Overwhelmed noob - please help!

[Kailuamom]

Hi all -

Iam thrilled to find this site, but definitely overwhelmed by the amount of posts and the technical language, that I really dont understand. I'm hoping that I can get some help....with an English translation .

Here's our situation.....

We have just bought our first country home. It's a little rectangle, on five acres with a detached cottage . There is no cable or dsl available. We currently live in the burbs, have Comcast with 2 dvrs, the kids online game, we stream Netflix, purchase on demand movies, etc.

The new house looks like it has one coaxle (is that even the right word?)outlet in the living room. We need Internet everywhere, and would like at least 2 tvs with dvrs in the house and tv in the cottage. There are a couple of local wireless broadband carriers for Internet as well as the typical satellite options.

We aren't living there full time, so don't need anything perfect now, but want a plan. I woul prefer not to have to run cable throughout the house and to the cottage.

What else do we need to tell you, to get your pro opinions? Thanks in advance for your help!

Btw - we can have 2 tvs on, and 3 iPads, 4 iPhones and be on Xbox and playstation all at the same time.

 

[Tampa8]

Either Dish or Direct TV will fit what you want. I strongly suggest you go to each of their sites, look over programming and equipment, then you will have better questions to ask. Then there's the matter of do you have a clear view to the southern/western sky?
The best unbiased opinion will be your own. Get to know what Direct TV and Dish offer and we cah answer specific questions, like can it do this, or that, etc....
Dish does have a reasonably good (for satellite) internet solution. You have identified a few things that have more than one solution.

 

[Kailuamom]

Either Dish or Direct TV will fit what you want. I strongly suggest you go to each of their sites, look over programming and equipment, then you will have better questions to ask. Then there's the matter of do you have a clear view to the southern/western sky?
The best unbiased opinion will be your own. Get to know what Direct TV and Dish offer and we cah answer specific questions, like can it do this, or that, etc....
Dish does have a reasonably good (for satellite) internet solution. You have identified a few things that have more than one solution.

Thanks. I guess I'm thinking that I need advice as to which system will manage our needs best, and if possible which has a better wireless capacity, so I'm not forced to rewrite the whole house and run a new cable out to the detached cottage.

I read the really long thread about the Dish Hopper having some wireless capabilities, but they are unsupported.

Also curious if there are any users out there happy with the satellite Internet options, as all I can find are bad reviews?

 

[Laddyboy]

Thanks. I guess I'm thinking that I need advice as to which system will manage our needs best, and if possible which has a better wireless capacity, so I'm not forced to rewrite the whole house and run a new cable out to the detached cottage.

I read the really long thread about the Dish Hopper having some wireless capabilities, but they are unsupported.

Also curious if there are any users out there happy with the satellite Internet options, as all I can find are bad reviews?

Are the local wireless internet providers cell phone companies or true wireless internet providers? I have the latter in a rural location and they are pretty good with no bandwidth limits. I usually get 2-4 up and 4-6 down which is good enough for Netflix streaming. The sat internet providers are expensive with bandwidth limits. Either Direct or Dish will provide the cabling needed for the setup you desire. They tend to cable from the outside going through the outside wall into the room. If you want a more elegant solution, you'll have to arrange ahead of time and pay out some $ or do it yourself.

 

[sparc]

Are you planning on getting it installed by Dish? If so, they'll be able to do a lot of the wiring for the main home itself. Might require wall penetrations from the exterior depending on how your house is built.

If you need the wiring wall fished, it will probably cost extra. Running a wire out to the detached cottage might cost extra depending on difficulty and distance.

here's some example wiring diagrams for the Hopper/Joey system to get an idea on the level of wiring needed: http://www.satelliteguys.us/hopper-zone/279755-hopper-joey-wiring-diagrams.html

 

[stardust3]

Are the local wireless internet providers cell phone companies or true wireless internet providers? I have the latter in a rural location and they are pretty good with no bandwidth limits. I usually get 2-4 up and 4-6 down which is good enough for Netflix streaming. The sat internet providers are expensive with bandwidth limits. Either Direct or Dish will provide the cabling needed for the setup you desire. They tend to cable from the outside going through the outside wall into the room. If you want a more elegant solution, you'll have to arrange ahead of time and pay out some $ or do it yourself.

Very well said............

 

[MaryB@SlingTV]

to Sat Guys!! The members here are a great resource and are always happy to help. If you have any questions about the DISH service, please let myself or one of my team mates know as we would be happy to help as well. Good Luck!!

 

[Mojo Jojo]

Dish Channel Lineup Cards:
http://www.mydish.com/programmingguides/

http://www.dishlatino.com/paquetes_landing/Channels.aspx / http://www.dishlatino.com/clientes/centroayuda/listadecanales.aspx

Welcome Pack $14.99
Dish Latino Basico $22.99
Dish Family $24.99
Dish Latino Clasico $32.99
Dish America $34.99
Dish Latino Plus $37.99
America's Top 120 $44.99
Dish Latino Dos $44.99
America's Top 120+ $49.99
Dish America Silver $49.99
Dish Latino Max $57.99
America's Top 200 $59.99
Dish America Gold $59.99
America's Top 250 $69.99
America's "Everything" Pak $104.99

Here is a pricing calculator for Dish: http://commercial.dishnetwork.com/calculator/default.aspx
Receivers Link: http://www.dish.com/technology/receivers-dvrs/
Manuals: http://www.mydish.com/support/manuals

DirecTV Channel Lineup Card (via AT&T):
http://www.att.com/Common/PDF/DIRECTV_English_Channel_Lineup.pdf

DirecTV Family $29.99
Entertainment $54.99
Choice $63.99
Choice Xtra $68.99
Choice Ultimate $74.99
Premier $119.99

Receivers Link: http://www.directv.com/DTVAPP/content/technology/hmc_receiver
Manuals: http://support.directv.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/3669/~/manuals%3A-guides-for-all-your-equipment

 

[Straybeat]

Also, to add to what Tampa8 said, historically Dish was always known for movies and Directv for sports if that makes a difference to you? For us, we have been Dish customers for the better part of 10 years and couldn't be happier. The boxes work nice (ours is a 722K) I can record 4 things at once, 2 off sat and 2 off of antenna. The number of HD channels is outstanding. And they always have deals that you can call in for, like free HBO or what have you.

 

[DasHoss]

I cant speak to direct but dish will run all the cable. They can run cable to cottage. Have dig safe come mark utilities and they should run cable there at no charge. Just tell the cust srvc rep what you want and they will advise you of options. They also shouldnt charge for wall fishes (was told its free when i had mine installed). Just be clear with cust srvc and your instalker with what you want

 

[Dishman-n-nc]

Customers get one wall fish free per each receiver. Example: customer ordered 2 duo receivers gets 2 wall fishes(if requested by customer) and 2 floor/wall penetrations(if needed) to support tv 2's.

 

[Kailuamom]

Thanks so much everyone!

 

[stevin]

As another noob, thanks to everyone!