Two HD DVRs: can I use ethernet to link them for Whole-Home DVR?

In theory connecting both HD DVRs to your home network router via ethernet cables can work. But you'll need to convince DirecTV to activate your Whole Home DVR service as "unsupported", and that's getting harder and harder to do because too many folks with do-it-yourself networking have issues. 

That's partially true but you need to add the DECA to the mix.  A non supported Whole Home system using Ethernet cables on a HR24 will work just fine, assuming on can get Directv to activate it.  The correctd statement would read:

Thanks for the replies.  So it looks like I might have to figure out a way to get a coax cable between the receivers.  Ouch.  And I wonder if the signal to the furthest receiver, is going to be degraded.  We're talking almost 150 feet.  

What s*cks is that they/we have to get the cable in, and then if the signal level is too low, they may switch back to the original dish AND let us run Ethernet, which is what I wish they would do right now instead of all the hassle of running coax.  Plus, I wanted to get a third receiver too, and that's also going to be a pain too (not so if they use Ethernet).

Here is another question, can they use their DECA on one port of a receiver for Whole Home, and use the other port of the receiver for the satellite dish?  Or can you only do one or the other?

And what happened to receivers needing two cables from the satellite dish?

WHDVR relies on a SWM system.  and with the newer SWM system all receivers only require only cable, including DVR's.  All receivers need a coax feed from the dish and/or splitter to feed the satellite signals.  this same coax is use to network the receivers together using DECA technology.  so I am not understating how is easy to get ethernet cable but not coax.  and the receivers can only use DECA or ethernet you CANNOT mix and match.

What I meant to say is that I already have Ethernet in all rooms that I have or will have receivers in.  I don't have cable in those rooms, except cable going directly to different dishes.  Running interconnecting cable is going to be expensive, either creating a mess inside or cables stapled outside of the house.  

What I have are two satellite dishes at two ends of the house, feeding two receivers independently, which I was hoping to simply have WHDVR turned on for.  They are already both on Ethernet.

So, if I could have WHDVR just turned on using my existing satellite dishes and network, then I would have no need to spend time and money drawing new cables.  I now understand that while it may be possible to do this, Directv is not going to be keen on doing so.

For starters, you need to have at least two HD boxes, and one must be a HD DVR in order to get Whole Home activated.  Once you get that in, and both boxes networked to a common router on the same sub net, write an email to Directv and ask if they will activate Whole Home.  Following is the format many used early on when Directv was quite willing to activate non supported Whole Home systems.  Don't bother trying to do this by phone.

Go to your account online, copy your account number, then select Help -> contact us -> email -> select language -> fill in the blanks -> Topic "services" -> whole home DVR -> activate -> give them your account number, tell them you've been using beta and want the Whole Home DVR service activated using your own network and that you do not want to order DECA

Here's is my update.  I called them last week and asked to have WH activated.  They said that they saw that I had a WH service order that was cancelled and that they couldn't active it.  I told them it was cancelled because the technician that came out couldn't quite figure out how to wire it all up.  They said that they would send a supervisor out to do the job.  I said OK.

The technician comes in today and looks around and then calls DirecTV.  He then its me on the phone with her and she tells me, "sir, the technician tells me that he can't install multi-room viewing because you have two dishes and the distance between the two is more than 125 feet.  Do you agree with that?"  I told her that I agreed that the distance was about 125 feet.  I told her that I already had ethernet to the locations of the HD DVRs, can't we just turn Whole Home on and try using that?  She said she didn't think that would work and that maybe a supervisor could come out and check out the situation.  I told her that it had been my assumption that today's visit was going to be with a supervisor.

I talked to the technician some more.  He told me that you can't have two dishes and use the WH or MRV service, even if you use ethernet.  He seemed to think that even with Ethernet, all the units have to get their signals from the same dish.

I wish DirecTV who turn Whole Home on, even briefly, just to see if my currently connected HD DVRs would be able to talk to each other.

Do any of you have multiple dishes and ethernet connections between them to network your system?

