It’s been a long time since DIRECTV had a truly new receiver to offer the commercial community. The drought is officially over with the new DIRECTV H26K Commercial Receiver. It’s coming at the perfect time to let businesses upgrade to true 4K and retain their existing setups.
The H26K has a bunch of commercial-specific features designed to make it work even better in a business environment than the H44-COM, the current receiver for business accounts. Take a look at this short list. H44 also has some of these, but the ones in bold are completely new.
- RF Remote Control
- Uses standard DIRECTV IP Control Codes
- External Power Supply for increased reliability
- Genie-like menu system
- Receives 4K Broadcasts without the need for a vestigial HR54 DVR
- Ability to turn off Power Saver Mode easily
- Smallest commercial receiver ever
- Increased speed
- Ethernet port
- Dual USB ports (useful for hotel customers)
- Dedicated port for IR Blaster input
You can see that this receiver comes ready to play in the big leagues. To find out more about it, check out our complete review, published earlier this week.
The Ethernet issue
Some early leaks of the H26K paperwork implied that the receiver wouldn’t work at all if it wasn’t Ethernet connected. This is absolutely not true. I can say that I have operated it without an Ethernet connection and it works fine. You don’t even get a nag message like you would if you have a disconnected Genie system.
However, that doesn’t mean that everything is exactly as it was. The H26K does not have a built-in MoCA adapter, meaning that it isn’t designed to connect to the internet over coax. This may mean you need to rethink the way you do connect it to the internet if you choose to do so.
Option 1: Pure Ethernet Setup
H26K-Network-Option-1Click here to view full screen or download.
Because the H26K doesn’t have an internal coax networking adapter, you can choose to connect every receiver via Ethernet. This diagram looks a little busy because of the sheer number of wires, but it’s a simple install that lets you allocate a single switch to each output of a SWM-30. Note that only one 8-port splitter is shown, but in a typical installation, you can run 15 H26Ks from each leg of a SWM-30.
Option 2: Coax Setup
H26K-Network-Option-2Click here to view full screen or download.
Another option is to use a DECA for each receiver and combine the two using a 2-port splitter. This will let you run a single Ethernet line from one DECA to your networking equipment. It will also allow you to use a hybrid H25/H44/H26K environment.
Note that as above, only one 8-port splitter is shown, but in a typical installation you can run a combination of 15 H26Ks or H44s from each leg of a SWM-30. If H25s are used, you many only run a total of 13 receivers. Also note that there is a maximum of 16 networked devices, for example 15 receivers and one DECA.
Why didn’t DIRECTV include a coax networking adapter inside the H26K?
I’ll be honest I’m not sure, but I believe it has to do with the requirements of DIRECTV’s Residential Experience system for hotels. There must be a reason that pure Ethernet connectivity is favored in a case like that.
Do you lose anything if you don’t network the receivers?
Obviously, if your receivers aren’t networked, you lose any benefits from networking. You will not be able to control them using the DIRECTV Commercial iPad app, for example. In addition, you may not get channel logos as quickly and searches may take longer.
Ready for your H26K?
Get the DIRECTV H26K Commercial Receiver now from Solid Signal! Order directly or call 888-233-7563 to find out if this receiver is for you. Remember that the H26K is only open to commercial customers and may not be activated on a residential account. Call us during East Coast business hours for more information. If it’s after hours, fill out the form below and we’ll get back to you, usually within one business day.
