If you live in a multi-story building like most of us, you must have been on the lookout for a way to use a single satellite instead of paying for multiple services.
If yes, then I can guess you were excited to discover the SWM and implemented this solution successfully, but eventually landed into an issue saying that DirecTV cannot detect SWM.
Luckily, we are here to help you solve this problem with finality. DirecTV network is over the satellite meaning that it needs high-end equipment to work and make sure you have the best experience on TV streaming services.
Table of Contents
SWM Overview on DirecTV
Single Wire Multiswitch (SWM) is how Dish electronics work. It is hardware that is designed to allow DirecTV satellite signals to split and be used with a couple of receivers.
In most cases, the usual connection gives 5, 8, 16, and 32 connections to the receiver. This hardware came to solve most modern wiring problems when a DirecTV satellite is placed.
The biggest modern wiring problem is having a single line gets installed in a household and eventually needing a couple of receivers. If you are like most DirecTV users, you need multiple DVRs but with the exclusion of the extra drilling to get the lines into the home.
The introduction of SWM has solved this problem because it splits the lines in a house without drilling. With this users can combine an off-air antenna and cable service into the same signal through a process known as duplexing.
Why dose Directv cannot detect swm occur?
If you have encountered an error saying DirecTV cannot detect SWM, it mainly means that the SWM Power inserter needs to be reset or unplugged. If you know where your dish inserter or the power supply is, then this can be easy to solve.
How to fix it?
Now that you have understood what this issue is and what it means, let us jump directly to what you need to do to get the problem solved. Here are some possible fixes to the problem. You can try different fixes until the issue is solved;
1. Restart your receiver
The first step that you need to start with is to restart the receiver. In most cases, restarting the receiver can fix a couple of temporary errors. Here is a guide to help you restart the receiver.
- Use the button to turn the receiver off.
- Now disconnect the SWM from the main socket.
- Give it up to 30 seconds patiently.
- Now plug the device back in and wait for another 30 seconds.
- Now turn the receiver on.
If you have multiple devices on the line, please only restart the particular receiver showing this error. If you attempt to restart all the devices, you can put the device at risk of additional errors. This is mainly because each SWM has a specific assignment on that particular switch.
2. Check the Satellite setup
It’s also important to state that the migration from a traditional H24 receiver to an SWM needs a proper setup. This is the reason why I recommend you check the setup and make sure everything is done as needed. Here is how to go about it;
- Open the Main menu using your DirecTV remote
- Now proceed to settings and Help
- Click on Settings
- Choose Satellite Option
- Now proceed to Repeat Satellite Setup
- Click the DASH button on the remote.
- You can choose to switch the Multi-switch type to SWM.
- Follow the prompts to complete the setup
- NB: Make sure all the B-Band converters are removed from the existing connection.
3. Check the wiring
It’s also important to check the wiring and make sure that you have the correct wired connection. Ports and wires can be pesky and can be a leading cause of this error. As we stated earlier, SWM reduces the number of lines and ports but you still have to check the power cable and the wire connecting the Signal to IRD.
FAQs
Can you bypass SWM on DirecTV?
No, it’s not easy to bypass the SWM in most cases because it is located inside the dish. The SWM power inserter is the necessary equipment in the process and you cannot do without it.
Where is the SWM power inserter located?
You can see this at the LNB at the end of the arm of the DirecTV Dish. You can easily locate it because it’s powered by the 21vDC power inserter.
What does an SWM Power inserter do?
The SWM Power inserter is used with the SWM-Enabled SL3 and SL5 dishes and it is used to power the built-in multi-switch assembly.
Conclusion
If you were reading this article, you probably have either encountered the DirecTV version of this error or heard about it from someone. I hope this article has been able to help you restore your services if you have had the same problem before.
