# How Does Whole Home Work?



## jangell2 (Apr 6, 2004)

We have an HR34 in the living room and did have an HR20 in the bedroom, but the HR20 was getting a constant searching for signal. Tech came out and diagnosed the problem to be connections at the dish. He did replace other connections and also replaced the HR20 with an HR22. I didn't ask for it, he just said the 20 was old and we should replace now before it dies.

That evening my wife noticed she can see the playlist of the HR34 and the 34 can see what she's recorded with the 22. Neither one of these dvrs has access to my wifi. The tech didn't ask for my wifi access code and I didn't realize he was setting up whole home.

Without internet access how are the two dvrs communicating. Are they using the coaxial cabling to find each other?

What other features of whole home can we use without internet? The ipad app? The HR34 doesn't have the doohickey for internet access.

Based on the amount of disk space remaining display, it looks like the 22 records on its drive and the 34 on its drive. Is this true under whole home? Can the HR34 delete a recording from the 22 and vice versa?


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## peds48 (Jan 11, 2008)

We have an HR34 in the living room and did have an HR20 in the bedroom, but the HR20 was getting a constant searching for signal. Tech came out and diagnosed the problem to be connections at the dish. He did replace other connections and also replaced the HR20 with an HR22. I didn't ask for it, he just said the 20 was old and we should replace now before it dies.

That evening my wife noticed she can see the playlist of the HR34 and the 34 can see what she's recorded with the 22. Neither one of these dvrs has access to my wifi. The tech didn't ask for my wifi access code and I didn't realize he was setting up whole home.

Without internet access how are the two dvrs communicating. Are they using the coaxial cabling to find each other?

What other features of whole home can we use without internet? The ipad app? The HR34 doesn't have the doohickey for internet access.

Based on the amount of disk space remaining display, it looks like the 22 records on its drive and the 34 on its drive. Is this true under whole home? Can the HR34 delete a recording from the 22 and vice versa?
Yes, the DVRs communicate with each other via the SWM network using the same coax cables that feeds the satellite signals. Without internet access sharing playlist is about all you can do with whole-home. To use the iPad (connected features) the DVRs must be connected to the internet. Yes, each DVR will record to its own drive but you can deleted from either DVR as long as it is set up this way which is the default setting


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## Supramom2000 (Jun 21, 2007)

Also, if you did not request it to be set up, you might want to cancel it as it is not free. It costs $3 per month.


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## inkahauts (Nov 13, 2006)

And the HR34 does have an Ethernet port so if you have a network connections available to where its located you can simply plug an Ethernet cable into it and then both DVRs will be connected to the Internet.


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## inkahauts (Nov 13, 2006)

Also, if you did not request it to be set up, you might want to cancel it as it is not free. It costs $3 per month.
rumor has it they won't install genies without Whole Home Service.


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## Supramom2000 (Jun 21, 2007)

inkahauts said:


> rumor has it they won't install genies without Whole Home Service.


You are right! I forgot about that. If a CSR did not tell him that, he will need to speak to someone so he does not get a surprise charge on his bill.


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## jimmie57 (Jun 26, 2010)

jangell2 said:


> We have an HR34 in the living room and did have an HR20 in the bedroom, but the HR20 was getting a constant searching for signal. Tech came out and diagnosed the problem to be connections at the dish. He did replace other connections and also replaced the HR20 with an HR22. I didn't ask for it, he just said the 20 was old and we should replace now before it dies.
> 
> That evening my wife noticed she can see the playlist of the HR34 and the 34 can see what she's recorded with the 22. Neither one of these dvrs has access to my wifi. The tech didn't ask for my wifi access code and I didn't realize he was setting up whole home.
> 
> ...


Hope this helps


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## Supramom2000 (Jun 21, 2007)

Yes Jimmie, you can set your DVRs to allow deletion across all receivers or not.

Yes the receivers record on their own hard drives - your just get the pleasure of deciding where you want to watch the content from.

And yes, coax cabling is how they "Share".


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## ticmxman (Aug 28, 2007)

What is Jimmy missing out on by not connecting the system to the Internet? I know we have really enjoyed HBO on demand and the ability to catch up on the various HBO series, without Internet I don't think you get the on demand option.


