Can you use multiple USB's at once on HWS?

[psychotrope]

I noticed in the Hopper w/Sling (HWS) manual it states the following: "Note that the Hopper with Sling HD DVR currently supports one external USB-connected device at a time." (Page 79, HPRSLNG_user.pdf, downloaded from Dish's web site). I found this interesting considering the HWS has 3 USB inputs, I utilized both USB ports on my 922 for EHDs at the same time, and many people on this forum have posted that they are using multiple EHDs at the same time on the Hopper. But I haven't read anything on the forum specific about the Hopper WITH SLING regarding the use of multiple USB devices at once. This quote appears in the section of the manual about the USB Digitial OTA Tuner. I might be interested in getting the USB OTA Tuner, but I'm curious to know if that means I wouldn't be able to use my EHD at the same time.

It seems like the kind of situation where the documentation was written at a time before all of the features were enabled via subsequent updates to the DVR and no one thought it worth the time to go back and update the downloadable documentation. But I thought it was a question worth asking. Can you indeed use 2 or 3 USB-connected devices (EHDs, OTA Tuner, or combination of both) at the same time on the Hopper with Sling? Is there anyone who is using both the USB Digital OTA Tuner and a USB-connected EHD at the same time?

 

[lucky86]

I have an ota and ehd connected and they work fine.

 

[3HaloODST]

On my HwSs I have OTA and 2 EHDs. On my H2ks I have Sling Adapter, OTA, powered USB hub, and 2 EHDs each.

You can have up to two EHDs connected with full functionality. The third EHD and beyond can be used for transfers only.

 

[dwarren2]

I use a powered hub on both my HWS. One has the ota module, laptop cooling pad, 2 ehd's. The other HWS has the same except only 1 ehd. But I have used 2 usb ports at a time.

 

[navychop]

I keep the OTA module plugged in directly to the HWS. On both my HWS, I have 3-4 EHDs plugged in to a powered hub. Works, with the limits Halo mentioned. Sure wish I could name each EHD, and have the name stick thru power cycles, at least with one HWS if not both.

 

[fredp]

I have two EHD's plugged into the two usb ports on the back of my Hopper/S. Works great. Both are recognized by the Hopper. Transferring of data between all is a snap.

 

[KKlare]

I have had 3 EHDs connected thru an unpowered 4-way hub to my H2000. (Limited by brick space on one power strip with one for Roku.) As stated 2 can be fully functional but any more (should go to say 7) are only for transfers. Number assigned depends on its order connected with numbers recycled when another is removed.

I think power available may be enough for 1 small EHD per each of the 3 ports--any more or larger drives at your risk. I often have 4 of my 13 or so drives connected by USB but only power up 2 that I want to use, generally. Too bad you cannot copy disk to disk directly. You can alternate partial copies so that you effectively have continuous copying. Your copy size will be limited to the user-accessible internal disk size of 1.25TB of the 2TB drive less whatever else you are storing on the IHD.

Aside: it computes available space as all such but on copying it will "run out" if that is not contiguous space. Just transfer chunks until it cannot find enough contiguous space for some recording. I have a 1862GB (2TB) drive with 1095 recordings and 100% used and it says I have 7GB left.
-Ken