# HR-20 Whole Home incompatibility



## FostersBeerGuy (Sep 9, 2005)

Just had my Whole Home install on Friday. When the installer noticed that I had two "silver HD DVRs" (HR-20s), he said that they have been having a lot of problems getting them to work with MRV. After playing around with them for a few minutes, he wrote them off and called D* to get authorization to replace them with new HR-24s :lol:

Just a heads up, if you have any of the HR-20s and are considering the Whole Home install, you might end up with a little bonus. On a related note, having 8 HD tuners and 1.75 TB of networked storage is Niiiiiice.


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## matt (Jan 12, 2010)

The installer was just "too lazy" to set up up those "silver HD DVRs" properly. They work fine for MRV, and in some markets, that is all they currently have to do installs with!


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## BudShark (Aug 11, 2003)

Interesting... were these HR20-100s?


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## veryoldschool (Dec 10, 2006)

The HR20-100s have been a bit more troublesome to get working than the HR20-700, or any of the other DVRs.
The HR20-100 requires a special configuration that the others don't.


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## matt (Jan 12, 2010)

I didn't have one problem when my HR20-100 was my main box. Line comes in, splitter goes on, BSF and DECA, tighten 'er up, enjoy.

I must have missed out on the fun I guess.


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## BudShark (Aug 11, 2003)

matt1124 said:


> I didn't have one problem when my HR20-100 was my main box. Line comes in, splitter goes on, BSF and DECA, tighten 'er up, enjoy.
> 
> I must have missed out on the fun I guess.


There's no doubt the HR20-100s work. They just require additional steps/setup due to a power issue that no other box requires. That tends to lead to confusion and hence problems.


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## RAD (Aug 5, 2002)

FWIW, my HR20-700 worked just fine on a SWiM8 but refeused to on a SWiM16, that scored me a new HR24-500.


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## dpeters11 (May 30, 2007)

BudShark said:


> There's no doubt the HR20-100s work. They just require additional steps/setup due to a power issue that no other box requires. That tends to lead to confusion and hence problems.


I thought some 20-100s were having issues even with the BSF properly installed.


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## matt (Jan 12, 2010)

dpeters11 said:


> I thought some 20-100s were having issues even with the BSF properly installed.


Even with the revision of how to hook it up?


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## veryoldschool (Dec 10, 2006)

BudShark said:


> There's no doubt the HR20-100s work.


Actually this does "depend". Some do work fine with the correct setup, but there are others that don't, which seems to be slightly higher than a receiver that just randomly doesn't [like what RAD posted].


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## veryoldschool (Dec 10, 2006)

matt1124 said:


> Even with the revision of how to hook it up?


I think the fact that they had a revision shows these aren't 100%. The RF & DC "changes" from the first & second configuration "shouldn't matter", but they have.


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## FostersBeerGuy (Sep 9, 2005)

For the record, one was a 100 and the other a 700. The installer didn't seem to differentiate between the two.


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## veryoldschool (Dec 10, 2006)

FostersBeerGuy said:


> For the record, one was a 100 and the other a 700. The installer didn't seem to differentiate between the two.


Sounds like he was a bit lazy and had 24s on the truck.
"The record" shows these aren't that big of a problem as he suggested.


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## bigwad (Oct 19, 2006)

I had the Whole Home installed last week and already had 2 HR20-700 I was using. The installer added an H24 upstairs. The 2 HR20's set up correctly with no problems. We could never get the H24 to recognize either of the HR20's. The installer was supposed to return Saturday to resolve the issue, but of course he never showed up or called. I called and left him a message this morning, still nothing. I guess my next call will be to D*!


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## veryoldschool (Dec 10, 2006)

bigwad said:


> I had the Whole Home installed last week and already had 2 HR20-700 I was using. The installer added an H24 upstairs. The 2 HR20's set up correctly with no problems. We could never get the H24 to recognize either of the HR20's. The installer was supposed to return Saturday to resolve the issue, but of course he never showed up or called. I called and left him a message this morning, still nothing. I guess my next call will be to D*!


First question would be do you have the broadband DECA to router?
Without one, the receivers need to handle the IP searching and 20s & 24s take much longer to do this, for some reason. The router being connected seems to make this much faster.


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## bigwad (Oct 19, 2006)

I had the router connected directly into 1 of the HR20's and used it for On Demand, APP's, etc. The installer just unhooked the ethernet cable from the HR20 and plugged it into the DECA. I'm assuming(?) the connection there is right.


