no DECA?

You need to get them back out to install what's called a 'broadband DECA' in order to connect to the Internet. That should have been done as part of the initial installation. WHDVR does not require an Internet connection but OnDemand does. If you try to connect to the Internet by using the Ethernet port on one of your receivers, WHDVR will stop working because that is not the correct way to make the connection.

Unfortunately, when I called to ask what the CHARGE would be to come out & hook me up to the Internet, I was told it was $100.

I read on the forum that the 24 series has the DECA built in.

1) As the WH is set up now.. when I tried to Pause in one room and Resume in another, I got an error message saying I needed to be hooked up to the Internet.

2) I CANNOT pause rewind forward LIVE TV in the livingroom where there is only a H24. Was I supposed to be able to?

3) When you say VOD etc are FREE on the Internet, do you mean if I had my network connected I could watch on my computer?

Ironically, all I wanted was to be able watch HD TV, record & playback & resume in either room. I ordered the HD WH Service.

 Now I need to order more? for a charge?

There's no charge for OnDemand service, but there may be a charge for the content you download... some programs are free but many carry a fee just like PPV movies.

Anything recorded on the DVR (OnDemand or otherwise) can be played back on a PC using the DIRECTV2PC software, which can be downloaded for free. This requires a connection to your home network.

If this was an WHDVR upgrade, they should have included the equipment for connecting to the Internet (broadband DECA) as part of the upgrade. Even if this was a new installation however, I would push for them to install the broadband DECA for free or at reduced cost because they apparently did not inform you of the necessity of adding it to the order originally.

Thank you all so much for all the input!

Every time I call DT someone tells me something different.

At last version, I have tech coming tomorrow.. but not to incude installing Broadband DECA. They're coming to figure out why I can't pause one room, resume another, why I can't rewind on one TV, why my picture is choppy.

But I'm still in the dark as to why the installer left the ethernet cable with instructions that he assured me would do for getting VOD.

And one person at DT today told me the appointment tomorrow WOULD include broadband DECA, subsequent calls said NOT.

my guess is I'll get a tech to do the simple stuff tomorrow & will have to either fight to get the Broadband DECA or do without VOD. Funny the stuff they never tell you when you sign up!

As someone mentioned earlier, you cannot pause live TV on a non-DVR receiver... with or without WHDVR. The closest you can come is to start the program recording on a DVR and then play that recording on the non-DVR receiver. Then you can pause/rewind/etc. as with any recording.

As far as pause and resume in another room, I think you have to Stop the recording, not Pause it, and then select the Resume option from the playlist menu on the remote receiver. If you Pause the recording on the DVR itself, I believe it just assumes you want to resume on that DVR as well, and not in another room.

For a while it seemed like installers were finally getting the hang of WHDVR/DECA installations and the need for the broadband DECA. However, for some reason there's been a rash of problems similar to yours lately. Installers are skipping the broadband DECA and telling people to connect their Ethernet to a receiver, which is wrong.

braven,

The advice from user sungam regarding pause/resume in another room actually needing to be stop/resume in another room is spot on!!! Think about it.....The remote room's DVR/Receiver needs the DVR with the content recorded on it to stream that content to the requesting remote box over your WHDVR network. If the content is "active" on the source DVR(playing content and just pausing it does not "free it up'...it IS still actively being watched on the source DVR) then the source DVR "cannot" stream it to the target(remote) DVR/Receiver that is on your WHDVR network. You will find user sungam's advice to work and completely resolve that issue without a service call. But you will need a service call to get the Internet connection kit.

The installer was wrong and informed you incorrectly.  The only way to connect your system to the Internet is by installing the TV Internet connection kit.  The schematic shows it's various parts and connections.  This has been covered by other responders but you seem to still have doubts.

So sorry to have asked too many times. My disappointment in the service, after having such high hopes for it, kept pushing me to hope the installer was right as I won't be spending any more money to make it right.

I will find out today if I can switch from whole home to having 2 HDR's and forget all about it.

Thanks again to all who helped so much.

Just because you had a bad installer is no reason to give up on the service.  If it were me, I'd be on the phone insisting that Directv make my installation 100% right at zero additional cost to me.

I had a bad mechanic on my GMC truck one time, I disowned the mechanic, but kept the GMC.

Well, it has a happy ending after all...

I canceled the Whole Home, upgraded to 2 HD DVRs (though he only had a "22" not a "24" series) and am very content with it this way.

While he was here, he also just connected the ethernet cable to my router without any Broadband DECA & presto- On-Demand!

And since tomorrow is my birthday it was very nice to have this resolved.

Happy Birthday, and if you're happy with the setup, that's all that counts.  Did he connect both DVR's to the router?  If so, and if both are downloading On Demand, are you up for more messing around?.

Actually, I only hooked up one tv to the internet. I will probably try adding the other later, no reason why it won't connect the same way this one did, just need a looong ethernet cable to get to the living room.

but yes, a happy me is better than that other one in evidence on this forum lately..

The linked site has quality Cat5 cables reasonably priced.  I recently ordered two 100ft cables, $23.00 including freight.  They have shorter lengths, but I buy the 100 ft and coil any excess.  Cat5 is good beyond 300 ft.

http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=102&cp_id=10208&cs_id=1020814&p_id=2168&seq=1&format=2

THANK YOU! I'll order one. very kind.