A customer recently came to us asking this very question. She wanted to run the line from the dish more than 250 feet and we all know that with a DIRECTV SWM dish, that’s a very dicey proposition. She thought using a second power inserter might help.
First, a word about the technology
DIRECTV’s SWM technology lets you use one wire from the dish and use splitters to distribute the signal throughout your home. There are several different parts to the system that all must work.
-
The dish itself receives the signal just like any other satellite system.
-
A multiswitch (sometimes built into the dish) receives requests for different channels from different receivers. All the signals that are needed (and none that aren’t) are sent down the same cable.
-
The system is powered either from a separate power inserter or from a Genie DVR.
-
Communication is two-way, using signals sent from the receiver to request different channels.
The system works very well in most homes and business spaces but there are some limitations. One of the most important is that the system gets less reliable once cable runs exceed 150 feet. This is due to the signal loss in both directions, and the drop in voltage over distance. The dish receives less power and less clear signals from the receivers, and in turn the signal to the receiver is degraded by the time it gets there.
Can’t you just use an amplifier?
Unfortunately, no. There are two issues there. The first is that you’d need a bidirectional amplifier that intelligently amplified signals in a very large frequency range. Such an amplifier isn’t made and if it were, it would be very expensive. The second is that the whole system is very sensitive to latency. Latency is the time difference between when you ask for something and when you get it. It gets longer as the cable runs go on. Eventually it becomes so long that the receiver stops asking and just gives you an error.
Would a second power inserter help?
Ah, the meat of the question. Adding a second power inserter would not help.
The most likely scenario is that the second power inserter wouldn’t even do anything. DIRECTV splitters have voltage blockers at every port except for the one with the red center. It would take a lot of work to get both power inserters to even deliver power to the dish. It could be done with non-approved parts, but then you have other issues.
If you did pass all that power up to the dish, you’d have even more issues. That’s too much voltage for a lot of the sensitive electronics and you’d risk frying them. Also, the signal level out to the receivers wouldn’t be affected. That level is set at the dish or multiswitch and isn’t affected by the amount of voltage, unless there isn’t enough voltage.
So what’s the right answer?
For areas that need long runs, I generally recommend either putting in a second dish or a second multiswitch. You can put the multiswitch close enough that it’s not a problem. All it takes is a little more wiring. Unfortunately, I find that most people who ask about this sort of thing back away when I talk about spending more money. They are usually trying to save money using less equipment, and that’s why they are doing what they’re doing.
If you want a DIRECTV installation done right, contact the experts at Signal Connect at 888-233-7563. Our system consultants are ready to design a satellite system that meets your needs and works reliably without resorting to “what if” scenarios. If it’s after hours, just fill in the form below and one of our reps will get back to you!