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## veryoldschool (Dec 10, 2006)

bigwad said:


> I had the router connected directly into 1 of the HR20's and used it for On Demand, APP's, etc. The installer just unhooked the ethernet cable from the HR20 and plugged it into the DECA. I'm assuming(?) the connection there is right.


"The DECA"? 
If this is a stand alone DECA with PI, then sure.
If this is what's connected to your HR20, then no.


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## bigwad (Oct 19, 2006)

By DECA, I was referring to the little white box with DECA written on it. I'm not totally familiar with the whole terminology.

The router is ethernet'd to a white "DECA" box, which is connected via cable to another identical white box, which is connected to the HR20 downstairs. The upstairs HR20 also has the white "DECA" box connected into it. Both HR20's see each other. 

The H24 is farthest away from the switch, so he installed the power source in the room with it. It says it is authorized for MultiRoom but that "No Networked DVR's Found".

I have changed the location name, unplugged and replugged cables, RBR'd many many times, but nothing works. Still doesn't see other DVR's


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## bigwad (Oct 19, 2006)

I just talked to the installer who is supposed to be here tonight, and he's going to try placing the power supply downstairs near the HR20 that is closest to the router.

Is a bad receiver a possibility?

Thanks for all the help


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## veryoldschool (Dec 10, 2006)

bigwad said:


> By DECA, I was referring to the little white box with DECA written on it. I'm not totally familiar with the whole terminology.
> 
> The router is ethernet'd to a white "DECA" box, which is connected via cable to another identical white box, which is connected to the HR20 downstairs. The upstairs HR20 also has the white "DECA" box connected into it. Both HR20's see each other.
> 
> ...


What's going on at the H24, isn't clear [yet].
The H24 doesn't need a DECA, nor a power supply for it.
"Basically":
Each HR20 needs to have a DECA and the H24 doesn't. None of these should have any other ethernet cables [other than the DECAs having a jumper to the HR20].
The router should have an ethernet connection to a separate DECA and this one needs to have a power supply connected to it on one end and a coax to the other end. These DECAs have 3 LEDs and these should be green. Yellow or off is a sign something isn't working as well as it should.


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## bigwad (Oct 19, 2006)

veryoldschool said:


> What's going on at the H24, isn't clear [yet].
> The H24 doesn't need a DECA, nor a power supply for it.
> "Basically":
> 
> The router should have an ethernet connection to a separate DECA and this one needs to have a power supply connected to it on one end and a coax to the other end.


I think you may have found the answer there. The power supply is connected at the H24, not the HR20. I think when he moves the power supply downstairs, the problem may be resolved. Hope so, anyway!


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## HoTat2 (Nov 16, 2005)

I thought the issue, or at least the theory behind the cause of the issue with the HR20-100s having occasional MRV incompatibilities was the special hook-up still results in an abnormal situation of having the satellite SWM signal applied to both sat. inputs on the receiver at the same time.

This apparently creates some kind mixing of two SWM signals internally to which some HR20-100s are more sensitive than others and affects their proper operation.


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## HoTat2 (Nov 16, 2005)

bigwad said:


> I think you may have found the answer there. The power supply is connected at the H24, not the HR20. I think when he moves the power supply downstairs, the problem may be resolved. Hope so, anyway!


I'm still a bit lost as to what this "power supply" is. Do you mean a "power inserter" (or "PI") to power a SWiMLNB?

If so it should be positioned at some point inline with coax run which attaches to the red DC power passing port on the SWM splitter or inline somewhere between the run between SWiMLNB and the input to the SWM splitter.

The port on the PI toward the receiver needs to be terminated if the line is not used by a receiver or the BB DECA dongle.


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## bigwad (Oct 19, 2006)

PI, not supply. Sorry for the confusion. I hope moving the PI will take care of it. I would do it myself, but since he's gotta come back tonight, I'm gonna wait and let him do it.


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## veryoldschool (Dec 10, 2006)

bigwad said:


> PI, not supply. Sorry for the confusion. I hope moving the PI will take care of it. I would do it myself, but since he's gotta come back tonight, I'm gonna wait and let him do it.


If this is a kind of large black box, then this is for the SWiM and has nothing to do with the DECA/coax networking.
While this one is connected to the DECA, it is the same one/type used to power the SWiM:


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## bigwad (Oct 19, 2006)

moved the PI downstairs and everything up and running. Thanks for the help


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