Broadband features not working...

[crabell]

I've had my 4 TiVos working perfectly on my Broadband Connected Wireless network for a while now. Apparently a few weeks after the 9.4 update all the features that require any unit on my network (S2's & S3's) to access the Internet are no longer available.

All my units connect to TiVo daily through the network, I can transfer programs to my PC and between TiVo's, but all the Broadband features are simply gone.

I confirmed that I have downloads enabled on TiVo.com, that I am "Oped-in", that my Home Network Applications are enabled and that my Tivo Desktop Plus is liked to my tivo.com account.

I just can't think of anything else to check... Any ideas?

Thanks in advanced for your comments.

[dylanemcgregor]

I had a similar problem about a year ago where broadband features stopped working after an update. After a lot of struggling it was suggested that I open ports on my router, which ended up working. The list of ports is in a post in a couple of threads, including the big Unbox sticky in the Coffee House. I'd link you to it, but search doesn't seem to work on my handheld.

[windracer]

9.4 is only for the THD and S3 boxes, so it shouldn't have affected your Series2 boxes connectivity to the internet.

Have you tried rebooting the boxes?

[crabell]

9.4 is only for the THD and S3 boxes, so it shouldn't have affected your Series2 boxes connectivity to the internet.
I agree, I found it very odd that my S2's would be affected.

Have you tried rebooting the boxes?

I've rebooted my S3, my THD and my PC with no change. What I have NOT done is turn all the TiVo's and PC off before rebooting one at a time. Would that make a difference?

Thanks for the input!

[windracer]

It's worth a shot ... turn 'em all off, let one boot up, and see if it can use the broadband features. Then move on from there.

[ThAbtO]

Last night, my THD wouldn't connect to Tivo home saying 'Gateway not found' and in the end, I had to pull the plug to restart, then it finally connected home.

[crabell]

Last night, my THD wouldn't connect to Tivo home saying 'Gateway not found' and in the end, I had to pull the plug to restart, then it finally connected home.

The odd thing is that I have no problem connecting to "TiVo Home", so it is not an Internet Connection issue... The HME appliations simply decided NOT to work, even if the Internet Connection IS working properly... Go figure!

Thanks for the input anyway.

[crabell]

It's worth a shot ... turn 'em all off, let one boot up, and see if it can use the broadband features. Then move on from there.

I'll try the "Complete System Restart" during the weekend is nothing else solves the problem...

Thanks!

[CactusBill]

:mad: I've been having problems with the broadband features. Restarting with the wifi disconnected and then connecting it sometimes helps, but eventually it fails again. The TiVo support dude said his 2nd tier support dude said I have a "broken" TiVo.

[ThAbtO]

Did you try re-entering your network settings?

[Rdian06]

Got into your Tivo account and disable "Allow transfers" and "Enable video downloads", then Save.

Then turn them back on and Save.

Then force your Tivo's to call home and see if things are back to normal.

[crabell]

Did you try re-entering your network settings?
I tried this with no change...
Got into your Tivo account and disable "Allow transfers" and "Enable video downloads", then Save.

Then turn them back on and Save.

Then force your Tivo's to call home and see if things are back to normal.
I ALSO tried this with no change.

I did a "Complete System Restart" (4 Tivos' & 2 PC's) and there was no change.

I uninstalled TivoDesktop 2.6.2 and reinstalled 2.6.1 and no change.

Something I did notice is that under "Phone & Network" there is a "Diagnostic" (or words to that effect) page that indicates a "Ports" test FAILED. It tells me I should connect to TiVo Service and re-run the "Ports" test. I do this and still no change and the "Ports" diagnostic Fail.

Does anyone know how to make the "Ports" diagnostic PASS? Note that all the TiVo's were working fine, I even used the new YouTube feature and suddenlly it just stopped working.

Thanks once again for your help...

[Rdian06]

Something I did notice is that under "Phone & Network" there is a "Diagnostic" (or words to that effect) page that indicates a "Ports" test FAILED. It tells me I should connect to TiVo Service and re-run the "Ports" test. I do this and still no change and the "Ports" diagnostic Fail.

Does anyone know how to make the "Ports" diagnostic PASS? Note that all the TiVo's were working fine, I even used the new YouTube feature and suddenlly it just stopped working.

Thanks once again for your help...

The Ports diagnostic is something they added in 9.4. As far as anyone can tell, it is meaningless for now. My Tivo S3 says fail and everything still works as others have also observed.

When you got to the System Information screen, what does it read for TivoToGo?

[crabell]

The Ports diagnostic is something they added in 9.4. As far as anyone can tell, it is meaningless for now. My Tivo S3 says fail and everything still works as others have also observed.

When you got to the System Information screen, what does it read for TivoToGo?

Thanks for the info regarding the "Ports diagnostic"...

The System Information on all units read "a,a,a"... I guess each "a" means something is "allowed" such as Downloads, Transfers, and something else I can't figure out.

Any other ideas?

[CactusBill]

After changing to a static IP address and turning off and on the allow transfer, the broadband features are working again. And, of course, a few restarts.
:up:

[crabell]

After changing to a static IP address and turning off and on the allow transfer, the broadband features are working again. And, of course, a few restarts.
:up:
I'm using static IP's and I've just turned off transfers and downloads. I'll wait a few days for the TiVo's to actually realize this new setting and then change them back to see what happens.
I hope this does it.

[lynncosbm]

I'm using static IP's and I've just turned off transfers and downloads. I'll wait a few days for the TiVo's to actually realize this new setting and then change them back to see what happens.
I hope this does it.

My broadband features were turned off with the new update as well. I am an international customer and I wonder if Tivo has decided to cut these features off from all international customers for license reasons. I'm not sure if Puerto Rico would be included as international though?

[crabell]

My broadband features were turned off with the new update as well. I am an international customer and I wonder if Tivo has decided to cut these features off from all international customers for license reasons. I'm not sure if Puerto Rico would be included as international though?

