# DirecTV SWM System?????



## DiamondD (Sep 6, 2005)

Not sure if this has been posted yet.
I was going to get an HD/DVR....I do not own one. I was sort of mislead by the person I talked to on the phone....I was eligible for a free one, and when the tech showed up to put it in, I found out I needed another line run.
We have a finished basement so the "fishing" would have done through the roof or so he says for an additional fee.
I balked at that.
He also mentioned that DTV has a new "SWIM" system that would require a newer dish and a couple of different receivers. That way I could get a HD/DVR to run without running additional wires...or so he says.
What is the SWM system and how exensive is it?
Would it be cheaper to wait a while before diving in?
Any feedback from it?


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## robq391 (Nov 6, 2007)

You need tp post more information about your setup so that some suggestions can be made.

What dish do you currently have?

How many runs of coax are coming from that dish?

Do you currently have a multiswitch?

How many & what model receivers do you currently have/ plan to keep?


There are several options that peeps here will be glad to provide once you provide some more info.


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## carl6 (Nov 16, 2005)

I think that tech should have installed an SWM LNB as part of the installation. You should call DirecTV back and explain what happened and that you would like dual tuner functionality.

The information that robq391 asked for will help us provide better answers, but in brief, yes there is a Single Wire Multiswitch (SWM) technology that allows you to feed dual tuner DVRs, and/or multiple receivers, with a single coax feed.

There are two versions of this. The first uses an SWM capable LNB assembly on the dish itself. You can feed a total of 8 tuners with SWM technology (a DVR has 2 tuners, so four DVRs total).

The second SWM device is an external SWM device. It is extremely unlikely that you could get one of these from DirecTV, as they are earmarked for apartment buildings and similar multiple dwelling units. But you can buy an external SWM multiswitch at your own expense, the cost is about $170. Here is a link http://www.solidsignal.com/prod_display.asp?main_cat=02&CAT=&PROD=SWM-8

SWM only works with the HR20/21/22/23, H20/21/22/23, R22, R16 and D12 DVR and receiver models. If you have any other receiver or DVR models, you must either upgrade them or not use SWM (the external SWM can feed 3 legacy tuners).


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## DiamondD (Sep 6, 2005)

robq391 said:


> You need tp post more information about your setup so that some suggestions can be made.
> 
> What dish do you currently have?
> 
> ...


I have the HD dish, maybe close to a year old, if not much younger.
I have a HD receiver, had upgrade on that about same time I had new dish installed....all installed so that I could pick up locals here in GReater Cincy area.
So two HD H20's receivers, one much newer than other and one of the older black boxes for SD in bedroom.
All in all, three total boxes, two of which are HD.
Dish is mounted on roof and wires run into basement and then it uses the exsting cable wires to distribute to the rest of the house.
Service Tech said I would need to upgrade each of the boxes and then I could get a SWM system or something like that without having to run additional wires.
Sorry for not being "techy" enough.


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## bobnielsen (Jun 29, 2006)

Your H20s are SWM-compatible. If your SD receiver is a D12, it will be but older models would require an upgrade.


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## robq391 (Nov 6, 2007)

DiamondD,

It sounds like you have a AU9 or AT9 dish. Hopefully all 4 coax lines were run from the dish into your basement. If not, can the remainder be ran easily?

Not sure from your posts if you have an exisiting multiswitch or not. Either way, I think you have a need for SWM & legacy (if your SD IRD is not SWM compatible) support. The SWM-8 would fit this bill for you. It would enable SWM support for your HD/DVR & HD IRDs. The SWM-LNB does not allow for legacy support, thus, forcing you to upgrade your older boxes if they are not SWM compatible.

I'm not sure if DTV will supply you with the SWM-8. I don't believe they are. I bought (from Solid Signal) & installed mine. You could go this route as well. I think that they are supplying the SWM-LNBs if you are eligible.

If you call DTV, they may upgrade you to the SWM-LNB & upgrade your SD IRD if it' s not compatible.

Check the model #'s on your receivers to see if they are compatible per Carl6's post and go from there.

I'll check back & try to shed some light if you need more info.


