Dish TV

[Foldbak]

Hey guys and gals, need input. First off not interested in Starlink as the price for internet only is too steep.


My home setup currently is DTV and Xfinity internet. All works well.



My RV setup is Tmobile 50 gig 4G lte internet. I ran out of data watching the games last weekend.


I'm thinking about ditching DTV and changing to Dish with a mobile Dish package. If the $ makes sense. I'm wondering how their internet works. The $ might more sense if I can bundle TV and internet.


My home internet is robust consisting of a Xfinity router and 3 Ubiquiti access points that provide a large coverage area. I'd need to plug into a new modem.



Not sure if anyone here can answer the questions but thought I'd give it a shot. Does anyone have Dish internet? Whats the difference in the RV Dish sat packages and equipment? Can the RV sat be used at home and on the road?



I'm ok paying for the equipment but not ok paying hugh monthly payments.



Thanks in advance.

[Mikendebbie]

I have Dish at home. I have a Wally (black box) and a Dish Tailgater for the RV. I have always heard that satellite internet (pre Starlink) was expensive and slow. I seem to remember a few years ago (and maybe still today - don’t know) that Dish partnered with ATT (??) to offer internet - it was via somebody’s cell network - not thru the satellite. I think it got bad reviews…again I am straining the memory cells here so this info may not be totally correct.

When we travel I have to call Dish and turn on the Wally. It is $5/month added to my home bill. I have to call them to turn it off when we get back home or they we keep hitting the credit card with $5 charge. Everytime we change locations in the RV I have to call Dish and have them reprogram my Wally to get local channels. I think if you only have the Dish for your RV (and not at home also) you can change your location with your iPhone to get local channels changed. When we get home I call them to change my channels back to Austin. We like Dish. They seem to know the 10 channels we watch so they scatter them out in different packages - so our bill is about $145/month. It is different for those that do not have Dish at home, and I don’t know if the packages are the same.

I have read over on IRV2 forum that Dish turned off satellite #129 in late July. I remember my Dish hopper at the house doing some strange reboots and searches around that time, and evidently that is what caused it. All channels are re-routed thru satellites 110 and 119 now - so nothing has really changed. The general vibe on IRV2 is that hopefully Dish will update our equipment to tell it to quit searching for #129. Sounds like you have to wait until the “what’s up with this?? HELP ME!” message appears and tell it to IGNORE so it will finish the boot+searching for satellites. I wish the setup process was quicker and easier. iPhone updates have spoiled me and I have little patience for these things anymore.

Go to DishOutdoors.com to look at equipment pricing. I got my Wally black box for $59 on sale which they run the sale several times thru the year. You need to read up on the “antennas” - I mean the dish (little “d” dish) options. My Tailgater is fine. Depending on where you intend to travel you might want to get a different dish. Mine is powered thru the coax (low power) and I can’t run it thru my OEM coax wiring due to the splitters. Lots of discussion here on that subject.

[Carl n Susan]

I am a DTV and Xfinity user myself. I don't believe Dish has an internet offering. They do work with internet suppliers. I saw an indication they were getting into the internet business (maybe located in Salt Lake, UT?) but I can't find it.

Dish is a good package for RVers with their. start/stop capability for an RV receiver. But as you have DTV already, why not just use it with a portable (or automated) dish? Or upgrade your mobile internet to be able to stream DTV?

[rohrmann]

We have Dish for TV, and AT&T along with Verizon for phone and internet. Dish is only Satellite TV, no internet. We use our cell phone services for internet which gives us streaming when we want other programming than what is on Dish. We both have unlimited data for our cell phone services.

[rames14]

Foldbak, if you stay in the lower 48, satellite works great. I have had both Dish and DirecTV. I ditched Direct after not getting local channels while away from our area. I have the G3, which works with either Direct or Dish. With Dish, you get HD on the small dome unlike DirecTV (except Travl’r gets HD on either). At this time, at least where we camp, StarLink is the only option. If you have cell service, you can have internet with the right provider. In Goshen last year, T-Mobile had no data coverage. In Alaska, we have had internet every spot with StarLink. Plus, like Dish Outdoor, you can turn it on and off as needed. As Mike mentioned, with Dish Outdoor, you can change the zip code on your phone. Once you add it as an additional receiver, you have to call. A little bit of a hassle but not bad. But, none of them work in Alaska. Another few weeks and we’ll get satellite back.

[RMcNeal]

I have AT&T for cellular. If you use them, any DTV services you stream does not count toward your gig limit per month, so you can probably get by with a lesser plan. They don't count streaming of DTV since AT&T owns Direct TV now. I was also able to get HBO/Max for free on streaming and get a $25 bill credit for having their unimited plan which I've had since the first iPhone came out nearly 30 years ago.

