What Is the Ethernet Port on My Dish Network DVR For?

By Maya Austen

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The Ethernet port located on the back of a Dish Network DVR is used to connect the DVR to your home network. Hooking up the DVR to your home network isn't required to use the DVR. It's purely an optional connection. However by connecting the DVR to your home network you gain access to a wider variety of service features such as DishONLINE. Having access to DishONLINE allows you to download movies onto the DVR, schedule DVR recording online as well perform other tasks.

Requirements

You must subscribe to broadband Internet service to connect the Dish Network DVR to your home network. If you're a dial-up Internet subscriber, your connection speed isn't fast enough to integrate your DVR into a network. To create a home network with your broadband Internet service, you must use a modem/router or gateway to hook up your Internet service as opposed to just a modem. The router or gateway is the device that establishes the network.

General Setup

A coaxial cable or telephone cable is used, depending upon whether you have cable or DSL broadband, to connect the source of the Internet signal to the router or gateway. An Ethernet cable is used to connect the router or gateway to the main computer in your home network. Refer to the device's manual for specific instructions on how to install the device. Routers and gateways are equipped with multiple Ethernet ports, allowing you to connect multiple devices to the router or gateway to establish a network. To connect the Dish Network DVR to your home network, plug one end of an Ethernet cable into the DVR's Ethernet port. Plug the other end of this cable into an unused Ethernet port on the router or gateway.

Verify Internet Connection

Once the DVR is connected to your home network you need to verify that the DVR's Internet connection is established. To accomplish this task on a ViP622 or ViP722 DVR, for example, open the DVR's main "Menu." Click "System Setup," "Installation," "Broadband Setup" and "Network Setup." The connection status should show "Connected Online," and the "IP Address" should be populated with numbers other than all zeros if the DVR is successfully connected to the Internet. Select "Reset Connection" if the status indicators signify that the DVR isn't connected to the Internet.

Additional DVRs

If you have multiple Dish Network DVRs in your home, rather than connecting each DVR to your home network via an Ethernet cable connection you can use a Dish Network device called a SlingLink to wirelessly connect the DVRs to your home network. The SlingLink is connected to your router or gateway using an Ethernet cable. Plug the SlingLink into an electrical wall outlet. Unplug each DVRs power cable for a minimum of 10 seconds, and then plug it back into an electrical wall outlet. With this type of setup the network signal is delivered through the DVR's power connection rather than through the device's Ethernet port.

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