Dish TV Installation: What to Expect

When it’s finally time to get your satellite TV wired, there are few things to consider before that day arrives to ensure your installation goes off without a hitch. Some are more important than others (and the majority will automatically be handled for you), but here are a few of the most important things to expect:

Confirm the installation time/window – unlike cable, the top satellite TV retailers won’t have you waiting all day long for your installer. They’ll give you a short window (usually 3 hours) and the installer will keep you up-to-date before he/she arrives, especially if they’re stuck and might be a bit late. When you sign up, just make sure you confirm and jot down the expected arrival time – there’s nothing worse than spacing on the time and having to reschedule.

Consider your TV setup before installation – when your dish installer arrives, they’ll have all the equipment and hardware rearing to go. Their first step will be to match the TVs to your ordered receivers…and figure out how they’ll get the cables into your home. To save time, before they even get there give your access options a quick once over (e.g., the shortest distance from your roof line to your TV, which TVs require dual tuners, etc). The more secure you are in your proposed setup, the easier it’ll be for your installer to wire the best solution possible.

Check for line of sight – in the vast majority of cases, you’ll have ample access to the certain part of the sky required for either a DIRECTV or DISH install. However, there are instances when a dense tree or other obstruction may make things a bit trickier. In general, both services require a rough Western sky. If you have a large building or anything else hovering over your roof, your installer may need to get reeeal creative. In the off chance they can’t get a strong enough signal, chances are switching from DIRECT to DISH or vice versa will give the new provider sufficient room (their required angles to the sky are 10-30+ degrees different).

Sign up with a quality provider – we can’t preach this one enough. Anyone can promise you priority service and rock-bottom prices, but few actually deliver. In the satellite TV world, setup is sort of a different animal than most service industries. You really only deal with your retailer during ordering and installation; thereafter, you’re officially a DIRECTV or DISH customer. So, make sure you scope out the current DIRECTV and DISH specials and get hooked up with the a top flight retailer…come dish tv installation time, you’ll be glad you did. Check out the buttons below for our most highly recommended retailers and enjoy your new service!

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