[Daryles]

FYI, Dish Tailgater Pro King ONLY receives WESTERN arc satellites.
IF you travel a lot in the north east it can be difficult to get a good line of sight to the western arc satellites. Many times they are in the tree line.
We went to Bar Harbor Maine, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island and could only receive a few higher # channels.
If you travel much in the north east get the
Satellite dish Winegard Pathway X2

Winegard Pathway X2 PA6002R Satellite TV Antenna and DISH Wally Receiver Bundle (Dual Arc, 2 TV Viewing) https://a.co/d/hwXFPJx

It can receive BOTH eastern and western arc Dish satellites.

Download the Winegard app. You can use it to see the satellites in the sky to help aim the dish (avoid trees etc.).
Western satellites: -110, -119, -129
Eastern satellites: -61, -72, -77

[Foldbak]

Thanks, that's a lot to chew on. As I understand it I can solve my TV reception problem with a satellite dish and with the right package watch football, movies and programs without having to stream. This would free up internet usage, when I can get it. 50 GB a month would then be enough for the occasional streaming.



I'm leaning towards Dish and the Winegard Pathway X2 since it's simple to set up and works with both Dish and DTV. I'm also leaning towards changing to Dish at home and for the road. I like the fact that I can suspend the RV service and I might be able to get a bundle price.


Thanks for everyone's input

[DutchmenSport]

The internet topic has come up multiple times so this is a repeat of what we use.

Years ago we ditched Direct TV and Dish TV. We had them both at the house (not at the same time), and after a while, they both followed the same pattern: prices increased and increased and increased! We used Dish TV in the camper. I'd take the one receiver from the house and it traveled with us. I had a Dish Tailgater (cube) that worked well and got rid of the tripod with the satellite dish, pointing and all of that. It was just too hard to do, even with equipment that told us where to point the thing.

The thing that really turned us against both Dish and Direct, not only the ever increasing prices, but the fact there was nothing new to watch. After about 6 months, it seemed it was always the same repeat movies, shows, and broadcasts. Then, whatever we watched was chocked full of advertisements. We'd get 1 minute of television show and 3 minutes of advertisements.

We reached the point where we got sick and tired of all of this and decided to go back to simple over-the-air television. Fast forward a little bit and Digital over-the-air was now creeping into existence.

We made the switch and found out over-the-air television suit our needs quite comfortably. Why "PAY" for advertisements when watching when we can not get the same advertisements completely free! Yes, over-the-air television has advertisements, but at least, I'm not spending my money to watch them now.

Fast forward Roku television. We had 2 Roku televisions in our house and one day discovered a whole BUNCH of new stations that I'd never seen before actually, almost 700 or more of them and channels like 252 or even 1001.

Where was all of this coming from? It was coming from our home internet. Now we live in the country. We do not have DSL, Satellite, fiber optic or anything like that. We have a line-of-site system that uses cell phone towers or antennas on the top of grain silos or even water towers. But it works well for us at home.

This opened a new world for us. We completely enjoyed streaming video and streaming television shows. And our home system has no cap on data at all.

We ended up getting 2 small Roku televisions for the camper (internet ready) where the original televisions did not have internet capability. These small Roku televisions can be taken outside and even used as a secondary computer monitor. They serve multiple purposes for us.

Meanwhile, we realized our AT&T hot spots on our phones worked very well and allowed us the ability to stream on the Roku television AND provide internet for our personal devices AND our work computers, since my wife and I both worked from home.

Fast forward again. Although it was called "unlimited" data, AT&T still throttled. INTRODUCE Visible!

Long story short (I've rambled enough), we ended up getting a ZTE (el-cheap-o) phone ($70) went with Visible ($40 a month) and picked up a small portable router that connect to the phone so multiple devices can run at the same time ($20). Visible is TRULY unlimited. TRULY!

We still have our AT&T phones we use for back-up, but we use Visible almost all the time now, even at home.

In time we purchased a WeBoost signal booster ($500) which works very, very well with both the AT&T phones, my wife's Verision work phone, and our ZTE (Visible) phone.

Now, the ONLY expense is our original AT&T phone charges, and $40 a month for Visible and we have truly, truly unlimited data for both streaming television and for our computers and internet use.

For us, this was the win-win-win solution. I'll never, ever go back to Direct or Dish TV.

Now, if you camp in very, very remote locations where there is absolutely no phone service, than a satellite system is what you need. But if camp in "civilization" than Visible is a very, very good alternative.

Anything you get on Dish or Direct TV, you can get the on-line version now. You just need to get an internet connection.