I've changed my networking settings in all imaginable ways with no results.

You bring up a very good point, if TiVo has "officially" turned off the Bradband features for International customers they probably included Puerto Rico. I know that Amazon never worked in Puerto Rico because we are not part of the 50 states and they can tell by your IP address, so anything that does not say "USA" would be blocked.

Does anyone know if TiVo turned off the Broadband Features for non-US customers?

[lynncosbm]

I've changed my networking settings in all imaginable ways with no results.

You bring up a very good point, if TiVo has "officially" turned off the Bradband features for International customers they probably included Puerto Rico. I know that Amazon never worked in Puerto Rico because we are not part of the 50 states and they can tell by your IP address, so anything that does not say "USA" would be blocked.

Does anyone know if TiVo turned off the Broadband Features for non-US customers?

I don't know for sure but I suspect so. Just about all the features don't work anymore on my Tivos where I used to be able to use Rhapsody, download music videos, etc. I have never been able to use Amazon either.

[Explorador]

I'm an international customer too and I have the same problem: local home network features work fine, TiVo schedule updates work fine, but all other broadband features, for example, swivel search, podcasts, TiVo videos, music streaming, etc. are no longer accessible.

What is interesting is that the CNET TV and Guitar Sherpa (TiVo videos) that I subscribed to while the service was working are still delivered, but I lost the ability to reach the menu that allows me to subscribe or unsubscribe to them.

I tried to ping a few of the the IP addresses that TiVo says need not to be blocked (204.176.49.0 thru 204.176.49.127 and 206.112.115.0 thru 206.112.115.255). I just get timeouts. I don't know much about networking but I suppose that TiVo itself could be blocking these accesses for international customers. Do these addresses ping fine within the USA?

[Impulses]

Ugh, I'm in Puerto Rico as well and for a few months now I haven't been able to access any of the broadband features either... I hadn't paid any attention to it since I wasn't too attached to any one of them, though I did use 'em occasionaly, but the last thing that crossed my mind was that this would be some sorta international-flag issue. I'm getting really sick of this gray space we seem to occupy in Puerto Rico with regards to any of this kinda stuff, as well as ordering and shipping stuff (still weeping over issues I'm having with Newegg!).

It's the same kind of crapshoot with a lot of the online video aggregators (Hulu, etc.) as well as the big network sites (NBC, CBS, etc.). Some will display shows here, some won't, some will do it randomly... NBC's Olympics video distribution site wasn't working here originally then it started to about a week into the Olympics (after it prompted you for the name of your cable provider, not sure what good that did 'em since there was no verification that I could see).

My video/podcast subscriptions on the TiVo still work as well, heh. I still receive CrankyGeeks, DLTV, and CNet every week... I just can't go in and edit the sub (or drop it for that matter), obviously. Guess I won't even bother messing with the account settings... I suppose I won't miss any of it too much tho, other than that (if they figure out how to fix it and the sub disappears), and Swivel Search, which was painfully slow to use anyway... Far easier to just grab my iPod Touch now and do a web search, or use a WishList search.

The Rhapsody service seemed cool, shame I never got to use the trial. I probably would've used the Amazon Unbox service a ton had it ever worked too...

[crabell]

Ugh, I'm in Puerto Rico as well...

...The Rhapsody service seemed cool, shame I never got to use the trial. I probably would've used the Amazon Unbox service a ton had it ever worked too...

I actually found a place that clearly states that the Amazon and Rhapsody features are not available in Puerto Rico, but I still don't know why the other Broadband features used to work and now they just stopped working. I particularly miss Live360 and Swivel Search.

I plan to call Tivo to see if I can get a straight answer, though I need to call the headquarters and ask for support, since their 877 number does not work from Puerto Rico. I just haven't found the time to make the call.

I'll post any response I get from them.

[yaccoz]

Hi, Im living in Puerto Rico, and the same thing is happening to my tivo none of the broadband features work. I've talked to Tivo and they tell me that the broadband features should be working. Im wondering if it might be something to do with onelink here. I dont know I live in Bayamon. If anybody else that is having this problem has Onelink as the cable provider please let me know to see if it might be some kind of a block that Onelink is causing.

[crabell]

...If anybody else that is having this problem has Onelink as the cable provider please let me know to see if it might be some kind of a block that Onelink is causing.

I'm using Onelink as my Internet Service Provider also and the Broadband features are not working either... The thought about a deliberate "block" from Onelink has crossed my mind...

...Anybody out there NOT using Onelink as an ISP?

[lynncosbm]

I'm in Bermuda and my broadband features have also been completely turned off so I really think it's TiVo that has done it. I can understand why the Rhapsody and Amazon Unbox services have been stopped for license reasons as I am outside the US but don't understand why all the other services like Live 360, Swivel Search, TivoCast, etc. have been stopped. Plus I just got a TiVO HD and was hoping to use the YouTube service but guess I won't be able to use that either now.

[crabell]

I'm in Bermuda and my broadband features have also been completely turned off... I just got a TiVO HD and was hoping to use the YouTube service but guess I won't be able to use that either now.

I guess it was easier for TiVo to turn them all off than to go through the trouble of verifying which features are allowed and which ones are not...

Believe it or not I actually managed to use the YouTube feature for one day... I wonder what's the deal...

Good luck to us all!

[Impulses]

I'm using Onelink as my Internet Service Provider also and the Broadband features are not working either... The thought about a deliberate "block" from Onelink has crossed my mind...

...Anybody out there NOT using Onelink as an ISP?

I'm using DMAX (PRTC DSL) here and it hasn't been working for me either so it's definitely not something Onelink-specific. I've thought about switching (due to the better speed) but when the DSL was really giving me issues about 2 years ago OL also seemed to be having outage issues, then they started talking about those 40GB monthly caps... Meh.