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## peds48 (Jan 11, 2008)

What is Jimmy missing out on by not connecting the system to the Internet? I know we have really enjoyed HBO on demand and the ability to catch up on the various HBO series, without Internet I don't think you get the on demand option.
Yup, you need to have the DVRs connected to the internet in order to get DOD. OTH, the TS can watch HBO via its "GO" services via smartphone app or PC/Mac browser using his/her DirecTV credentials


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## jimmie57 (Jun 26, 2010)

ticmxman said:


> What is Jimmy missing out on by not connecting the system to the Internet? I know we have really enjoyed HBO on demand and the ability to catch up on the various HBO series, without Internet I don't think you get the on demand option.


I am not the thread starter.

Having said that, I do not have a Genie, I do not have Whole Home DVR and I am not connected to the internet with the TV systems and I have way more TV than I know what to do with.


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## Laxguy (Dec 2, 2010)

Back to the OP (aka TS) 

You could be hooked up now to the internet, as a wired solution (the better way) does not require a PW.. depends on what the installer did. 

Let us know!


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## jangell2 (Apr 6, 2004)

I'm tardy in replying to this topic I started, shame on me. Thank you all for the good information When I first got the HR34 they told me whole home was required, but gave me credits to make up for the charge. Thank to you all, I now know who the whole home is working.

I know the HR34 is not hooked up to the internet since there's no ethernet cable available. I once had a guy check to see if it could be run there (same guy who did the cabling for my audio setup). He said it was near impossible.

BTW, if I ever ran ethernet to my HT system, can ethernet be split to the various devices (TV, dvr, blu-ray player)? All those devices but the dvr have wifi built-in, but cable would be better, wouldn't it?


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## Supramom2000 (Jun 21, 2007)

I use an ethernet switch on one set up. It shares the receiver, a desktop and a laptop when necessary.


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## peds48 (Jan 11, 2008)

Yup, you can get an inexpensive 4 port switch


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## peds48 (Jan 11, 2008)

Yup, you can get an inexpensive 4 port switch


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## jangell2 (Apr 6, 2004)

To Supramom, thank. And to peds48, thanks. And to peds48, thanks.


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## Bill Broderick (Aug 25, 2006)

jangell2 said:


> BTW, if I ever ran ethernet to my HT system, can ethernet be split to the various devices (TV, dvr, blu-ray player)? All those devices but the dvr have wifi built-in, but cable would be better, wouldn't it?


Based on this, I'm assuming that you already have Wifi in your house. If this is the case, you could (and should) have your DirecTV network (aka Cloud) already connected to the Internet. You don't need to have every DVR in your home connected to the Internet. With SWM (which you have), you only need to have a single device connected to the Internet and then all of your cloud will be connected through that single device.

DirecTV has a couple of different types of Cinema Connection Kits (CCK's) that will allow you to connect your cloud to the Internet either wired or wirelessly. To be wired, you just need a location where you can connect Ethernet to the CCK and run a coax to your splitter (or to another coax in the cloud, where it can be "spliced in" with a 2 way splitter.


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## Laxguy (Dec 2, 2010)

He has an HR 34 which might eliminate the need for a separate CCK, though that's the solution for internet connectivity if the '34 isn't convenient to the router.


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## peds48 (Jan 11, 2008)

To Supramom, thank. And to peds48, thanks. And to peds48, thanks. 
You are welcome, you are welcome 


Sent from my iPad using DBSTalk


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## jangell2 (Apr 6, 2004)

I wouldn't mind a CCK, but DTV keeps wanting to charge me for it.


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## Laxguy (Dec 2, 2010)

Hmmmm. Too bad the installer didn't hook you up! 
What obstacles stand between the HR34 and your router?


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## Bill Broderick (Aug 25, 2006)

jangell2 said:


> I wouldn't mind a CCK, but DTV keeps wanting to charge me for it.


Just get it from ebay. If you don't need wireless, you can get a broadband DECA with the power supply (which works exactly the same as a wired CCK) for $11.90, including shipping right now.


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## Struff (Dec 24, 2008)

I've been trying to get Whole-Home for literally over two months now and I have had nothing but problems and misinformation. 

1) I was told I needed to upgrade to Genie+mini, which was fine with me. Tech came and it was blatantly obvious that he didn't want to do my work. He made up all kinds of excuses such as I had to change the location of of my TV's and had to do a lot of wiring. But then he found a red X on the 103 satellite because I had a 73% and 76% among the rest of the numbers that were all in the high 80s. He said I had to get someone to move my dish from the spot where they put it 11 years ago. I told him I would if he saw much better numbers in his signal strength meter at the proposed new spot, but he said he didn't have one because "DirecTV doesn't use them anymore" and he's been doing this job for 27 years and doesn't need one. That's when I told him to get the %^^&* out of my house and I reported him. 

