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Old 01-22-2012, 04:53 PM   #1
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Slingbox...no dish!

We have a Slingbox at home hooked up through our router for the computer.

When we go camping we can access our DirecTV on our iPad2. Just purchased Apple TV which is a wireless device that hooks up to a HDMI port on your big screen and that enables you to watch everything, including all of our DirecTV, from your iPad2 on your main TV.

All needed is a Wi-fi connection and most campgrounds we go to have that. If no Wi-fi we just don't watch TV.

Besides being less expensive there is no setting up of a dish and you don't have the storage issue.
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Old 01-22-2012, 05:02 PM   #2
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We have a Slingbox at home hooked up through our router for the computer.

When we go camping we can access our DirecTV on our iPad2. Just purchased Apple TV which is a wireless device that hooks up to a HDMI port on your big screen and that enables you to watch everything, including all of our DirecTV, from your iPad2 on your main TV.

All needed is a Wi-fi connection and most campgrounds we go to have that. If no Wi-fi we just don't watch TV.

Besides being less expensive there is no setting up of a dish and you don't have the storage issue.
We use a Roku device to do the same thing... HDMI connection to TV, signal via WiFi. Great for Netflix, Amazon video, et al. You can pretty much do the same thing with a laptop (with HDMI) and that opens up the web so Hulu, Boxee, and all the standard TV websites (ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox, and more) are also available to you.
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Old 09-18-2014, 04:49 PM   #3
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I am reviving a nearly three year old thread just to see if anybody has any more information to add about sling box...

I've got cable in my home with a Tivo and Tivo mini. I am wondering if a sling box may be a potential TV solution for me on the road. My internet connection on the road is usually a cell phone acting as a wireless hot spot.

Is this something that can work for me?
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Old 09-18-2014, 05:00 PM   #4
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etex211. In a word NO. Video eats up data usage on cell phones. Your bill would be astronomical!
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Old 09-18-2014, 05:02 PM   #5
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I've got a company Blackberry with unlimited data. The cost is not an issue. I'm just worried if it can keep up with the streaming.
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Old 09-18-2014, 05:16 PM   #6
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I've got a company Blackberry with unlimited data. The cost is not an issue. I'm just worried if it can keep up with the streaming.
Usually as your data usage increases the speed slows down, especially with streaming. You may want to check into that aspect.
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Old 09-18-2014, 05:42 PM   #7
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I have an old first gen slingbox. I would say it is ok in the real world when you are away. The problem for me was having something happen at home - loose power, any issues with router, issues with sending box (directv, dish, cable box) - you need someone at home to fix those issues. I was in Oregon for 6 months and my slingbox was in AZ. I had issues a few times - my wife was able to fix most of the time, but it is frustrating for her to fix and frustrating for me when it had problems. I was on a cable modem at home and in Oregon. Operating it from your phone - I doubt it would work very well. The delay for changing channels how I had it was about 30-60 seconds. If the signal dropped for just a second, you would skip and miss 5 minutes due to the buffer. On a phone, my guess is it would be really bad - I would probably end up breaking my phone.

I would suggest getting a portable satellite (if you have dish or directv) and going that route if you are going to use it. That is what I ended up doing. I had the directv service and have a box I take with us (no cost since I had it) and bought an auto-tune winegard (less than $600 new - can sometimes find them for $300 on craigslist).

By the way, I really, really miss having a Tivo. People don't understand how good they are.
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Old 09-18-2014, 06:51 PM   #8
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One of the biggest issues with any link to your home - media center, is that you REALLY need a STATIC IP address. I had gone 3 years without the ISP changing my IP address and in the last year the ISP changed my IP address 4 times (an automated process). For the average person it is not good when there is no one at home to get the new IP address. My work around is that I update my webpage each day with the current IP address (a DOS batch file). If I have an issue, I access the webpage and see if the IP address has changed. If it has, I make the necessary changes to my APPS on the road, and I am back in business. I guess that I will finally convert my DYNAMIC IP address to a STATIC one when I get home in October. The Slingbox, home control PC, cameras... all reboot automatically if there is a power failure (and the UPS dies), or I can reboot them from any where.