[crabell]

I'm using DMAX (PRTC DSL) here and it hasn't been working for me either so it's definitely not something Onelink-specific. I've thought about switching (due to the better speed) but when the DSL was really giving me issues about 2 years ago OL also seemed to be having outage issues, then they started talking about those 40GB monthly caps... Meh.

Thanks for the info! Now we know it is definitelly a TiVo restriction. What we need to find out now is why.

Regarding the outages you mentioned... In my experience it is very rare for Onelink to be off-line (At least in my area). The only problem I have is when there is a power outage, because once the power comes back my router boots up before the cable modem and it can't find the internet connection, but I can live with that.

Regarding 40GB monthly caps, I haven't had a problem with that either, though I just use it for my TiVo's and for some "mild" web browsing.

Thanks again for the info and good luck to us all regaining the broadband features.

[Impulses]

I've actually been thinking about switching again... These past two weeks I've had intermittent service issues (seems to be solved now but it took a lot of calls), I doubt OneLink reliability is any worse (PRTC's issues seem more seasonal than random) but the cap still worries me. Right now I doubt I'd really go over it but if I ever wanna take advantage of a service like Unbox it'd be an issue with such a small cap.

Anyway, just posting to let ya know that I'm still receiving the video podcasts I was subscribed to on my TiVo (CrankyGeeks, CNet, DL.TV), they seem to be coming in more timely than ever in fact (sometimes they'd arrive like half a week late or whatever).

As to the reason why it's been disabled, as others said, my guess is they disabled it all to avoid calls or queries about why stuff like Unbox/etc wouldn't work... They probably have no way of disabling single services from appearing on the menu structure, so they just shut off access to the whole online shebang. :(

Seems like a rather ham-fisted solution but I can't imagine why else they would turn off stuff like Swivel Search and the net radio stations, etc.

[prpilot]

Hi crabell,

Long time, no talk!!!! (since the ol' Cable CARD days) ;)

I actually had YouTube working for about 1 week. I had family come over yesterday for Thanksgiving and discovered that all my applicaations had been turned off!

WTF ??

I understand Amazon.. but Netflix and YouTube? And Domino's ? They should all work here.. at least they do from my computer! ;)

Anyway, I'm on the phone now with TiVo.

[prpilot]

Ok, crabell, did you call at the same time I did... ? The TiVo guy said the cust service rep next to him got a call about the same issue five minutes after my call came in.

Anyway, I spent 30 mins with the guy and no dice. (BTW, the 1-877-367-8486 works for me just fine [I use OneVoice as my phone provider]). The guy hadn't heard of the issue before and was IM'ing with some L2 folks. We tried restarting TiVo, enabling/disabling home applications, enabling/disablling video downloads on tivo.com, re-connecting to the TiVo service and nothing.

He's going to escalate the problem to L2 and I should get a call back within 7 business days. Guess I have to wait until Dec 9th. :(

And yes, I'm also using PowerLink (OneLink) as my internet service provider.

[Impulses]

Still no broadband features here (using DMAX/DSL FWIW), even though I'm still seeing all the advertisements for the broadband features like that new Domino's thing... Heck I even received their service update that re-organizes the Video On Demand stuff even though I can't use it.

I'm pretty sure this isn't something that they mistakenly disabled either, due to the timing of it amongst other things. Also, did anyone else notice that when they first disabled the broadband features and you went into the 'Photos, Music & More' menu it'd act as if there was no content to display even if you had network applications enabled and an active TiVo server PC on the network?

Every time I'd go into that menu I'd have to click "Add a server" or something to that effect (without actually adding one), then go back, and it'd then let me access my music or my photos on my PC even though they'd been listed all along. After the most recent service update they removed this nuisance and you can go right to your server photos/music, broadband features are all still gone of course though.

Point is, that little snafu seemed like a bug that cropped up only after they disabled all broadband features here in one fell swoop, and they actually fixed it afterwards... Dunno if they went out of their way to do it or what (sure seems like it), maybe the way the service update re-organized some stuff just fixed it automatically. /shrug

[ThAbtO]

This is from amazon.com policy for Video on demand Terms of use (http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=200026970).


5. LIMITED TO U.S.
Due to restrictions placed on us by our content providers, we are currently only able to make the Service available to customers located in the United States. We regret that you may not use the Service if you are outside of the United States. If you are inside the United States, you may not transfer Digital Content outside the United States. "United States" refers to the 48 contiguous United States, the District of Columbia, Alaska and Hawaii.

[crabell]

I actually had YouTube working for about 1 week. I had family come over yesterday for Thanksgiving and discovered that all my applicaations had been turned off!

WTF ??

I understand Amazon.. but Netflix and YouTube? And Domino's ? They should all work here.. at least they do from my computer! ;)

Anyway, I'm on the phone now with TiVo.

I still don't understand why they would disable features that DO work through the computer from Puerto Rico...

I know YouTube DOES works from any COMPUTER, but I've never been able to get Amazon or Netflix's "Watch Instantly" feature working from Puerto Rico... Did you manage to get them working from a computer?

Any luck with your telephone call with TiVo? Did they at least accept the've Disabled Broadband Features for Puerto Rico? Any reason why?

[crabell]

Ok, crabell, did you call at the same time I did... ? The TiVo guy said the cust service rep next to him got a call about the same issue five minutes after my call came in.

No it wasn't me, but its good that more people are complaining about the issue...


He's going to escalate the problem to L2 and I should get a call back within 7 business days. Guess I have to wait until Dec 9th. :(

I know its still not Dec. 9th... but any call backs from TiVo?

[geester1]

In my experience, once you've updated the firmware, you have reboot the system, this then should work perfectly.

[Impulses]

This all started happening before any major updates from TiVo, when all they had added was YouTube itself, and I've rebooted before and after the system upgrade since then... Hasn't made any difference whatsoever. It's just borked outside of the states, probably the same on the Virgin Islands, etc.

