Which is best way to network Tivo?

[whitenack]

Hello,

For those of you guys who are technically capable...What is the best way to network your Tivo?

My Tivo will not be close to my computer, so I am going to have to figure out how to get the broadband internet over to the Tivo.

I have a wireless router, so the wireless adapter would be an easy option, but it costs $30 or so and if I wanted to transfer files from the DVR to a pc, I assume this would take longer than a wired connection?

Power Line adapter – I just found out about this. You can plug one adapter into the router and wall socket, and plug the other adapter into a wall socket and the DVR, and you have a network connection? Pretty cool. I see these are fairly expensive as well. Any other disadvantages? Any advantages, other than a somewhat easy install?

Wired connection – Other than having to crawl under the house and cutting drywall to install, are there any disadvantages? I don’t guess there is any data loss or problems due to long runs of Ethernet, are there? What is the price per foot of Ethernet cable? I’m wanting to go from the kitchen (where the router is) to the living room, which may be 30-50 feet.

Let me know what you guys think.

Thanks,

[twassel]

Wired Ethernet is the best way in terms of connectivity. I found that wireless was subject to disruptions by nearby networks, cell phones, microwaves, and simply structural barriers in the house. I live in a suburban area with neighbors nearby. If you have a little more space between you and the neighbors, some of the problems will be lessened. Running wires is not that difficult, but it's up to you.

[pkbradbury]

I have some wireless "issues" in my house that I was unable to resolve (interference?) so I opted for the Actiontec MegaPlug 85 Mbps Ethernet Adapter Twin-Pack that I got from Amazon. It is very easy to set up with Tivo and a router and works very well. There is now a 200mbps version too which should be even better.

[lrhorer]

For those of you guys who are technically capable...What is the best way to network your Tivo?
"Best" is a term implying the application of personal and subjective criteria. What is "best" for one person is not "best" for another. Wired connections avoid a number of issues, including costs, speed, performance, and ease of setup. Wireless connections avoid a number of issues including portability (how prone is the wife to re-arranging the furniture?), wiring clutter, and cable failures. A wired connection will definitely be the most secure, the most stable, and the fastest. Depending on the labor costs for running the cables, it is also likely the least expensive. Wired switches also easily support a mix of 10M, 100M and 1000M hosts.

I have a wireless router, so the wireless adapter would be an easy option, but it costs $30 or so and if I wanted to transfer files from the DVR to a pc, I assume this would take longer than a wired connection?
'Probably, although TiVos are not speed demons in any case. Certainly you would not enjoy the maximum measured speed of a hacked TiVo with backport drivers - 112 Mbps. You might not notice too much difference using regular TTG and stock drivers. Note, however, if the network grows, all the wireless connections are going to share the same bandwidth. This is not quite the case with a wired switch.

Wired connection – Other than having to crawl under the house and cutting drywall to install, are there any disadvantages?
Rodents have been known to gnaw on cables. Care must be taken when crimping the connectors or punching down the wires or problems can occur.

I don’t guess there is any data loss or problems due to long runs of Ethernet, are there?
The maximum distance per spec using Category 5e cable is 100 meters. Beyond that, you may experience errors or it may not work. Few houses require drops of greater than 100 meters. I have a large house, and none of mine are more than 40 meters, total.

What is the price per foot of Ethernet cable?
About $0.09 a foot in bulk. If you are only doing a single short run, then it will probably be about double that. Ordinary Solid 4 Pair Category 5e Twisted Pair cable should be available from your local hardware store or electrician's supply. RJ-45 connectors are about $3 or $4 a package, but require a high quality crimper, which is somewhat expensive. Punch-down Category 5e RJ-45 wall jacks are about $5 each. Take care with the wiring scheme. Jack to jack or plug to plug wiring should be straight through, with the following pair assignments:

Pin Wire
1 White-orange
2 Orange
3 White-green
4 Blue
5 White-blue
6 Green
7 White-brown
8 Brown

Pairs 1/2 and 3/6 are used by 100BaseT connections. All four are used by 1000BaseT. The TiVo is 100BaseT, but don't cut off your needs for the future: be sure to wire all 4 pairs properly. Do not un-twist the pairs any more than necessary, less than 1/8" if possible. That can be a bit difficult, especially with the Green / White-green pair.

