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There shouldn’t be any doubt about AT&T and their commitment to satellite television. The latest LNB to come from DIRECTV gives power users everything they want in one, easy-to-install package.
The purpose of the 21-Tuner SWM LNB (known internally as a “3D2” LNB) is to allow you to run 21 tuners on a single wire, without the need for an external multiswitch. It’s destined to become the default installation for all residential customers who don’t need 4K. While there will eventually be a new 3-satellite and 5-satellite LNB designed for 4K service, that isn’t expected until sometime in mid-2016. This LNB should serve anyone who needs 3-satellite service, up to 21 tuners which should satisfy well over 99% of residential customers.
There’s really not much to see here. The LNB itself is actually a little smaller than a regular Slimline-3 LNB, with a single feed horn. Unlike the SWM-13 LNB, there is no logo embossed onto the front, possibly because the decision on how to brand the company hasn’t been completely made yet.
This new LNB should fit on any Slimline dish, but is not designed for use with any of the older reflectors. If you have a standard definition dish or non-Slimline HD dish, you’ll need to replace the whole dish assembly. At the time of this writing, there is no satellite meter that can be used to align this LNB, so it’s best to use a standard Slimline-5 LNB for alignment and switch out the LNB after you’ve done the final dithering step.
This LNB can be powered by the PI21 or PI29 power inserter, or by the H44’s or HR54’s built-in power inserter.