2) A different tech came a month later. First he said he would need to rewire something at the dish to get the Genie+mini but the company "doesn't allow techs on roofs during the winter months" and "hasn't since 2011". Then he also saw that one red X and told me he couldn't continue because my system isn't passing the test needed before they can replace equipment. I called D TV while he was still here and asked if that can be overridden and three people later, no one had any idea what this guy was talking about. But he was patient and stayed with me. I told him all I really wanted was Whole-Home anyway and didn't really care about the Genies so he got on the phone with the rep and talked about what equipment I would need. And he told me how I could set it up myself to avoid another tech coming out and seeing that I fail the test.

3) They sent me two wireless CCKs which I hooked up as the manuals direct and as the tech told me for Whole-Home (and unplugged the cat5 that was previously connecting my boxes to my router). I verified all my settings and called to activate Whole-Home service. They told me I couldn't because I need a SWiM and that the tech should have set one up. I explained the red x problem and to try to make a long story short, after literally over four hours and six different people on the phone, I told them to forget about it and I would look into buying a SWiM on my own and plugging it in all by my lonesome. 

So my question is do I really need one? The tech who told me which equipment to order never mentioned one (although it could have simply slipped his mind). The people I spoke with to actually proceed with the equipment order never said anything about it. Their website just says for Whole-Home service all you need is appropriate receivers, internet connection, and Whole-Home service. 

Sorry for my VERY long post but these people have been confusing the heck out of me and I know you folks here usually know more than many of them so I just wanted to get enough facts out there. 

Thanks!


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## peds48 (Jan 11, 2008)

you are in a "catch 22" you don't need SWM if you can use ethernet, but DirecTV may not turn on WHDVR if you don't have SWM since SWM is their only supported method. 

Tell us what receivers do you have so we can try to get you in the right direction


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## Struff (Dec 24, 2008)

peds48 said:


> you are in a "catch 22" you don't need SWM if you can use ethernet, but DirecTV may not turn on WHDVR if you don't have SWM since SWM is their only supported method.
> 
> Tell us what receivers do you have so we can try to get you in the right direction


The online account manager used to always say that I was unable to activate the service and I had to call them. Now since I unplugged the boxes from my network and use the wireless CCK's they sent me, the online account manager lets me Activate the service and I get the confirmation email, but nothing actually happens (i.e. the boxes don't have the service and my bill hasn't changed despite what the email says).

I have an HR 23 and an HD R22. But on the online account manager the 22 says that it isn't connected to the internet (which it was even before I got the CCKs last week). The second tech who was here says both units are compatible. In my last four hour call to them one of the early reps said it was the 22 but then asked a supervisor who said it's ok because it's running the same exact software as my 23 (which is true according to the info in the menu settings). And when they transferred me to someone in tech support they said all my equipment is fine aside from the SWiM.

How do they know when a unit is on the internet? My guess is it would be simple for the box to talk back to them, but since it's been taking me so long to do this, I don't know what to think any more. If I get my own SWiM, how would they know I have it?

And on an unrelated question, my other house has a 24. Could I simply swap boxes between my two houses? I like the size of it compared to the bigger ones.

Thanks,


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## peds48 (Jan 11, 2008)

Struff said:


> I have an HR 23 and an HD R22.
> 
> Thanks,


Please confirm you receiver model numbers. if you have an HD receiver H23 and an "HDDVR" R22 you won't be able to have WHDVR as DirecTV "sees" the R22 as an SD DVR and as such, you don't have the "minimum requirements" to run WHDVR which is one HD and one HDDVR. you currently have one HD and one SD DVR.


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## Supramom2000 (Jun 21, 2007)

Peds, my R22 is seen by all the other receivers, and it sees the others as well. My Genie Go sees it too.


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## inkahauts (Nov 13, 2006)

peds48 said:


> Please confirm you receiver model numbers. if you have an HD receiver H23 and an "HDDVR" R22 you won't be able to have WHDVR as DirecTV "sees" the R22 as an SD DVR and as such, you don't have the "minimum requirements" to run WHDVR which is one HD and one HDDVR. you currently have one HD and one SD DVR.


I was under the impression if you have one Hi Definition receiver of any kind and have hd access the r22 is considered Hi Definition.


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## Supramom2000 (Jun 21, 2007)

As I said above, Inka - My R22's (only 1 active at the moment) both work in the Whole Home setup and are seen by Genie Go as well.