[Bumbestia]

Hi I am also from Puerto Rico and I can't access the broadband features!! But I still receiving the video podcast I subscribed earlier!!(DLTV,CrankyGeeks, VOD) I also using Onelink as my internet provider!! I am having this issue for at least 3 months now!! So now I know it is a TIVO thing since all the people here in Puerto Rico are having the same problem!!!
prpilot: can u use Netflix watch it now here in PR? how did you do it? via proxies? I can't view any Netflix movies via the computer!!

[prpilot]

I still don't understand why they would disable features that DO work through the computer from Puerto Rico...

Yeah it doesn't make any sense at all

I know YouTube DOES works from any COMPUTER, but I've never been able to get Amazon or Netflix's "Watch Instantly" feature working from Puerto Rico... Did you manage to get them working from a computer?

No, not the watch instantly, but ordering a DVD via mail.

Any luck with your telephone call with TiVo? Did they at least accept the've Disabled Broadband Features for Puerto Rico? Any reason why?

Not yet. It's Dec 11 and no call back yet. I'm going to give them a call tomorrow. Will keep you posted.

[crabell]

It's Dec 11 and no call back yet. I'm going to give them a call tomorrow. Will keep you posted.

I sure hope they decide to help us out, but looking at the TiVo support pages I actually found that Swivel Search, Rhapsody, Amazon and Netflix are only available in the United States... Would that leave any Broadband feature? I honestly can't tell since the "Video on Demand" menu option (TiVo Software version 11.xxx) is not available.

The only workaround that I can think of is to change the router's ip address to one located in the US, but I haven't found a way to do this. All "solutions" out there are designed for anonymous web browsing, not direct access from a network-enabled device such as TiVo though the router.

I can always move to the US, but I'm hoping for a less drastic solution... Any job offers or alternate solutions?

[zhure]

Hi guys. I can help you out with your video podcasts - if I read correctly. You can suscribe and unsuscribe to them directly using tivo (video downloads section). That was the only way I could make sure at least my podcasts arrived since this broadband thing started.

Crabell, I've heard of "Secure Tunnels", that might help with your IP theory. The thing is, they should just fix this for PR because we are considered a territory for certain stuff and not for others... So sad.

[symesmd]

Great thread. I too am having the same problems as others here. I am an American expat and am on job assignment in China. Everything was working fine for my first year here...then a few days after YouTube was released all broadband functions stopped working as others report. I was able to successfully surf YouTube videos for a couple of days.

I then spent countless hours troubleshooting my system trying to figure out what had changed and researching everything. I would finally give up and then tackle it again a week or so later. In total I am ashamed to add up how many hours I have wasted thinking it was my problem.....FRUSTRATING!!

If anyone has knowledge of how to make the "tunneling" solution work please let us know. I proxy server is another solution as I know you can get those with a US IP address, but my problem is that I do not know how to enable this at the router level. All the proxy server solutions I have seen require software or changes in your browser....of which you cannot do on Tivo directly. Any ideas?

[crabell]

Bad News...

I finally decided to call TiVo and I was informed it was decided to limit the "Video on Demand" features to the United States (50 states only), including Swivel Search.

I'm not sure what's on that menu, since I can't access it, but I know that Raphsody, Amazon, YouTube, Netflix and Swivel Search states this "limitation" on their "Terms and Conditions" on the TiVo website, so it looks like we're out of luck unless there is a radical political change in our beautiful island of Puerto Rico.

What's on that "Video On Demand" menu anyhow? Are there any other features other than the ones I mentioned? Any screenshots?

Who knows, maybe TiVo will change its mind sometime in the future...

[LADYBUGBLUE2002]

I don't think it is just a video on demand issue as there were free videocasts that were available here in Canada where now we cannot subscribe or change anything we already had set up.

But I still have Swivel search so I am not sure if the information you received is completely correct. Someone had posted on Tivo.com about this and that Tivo was working on a fix but I will believe it when I see it.

[crabell]

I don't think it is just a video on demand issue as there were free videocasts that were available here in Canada where now we cannot subscribe or change anything we already had set up.

But I still have Swivel search so I am not sure if the information you received is completely correct. Someone had posted on Tivo.com about this and that Tivo was working on a fix but I will believe it when I see it.

I actually managed to subscribe to the "CNET TV Tech Weekly" at the TiVo web site under "Video Downloads", so I guess they are "trying" to block all broadband features, but some have slipped throguh.

I'm currently looking into VPN solutions (at the router level) to see if I can make TiVo think I'm in the US, which will hopefully enable all features.

It's still too early to tell, and it may be too expensive, but I'll keep you posed on my progress.

[crabell]

Solution Found!!!

After a lot of research I managed to find a solution that enables all broadband features in Puerto Rico (and probably outside the US as well).

The bad news is that the price may be too high for some/most people.

Here's how I did it:

1. Subscribed to a Virtual Private Network (VPN) Service provider that gives its users an IP Address in the US, such as strongvpn.com.
2. Purchased a new Router compatible with 3rd party firmware that has PPTP Client functionality, such as dd-wrt.com.
3. Changed the firmware of my new router with 3rd party firmware and configured it with the settings provided by my VPN provider.
4. "Video on Demand" became active on my TiVos!

It sounds quite simple, but it took a lot of work. I had to purchase a new router for $100 because the one I had was not compatible with the 3rd. party firmware. It is important to note that loading a 3rd party firmware on your router voids your warranty and may render it useless if you don't follow all the steps, so tweaking with your current router may leave you in the dark if you don't have a backup router.

My VPN Provider charges $15 / month, which may be too much for the added features, so it would be up to you to determine if its worth it. It is important to note that having a VPN connection has some additional advantages, such as unblocking of addtitional websites and internet services as well as anonymous surfing on your computer. One of the drawbacks is that speed gets somewhat decreased, I'm not sure exactly how much or even if its noticeable, but it may affect how viewo streams into the TiVo, I'm not sure yet, since I just got this working last night.

