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Tutor

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7 Messages

Sunday, September 18th, 2011 3:10 AM

Building new house! How do I make it DTV friendly?

I'm building a new house soon and was wondering how I should accomodate DirecTV, as far as running cables.  As I understand (and correct me if I'm wrong), there needs to be two plain RG-6 (?) cables from the dish for an HD receiver.  I plan on running the cable(s) from the roof to my utility room.  Do I split off from the utility room, running two individual cables to each room of the house, or can I run two cables to a main receiver, then split off from there with one, or maybe run HDMI cable thruought the house connecting each receiver with that?  I want to do it right the first time and not go back and fix any mistakes I should have done before the sheetrock is on the walls.  Any info is greatly appreciated!

 

Kurt

Teacher

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20 Messages

14 years ago

Get the Dishpointer AR app for the Iphone or android and make sure you have a line of sight to the sats. Might have to knock down some trees.

ACE - Sage

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46.4K Messages

14 years ago

New HD installations will use the Single Wire Multiswitch technology.  That generally means just one RG6 solid copper core coax cable from the dish location to your wiring closet.  Then one cable to each room.  But note that the SWM dish supports only 8 tuners .... each DVR has two tuners and each Receiver has one.  So how many Receivers and DVRs do you plan to have?  

Expert

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20.7K Messages

14 years ago

You'll also want a coax cable from the wiring closet to the vicinity of your router to facilitate networking your system. Although not required by Directv, I'd run a Cat5 Ethernet cable from my router location to each TV location for such things as BluRay and Apple TV.  And, lastly, you'll want a 110 AC outlet in the closet.

Tutor

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7 Messages

14 years ago

Quote: Originally Posted by litzdog911 

New HD installations will use the Single Wire Multiswitch technology.  That generally means just one RG6 solid copper core coax cable from the dish location to your wiring closet.  Then one cable to each room.  But note that the SWM dish supports only 8 tuners .... each DVR has two tuners and each Receiver has one.  So how many Receivers and DVRs do you plan to have?  

I will probably have 4 or 5 receivers.  Does the one coax from the dish go to a multiswitch (in the utility room), then I can run multiple coax cables out from there to each room??  I will probably have some HDMI outlets installed in the wall just in case I want to tap off of one receiver and send it to another room.

ACE - Sage

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46.4K Messages

14 years ago

No. Single Wire Multiswitch dish uses satellite quality coax splitters.  The installer will likely install an 8-way SWM splitter where the dish's one cable enters your home or in the wiring closet, then run one line to each room with a DirecTV Receiver/DVR.  

Mentor

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55 Messages

14 years ago

May want to consider running additional coax lines to rooms that you may want to move furniture/tvs around in. Prevent the need to run coax around the room or add lines later. SOME people in the home SOMETIMES want to rearrange stuff. Then simple rewiring at SWM splitter can make another jack in same room "live" while disconnecting previously used jack.

 

Also more than one line should be run from outside the house to central wiring closet-making available a line for cable internet, etc. Never a bad idea to have a backup line available . It would be a major PIA to find that one line in not working because of an errantly placed staple

Tutor

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7 Messages

14 years ago

Quote: Originally Posted by ddithers 

May want to consider running additional coax lines to rooms that you may want to move furniture/tvs around in. Prevent the need to run coax around the room or add lines later. SOME people in the home SOMETIMES want to rearrange stuff. Then simple rewiring at SWM splitter can make another jack in same room "live" while disconnecting previously used jack.

 

Also more than one line should be run from outside the house to central wiring closet-making available a line for cable internet, etc. Never a bad idea to have a backup line available . It would be a major PIA to find that one line in not working because of an errantly placed staple

Noted!!  Subtle sarcasm to the significant other also noted!!  I was thinking about two lines from the dish just in case also.  Coax is cheap, might as well go nuts right?!?!  I think in wall HDMI cables from room to room and different locations may also come in handy.  Cat6 is also going everywhere.

Guru

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535 Messages

14 years ago

The only thing to note is that the cables you run to the dish location should have a attached #17 copper messenger wire to properly ground the dish location. You can get dual cable with attached ground and when you do this the best thing is to just go ahead and run 4 cable lines to the dish location to prevent having to run cables later for future upgrades. Like they said the standard SWM dish only supports 8 tuners. With 4 cable lines already pre-ran than if you plan on expanding for more outlets then they will have a external SWM mulitiswitch that will accomidate for the need.

Mentor

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55 Messages

14 years ago

Saying this only to keep OP from going on a wild goose chase....the attached messenger on RG6 coax is CCS-not solid copper-at least on any that I have seen....  Probably not noted in any sales literature about cable w/messenger that it is steel so it is not as if he will have a choice.

 

Cabeling into central closet or smart panel should ideally be run to location outside the home where proper grounding can be achieved .   Might be best to allow installer run lines from dish to that point.    5 lines in would allow for expansion that irishntn mentioned as well as for cable internet.     Can't have too many-only too few.

Tutor

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7 Messages

14 years ago

Quote: Originally Posted by irishntn 
The only thing to note is that the cables you run to the dish location should have a attached #17 copper messenger wire to properly ground the dish location. You can get dual cable with attached ground and when you do this the best thing is to just go ahead and run 4 cable lines to the dish location to prevent having to run cables later for future upgrades. Like they said the standard SWM dish only supports 8 tuners. With 4 cable lines already pre-ran than if you plan on expanding for more outlets then they will have a external SWM mulitiswitch that will accomidate for the need.

So, where can I find this coax cable with the attached copper messenger wire for grounding??  I know I've seen it before, but I don't know where to buy it.

Expert

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32K Messages

14 years ago

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1000-Feet-Solid-Copper-Single-RG6-Coax-Cable-Messenger-/220811568104


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