Pre-Installation Site Survey
1. Review important installation notes.
Placement of Wi-Fi Access Points
Proper placement of your Wi-Fi router or access point is important to ensure good audio quality. Keep the following in mind when installing hearTV:
- Make sure there are no walls, no doors, and no floors between users, wireless hearTV devices, and your router or nearest access point. (Obstructions between your router or access point and a mobile phone can cause a significant loss in audio quality.)
- All wireless hearTV devices should be within 100 feet of the nearest Wi-Fi router or access point.
Network Requirements
Always use routers or access points that support 802.11ac Wi-Fi. Please refer to the Benefits of 802.11ac Wi-Fi support article for details.
To support hearTV, your network must meet certain requirements. Refer to the Network Requirements support article for more information.
2. Determine how to connect hearTV to your network.
Choose a type of installation from the table below.
| Type of Installation | When to use | Recommendation |
|---|---|---|
| Demo Mode | Demo Mode should only be used when installing on one TV in a small setting with a limited number of users. | Not recommended |
| Wireless or Wired with no Internet connection | Use this type of setup only if an Internet connection is not feasible. | Acceptable, but not recommended |
| Wireless with Internet connection | Use a wireless (Wi-Fi) connection if: • you do not use cable boxes or satellite receivers, OR • if each cable box or satellite receiver is installed near a TV. |
Better installation method |
| Wired with Internet connection | Use a wired (Ethernet) connection whenever possible, especially if all of your cable boxes or satellite receivers are installed in a single location, such as a rack. | Best installation method |
Click the appropriate section below to view details for each type of configuration.
Installation notes:
- Demo Mode is only intended for smaller installations where there are typically no more than 4 simultaneous users.
- To provide the best user experience, connect an ethernet cable from the blue port on hearTV to an Internet-connected router or switch.
- If not connecting hearTV to the Internet, see the No Internet Connection section below for drawbacks.
- This mode is not supported by the Setup Wizard. Manual setup is required:
- Connect your phone to the hearTV Wi-Fi. (See Installation for details.)
- Open the hearTV app.
- When the Setup Wizard opens, tap the Manual Setup button.
- Tap TV, configure desired options, then tap Apply. (See Advanced Device Configuration for details.)
- Tap Advanced.
- In the Change Admin Password section, enter a password to prevent hearTV settings from being tampered with, and then tap Update Password.
- Tap Daily Automatic Reboot section, choose a reboot time and time zone, then tap Apply. (If no Internet connection is provided, the device will not reboot at the chosen time. Instead, it will reboot after being powered on for 24 hours.)
- Tap Enable Demo Mode, then Yes, then OK.
- In the Setup Wizard, tap the Manual Setup button again.
- Enter a name for your hearTV Wi-Fi network.
- Select the Password Protected option.
- Tap the WPA Passphrase field and then enter a password for your hearTV Wi-Fi network.
- Tap Apply, then tap OK.
- Tap Cancel Setup.
- Open your phone's Wi-Fi settings and connect to the new hearTV Wi-Fi network.
Wireless, with no Internet Connection
Wired, with no Internet Connection
Drawbacks of not connecting to the Internet
Although hearTV does not require a connection to the Internet to stream audio, an Internet connection is recommended for the following reasons:- Some phones automatically disconnect from Wi-Fi when an Internet connection is unavailable, which causes hearTV audio to stop streaming.
- An Internet connection enables the use of other online services such as e-mail, web browsing, and messaging apps while using hearTV. Without an Internet connection, users are disconnected from these services.
- The Daily Automatic Reboot setting will not reboot the device at the chosen time. (When using the setup wizard, this is automatically set for 3:00 AM.) Instead, it will reboot after being powered on for 24 hours.
- An Internet connection is required to update the hearTV firmware.
- In the setup wizard, choose either the Wired or Wireless option, depending on your type of setup.
- For wired setup, multiple units can be daisy-chained, as shown in the diagram above. (It does not matter whether you connect to the blue or the yellow ethernet port.)
Installation notes:
- When setting up this type of installation, choose the Wireless option in the setup wizard.
Installation notes:
- When setting up this type of installation, choose the Wired option in the setup wizard.
- Multiple units can be daisy-chained, as shown in the diagram above. (It does not matter whether you connect to the blue or the yellow ethernet port.)