I'll be evaluating these "new" features during the next 3 months (I pre-purchased 3 months of VPN service) to see if they are worth $15 / month. In my case I have 4 tivo's so we are talking about $3.75 per TiVo per month, which doesn't sound too bad, we'll see.

I hope this helps those of us that have been left out in the dack by TiVo.

Enjoy!

[yaccoz]

Hey Crabell, what router did you use and if you can what version of the dd-wrt did you use. I'm trying to do the same thing but I have a WRT54G from linksys with dd-wrt v24 and it does not have the vpn client in it. Anyway your help will be appreciated

[crabell]

Hey Crabell, what router did you use and if you can what version of the dd-wrt did you use. I'm trying to do the same thing but I have a WRT54G from linksys with dd-wrt v24 and it does not have the vpn client in it. Anyway your help will be appreciated

Regarding the Firmware, I used dd-wrt v24-sp1, but v24 is supposed to work as well, just make sure it is not the "micro" version of dd-wrt, as per tutorial on strongVPN's Forum Article (http://strongvpn.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=153).

Regarding the router itself, I was also using a WRT54G, however, mine was v5 that could only accept the "micro" version, which would not have worked. You should check the dd-wrt website for the latest information on which router and router version are compatible.

I got a Linksys WRT160N for about $100, but it turned out to be v2 and only v1 and v1.1 are compatible. I ended up exchanging it for a WRT150N, which only has v1 and v1.1 and both are compatible with dd-wrt.

I'm currently trying to figure out how to get better speed, since Netflix requires a minimum of 700 kbps but works best with at leas 2.4 mbps. My connection is advertised as 4 mbps, but I've only managed to clock it at 1.9 mbps.

Any thoughts on how I could increase my connection speed?

I hope this helps... Good Luck!

[glopez25]

Hi, also from PR with the same problem on two TiVos.
Tivos connects daily, see each other, firewall ports opened, dozens of restarts, nothing.

On the Tivo site I had responses from people in:cool: California and NY with the same problem. Someone indicated a bug on the menu program were it doesn’t detect ist connected, while obviously they are.
They worked for a while so maybe we should get a discount for not having all the features available …

[crabell]

Hi, also from PR with the same problem on two TiVos.
Tivos connects daily, see each other, firewall ports opened, dozens of restarts, nothing.

On the Tivo site I had responses from people in:cool: California and NY with the same problem. Someone indicated a bug on the menu program were it doesn’t detect ist connected, while obviously they are.
They worked for a while so maybe we should get a discount for not having all the features available …

The "Video on Demand" menu is disabled for all TiVos outside the 50 states beacause of "copyright issues". The "Music, Photos, & Showcases" menu does not show all options because of the same reason.

If you go through the TiVo website you should be able to find that Netflix, YouTube, Rhapsody, Amazon and Swivel Search explicitly excludes TiVo users outside the 50 states.

I managed to get these features working in Puerto Rico (and should work anywhere else in the world) by using a VPN connection that shows my TiVos with IP Addressed inside the 50 states as outlined in previous posts of this thread.

Good Luck!

[compuboy04]

Hi, also from PR with the same problem on two TiVos.
Tivos connects daily, see each other, firewall ports opened, dozens of restarts, nothing.

On the Tivo site I had responses from people in:cool: California and NY with the same problem. Someone indicated a bug on the menu program were it doesn’t detect ist connected, while obviously they are.
They worked for a while so maybe we should get a discount for not having all the features available …

This sounds very similar to the problem I'm having with both my DVR's. Care to post the link to the thread on the Tivo site?

[compuboy04]

So turns out it's a bug for sure and there is a simple, but slightly annoying fix that takes about 45 minutes to apply and your back in business. I have reported this to a supervisor at Tivo and they are notifying all the reps.

The following fix worked for my Tivo HD boxes. It is the result of over 7 calls to tivo (no help from them) and hours of trying things... :-)

1. Disconnect the network cable
2. Plug in a telepohone line. (sadly this is a necessary step) a POTS line works the best, VOIP is hit or miss.
3. Switch the Tivo to use a phoneline connection under phone and network settings. Let it make 2-3 tivo service connections using the phone line.
4. Go back to Tivo central and then unplug the Tivo for 10 minutes
5. Reboot with the phone line plugged in and no network cable or wireless adapter conencted.
6. Look on your tivo Central screen. Showcases should be gone. If it's not, do a few more service connections and maybe another reboot. It also may take some time for the tivo to process everything. The goal is to make "Music Photos and Showcases disappear from Tivo Central.
7. Once showcases is no longer listed, your ready for the final steps. DONT try these before showcases disappears or it wont work
8. Plug in a network cable and in phone and network settings switch the tivo back to use a network connection.
9. Perform connect to tivo service now
10. Showcases will re-appear and after loading is complete, network features and video on demand work!!!

[dromedaries]

I'm looking at crabell's VPN method, which looks like it COULD work...our US VPN is certainly doing a fine job of letting us watch Amazon, Hulu etc over a PC.

But I'm in Canada with a "legit" Tivo. If I run our Tivo through the VPN, will Amazon/Tivo still recognize it by its Tivo service number -- meaning that despite the US IP address, I still won't get Video on Demand? Or will the VPN trick work even with a Tivo registered outside the US?

I'm curious to hear whether anyone has had success using the VPN method to get Amazon Video On Demand for a Canadian Tivo (or other Tivo registered & supported outside of US).

Thanks in advance for tips!

[crabell]

...But I'm in Canada with a "legit" Tivo. If I run our Tivo through the VPN, will Amazon/Tivo still recognize it by its Tivo service number -- meaning that despite the US IP address, I still won't get Video on Demand? Or will the VPN trick work even with a Tivo registered outside the US?

I'm curious to hear whether anyone has had success using the VPN method to get Amazon Video On Demand for a Canadian Tivo (or other Tivo registered & supported outside of US).

I've been using the VPN method since the begining of the year and all my TiVo's get recognized with no problem. They all get their Guide Data, Updates and Video On Deman features. I don't see why this method would not work in Canada or anywhere else in the world for that matter.