Another issue is your homes Internet bandwidth. My buddy only has an AT&T 3 Mb internet connection at his apartment and constantly complains that he can not watch any internet video, without it hanging up. Not going to happen on a 3Mb connection. I have a 30Mb connection at home and have no issues, 10Mb is probably the lowest you can go, 20Mb worked OK, but it was a little slow going back and forth.

One MAJOR issue is the bandwidth that is provided by your CC, your distance from the CC's AP and the number of campers on line (along with all those iPhones, iPadds, Androids, tablets that are always polling). You can have 90Mb service at home, but your CC only provides 3Mb of bandwidth, not much will happen. At the current CC (since June) I am getting 15Mb and it is plenty for the Sling box and my other toys.

Just my thoughts
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Old 09-18-2014, 07:28 PM   #9
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With all the jumping thru hoops, wifi and cell phone issues, I'm wondering why all that is easier than setting up my tripod or tailgater?
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Old 09-18-2014, 09:06 PM   #10
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With all the jumping thru hoops, wifi and cell phone issues, I'm wondering why all that is easier than setting up my tripod or tailgater?
I am trying to avoid the monthly expense of a dish service. I am in my camper no more than 20-25 days per year, and I can 't justify that monthly bill. I don't mind buying some hardware, but I don't want to obligate myself to another monthly bill.
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Old 09-19-2014, 05:11 PM   #11
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I am trying to avoid the monthly expense of a dish service. I am in my camper no more than 20-25 days per year, and I can 't justify that monthly bill. I don't mind buying some hardware, but I don't want to obligate myself to another monthly bill.
Understood. Thats why years ago I converted my home to Dish. Take a receiver with me from a spare bedroom [actually I pay for a receiver that moves back and forth between my houseboat and my camper] and I have Dish on the road with no added expense. Takes maybe 15 minutes on a bad day to set up and tune in the dish. HD on both TT tvs with DVR on both too.
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Old 09-19-2014, 05:57 PM   #12
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Understood. Thats why years ago I converted my home to Dish. Take a receiver with me from a spare bedroom [actually I pay for a receiver that moves back and forth between my houseboat and my camper] and I have Dish on the road with no added expense. Takes maybe 15 minutes on a bad day to set up and tune in the dish. HD on both TT tvs with DVR on both too.

I've been considering that option. The main thing keeping me from it is the inconvenience of the install at the house.
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Old 09-19-2014, 08:33 PM   #13
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Being the OP we have moved away from Slingbox and have Dish with the Pathway X2.

No comparison.
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Old 09-20-2014, 06:52 AM   #14
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This is a topic of great interest to me. DW and I (and various animals) spend 6 months in FL and 6 months in IN, and we have DirecTV dishes in both locations, carrying the just the boxes back and forth. When we camp it is always in SP CGs, so no Wi-Fi. I bought a dish and tripod from TV4RV and it is relatively (30-45 min, not worth the trouble for a one night stay) easy to set up.
The major problem, especially in the Northern US, is the tree cover in SP CGs, it is hit or miss if you will have a clear view in the direction you need. I would say about 65% of the time you will have success.
It is worth it to us, especially on longer trips with stays of 4-5 days in each CG. We also bring a Verizon 4G hotspot for internet access for tablets and phones, but watching video with that will burn through GBs of data pretty quick and they ain't cheap.
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Old 09-20-2014, 08:18 AM   #15
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I've been considering that option. The main thing keeping me from it is the inconvenience of the install at the house.
We use DirecTV but whether you choose Direct or Dish they typically include installation at no charge. It's extremely convenient. The only inconvenience if you work away from the house, is having to be there during the install time. They can schedule installs after 5 though. Good Luck
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