How to Connect DirecTV to the Internet

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DirecTV subscribers can also access Web-enabled apps like Pandora and YouTube.
Image Credit: AndreyPopov/iStock/Getty Images

There are hundreds of available channels -- you know because you've scrolled through the programming guide at least three dozen times -- but there's nothing to watch. You've memorized every infomercial on the air and there are only so many more "Gilligan's Island" and "I Love Lucy" reruns you can handle. Before smoke pours forth from the buttons of your remote, however, give it a rest and access the thousands of additional movies, shows and other on-demand programming available when your DVR is actively connected to the Internet.

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Connecting an HR44 Model Receiver

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Step 1

Press the "Menu" button your DirecTV remote. Use the directional toggle to select the "Settings & Help" heading on the left, and then choose "Settings" from that section's available options.

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Step 2

Select "Network Setup" from the left sidebar and then choose "Connect Now." Your DVR will spend a few moments attempting to communicate with your router. Choose "Continue" after it's successfully established a connection.

Step 3

Select the option for "Push Button Setup" if your router features WPS connectivity, and then push the WPS button on your router. The DVR will then detect the device's settings and establish itself on your Internet connection. If your router does not feature WPS connectivity, on the other hand, select "Manual Setup" on your TV screen instead.

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Step 4

Allow a few moments for your DVR to scan for available Wi-Fi connections. Select your home's network after it's displayed and then choose "Continue."

Step 5

Use the number keys on your remote control to enter the alphanumeric characters in your wireless network password. Choose "Continue" when you're done and allow a few moments for the DVR to establish a Web connection.

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Connecting an HR20, HR21, HR22, HR23, HR24, HR34 or R22 Model Receiver

Step 1

Plug your Wireless DirecTV Cinema Connection Kit device into a power outlet near your primary DirecTV DVR. Press the "DASH" button on the remote that controls the DVR.

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Step 2

Look at the information displayed on your television screen.

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If "SWiM Connected" appears, disconnect the coaxial cable extending from the "Satellite In 1" port on your receiver -- or the non-Ethernet side of the DECA, if your setup incorporates one of these small, white adapters as well -- and connect it instead to the "Towards LNB" port on the back of the CCK-W. Then, unscrew the cap from the "Sat Rcvr" port on the CCK-W and connect it -- using the extra coaxial cable included with your kit -- to the newly freed coaxial port on the DECA or receiver.

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If the "SWiM Connected" message does not appear, connect one end of the included Ethernet cable to the Ethernet port on the back of the CCK-W and the other end to the Ethernet port on the back your DVR. Use the "Ethernet 1" port if there is more than one.

In either case, after the CCK-W is connected, allow up to a minute for the television to display a message confirming that a connection has been detected.

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Step 3

Press the WPS button on your router if it is equipped with this functionality. Within the two minutes that follow, press and hold the "WPS" button on the WWK-D device until its "WLAN" LED begins flashing green. When the light becomes solidly lit, your connection has been established.

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If, on the other hand, you do not have a WPS button available on your router, select "Set Up Now" from the options displayed on your TV.

Step 4

Use the toggle keys on your remote to select the name of your home network and then choose "Continue."

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Step 5

Use the remote's number keys to enter the network's security key when prompted to do so. Select "Continue" when you're done.

Step 6

Allow a few moments for the system to verify your security key and then select "Connect Now." Choose "Continue" on the next screen, which lists the details about your wireless network, and then choose "Done" when the screen confirms a successful network connection.

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