Brad,
Thanks for the advice. It's all good.

It's pretty hard to apply, however, in this case.
*All equipment was in client's home when I went to hang two TVs and,
oh, yes, incidentally, please move the HR-17 away from the floor next to the chest of drawers in the bedroom.
*Right there, we see, DirecTV guy = idiot.
*Following up with the client to see how this combination of parts got into her house, they came in at various times and she doesn't remember what was where before she moved to this address.
*Finding an installer in "my area" wouldn't help a lot. My odometer usually reads more than twenty miles when I arrive at any particular jobsite. I basically work in Los Angeles County, a bit more than four thousand square miles.
*Given that her system used two wireless clients and no other "receivers," how would one apply your advice to "them in an install at all cost." I should have refused to do any work in her place?

Thanks for the blog referral. I've looked for DirecTV information and have had a hard time finding it, almost as though they don't want people to be able to find it. I'll mine that for what I can. I've been pretty good with DirecTV equipment before these triangular Genies. I've even got one house using DECA to supply satellite and network throughout the house, with no failures in three years of use. THAT I understand.