How far can a wi-fi signal travel?
Quick answer: further than you can imagine. We’re often frustrated when our wi-fi doesn’t travel all the way from one end of the house to the other. We swear under our breath when it doesn’t…
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HOW TO DO IT: Assemble the Xtreme Signal HDB4X
The Xtreme Signal HDB4X antenna from Solid Signal is a great combination of durability and performance. It’s the right antenna for you if you: Need an outdoor antenna for good reception Live within 45 miles of…
HOW TO DO IT: Assemble the Xtreme Signal HDB2X
The Xtreme Signal HDB2X antenna from Solid Signal is a great combination of durability and performance. It’s the right antenna for you if you: Need an outdoor antenna for good reception Live within 35 miles of…
Are you familiar with Dieter Rams? You probably should be.
It turns out this guy is the most relevant designer today. Yes, this guy. His name is Dieter Rams and he was the designer for the German consumer electronics company Braun in the 1960s. Everyone talked…
TIP: Connect your Genie to the internet without a Cinema Connection Kit!
Special thanks to forum member PhoenixAZ for this tip! You know you want to connect your DVR to the internet. There’s just so much good stuff out there. On Demand, YouTube videos, Pandora… it gives you…
Hate the new HR44 remote? Use the old one instead
You’re not the only one who doesn’t like the RC71 remote that ships with the new HR44 and C41 boxes from DIRECTV. The new remote has received its share of criticism from the power user community because it lacks many…
TIP: Program your RC71 remote to control your RVU TV
With DIRECTV’s Genie DVR and a late model Sony or Samsung TV, you can have an almost wire-free experience. The new Sony and Samsung TVs have RVU technology built in, meaning that you don’t even need a…
TIP: Here’s the setup guide for the DIRECTV Commercial iPad App
We’re consistently impressed with DIRECTV’s iPad app. In its latest iteration, it adds features for Commercial Users. DIRECTV is rolling out the backend support for these features including commercial account support at DIRECTV.com. Part of that is…
Tired of seeing “To record this episode, press {R}” on your DIRECTV Genie?
Genie users don’t have a lot to complain about with five tuners and a 1TB hard drive on their sides. Still, a few folks have mentioned that they see a persistent message that says “To record…
DIRECTV’s iPad App — now for Commercial Customers too!
It’s no secret that we’re fans of DIRECTV’s iPad app. It’s a must have here for all the staff. It combines a super-remote with guide, playlist management and search that are even better than the on-screen…
What do you mean, “Clear QAM?”
The TV industry loves to confound you with strange abbreviations. One of the weirdest is QAM, pronounced “kwam.” It sounds vaguely Australian, doesn’t it? What’s worse is that if you search for QAM, you find out…
Is it true that Genie has a client without wires or boxes?
Have you seen the commercial where DIRECTV points out that their equipment will work without visible wires or boxes? There’s a disclaimer at the bottom but it goes by pretty fast and you probably won’t be…
HOW TO DO IT: Set up Pandora on your DIRECTV DVR
Free music tailor made to your tastes… what else could you ask for? Pandora and other online services make it easy to listen to music and with a recent update, DIRECTV made it possible to stream…
It’s easy to install a satellite dish on your RV (BONUS DIAGRAM INCLUDED)
With our RVSATKITs, it’s easy to put up a temporary satellite dish for when you part for the night. These kits have everything you’ll need for a quick setup… some of them even have meters. To…
Best of the Blog 2012, Volume 2
Here’s even more of the great stuff we found from a few years ago.