Hiring an OpenView Installer: Mistakes to Avoid

Most people only hire an OpenView installer once, so it's easy to get caught out. The decoder is cheap, the channels are free and the job looks simple. In Wellington we often get called to sort out installs that went wrong for the same few reasons, and nearly all of them could have been avoided with a couple of questions.

Why OpenView jobs go wrong more often than you'd think

OpenView is free satellite TV from eMedia. It isn't a DStv product. There are no monthly fees and no contract, which is great, but it also means nobody checks the work afterwards. The quality of the install is down to whoever is on your roof.

Wellington doesn't make it easier. Hot summers bake cheap cable, and signal drops in the rain are common when connectors are loose. Farms out towards Bovlei can need very long cable runs. A rushed job can work on day one and fail by July.

Here's the short version of what we see, before we go through each mistake:

Mistake	What it costs you later	Do this instead
Comparing box prices only	Surprise extras for dish, cable and labour	Ask for a full written quote
No signal test	Picture breaks up in the first heavy rain	Ask to see strength and quality on screen
Binning a usable dish	Paying for parts you didn't need	Have the old dish and LNB checked
Ignoring the cable route	Cracked or chewed cable within a few summers	Agree the route before drilling
Skipping complex rules	Being told to move the dish	Check with the body corporate or landlord
Paying before activation	A call-back nobody answers	Pay once every channel plays

Mistake 1: Comparing box prices instead of full quotes

At the time of writing, the current Wi-Fi enabled decoder sells for R799 on openview.co.za, with retail specials from roughly R599. A decoder bundled with an installation voucher for the dish and fitting comes in at around R1,699. Those numbers tempt people into quick deals that don't suit their home.

The shelf price is only part of the bill. A cheap box usually excludes the dish, the LNB, the bracket, the cable and the labour. So compare the whole OpenView decoder and dish installation, not just the decoder. When you weigh up the openview installation price from different people, ask each one to spell out:

• the dish size (around 80 to 85cm is recommended for OpenView)
• the bracket type and the wall it will go on
• how many metres of cable are included
• whether every connector is weatherproofed
• decoder setup, help with activation and a full channel test

If a quote can't answer those, it isn't really a quote. Our OpenView installation service lists them up front, so it's easy to compare like with like.

Mistake 2: Hiring an OpenView installer who won't show you the signal

Getting a dish roughly right is easy. Getting it exactly right takes a proper signal meter, not just a phone app. OpenView comes from the Intelsat 20 satellite at 68.5 degrees East, so here in the Western Cape the dish points roughly north-east and fairly high.

Before they pack up, ask to see signal strength and signal quality on the decoder's screen. Quality matters more, because it shows how clean the signal is. A dish set up with some margin rides out a wet Boland winter far better than one that has only just locked on.

Mountains and big old trees can sit right in the dish's view of the sky in parts of town. Our piece on line of sight in the Winelands shows why moving the dish a metre can make all the difference.

Mistake 3: Throwing away a dish you could reuse

Plenty of homes in Newton, Hillcrest and Groenvallei already have an old DStv dish on the wall. OpenView broadcasts from the same satellite position, so that dish can often be reused. It saves money, but only if the dish is still sound.

A careful installer checks the LNB, bracket and cable before saying yes. A rusted arm or a split cable will cost you more in call-backs than a new part would. If the old dish only needs repointing, that's a satellite dish alignment job rather than a full new OpenView dish installation.

Questions to ask an OpenView installer about an old dish

1. Is the LNB fine for OpenView, or does it need replacing?
2. Is the bracket solid, with no rust around the bolts?
3. Will the old cable be tested, or swapped for new?
4. How much does reusing it save compared with a new dish?

Mistake 4: Forgetting about the cable run

In a small townhouse the dish might be three metres from the TV. On a farm in the Hawequa foothills, or an older house with the lounge at the far end, it can be thirty metres or more. Longer runs need better cable, neater routing and sometimes more labour.

Ask where the cable will go before anyone starts. Will it be clipped along the fascia, taken through the roof space or tucked behind a downpipe? Cable that flaps in the wind wears through, and cable left lying in full sun cracks after a few summers.

Mistake 5: Not checking the complex or landlord rules

Townhouse complexes and student digs often have rules about where a dish may go. Some body corporates only allow dishes on certain walls, or want one shared system for the whole block. A tenant may need the landlord's written okay before anyone drills.

Sort it out before the installer arrives. If your complex already has a shared dish, ask whether it can feed an OpenView decoder, and get someone who works on communal dish systems to look at it. That's cheaper than drilling and then being told to take it all down.

Mistake 6: Paying in full before activation

The job isn't done when the dish is up. The decoder still has to be set up, scanned and activated. Activation is done online at openview.co.za, on WhatsApp or in the OpenView app, using your decoder's details. Our guide to activating an OpenView decoder covers each way.

Hold back the final payment until you've seen it all working. A proper handover goes like this:

1. The installer shows you the signal strength and quality readings.
2. The decoder is activated and the channels are scanned in.
3. You flick through every channel yourself, including the HD ones.
4. You're shown how to rescan channels from the menu.
5. You get an invoice that lists the work and any workmanship guarantee.

Not sure what should show up? Our free OpenView channels list tells you what to expect.

Mistake 7: Choosing someone you can't track down again

OpenView keeps an installer map on its website, which is a fair place to start. But the site itself says the installers listed aren't affiliated with OpenView and that you use them at your own risk. So do your own homework.

Pick someone with a working number, a clear area they serve and a business name on the invoice. If the dish shifts after a winter storm, you want a person nearby in Paarl or Wellington who picks up the phone.

Book a careful OpenView installer in Wellington

We fit OpenView across Wellington, Mbekweni and Dal Josafat, and out to the farms. We quote first, so you know the cost before we drive out, and we test the signal with you before we leave.

Our local team handles DStv installation in Wellington as well as OpenView, so one visit can sort both. Book a site visit or WhatsApp us on 079 754 5527.

OpenView installer: FAQs

How much does an OpenView installer cost in Wellington?

At the time of writing, a decoder with an installation voucher costs around R1,699, and the decoder alone is R799 on openview.co.za. Reusing a sound dish or a short cable run often brings the cost down, while long farm runs add to it. Ask our team for a current quote for your home.

Can I install OpenView myself?

Some people do, but fine alignment needs a signal meter and the work is usually done on a ladder or roof. A dish that is only just pointed right often loses the picture in heavy rain. If you try it, stay off the roof and call an installer if the signal quality stays low.

Can I use my DStv dish for OpenView?

Often, yes. OpenView broadcasts from the same satellite position as DStv, so an existing dish can usually be reused. An installer should still check the LNB, the bracket and the cable first, because rust or a damaged cable will cause trouble later.

What should an OpenView installer do before leaving?

They should show you the signal strength and quality on screen, help activate the decoder, scan in the channels and let you check each one. You should also get an invoice listing the work done. Only pay the balance once everything is working.

Does OpenView need a satellite dish?

Yes. OpenView is satellite TV, so you need a dish with an LNB, cable to the decoder and a clear view of the sky towards the north-east. A dish of around 80 to 85cm is recommended, and an existing DStv dish can often be used.