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## DiamondD (Sep 6, 2005)

Thanks for all your guys help...
I have two H20-100 HD Receivers.
My standard one is a D10-300<<<obviously would need an upgrade.
My dish is a 5 LNB-Multi-Set....if that helps.
I am not sure what a multiswitch is so I really cant say if I have one.
The techy came into the house and we chatted about the SWM....he said I would need a D12 Standard, and H20-600's HD Receiver or whatever that is...maybe it is a HD/DVR.

AS for a question earlier...there are a hand ful of lines running down the side of the house and it is an easy entry into basement from where they came in before.

How reliable are these SWM systems? Would it be cheaper to wait until the summer...or easier for DTV to ante up on some free stuff?


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## runner26 (Apr 8, 2007)

DiamondD said:


> Thanks for all your guys help...
> I have two H20-100 HD Receivers.
> My standard one is a D10-300<<<obviously would need an upgrade.
> My dish is a 5 LNB-Multi-Set....if that helps.
> ...


I had a swm8 installed on my own dime (thanks, D*) because I was one of those who had pixelation problems with only one co-ax to my three HR21-700. The installation was a snap, took about ten minutes. This was about a month and a half ago and it has worked perfectly and I can use both tuners on my dvrs. I got mine from www.weakness.com and they also have a installation diagram on their site. I have had a very positive experience with the swm8 so far.


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## robq391 (Nov 6, 2007)

DiamondD said:


> Thanks for all your guys help...
> I have two H20-100 HD Receivers.
> My standard one is a D10-300<<<obviously would need an upgrade.
> My dish is a 5 LNB-Multi-Set....if that helps.
> ...


Diamond, I would call DTV & see what they will offer. They may upgrade everything for you. It doesn't hurt to ask!!!

As far as your system goes, it depends on what DTV will do for you. If they get you a HD/DVR & thats it, you could buy a SWM-8. Solidsignal.com or weaknees.com both sell them & have good service. Check to see who has the better deal right now.

The SWM-8 would be compatible w/ all of your current receivers. Your D10 would run off of 1 of the 3 legacy ports. All others would run off the SWM ports. I believe all H20s, regardless of manufacturer, are SWM compatible (someone correct me if I'm wrong) . If not, you would still have 2 legacy ports to run those.

The SWM-8 supports a total of 8 tuners. Understand each DVR uses 2 tuners even though only 1 coax is connected. If you get a HD/DVR & keep your existing receivers, you have a need for 5 tuners.


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## loowaters (Jun 4, 2007)

My SWM8 was purchased off ebay w/ PI and splitter for $110 shipped. I explained my situation with D* when I was working out the upgrade and they credited me for my expense after I faxed them the receipt for the SWM.


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## bakers12 (May 29, 2007)

If you plan to do this job yourself, you will need decent compression fittings for the new cable ends. I have had good success with this kit. Add that to the expense of a SWM-8 if you can't get DirecTV to fix this for you.


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## randyk47 (Aug 21, 2006)

I'd vote for the SWM-8. Getting to my dish is a bit of a struggle so I figured the SWM-8 would be the quickest and easiest answer and it was. Installed mine Christmas afternoon while my wife was working on Christmas dinner and she never noticed TV was down. Took all of about 15 minutes and it works great. Rebooting the receivers took more time than installing the SWM-8, PI, and 4-way splitter.


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## jasonki32 (Jan 29, 2008)

DiamondD said:


> Thanks for all your guys help...
> I have two H20-100 HD Receivers.
> My standard one is a D10-300<<<obviously would need an upgrade.
> My dish is a 5 LNB-Multi-Set....if that helps.
> ...


The H20's are hit or miss with working with SWM if I remember right


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## davel (May 1, 2007)

jasonki32 said:


> The H20's are hit or miss with working with SWM if I remember right


Hit 100% with me after the 029b update and hours with dtv support. Worth the monety and effort.


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## randyk47 (Aug 21, 2006)

I too have heard comments here about potential problems with some H20's and SWM but I had absolutely none. In fact, my H20, just because where it is located was the first receiver I brought back up after installing the SWM-8. Thank goodness it went well or I would have thought I'd done something wrong. My H20 is one of the models that was recalled so I have a "new" one and maybe that makes a difference with SWM.


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