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« on: August 12, 2008, 06:41:18 pm »
I just switched from my cable provider to ATT Uverse last night. Some things are nice, and some things really frustrate me, and I was wondering if anyone else is using uverse and has any input.
What I like - my house was not wired for ethernet, so having directors everywhere I had a tv wasnt an easy task and I never did it. With uverse, every set top box has an ethernet jack that is connected to the home network using my existing coax lines, so I can plug a director into it and it is online. If I want a TV where I have ethernet but not coax, I can connect the stb to my ethernet, and I have TV. I like that I can schedule recordings from the web or on my phone, and that I have a ton of new HD channels.
What I dont like - The problem is that like LMCE, Uverse wants to be the dhcp server, and whever I plug anything (even a wireless router) into a uverse box, ATT's gateway shuts down my network and changes my IP addresses and then puts the 'rogue' router as DMZ. I am still trying to see if there are some settings I can use in the gateway's config screen. Also, each set top box has svideo, video, hdmi, composite, etc., except you can only use one at a time. So if I have my projector connected to hdmi, I cannot use the svideo out - anyone know a way around this? With my old comcast box, I could use both, so I had an old tv connected via svideo in front of my treadmill, and the projector displaying in my living room. Also, with my old comcast service, I was not limited by the HOUSe as to how many hd channels could be watched or recorded. I had 4 comcast dvr's and each could watch/record 2 hi-def channels simultaneously. With uverse, your house can only have two hd feeds, so if one person is watching hi-def in the bedroom, another person is watching hi-def in the livingroom, and you have something set to record, then one person gets kicked off. Really frustrating now that all the good shows are about to begin. They are claiming that a new 'whole home DVR' solution will be available within the next couple months, so that anything recorded on the ONLY dvr they allow you to have can be seen in any room with a stb, but they have been promising this for over a year.
My installer hinted that the 160gb drive in the dvr could be replaced with a larger one and I could have more recording space, and that he has done installations for people using MCE's. I cant figure out how to make this work for me, mostly because of the networking issues - any help out there?
The gateway they provided is a 2Wire 3800HGV-B, their 'extenders' are Motorola VIP1200, and the dvr unit is Motorola VIP1216. The gateway has a digital 'phone' line connected to it, and it's coax out is connected to your house. It is also your home's dhcp server and an 802.11g router.
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