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Large Installations using the Single-Wire Multiswitch

How to use the SWM to connect 10, 20, 50 or hundreds or DIRECTV receivers using only one dish!

If you have a single 3LNB or 5LNB Slimline dish with 4 lines from the dish, you can use SWM-compatible equipment to connect a near-infinite number of receivers. You do this by connecting multiple SWMs, which can be installed in 2, 4 or 6-SWM chassis.

The 2- and 4- SWM chassis hold SWM8s (8 tuners per SWM) and SWM16s (16 tuners per SWM), giving you quite a bit of room for expansion. Please keep in mind that no matter what SWM you use (SWM8 or SWM16), a single satellite line can carry a max of 8 tuners, so a SWM16 has two outputs, with each of those outputs handling up to 8 tuners per line.

If you have multiple SWM chassis, they can be connected to a single dish using satellite taps. A satellite tap is basically a splitter--four lines from the dish go in, and those same 4 lines come out multiple times.

If you are using multiple SWMs in one or more SWM chassis, you may need some additional equipment to improve the reliability of your signal. Specifically, you may want to consider a DIRECTV SWM Polarity Locker and a DIRECTV Adjustable Amplifier with LEDs. The polarity locker is used for two purposes: It provides power to the dish (rather than relying on the SWMs or receivers to power the dish). In addition, the polarity locker locks down the polarity of the LNBs so that there is no need for the receivers to communicate with the dish. The amplifier sits between the polarity locker and the SWM chassis (or, if you are using a tap, between the tap and polarity locker) and amplifies the signal. See this wiring diagram for wiring SWMs with a polarity locker and amplifier.

Using SWM with long wiring runs:

The SWM signal is pretty strong on its own, but there are times you need extra amplification after the SWM unit. The amplifiers listed above are for amplifying the dish signal to the SWM, but there's also an in-line SWM amp that can boost your signal exiting your SWM. In fact, this SWM in-line amp can be used every 200 feet or so on a line (provided you have AC power there) to run a very long wire to a remote receiver or DVR. The best SWM in-line amp is a simple unit (see SWM Inline Amplifier with Power Supply) and relatively inexpensive. This is similar to the much older model Sonora amp, but simpler, less expensive, and more reliable.