June 2015

Can you use a powerline adapter on a smart TV?

The better question is, “should you?” Powerline networking kits like this one from Tech Choice will help you get a network connection where none exists. Wired networking is necessary when your Wi-Fi doesn’t reach, or in the…



SWM 101: Why does SWM need a return path?

DIRECTV SWM technology is a very different way of distributing signals than traditional satelllite TV. It was developed in order to help installers take advantage of existing cable television wiring. In the mid-2000s, as DIRECTV was…





My Signals Are Getting Weaker

Back in the winter of 2013-14, we had some very big ice storms here in the Washington, D.C. / Baltimore area, which took out a large number of branches and a few trees as well….





In a hotel? Don’t steal that remote!

So the story goes like this. You’re in a nice hotel and they have “the DIRECTV Residential Experience.” You see a remote on the nightstand just like the one you have at home. You turn on…