As I stated in my first response, it should work using ethernet. The Receivers/DVRs don't care what satellite dish they're hooked up to. That's only relevant if you're using the "officially supported" DECA coax networking that requires one Single Wire Multiswitch dish setup.  Since you want to use your own ethernet home network, it should work.  But, as I stated, convincing DirecTV to activate that unsupported configuration is getting harder and harder. 

I suggest you send an email to DirecTV support (Contact Us link on main web site) and request that you want to activate an unsupported, ethernet-based Whole Home DVR network.  

litzdog911, that's what I tried to do when I called them.  I was sitting in the Activate WH screen and called customer service.  They talked their way into sending someone out again, promising that it would be a supervisor who knew how to handle complex setups.

I was hoping that a supervisor could make the determination that yes, we should just do ethernet.  Or just call the main office and say, it is all ready, turn on WH or MRV.

Now I have to wait again to see a supervisor.  

But my nagging doubt was, what if these guys are right, that somehow content from two different dishes would not be compatible with all the DVRs and receivers that are getting signal from their own dish?  What if the WH system expects that the recordings are all made using the same dish?  Very odd for it to be the case, but I just wanted confirmation from someone that actually has multiple dishes and ethernet in between their receivers.

Or, alternatively, just have WH turned on to test it.  It wouldn't take me more than a few minutes to figure it out.

*sigh*  

Ok, the supervisor was just here.   He was adamant that there is just no way to use ethernet and he is going to tell DirecTV that this is a two system house and the only way to have MRV or WH is to have two independent systems - programs on one set of DVRs can't be watched but the other. etc.

I tod him about this forum and he said that ethernet was the old way of doing things, and now they use DECA.  

I asked him why doesn't he just ask DTV to turn on WH and we can see if ethernet works or not.  He said he is going to go talk to some people and figure out a way, maybe by exceeding the cable length limits, instead.

Why such resistance to ethernet?

-mz

The Ethernet system is not supported by Directv, as you have been told here at least once.  Further you were given explicit instructions as to how to apply for activation via Email.  I even advised you not to try to activate via phone.  So, what do you do? You get on the phone and talk to folks who do not have the authority to activate an unsupported system.  You have all the info we've gathered in this regard.

And now I'm frustrated as well.

Unfortunately I suspect your totally hosed now.  Even if you contact them via email I'm guessing your account is now flagged with the notes from your phone calls and technician visits.  So, bottom line, yes, your ethernet networking can work. But you somehow need to get them to activate it for you.   I also think that after two years DirecTV is drawing a much harder line about activating any do-it-yourself WHDVR setups.  

Yes, yes... I should have done things differently - but my prior experience with the Contact Me email address, and Twitter for that matter has been a canned response of "Please contact us at 800-DIRECTV so that we may best help you with your issue".

Anyway, things came to a head this early evening when I got the new HD DVR I ordered off of their website.  Given that I paid for it and will pay for it monthly, I assumed that what I was getting would be a new HR24.  I got a refurbished HR22 instead.  

So I called and complained.  I complained about the DVR not being what I expected - given that you can buy an HR24 from Best Buy or online for $199, not like they were doing me any favors.  ANd that they won't turn on Whole Home and are sending out technician after technician who hasn't been able to help me.

Well, they told me to send the DVR back - reject it or they will send a return label.  They can't get me an HR24, but they will turn on Whole Home just to prove that the technicians are right and that you need to use coax to hook the units to each other, not ethernet.

I got Whole Home turned on.  And it works.  At least for now, with two receivers, one on each dish.  I'll know more later when we upgrade the dish on one to be a new HD dish, and add two more receivers off of that.  I am hoping that by connecting those all up in the traditional way, not using DECA, then I can still plug my ethernet cables in to each and continue to have it work.  Will report back.

Thanks for all the help.  Your insistence that this was possible is what kept me from letting the technicians walk away claiming that they can't pull off Whole Home given the conditions.  Thank you.