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3 Messages

Friday, April 7th, 2023 4:38 AM

Hooking a ATT Uverse Streaming Box to a Mesh WIFI, not possible?

​Looking through dozens of posts here, I keep reading that the TV streaming boxes (c71kw-400, in this case) with ATT UVerse cannot connect to popular mesh WIFI networks like Deco, Orbi, Eero, etc. that might be added to the home network configuration. ​

​In other words they *have* to connect to the ATT WIFI Gateway in order to function properly. Is this true?

​What is a person to do if one of the c71kw 400 units in the basement (or some other distant location) is getting a spotty connection to the main AT&T WIFI? I understand the most of the "extenders" do not work well at all.​

​Is there no way to improve the WIFI with 3rd party (non-AT&T) equipment to allow for better TV box WIFI connections for those placed farther away from the AT&T router?​

​Thanks much for any advice / guidance. ​

ACE - Expert

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36.8K Messages

2 years ago

You are incorrectly assigning the U-verse TV brand to this question.  The c71kw-400 is used by DIRECTV STREAM.

U-verse TV does not work over the Internet.

DIRECTV STREAM, and thus the c71kw-400, works over the Internet.

AT&T has spun off AT&T TV / DIRECTV to a separate DIRECTV company.  Please see their forums here:


https://forums.directv.com/

New Member

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3 Messages

2 years ago

Thank you. 

I will post the question to that forum, but isn't router and WIFI technology roughly the same? The router is definitely ATT Brand. 

There seems to be a great deal of overlap when it comes to the equipment utilized internally, and wouldn't the question(s) regarding connecting the streaming box to a 3rd party mesh system would still be applicable in this case?

Please let me know. 

Thanks much. 

ACE - Expert

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36.8K Messages

2 years ago

The AT&T U-verse IPTV service doesn't use the Internet at all.  It uses a private multicast IP network that shares the "last mile" physical connection to the home as the Internet service.  You must use the AT&T Gateway.  You must use the provided 5 GHz WAP for Wireless U-verse TV Receivers.  Thus it will not use a Mesh network. 

DIRECTV STREAM uses the Internet to provide the content, just like Netflix, Disney+, YouTubeTV, etc.   Thus the answers for it regarding Wi-Fi are totally different from the restrictions on the U-verse wireless receivers.


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