[whitenack]

Thanks lrhorer, you have been a lot of help.

I think I am leaning toward the wireless route. The ease of installation is preferred, I believe. I also don't think I'll do a lot of transferring of files, I'm mostly interested in it downloading my online scheduled recordings.

If I do go with wireless, will any usb wireless adapter work, or do I need to get the specific one that Tivo sells?

[Rdian06]

If you have a Tivo HD I believe ONLY the Tivo wireless adapter works with it.

[ThreeSoFar'sBro]

Thanks lrhorer, you have been a lot of help.

I think I am leaning toward the wireless route. The ease of installation is preferred, I believe. I also don't think I'll do a lot of transferring of files, I'm mostly interested in it downloading my online scheduled recordings.

If I do go with wireless, will any usb wireless adapter work, or do I need to get the specific one that Tivo sells?

TiVo's adapter is the best from what I've experienced, and read on this board.

[Sevenfeet]

Wireless is clearly the least hassle option, but it's going to be the worst performing, even with 802.11n networking. It also depends greatly on the size of your house, obstacles in the path of the signal, etc. When I tried a wireless solution for my upstairs bedroom Tivo Series 3, the performance was so awful that it wasn't even useful. Conversely, my Series 3 in my home theater is on the household wired network. Eventually, it became clear that if I wanted any kind of decent performance for the upstairs Tivo or any future devices, it had to be wired as well.

But like you, I had some tough decisions to make. I had earlier hired my general contractor for a day to do the wiring work for the ground floor of my house. In my case, most of the ground floor connections weren't that hard to do. The entire main box of the house has a crawlspace underneath that is 6 1/2 feet tall on average. Then my home theater room is in the bonus room above the garage. In that case, wiring just had to run the ceiling of the garage (I did rear speaker wiring at the same time).

Going to the top floor was a major problem. The ideal solution was to find a chase pathway to go from the crawlspace basement up to the attic. But in a finished home that's 17 years old, there was no obvious pathway. My contractor and I ended up pulling 9 Cat 6 cables parallel to path that a natural gas line and HVAC line take. Drilling through the attic floor and basement floor went hard. The real problem was the 2nd floor, where there was no established hole to bring the wire bundle. We ended up cutting a 18" by 24" hole in our master bedroom wall to drill the necessary hole. And even when we did that it was extremely tough getting all nine wires through the path we'd selected without damaging them (Cat 6 cable is more expensive but more durable for this). Then my contractor repaired the hole using the original piece of drywall and putty over a process of a few days. We finally repainted with some spare paint from when we painted the room 2 years ago. My contractor's work is so good that I dare anyone to find where we cut the hole.

Now transferring a HD show between the two Tivos takes only minutes and you can easily start watching a transfer in progress in under 15 seconds. Standard def transfers are way faster. The only thing that would make it better is if the Tivos were Gigabit Ethernet devices instead of 100-base-T.

[jjberger2134]

If you have a Tivo HD I believe ONLY the Tivo wireless adapter works with it.

Correct.

http://www.tivo.com/setupandsupport/technicalsupport/networkingandphoneconnections/All_Wireless_Network_Adapters.html

[whitenack]

Correct.

http://www.tivo.com/setupandsupport/technicalsupport/networkingandphoneconnections/All_Wireless_Network_Adapters.html

It says it is the only one "supported", not necessarily the only one that works. In other words, if you get something different, and it doesn't work, Tivo is not going to help you solve the problem.

[whitenack]

I just realized that the only transferring, if any, I would want to do would be between my Tivo and my laptop. So, even if I did have a wired connection to my Tivo, it would have to go wireless at some point to get to my laptop.

I think that pretty much decides it.