A History of Hacking and Smart Cards
Since the very first scrambling of cable, and later satellite TV, hackers have been trying to hack and descramble the signal for receiving paid for TV free of charge.
Dish Network and other satellite providers have had their fair share of hacking, and this is why they have introduced different types of access cards over the years.
Believe it or not, from research on the web, Dish actually had (or still has) a TV channel that can only be received by hacked equipment, called "Pirate TV", which actually urged hackers to pay for their "free" TV.
Also, at one time Dish Network access cards were bringing upwards of $100 on eBay. No one needs to pay for a used smart card unless they are illegally obtaining services. Luckily, eBay soon put a stop to it.
There are several versions of these cards, listed below.
Dish Network and other satellite providers have had their fair share of hacking, and this is why they have introduced different types of access cards over the years.
Believe it or not, from research on the web, Dish actually had (or still has) a TV channel that can only be received by hacked equipment, called "Pirate TV", which actually urged hackers to pay for their "free" TV.
Also, at one time Dish Network access cards were bringing upwards of $100 on eBay. No one needs to pay for a used smart card unless they are illegally obtaining services. Luckily, eBay soon put a stop to it.
There are several versions of these cards, listed below.
G1? Card
These are, I believe, this 1st cards used. These are cool looking, with the channel logos appearing on the card.
Dish G3 Access Card Circa 2008
These are the cards that sold for almost $100 on eBay.
Dish G4 Access Card Circa 2010
These are the latest access cards that ship with new receivers. Kind of boring, actually.