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## peds48 (Jan 11, 2008)

Supramom2000 said:


> Peds, my R22 is seen by all the other receivers, and it sees the others as well. My Genie Go sees it too.


and I am not saying otherwise. all I said it the R22 cannot be used to meet DirecTV "minimum requirements" for WHDVR once you met the requirements, the R22 works just fine. This is no secret, it has been known for ions


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## peds48 (Jan 11, 2008)

inkahauts said:


> I was under the impression if you have one Hi Definition receiver of any kind and have hd access the r22 is considered Hi Definition.


Correct, the R22 would be able to watch HD, however, since the R22 is SD, it cannot be used to meet DirecTV "minimum requirements" for WHDVR. This is not breaking news


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## Supramom2000 (Jun 21, 2007)

Got it! Thanks Peds. And this is exactly what happened to me, now that you mention it. It's why I added a Genie. So I could have Whole Home since they would not authorize it on my R22 and HR23.


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## veryoldschool (Dec 10, 2006)

peds48 said:


> and I am not saying otherwise. all I said it the R22 cannot be used to meet DirecTV "minimum requirements" for WHDVR once you met the requirements, the R22 works just fine. This is no secret, it has been known for ions





Supramom2000 said:


> Got it! Thanks Peds. And this is exactly what happened to me, now that you mention it. It's why I added a Genie. So I could have Whole Home since they would not authorize it on my R22 and HR23.


How soon one forgets :lol:


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## Supramom2000 (Jun 21, 2007)

veryoldschool said:


> How soon one forgets :lol:


 :nono2: - old age? Can't believe I forgot!


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## dazed&confuzed (Mar 10, 2008)

inkahauts said:


> rumor has it they won't install genies without Whole Home Service.





Supramom2000 said:


> You are right! I forgot about that. If a CSR did not tell him that, he will need to speak to someone so he does not get a surprise charge on his bill.


Found out this is not correct. 1st CSR when I ordered the Genie upgrade told me I would get charged for (And activate) WHS when my Genie was installed. I already had 2 R-22's with large drives on them so I thought this would work great. The installer came out and put the Genie in along with two DECA's on the R-22's. When he fired everything up I had HD and WHS on all receivers, and was very happy!
The next day none of my receivers were "seeing" each other. When I checked Whole Home status it said "Not Authorized". I checked online and saw that WHS had been activated one day and disconected the next!
I called D** and was informed that since i only had the Genie and two "SD" receivers WHS was not available. After many words I was finnaly routed to an superviser or a retention specialist. He said the only way I could get WHS was if I had another HD receiver. After many more words he said he would send me an HD DVR for free so I could have whole Home.
Still not real happy as I'll have to take one of my R-22's offline after I watch all the shows on it or else pay another receiver fee.


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## inkahauts (Nov 13, 2006)

dazed&confuzed said:


> Found out this is not correct. 1st CSR when I ordered the Genie upgrade told me I would get charged for (And activate) WHS when my Genie was installed. I already had 2 R-22's with large drives on them so I thought this would work great. The installer came out and put the Genie in along with two DECA's on the R-22's. When he fired everything up I had HD and WHS on all receivers, and was very happy!
> The next day none of my receivers were "seeing" each other. When I checked Whole Home status it said "Not Authorized". I checked online and saw that WHS had been activated one day and disconected the next!
> I called D** and was informed that since i only had the Genie and two "SD" receivers WHS was not available. After many words I was finnaly routed to an superviser or a retention specialist. He said the only way I could get WHS was if I had another HD receiver. After many more words he said he would send me an HD DVR for free so I could have whole Home.
> Still not real happy as I'll have to take one of my R-22's offline after I watch all the shows on it or else pay another receiver fee.


That was ages ago I said that.. And as it found out, its just they wont do it without charging for mrv.

And they need to get rid of the issue with r22s not being seen as able to do MRV.


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## dazed&confuzed (Mar 10, 2008)

inkahauts said:


> That was ages ago I said that.. And as it found out, its just they wont do it without charging for mrv.
> 
> And they need to get rid of the issue with r22s not being seen as able to do MRV.


I would be (And am) fine with the charge, I would have expected it.
What bugged me was I was told I could get MRV with just the Genie alone and then just when it was working they disconnected it. If I hadn't raised a ruckus about what I had been told by the CSR I would have had to buy another receiver.

+1 on the R22 point I have been telling D** that every time I call and every time I email them.


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