Something to note is that using this VPN method may decrease your bandwidth, but if you have a fast and reliable connection you may not even notice it.

Good Luck!

[Bumbestia]

Hi crabell!! thanks for the Router VPN idea! I am using Powerlink 4mb connection! How much did the connection decreased? did you notice it in the computer? I also want to use this method to view the Netflix video Streaming in my Xbox 360! Do you have a 360? if you do, does the streaming is acceptable(more than 2 bars). Also can I use 2 routers with this method? I have a Apple Airport Extreme gigabit n wireless router, can I use that as my main computer connection and the hacked VPN router only for the Tivo and Xbox 360? thanks!!

I've been using the VPN method since the begining of the year and all my TiVo's get recognized with no problem. They all get their Guide Data, Updates and Video On Deman features. I don't see why this method would not work in Canada or anywhere else in the world for that matter.

Something to note is that using this VPN method may decrease your bandwidth, but if you have a fast and reliable connection you may not even notice it.

Good Luck!

[crabell]

Hi crabell!! thanks for the Router VPN idea! I am using Powerlink 4mb connection! How much did the connection decreased? did you notice it in the computer? I also want to use this method to view the Netflix video Streaming in my Xbox 360! Do you have a 360? if you do, does the streaming is acceptable(more than 2 bars). Also can I use 2 routers with this method? I have a Apple Airport Extreme gigabit n wireless router, can I use that as my main computer connection and the hacked VPN router only for the Tivo and Xbox 360? thanks!!
I'm also using Onelink's 4Mb connection, the problem is that I don't think my connection speed has been that high. The fastest connection I've been able to clock is about 1.9Mb, but not consistently. I have a feeling the VPN soluition will be slower because there is an additional computer routing all connections, but I have not been able to determine how much, or even if it's noticeable.

Regarding the 2 routers, you can only connect through the VPN with one router at a time (you would need 2 accounts otherwise), so you would need to make sure your TiVo's and Xbox connect through that router, however if your computer is using a different router you would need to figure out a way for both networks to see each other if you want your TiVo's to see your computer as well.

I don't have an Xbox 360, so I can't provide you with any information, but I think I read somewhere that the connection through and Xbox 360 is more reliable than through a TiVo.

I tried using Netflix with my S3 in January and worked at a low resolution for a few minutes and then the TiVo died on me (I've already repaired it). Looking at the Netflix threads it looks like some people have no problems and others have a lot of problems.

I think the Netflix software may still have some bugs, so I decided to wait a few months before trying again. Furthermore for some reason my internet connection is not very stable, I find myself restarting my Cable Modem and Router about 10 times a week.

I believe the've updated the netflix software since my last attempt, but I'd like to stabilize my internet connection and make a Backup of my TiVo's Hard Drive before I try it again, just in case. Of course in order to do that I'm going to need some "spare time" so it might be a few months.

Let us know if you get Netflix working.

P.S. If you create an account with StrongVPN, I'd appreciate it if you use my name, "Carlos Rabell' in the "Reffered Name" field. That way I get a discount on my renewal and it doesn't cout you a penny.

[crabell]

Hi crabell!! thanks for the Router VPN idea! I am using Powerlink 4mb connection! How much did the connection decreased? did you notice it in the computer? I also want to use this method to view the Netflix...

Last night I watched a NetFlix movie through my VPN without a problem... Here are the details:

1. Got myself a new TiVo HD from Costco for $150, ran Guided Set Up, upgraded the software to 11.0c and backed up the TiVo Hard Drive. You don't need to get a new TiVo, I just wanted to backup my Hard Drive, just in case.

2. Tested my Internet Connection Speed and there were my results:

PC wired to Cable Modem directly: 4Mb
PC wired to VPN Router: 1.5 - 3.5Mb
PC wireless to VPN Router: 0.8 - 1.2Mb


3. Since NetFlix requires a minimum of 1.5Mb I decided to use a wired connection, I got 8 bars out of 10 and the image quality was very good.

4. I'll probably try the Wireless connection tonight, to see how it behaves.

I hope this helps, enjoy!

[Bumbestia]

Thanks crabell for the info? at what Costco did you get the Tivo? I didn't saw it at the Guaynabo/Filtros one? Did you order the Cable cards to get HD?(I know theres a thread about this) It is still a PITA to get the Cable cards with HD form One Link? thanks!!!

Last night I watched a NetFlix movie through my VPN without a problem... Here are the details:

1. Got myself a new TiVo HD from Costco for $150, ran Guided Set Up, upgraded the software to 11.0c and backed up the TiVo Hard Drive. You don't need to get a new TiVo, I just wanted to backup my Hard Drive, just in case.

2. Tested my Internet Connection Speed and there were my results:

PC wired to Cable Modem directly: 4Mb
PC wired to VPN Router: 1.5 - 3.5Mb
PC wireless to VPN Router: 0.8 - 1.2Mb


3. Since NetFlix requires a minimum of 1.5Mb I decided to use a wired connection, I got 8 bars out of 10 and the image quality was very good.

4. I'll probably try the Wireless connection tonight, to see how it behaves.

I hope this helps, enjoy!

[symesmd]

Thanks Crabell, I to have had to resort to using a VPN. I took your suggestion and signed up with StongVPN and love their technical support. My Tivo is now working perfectly and I am able to get to Netflix, Amazon, and all of the other goodies. Great solution for non-USA based people.

[crabell]

Thanks crabell for the info? at what Costco did you get the Tivo? I didn't saw it at the Guaynabo/Filtros one? Did you order the Cable cards to get HD?(I know theres a thread about this) It is still a PITA to get the Cable cards with HD form One Link? thanks!!!

I got mine in the "Hato Tejas, Bayamon" store since they didn't have any left at the "Los Filtros" store.

I'm not getting CableCards for this TiVoHD for the moment, since the TiVo I replaced just had basic cable on it and I don't use it too often. I just couldn't pass up the great price offering.

