: Tried to upgrade to Genie, but Directv talked me out of

Flint I finally got that Access Point device you linked and it didn't work at all. In fact it screwed up my system that I had to reset my IP address. I found by calling customer service that the device needs an Ethernet cable in all five functions the device can do except being used as a repeater and even then it would see my router but when hooked to my Marantz preamp it would constantly drop the signal. I bought this so I wouldn't need an Ethernet cable strewn about the house but this device would only work properly when connected to an Ethernet. So it's going back. Kinda sucks.
 
Re: Tried to upgrade to Genie, but Directv talked me out of

Yes, you need an Ethernet cable for the new device to act like an access point. But it can be in the same area as the other wifi router. My advice to put as far away was meant to mean like 10 feet away, not on the other end of the house. I should probably talk you through this.
 
Re: Tried to upgrade to Genie, but Directv talked me out of

Logically you have to connect the new WAP to the old router with a cable (because your said the wifi was maxed out). Put it right next to your current wifi router and connect a cable from your current router to this one. Then connect a laptop to the new one with an Ethernet cable to log in and change the SSID or any other settings. At that point you should have two Internet connected wifi signals. Just connect your wifi devices to the new SSID and your done. All you should need is one cable.
 
Re: Tried to upgrade to Genie, but Directv talked me out of

So simple I didn't think of it. I thought the new repeater should go across the room. Now the other issue I'm having is when used as an access point my computer gives me a warning that there is a conflict because the access point is sharing the same frequency as my modem but I changed the last ISP numbers (ex modem 198.123.0.550 and access point is 198.123.0.225 and I still get a conflict warning.

Flint PM me your number if I have issues after I get home I'll give you a call. ( prolly around 4:30 AZ time).

Thanks guys.
 
Re: Tried to upgrade to Genie, but Directv talked me out of

You can change the channel (frequency) the new AP is using the setup app.
 
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