The problem with satellite internet (like Hughes.net) is the upload and down-load lag time. If you are into "gaming" Hughes.net satellite internet is NOT for you!

Star link seems to have a good reputation right now. But I don't know about the "lag" time if you need immediate keystroke responses! Someone else will need to respond to that.

[dhuhn]

I have dish for my tv, i have Wingard traveler for my antenna, I take my receiver from home and connect to rv , when i get out of my local area I have to call to change location of my receiver so i can get my locals, changing over internet is not an option in my case its only for rv plan. I have the Hopper 2 and wireless Joey. I'm not sure if the Hopper you get now will hookup to the pathways. it takes me about 10 to 15 minutes to switch my location not that much of a hassle. As for internet we just got Tmoble home internet it unlimited for $30 a month and they told me I can take it with me when we travel, with price lock in. works good at home, haven't tried it on road yet. We also have Tmoble for our phones. so far been happy with what we have.

[PA_Alpine_Owner]

We have been using T-Mobile 5g home internet for about 1 1/2 years and haven't had any issues. $50.00 per month, no data caps and completely portable.
I have 2 TV's, 2 phones, Tablo DVR, Mopeka tank check WiFi bridge, EQ Smart Level, HomGar thermometer, Samsung Smart Things, Victron Connect, BN Link Smart WiFi Outlets, In-Command system connected to it, and it all works flawlessly everywhere we go, including while in transit. I did have a weak signal at a place we stayed in the winter/fall last year, so I added an external antenna mounted on a metal telescopic pole connected to my rear ladder. I'm getting speeds up to 336 mb.

We have an Amazon fire TV box and a Fubo TV subscription, as well as some other free streaming services to watch TV.

[Foldbak]

Originally Posted by PA_Alpine_Owner

We have been using T-Mobile 5g home internet for about 1 1/2 years and haven't had any issues. $50.00 per month, no data caps and completely portable.
I have 2 TV's, 2 phones, Tablo DVR, Mopeka tank check WiFi bridge, EQ Smart Level, HomGar thermometer, Samsung Smart Things, Victron Connect, BN Link Smart WiFi Outlets, In-Command system connected to it, and it all works flawlessly everywhere we go, including while in transit. I did have a weak signal at a place we stayed in the winter/fall last year, so I added an external antenna mounted on a metal telescopic pole connected to my rear ladder. I'm getting speeds up to 336 mb.

We have an Amazon fire TV box and a Fubo TV subscription, as well as some other free streaming services to watch TV.

I have T-Mobile 4G. The plan is 50GB per month. It works fine when I'm on a T-Mobile network. The problems are, T-Mobile is partnered with AT&T and when you're off a T-Mobile network, you switch to AT&T. AT&T deprioritizes you to 3G to give it's customers priority. So you buffer a lot. The other problem is to switch to the 5G network I'd have to replace my 4G $400 Gateway with a 5G $1000 gateway. T-Mobile also told me that their 5G coverage isn't as good as their 4G yet. So I don't see the benefit. Also it's my understanding that not all devices are 5G compatible. T-Mobile's 5G plan is 100BG per month for $50. They haven't told me about no cap plan. I'll do some research.

I see the home internet plan and it states uncapped. It also says spots are limited. Not available in all areas. It doesn't say anything about being mobile. It says to call prior to moving location. Are you just taking it from home to RV? Where do you travel?

[rames14]

Dan, T-Mobile didn’t work at rally last year (hot spot or tower). Traveling in Alaska and Canada with friends with T-Mobile and they have not had reception up here. So, it really does depend on a variety of factors. We wanted the Travl’r, but there wasn’t room on our roof for it with the smaller camper (37’) and 1200i Solar. So, we went G3 roof mount. Of course, lost service around Banff (curvature of the earth). Also, even at home, we don’t have cell service. So, knowing what you need (I like local news and weather, NFL) and where you camp (and will want to camp) all factor in. With our StarLink/Dish combo, even in Alaska I can access via DishAnywhere (over internet) my local content at home. Surprisingly, here in the 49th state, only Fairbanks had any over the air channels. In order to keep our camping under $20 per night, we camped in many remote campsites. We will be in Q in January and Dish and StarLink worked fine there. We got StarLink in February and I was skeptical with our Alaska trip. It has allowed us to stream in 3 Montanas simultaneously off my StarLink. We will soon have Dish again (headed south from Whitehorse tomorrow). Since Foldbak likes NFL, he may want to go YouTube with StarLink. If you add up all the costs, it may be cheaper and he would be able to get local channels, NFL Sunday Ticket and lots more. I may look at that down the road myself.

