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Wednesday, January 6th, 2021

How do I connect my other 2 DVR receivers using an Ethernet cable?

I have 3 ATT DVR receivers in my home. One of them is connected directly to the ATT Modem using an Ethernet cable, but my other 2 DVRs are connected to the Modem through the ATT WAP router. How do I connect my other 2 DVR receivers directly to the ATT Modem using an Ethernet cable?

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ACE - Expert

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37.1K Messages

5 years ago

Easiest: What AT&T says: segregate IPTV traffic from Internet on a per-Gateway-port basis. 

Cheaper: When you use an Ethernet switch, never put a wireless access point/router (other than the IPTV WAP) on the same leg as AT&T IPTV equipment (WAP, DVR, STB).

Covers most situations: Use switches that properly implement IGMPv3 peeking.

For example, you could connect a cable to a Gateway port and connect the other end (through walls, etc.) to a switch with a connected STB and Roku or Smart TV without any issue.  The switch will pass multicast, and it won't notice the IGMPv3 traffic imbedded in the unicast IP traffic its carrying.  The Roku will ignore the multicast and everyone's happy.

But when you decide it would be great to connect a Wi-Fi extender to that same switch... bad news. The Extender will see the multicast traffic and feel the need to pass it on, it will slow all the Wi-Fi down to the slowest client and will use backpressure to slow down the incoming traffic, which will screw up the IPTV, so that it can keep up (also slowing down Internet).

If that switch properly implemented IGMPv3 peeking, then it would know that the extender never made an IGMPv3 request and would not send it the multicast traffic, and would properly forward the traffic to the STB that the STB had asked for.  (If the extender was a wireless router, it might also process the IGMPv3 requests and not forward the traffic wirelessly either.)

So, IGMPv3 is useful when properly implemented and necessary, but not always necessary.

(edited)

ACE - Expert

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28.3K Messages

5 years ago

You have ONE Uverse DVR.  That's the one connected to the gateway (modem).  The other boxes are wireless RECEIVERS that require the WAP.  The WAP is wired to the gateway, not the receivers (hence "wireless").

For clarity, which gateway do you have and what are the models of the wireless boxes?  Any particular reason you want to connect the wireless boxes directly to the gateway?

New Member

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2 Messages

5 years ago

Hi Skeeterintexas: Thanks for your response. My gateway/modem is a Pace 5268AC FXN. My WAP is a Motorola VAP2500. My Ethernet-connected DVR/receiver is a Motorola VIP2500. My 2 router/WAP-connected DVR receivers are Cisco 1587005.  My goal for attempting to connect with Ethernet cables is to reduce the Wi-Fi RF floating around my house. 

ACE - Professor

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1.5K Messages

5 years ago

Hello.  The ISB7005s can also operate with an Ethernet connection.  
Kudos on your effort and hope it works out.  You can use a switch to help, but it should support IGMPv3 protocol, also known as Multicast.  

ACE - Expert

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37.1K Messages

5 years ago

As long as you don't try to mix Internet traffic, especially to a Wireless Access Point or Router, on the same switch as your IPTV, any decently capable Gigabit Ethernet Switch will do fine for your IPTV needs; IGMPv3 peeking is not necessary.

ACE - Professor

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1.5K Messages

5 years ago

Personally I would not give up the 7005.  
If I have time, I’ll play around with mine to see if I can determine the exact procedure to get the wired connection to activate.   
As long as the 7005 is hardwired to the gateway, there is little risk in causing a firmware reload.  

@JefferMC 

I didn’t suggest using separate switches to segregate the multicast traffic to make the solution as simple as possible, although this is exactly how my setup is, essentially using two ports on the gateway for TV traffic and the rest for standard computer traffic.  

ACE - Expert

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37.1K Messages

5 years ago

The AT&T standard line is to not mix traffic on a leg from the Gateway.  That's certainly fine, but IMHO unnecessary except in the case of equipment that has issues with multicast.

IGMPv3 support is also unnecessary for a layer 2 switch unless you are trying to support a device that has issues with multicast on the same switch as an IPTV device.  IGMPv3 does not equal multicast.  It is a layer 3 protocol used for initiating distribution of multicast on certain circuits.  A layer 2 device doesn't need to know about subscriptions to properly forward all multicast.  However, it can reduce traffic by "listening in" on the IGMPv3 traffic that it carries and only sending multicast packets whose address has been subscribed to, if it has that feature (known as IGMP peeking).  Technically, it's a violation of the principle of isolation of layers for a layer 2 device to look inside the IP packet data like that.

The flagship device that has issues with multicast is a Wireless Access Point, but there are others. 

(edited)

ACE - Professor

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1.5K Messages

5 years ago

I admit to not having understood the needs of Uverse TV.  Here’s a story from several years ago when I was having intermittent problems with my service .
Through a series of calls into tech support, a technician came out to my house and replaced my existing switch with a Netgear one. GS108 IIRC.  problem solved.  A few technicians had made a passing comment about separating traffic which I heard but failed to appreciate because I did not know about the specific protocols used by the service.  Att never published any specific guidance for home network installations that I could find.  
Even to this day, my newer Orbi is unable to properly manage U-verse data correctly, for instance, the time shifting functions won’t work when connected to a satellite.  
What’s the easiest way to help someone venturing into this territory and not create new problems they didn’t already have?   Fortunately no new streaming services work this way and the problem will die when Uverse is finally sunset.  

ACE - Professor

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1.5K Messages

5 years ago

Great!

Feel free to share your solution.  People do read these threads.  

ACE - Professor

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1.5K Messages

5 years ago

@JefferMC 

Right, and your post highlights the ability to mix and match equipment, perhaps simply as a function of the RJ-45 connection they all have.  
As a further warning even if a product declares IGMPv3 support, I’ve seen first hand it still fails to support Uverse correctly.  

ACE - Expert

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37.1K Messages

5 years ago

Yeah, IGMPv3 peeking is not always well implemented.  Which is why I keep qualifying it with "properly implemented."  Some routers that purport to support IPTV may or may not do IGMPv3 at all, but will create VLANs to segregate multicast traffic off only to certain wired ports, keeping it off the Wi-Fi.


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