It’s been a long time since any piece of DIRECTV gear generated the amount of excitement that we’re getting from the new Gemini Air. This tiny little device hides discreetly behind your TV and gives you the full DIRECTV live TV streaming experience, plus all the apps you love. However, one thing we’re finding out from our techs is that there isn’t a lot of documentation on it.
The Gemini Air is designed to be installed by the person using it. This means you don’t need a tech to come to the house and don’t have to wait for an appointment. When your Gemini Air arrives, plug it into power, connect it to your TV, and follow the instructions. It’s that easy.
What if it isn’t that easy?
It seems that for about 99% of installations, things go great. Chances are, if you’re thinking about getting a Gemini Air, you’ll do great too. But in case something doesn’t work, you may not be able to get the information you need from the TV screen. You will see helpful messages on the screen like this one:
You’ll see this message if you try to use a plain old phone cube power supply instead of the one that comes with the Gemini Air. But, sometimes you don’t see anything on the screen. In a case like that, the only information you’ll get is from a small light on the underside of the Gemini Air. I’ve circled the location of the light in blue in this picture.
This is a multi-color light so its color is going to give you some idea what it’s doing. And, with this helpful guide, you’ll be able to figure out what steps to take next. So, here’s what you need to know.
BLACK (no light at all)
This means the Gemini Air has no power. This is usually because it’s not plugged in properly. If you are sure it’s plugged in and you’re using the power adapter that came with it, the Gemini Air may be defective.
SOLID RED
You’ll see this light color if you try to use the wrong charger with your Gemini Air. Use the charger that came with it, or any USB-C charger capable of putting out 5 volts and 1.5 amps minimum.
WHITE
This is what you want to see. If the light is white, that means that there is power and a strong Wi-Fi connection.
YELLOW
A yellow light means that the Wi-Fi signal near your Gemini Air is weak. You may need to add a Wi-Fi repeater or network access point to your home network in order to get a stronger signal.
FLASHING RED
Flashing red means that there’s no internet connection at all. If you are able to get a picture on the screen, you may be able to choose a different Wi-Fi network.
RED TURNING TO BLUE
You will see a red light when you first power up the Gemini. It should turn blue very quickly. This is perfectly normal and means your Gemini is booting up. If you see this every time you power up your Gemini, the power adapter may be bad.
What to do if you get one of these lights
Generally speaking, these lights fall into one of two categories. In one case, you either aren’t getting any power or you’re not getting enough power. In the other case, you either aren’t getting any Wi-Fi or you’re not getting strong enough Wi-Fi.
Power issues can usually be solved pretty easily. Sometimes it’s just a matter of checking the connections or making sure the power adapter is pushed firmly into the outlet. If you think your power adapter is broken, you can test this by using any other charger you have lying around, If you plug that other charger in and get a white or red light, then your Gemini Air power adapter is broken. If you still get no light at all, your Gemini may be broken.
Wi-Fi issues can be a little harder to solve. Something like this HDMI Extension Cable might let you move the Gemini Air to somewhere with better Wi-Fi. Or, you can look into using a Wireless Access Point or a mesh networking system to get better Wi-Fi where your TV is. Getting better Wi-Fi in that room won’t just make the Gemini Air happier. It will probably make the people in that room happier too.
More questions? Call us
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