I'm not sure how hard it is to get CableCards these days, but I'm willing to bet calling customer service would not be enough. You can look at this thread (http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=331456&page=7), specifically, post #193 for information on how to get and M-Card for your TiVoHD.

Good Luck!

[crabell]

Thanks Crabell, I to have had to resort to using a VPN. I took your suggestion and signed up with StongVPN and love their technical support. My Tivo is now working perfectly and I am able to get to Netflix, Amazon, and all of the other goodies. Great solution for non-USA based people.

I hope you keep getting good results with the VPN solution...

Enjoy!

[Bumbestia]

Hi symesmd, out of curiosity which Router did you use with the dd-wrt firmware?

Thanks Crabell, I to have had to resort to using a VPN. I took your suggestion and signed up with StongVPN and love their technical support. My Tivo is now working perfectly and I am able to get to Netflix, Amazon, and all of the other goodies. Great solution for non-USA based people.

[crabell]

Last night I watched a NetFlix movie through my VPN without a problem...
4. I'll probably try the Wireless connection tonight, to see how it behaves.


I tried NetFlix via VPN using a TiVo Wireless Adapter, instead of a Wired connection, and I got some kind of "connection error".

I waited a few days and it worked!

I guess the "connection error" was not related to my connection, so the VPN Solution does work for NetFlix via wired or wireless connection.

Enjoy!

[bpgveg14]

:mad: I've been having problems with the broadband features. Restarting with the wifi disconnected and then connecting it sometimes helps, but eventually it fails again. The TiVo support dude said his 2nd tier support dude said I have a "broken" TiVo.

The only reason they say it's "broken", is because they don't know how to fix it! Great developers you have, TiVo!

[yaccoz]

Hi Crabell,
I followed the vpn settings in the strongvpn website and still im not getting connected. I have a wrt310n with dd-wrt v24 sp1 vpn edition and Ifollowed the instructions to the dot, still no go. I think it's the command for the firewall because when I place it No Internet connection but when I remove it I get an Internet connection but the IP in the strong VPN website is my Puerto Rico IP and not the vpn IP. Can you tell me what settings did you use. Thank you

[crabell]

Hi Crabell,
I followed the vpn settings in the strongvpn website and still im not getting connected. I have a wrt310n with dd-wrt v24 sp1 vpn edition and Ifollowed the instructions to the dot, still no go. I think it's the command for the firewall because when I place it No Internet connection but when I remove it I get an Internet connection but the IP in the strong VPN website is my Puerto Rico IP and not the vpn IP. Can you tell me what settings did you use. Thank you
If you are connected to the internet I think that means that it is working, since an error loging into the vpn server should result in no connection to the internet (at least that's what happened to me). To make sure you are connected through the VPN account I would go to this site (http://whatismyipaddress.com/) to verify my IP address and the server's location.

If you are still shown in Puerto Rico I would verify the firmware you used... I'm using dd-wrt v24-sp1 std (not vpn edition), so that may be part of the problem. Strong VPN customer service worked very well for me when I ran into some problems... give them a try.

I hope this helps and good luck!

[crabell]

Hi Crabell,
I followed the vpn settings in the strongvpn website and still im not getting connected. I have a wrt310n with dd-wrt v24 sp1 vpn edition and Ifollowed the instructions to the dot, still no go. I think it's the command for the firewall because when I place it No Internet connection but when I remove it I get an Internet connection but the IP in the strong VPN website is my Puerto Rico IP and not the vpn IP. Can you tell me what settings did you use. Thank you

I just "downgraded" my Strong VPN Subscription from "Regular" to "Basic" because this option was not available when I signed up. So, now I have the same functionality at a cheaper price ($12/month vs. $15/month).

Because of this I had to totally reconfigure my router settings once again and found this Forum Article (http://strongvpn.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=153) to be a MUST. I thought I could skip some steps, but they are ALL important. Once I did this I got my router working again.

It is very important to use the server IP address instead of the DNS name and also to connect WITHOUT the router first in order to determine your IP adress, which will become your Remote Subnet.

I hope this helps and Good luck!

[crabell]

I followed the vpn settings in the strongvpn website and still im not getting connected...

yaccoz, did you ever get your VPN connection working?

Just curious.

[macevedo]

Hello Crabell,

I had the StrongVPN solution working but for some reason the broadband features stopped working. I browsed to the StrongVPN Site and it shows the IP of the Utah server. I am just wondering if you are experiencing the same issue. Since the services dissappeared on the 1st day of August, I am wondering if Tivo did anything to detect us.

Mario

[crabell]

Hello Crabell,

I had the StrongVPN solution working but for some reason the broadband features stopped working. I browsed to the StrongVPN Site and it shows the IP of the Utah server. I am just wondering if you are experiencing the same issue. Since the services dissappeared on the 1st day of August, I am wondering if Tivo did anything to detect us.

Mario

Mario:

Everything looks ok with my VPN connection and all the TiVo features are working. I'm connecting to the San Francisco Server, but that should not make a difference, unless they were having problems in Utah, but if that were the case they would send an email about it.

Sometimes I have problem with my connection to Onelink so I end up doing a "full restart" by unplugging the router and cable modem, waiting a few minutes, plugging the cable modem until it the lights show "on line" and the plugging my router again. After this I force a connection to TiVo and everything returns to normal, if it doesn't I check if I can browse the internet from my computer to confirm the connection and most of the time is a Onelink problem that goes a way after 30 minutes or so.

I hope this helps!

Carlos

[crabell]

I just "downgraded" my Strong VPN Subscription from "Regular" to "Basic" because this option was not available when I signed up. So, now I have the same functionality at a cheaper price ($12/month vs. $15/month).


I just wanted to mention that StrongVPN (http://www.strongvpn.com), the VPN Solution Provider I'm using to enable broadband features, now has a cheaper option called "Lite PPTP" advertised as beign $7/month. However if you sign up for the entire year it comes out to $6.25/month, which is much more affordable.

