I know what they told you when you bought the TV. Here’s the real story.
If you have a DIRECTV-Ready Smart TV (Here’s the latest list) you probably bought it with the idea that you can have a nice clean install with no receiver or extra little boxes to worry about. That’s a great idea, except for one thing:
Yeah, you kinda need an extra little box.
I’m sorry to be the one to break this to you, but the DIRECTV-Ready app within your TV will only work if you run a coaxial cable to the location where your TV is, and then use something like this kit to convert it to wired Ethernet.
I admit, this combination of little black boxes is probably not what you think of when you think, “Nice Clean Install.” But here’s the bottom line, and I really hate to be the one to break it to you.
You can’t connect to DIRECTV’s DVR over Wi-Fi.
You can’t connect to DIRECTV’s DVR over wired Ethernet.
It’s pretty much this or, you add a receiver.
I know, it’s a drag, but at least you have the real story now.
But… why? Why?
It seems like in this day and age you wouldn’t need to go through so much nonsense just to connect your TV to another network device, but there’s a reason. You, personally, may have the greatest home network known to man, with a super-clean commercial quality wireless network, but the average person doesn’t. The average home network is a real mess, and that can cause a lot of problems with DIRECTV’s systems. Unlike Netflix or other streaming services, DIRECTV doesn’t buffer. You get it live, or you don’t get it at all. So, if you’re going to get acceptable live TV performance, you need a super clean network. That’s why DIRECTV coax cable is used, on a separate network that isn’t affected by your home internet.
If only the manufacturers…
There are two ways that TV makers could actually make this better. They could build a second Wi-Fi radio into the TV and use it to connect to DIRECTV’s secure Wi-Fi network. That network is built into the Genie 2 and the Wireless Video Bridge. That would probably be the coolest way to do things, although it would be subject to some limitations as far as distance.
Another thing that they could do is build a network tuner right into the coax connection. This would mean that you couldn’t use DIRECTV and a TV antenna on the same TV, but for many people that would be a good compromise.
Of course these things would probably mean the TV would cost about another three bucks to make and so that would mean it wasn’t the cheapest TV in the row at Costco, and so that probably puts the kibosh on that plan.
So…
So obviously that TV install isn’t going to be as neat as you hoped, but truth is the DECA box isn’t that big, the wall wart can hide behind something else, and you don’t have to use the screaming blue cable that comes with it if you’d rather use a black one. At least it won’t be too obvious.
Why would they need to build in a second WiFi radio in the TV to use DIRECTV’s WiFi network, can’t they just use the one already there? If you go RVU you’re already passing ALL network traffic through the DIRECTV network to get to Netflix, Amazon Prime etc. so just pass all that same data through the wireless connection.
Because passing all that through one TV is one thing… dealing with all the other traffic on the wireless network is another. Also this way they can’t be held responsible for inferior customer routers.
Not saying to pass any traffic through a customer router, connect the TV to the WVB (external or HS17 internal).
I’ll take you one further, build the DIRECTV-ready TV so it switches wireless networks when it uses DIRECTV service, so it can keep the other traffic on your home network. To me that seems sensible, but you have to wonder why they don’t do it.
You get a headache trying to figure out some of the things they do. However they did it wouldn’t it be nice to have a 19/22″ TV that had RVU and a wireless connection, that you could put on a kitchen counter or someplace else where you don’t want a coax run to, and another power brick and DECA?
Stuart are you talking about Wireless RVU?
http://rvuproject.org/sites/default/files/RVU%20Handout_final.pdf
No just the current implementation of directv’s wireless clients.
I have an LG 65 OLEDc7p that is “supposed” to be DirecTV ready. I have two or three DECA/MOCA devices laying around that I removed after hard-wiring everything I could with Ethernet. I have used them to connect non-DirecTV devices to the Internet through RG-6 in the past. Even though I have their service plan they want to roll a truck and charge $49 but they don’t know if it will even work. They also want another $7/mo.
In my 21 years with them and seven moves they have visited once. That was to upgrade me to HD and I had to show the tech how to hook up my HR-20 (best box ever).
Does any one know what needs to be done to turn it on DIY?
This tutorial is a little dated but the procedure is the same: https://blog.solidsignal.com/reviews/hands-directv-samsungs-rvu-solution/
Basically coax to the powered deca, Ethernet to the tv, and call Solid Signal to get the client added.
I already have Ethernet to LG WebOS TV. Will connecting the a feed from the SWM on dish do rest as far as physical connections? Or, do I need to feed the LG TV with Ethernet and Coax from the DECA dodad? Is it worth the trouble? I would replace my HR24 with my HR44 (now feeding the TV), replace my H25 with my HR44, dumping the H25, and end up paying the same? I have read RVU is kind of sluggish?
I have been messing with cord-cutting and shelved that. My DirecTV sat feature for feature beats all the OTA, OTT, streaming solutions albeit more expensive. Biggest drawback ids no 1080P and %.1 surround on most all the alternatives. I mean SyFy on sat is 1080p and 5.1 on sat.
You run coax to the deca and then Ethernet from the deca to the tv. That should cover everything.
Some TVs are a little slow in RVU but most are faster than an hr24.
Why would you need the DECA right behind the TV? Surely nothing stops you from locating the DECA elsewhere and running a longer ethernet cable so you can hide the unnecessary wiring out of sight.
I have been told that the longer the Ethernet run the motel likelihood of problems. It doesn’t make sense to me either but that’s what some highly places friends have said.
I agree, why woudn’t this work? Has anyone tried it to see if it works?
So if you’re going to add a DECA with a wall wart why wouldn’t you just add a client with a wall wart instead, isn’t that better than using RVU?
I thought the whole point of RVU was to eliminate an extra box at the TV?
Personal preference. And the deca is smaller than the client.
Its not that much smaller.
Is RVU even being used for anything besides DIRECTV? I don’t hear too much about it nowadays.
For some unknown reason I don’t have a DECA or a RVU coax connection. But it works via Ethernet via my network. Oooooo.