[PA_Alpine_Owner]

The T-Mobile 5g home internet router is dual band, 2.4ghz & 5ghz. It's a stand-alone device. The new routers are also Wi-Fi 6 compatible.

I forgot to mention in the previous post that there are no service contracts, a price lock guarantee, no equipment fees, and a 15-day free trial.

Also, if you're already a T-Mobile customer, it would be less than $50.00/month.

You literally walk in the store, tell them you want to try the 5g home internet, you sign up, take the free device home & plug it in and connect your devices.

[Mikendebbie]

Tony - to add a bit more information…there are apps for your phone that you can hold and point to the sky and they will help you locate the satellites, and if a tree top is blocking one of the birds - you can walk around until you find a clear spot. They send a 50’ piece of coax with the dish that you buy. Many times I have had to put mine up on the roof to get a clear shot. I use the DishForMyRV app but I see it costs $4.99. I don’t remember if I paid for it or not - but there are other higher rated apps to chose from that may be free.

[C&P RV]

One of the limitations of satellite connections is the Keystone built in wiring in the camper and the cable length restrictions of the Wally. There are tons of posts on this subject with people using a variety of methods to get the signal to the DISH Wally Receiver.

The issue is the Wally Receiver IS THE Playmaker or Tailgater antennas POWER SOURCE through the coax. Wally provides the 24v DC to power the antenna but anything over 50 feet, including the camper wiring, and the power attenuates impacting the ability of the antenna to aim itself and still provide a strong RF signal back to the Wally.

Winegard sells this device - SATELLITE POWER INSERTER AND CABLE EXTENDER
Model: PI-GM60 that can be configured to work with DISH and the Playmaker antenna. It basically boosts the power going to the antenna, compensating for the lower power from the Wally. Winegard want's $137 for this device and although I've been tempted, I have not "invested" in this upgrade yet. I've usually been successful placing the Playmaker on the roof of a slide out in our 3791 or somewhere within the 50 ft cable length off the back of the trailer.

I use the free Winegard TV Signal Finder for Android to find the satellites. The app lets you see an image of the location with the satellites showing using the phone camera to help you ID obstacles like trees (or your truck ). This app also shows all the TV stations within 70 miles with channel numbers and network info.

We like having Dish, but don't turn it on unless we are on the road for at least 3 weeks since it's a monthly commitment (30 days) each time you activate it. We still have U-verse at our sticks & bricks.

Also, DISH has their own cell network now, but coverage is limited. I'm unsure if they offer any bundles combining Cell and Satellite.

[twindman]

FYI regarding Dish. I kept getting message 'all satellites not found'. Called Dish and also read recently that satellite 129 is not being used any more. However the Wally still tries to find it. Maybe there will be a software upgrade soon (web said 129 went away the end of July).
Also another advantage for the Pathway - it has the largest diameter dish of any that I found when I started looking. So it picks up a signal thru more rain and clouds than the smaller dishes.

[Bourbon County]

Dishnetwork bought Boost mobile in 2020 and supposedly offered coverage to 70% of the country by June 2023. It appears they are trying to be a lower cost alternative to the other big 3 nationwide carriers, no frills service. As mentioned before, their internet offerings for homes seems to just be a bundle pairing with a locally available internet provider. I suspect that if they ever offer their own internet service, it will be cell based instead of satellite.

[Foldbak]

I'm leaning towards a Dish system. Now what dam Dish to buy? Why do that have so many options....

[rames14]

Foldbak, we have had the Travl’r and G3. Both were roof mounted. I wanted the Travl’r this time but no room with our Solar. You will definitely get better signal strength with the Travl’r, but it is more expensive. If you switch later, the price to go to DirecTV is higher. When I switched from Direct to Dish, I was happy that I had the G3 because it works with either by moving one DIP switch. Wi ringing with KeyTV is an issue with the carry out antennas. They lack the signal strength that SWM type antennas like the Travl’r have. I had to run a cable direct from Dish to Receiver. Even a straight cable from the convenience center to the receiver with a single barrel connector didn’t work. Your finances (anything can be done, just add money), your wants and where you camp will lead you to the right solution for you. If you camp in trees a lot, stay away from the roof mounts. We camp in many places that don’t have any cell service. Dish works great, until you go too far north. Also, we spend about 6 months a year in our camper, so we have different needs/wants. If I camped a few weeks at a time, not streaming or catching games might not be an issue. Our son is a Senior Athletic Trainer for an NFL team. We like to catch his games, so that means good Internet because it isn’t a local team. Again, everyone’s needs are different. Best of luck with your investment. We learned the hard way that cellular options didn’t work for us. Still thinking about YouTube in the long run.