If you DO sign up, I would appreciate it if you use my name (Carlos Rabell) in the "Referred Name" field... That way I get a discount on my next renewal and it doesn't cost you at all.

Enjoy!

[themaestro2657]

By the way, I complained strongly about Puerto Rico being discriminated by the broadband features being disabled. I threatened to cancel the service and they offered to lower the monthly subscription from 12.95 to 9.95 per month.

[esalas666]

Solution Found!!!

After a lot of research I managed to find a solution that enables all broadband features in Puerto Rico (and probably outside the US as well).

The bad news is that the price may be too high for some/most people.

Here's how I did it:

1. Subscribed to a Virtual Private Network (VPN) Service provider that gives its users an IP Address in the US, such as strongvpn.com.
2. Purchased a new Router compatible with 3rd party firmware that has PPTP Client functionality, such as dd-wrt.com.
3. Changed the firmware of my new router with 3rd party firmware and configured it with the settings provided by my VPN provider.
4. "Video on Demand" became active on my TiVos!

It sounds quite simple, but it took a lot of work. I had to purchase a new router for $100 because the one I had was not compatible with the 3rd. party firmware. It is important to note that loading a 3rd party firmware on your router voids your warranty and may render it useless if you don't follow all the steps, so tweaking with your current router may leave you in the dark if you don't have a backup router.

My VPN Provider charges $15 / month, which may be too much for the added features, so it would be up to you to determine if its worth it. It is important to note that having a VPN connection has some additional advantages, such as unblocking of addtitional websites and internet services as well as anonymous surfing on your computer. One of the drawbacks is that speed gets somewhat decreased, I'm not sure exactly how much or even if its noticeable, but it may affect how viewo streams into the TiVo, I'm not sure yet, since I just got this working last night.

I'll be evaluating these "new" features during the next 3 months (I pre-purchased 3 months of VPN service) to see if they are worth $15 / month. In my case I have 4 tivo's so we are talking about $3.75 per TiVo per month, which doesn't sound too bad, we'll see.

I hope this helps those of us that have been left out in the dack by TiVo.

Enjoy!

Thanks for this helpfull info.

[esalas666]

If you want your vpn solution to work great use a Linksys WRT320n. Works perfect with almost no drop on internet speed. I was using first a Linksys WRT54gl and my Internet Speed Test was 1.80mb to 2.0mb. My ISP is Onelink 4.0mb. With the Linksys WRT320n my internet test is 3.80mb to 3.95mb.

The StrongVpn service people are great and bring a lot of support.

[Impulses]

This is just a straight re-post from this (http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=466621) thread. I haven't confirmed that this is working purely because I have the TiVo tethered to my phone via WiFi (it may be simply a result of having repeated the Guided Setup half a dozen times, thus confusing the TiVo as to it's location), but it sure seems that way. I even have the Netflix folderin my Now Playing List, something I'd never seen before since online access was cut off long before they implemented that.

I wouldn't attempt this if you're an AT&T customer btw, since they have a 2GB data cap per month (unless you were grandfathered in w/the old $30 data plan). I dunno what Claro does, Sprint is fully unlimited and T-Mobile just throttles your speed after 2 or 5GB but it's still usable after being throttled (I think they bump you down to like half a meg, from HSPA+ or w/e you usually enjoy, I've seen speeds of 4Mbps on a non-HSPA+ Nexus S).

I just wanted to mention one amusing byproduct of this mess, all of a sudden the online features on TivoHD are all available again (haven't been for something like two years).

I'm not quite sure if it's because I re-ran the Guided Setup again and the TiVo service hasn't re-located it geographically by IP address.... OR if it's actually because I've got the TiVo hooked up to the internet thru a tethered connection on my Sprint phone (rooted HTC EVO) rather than my home broadband (DSL, which is currently down, rains damaged a cable in my roof). If it's the latter I suspect it's because the phone's connection is routed differently than cable or DSL and it often appears as a continental US connection to many online services (though not all, Google Voice still doesn't fully work, unfortunately).

Sprint's 3G is kind of pokey at home (Buchanan's hill lowers my signal strength) so the connection isn't the greatest for say... Netflix or Amazon video rentals, but it seems to work okay for YouTube and Pandora on the TiVo. I don't have a real big interest in any of it, maybe Amazon VOD but Redbox is still cheaper and of higher quality (and searching IMDb on my phone is infinitely faster than TiVo's Swivel search), just thought it was kind of amusing.

I'm watching Obama's address from last night (first clip that came up) on YouTube on the TiVo thru the tethered WiFi connection to my EVO's 3G connection... Now try saying that three times fast. :p

[stiphy]

I have the same sort of issues living in the USVI. I've made several posts about using a different VPN service on my blog site with details on how to set it up and also how to configure a Linksys E3000 to work with it directly. I've been using using the VPN solution for a few months and it's worked great.

Unfortunately I can't post links because I'm new but if you google "Blendblog.net" you will hit my site and its right up on the front page!

Hope this helps!

Sean

[Impulses]

Umm, did anyone else's broadband features suddenly start working again? (sort of) Disregard my previous post above for a moment, I've had my Tivo hooked up to my DSL connection all week as it's always been... All of a sudden I've got access to all broadband features, out of the blue. Amazon and Netflix still error out with an invalid location message, but the free stuff (Pandora, Youtube, music videos, other web stuff) is all working; kind of how it shouldn've been all along regardless of Amazon & Netflix's situation with PR.

Did Tivo realize they might as well enable all this stuff (along with Swivel Search & Explore) and just let Amazon/Netflix error out? Or is my Tivo just tripping?

P.S. I just downloaded a music video, a tech vlog, and an HD NASA clip... It's just so weird that Tivo would re-enable it all without bothering to filter out the services that aren't allowed and don't work here, that's the entire reason for the original ham fisted approach that disabled it all...