Quote:
Originally Posted by Grady223
songkrai - what about the phone number that the receiver is hooked to, doesn't it need to be changed and doesn't it determine what local channels you get?
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No.
You don't even need a phone to receive regular or HD channels. Unless you wish to purchase pay per view. That is all the phone line is used for. Remember the receiver is dumb. It does not know where it is. Even hooked up to a telephone. Maybe sometime in the future Direct will change and be able to tell where a receiver is by the telephone number but as of today it does not. And again, you do not need any telephone connection at all. You do have to tell Direct that the room receiver is used in has no telephone.
Every day, people with Direct TV get/order another receiver for a spare bedroom. And not all homes new or old have a phone jack in every room. Direct TV knows this. So if you were to call them and order another receiver you just tell them that there is no phone jack in the room. Again, no phone connection no pay per view channels. You can order another receiver in CT or order one in NH. It makes no difference.
You can also use cat5e (broadband) wire. All receivers today have both a phone jack and a cat5e (broadband) jack in back and either can be used or not used. Direct does not expect all customers with rooms in home with no phone connection to rewire all rooms with a new hard wired phone connection.
Direct TV is just beginning to get into the wireless technology. I'm not sure how that works. All my receivers are hard wired. I use cate5e wire in both my homes. And the cat5e (broadband) wire has nothing to do with my telephone and has nothing to do with Direct TV. All Direct desires is a connection so that they can charge for pay per view. So if you do not need pay per view then no phone or cat5e wire is needed. My receivers are hard wired (cat5e) only because I order movies - pay per view - from Direct. Ohterwise I would not have any phone or cat5e hard wired to the receiver.
Again, I can't over emphasize this. You do have to do your homework. Customer Service at Direct (and Dish) can and do provide different answers to the same question on different calls to them. You have to know what can be done before you call them. And you have to be persisitent. Some of my calls to Direct TV require being transferred to a higher up Customer Service person. The higher up in Customer Service the more knowledgeable.
Off this question. Just a note. I actually own my receivers - no lease whatsoever. But be forewarned. Buying a new receiver at Best Buy or Amazon - you do not actually own the receiver. You are buying a receiver that is leased and if you ever cancel Direct TV you must send the receiver back to Direct as these "bought" receivers are actually leased.