Connecting TiVo HD to D-Link ethernet switch

[TexasLonghorn]

Hello All,

I have read a few postings that address similar problems but not exactly with this set up. I was wondering if I could get help in solving this.

I get internet through Time Warner Cable. Cable modem is connected to my D-Link DES-1105 5-Port desktop switch (http://www.amazon.com/D-Link-1105-5-Port-Desktop-Switch/dp/B000GHD73Y/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1206635535&sr=8-1). I connect my Airport Express wireless router to this switch and it works fine. Airport Express does not have any extra ethernet port so I connected my TiVo HD to the D-Link desktop switch with a patch cable. However, it is not able to connect to the network and throws in a NO2 error. Should I try another cable or do I need to get another network switch? What should I look for in a network switch to make this work? By the way, TiVo works fine when I connect it directly to the cable modem. Thanks!

[A J Ricaud]

You need something like a router which will give the Tivo an ip address via DHCP. Some cable/dsl modems can assign ip addresses. The alternative is to get a wireless adapter for the Tivo and let it connect thru the Airport Express.

[Eccles]

Your TW cable modem will only give an IP address to the first MAC address it sees, which in your case sounds like your Airport. Since the Airport acts as a NAT router, multiple wireless devices can connect to it without needing public (TW) IP addresses.

In order to connect other (wired) devices at the same time as your Airport, you're going to need a domestic Firewall Router. You'll connect the cable modem to the WAN port of the router, and your Airport and any other wired devices will connect to its LAN ports. If you need more wired ports, you can connect your existing switch to one of the LAN ports, but it sounds like you only have the Airport and the TiVo, so your switch can be put aside.

You will have to power-cycle the cable modem after you connect the router to it, so that it will give the router a public IP adress; the router will then handle giving out private addresses to the TiVo and the Airport.

Or you could just get a wireless adapter for the TiVo and connect through your Airport. Your call.

[Stephen Tu]

You need a different router, not a different switch.
Read http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=108038#4

Your problem is that the Airport express Ethernet is acting as a WAN port only, it's only for connecting to the cable modem, doesn't act as a LAN port doing NAT to the WAN port for outside access or bridging to the wireless net.

The normal idea is modem -> router, then router -> client or router -> switch -> clients. Plugging the switch into the modem doesn't work, the modem only serves out one IP at a time.

So either get a different router (e.g. Airport Extreme not the Express), or get wireless adapter for the Tivo.

[TexasLonghorn]

Thank you all for your very helpful suggestions. I will try using my old router with WAN and LAN ports first and let you know if that works. Thanks!

[TexasLonghorn]

I connected my old Linksys router that has a WAN and four LAN ports. TiVo is now connected to the network without problem. Thank you everyone for your help.

[Arcady]

I use an Airport Extreme base station connected to my cable modem, then use an AirPort Express on each TiVo to provide an ethernet port for them. (I can also stream music to each room using AirTunes.) This setup also expands my wireless network to cover the whole house.

[Eccles]

I connected my old Linksys router that has a WAN and four LAN ports. TiVo is now connected to the network without problem. Thank you everyone for your help.Great, glad you got it sorted. Enjoy!