Trying to Add a Wireless Genie Mini - Setup Refuses to Add

Your HR44 can support more than 3 Mini Clients. But cannot use more than 3 simultaneously. You would be better off getting an HD DVR or HD Receiver instead of a Mini Client. I suspect your account is not properly authorized for the additional Mini Client, hence the error message. 

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@jglen490 wrote:

Thanks for the input!  However, I am a total noob when it comes to Directv and am not sure what your suggestion entails.  If I order a an HD DVR or HD Receiver as you indicated, would that replace the Genie (HR44/700) or be in addition to it? And in either case what would  the new hardware connect to?  More important, would this void my current deal with Directv?

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1. No, an HD Receiver or HD DVR would be in addition to your HR44. It would provide more functionality than a Mini Client box since the HD Receiver/DVR has its own satellite tuners and does not share the HR44 tuners. That's why the HR44's 5 satellite tuners can only support 3 Mini Clients simultaneously .... 2 tuners for the HR44 plus one for each of the Mini boxes.

2. The HD Receiver or HD DVR would require a satellite coax cable since it's not wireless. DirecTV would need to install that. Frankly, I'm surprised that they just shipped you another Mini Client for you to install yourself. 

3. Don't know if this would "void" your deal. Call DirecTV to ask .... 1 800 531 5000

Genie is a 5 tuner HDDVR.
Clients have no tuners of their own so each take one from the Genie.
Because of the Picture in Picture (PiP) feature, the Genie keeps 2 tuners to itself.
This leaves 3 tuners remaining, so maximum of 4 TVs in use at the same time (Genie and 3 Clients).
Genie can pair with up to 8 Clients, but is not recommended because of the tuner limit.

Better to have HDDVR and/or HD non-DVRs for TVs beyond 4, and instead of Clients, if you can afford. As these are beyond the free offer, the one-time lease cost of HDDVR is $199 and HD non-DVR is $99.

HDDVR has 2 tuners, 500GB recording space, and does not rely on the Genie to work as has its own processing.
HD non-DVR has 1 tuner and the Autotune feature (not available in DVR models)
Both can still share recordings with all the other boxes.
No monthly cost difference between them or Client, as it is $7 for each TV no mater what box it is.
Unlike Clients, there is no wireless option.

@litzdog911 and @Juniper

Thanks for your comments.  I'm not liking the idea of having to run cables, but I get the limitations.  An HD non-DVR would be fine for the 5th TV.  So, I guess running another coax means a connection to the antenna rather than a wired connection from the Genie - and another hole punched in the wall.

I'll be calling Directv ...

Did you call to activate the 4th mini? It has to be activated in your account before you do the "add client" process

That's a good point. I have not done so, but will this evening when I get home.  Will doing so overcome the technical issues identified by the other replies, or will it still be necessary to obtain some additional hardware?  If necessary, I could obtain a new device (probably non-DVR, the 5th TV does not have a particular use case for DVR), but I do NOT want to replace an existing wireless receiver just to make use of the new wireless receiver.  Thank you!

No it won't require additional hardware but the genie will still be limited to only 3 minis in use at one time so in other words you couldn't use all 4 minis at the same time, that's why the others were suggesting to get a non mini receiver instead which I completely agree with. 

O.K., thanks.

So for my needs, the 4th wireless receiver that I just ordered and received, is completely useless and will be returned since the HR44/700 cannot contact 4 wireless receivers simultaneously.

I will need to obtain an HD non-DVR device and tie that to the 4th TV.  That new HD non-DVR receiver will need to be linked to the external satellite dish by a separate coax cable from the satellite dish to the 4th TV, and not to any "inside the house" Directv device.  That coax connection will need to be made by a pro installer.

If I have this properly understood, I'll contact Directv and start making it happen.

I wish the sales person could have explained this better 

Yes but I would get an hd-dvr so you'll have 2 dvrs 

O.K., so after walking in vain through the AT&T forest of automated problem solving, how to return faulty equipment, what to do about connecting to the service I'm paying for, and reading the wrong equipment user manuals until my eye tried to fall out of my head - I finally was able to talk to a live human over the phone who literally walked me through the troubleshooting morass.  I explained to the live voice on the phone that I had actually taken a working Mini from another room, attached it to the TV I was trying to connect - and the connection worked.  The bad Mini did NOT work on the other TV.  this fact actually impressed the voice on the phone, a lady from Tulsa OK.  This live human explained the intricacies of the Directv equipment capabilities; and yes the DVR can only talk to 3 Minis simultaneously, but up to 5 can be connected.  After rebooting the wireless bridge and watching the Mini refusing to connect even with the network light on the Mini showing green, the lady from Tulsa set up a tech to either fix or replace the Mini.  At last!

Just thought I'd let you all know.  And I thank you all for your help, which gave me encouragement to keep looking

The tech showed up yesterday, as scheduled.  I was at work, but my son texted me that the tech had arrived.  By the time I could call back, the tech had finished, and the Genie Mini was connected, all is well with the world, I don't know what all he did, but at this point I guess it doesn't matter.  What does matter, is that all the connections work now.