Connect to Download Programming

[Tivo II Jack]

What is going on with the Tivo Connect process? I have been using Tivo for over 10 years now. I have a Sony Tivo 1, a Tivo 2, a Toshiba Humax Tivo 2 with DVR and 500 gb HDD and 2 Tivo Premier HD’s with 1TB HDD. Only the Toshiba and the 2 Premiers are in use right now. I will refer to the two Premier units as Unit A and Unit B.

The process of Connecting was always the same until I got the 2 Premiers. It would take 10 or 15 minutes for each unit to go through the processes of Preparing, Connecting, Getting info, Disconnecting and Loading. It would then take one to three hours for all the program listings to be updated.

Once I got the Premier units, that all changed. They would sit on Preparing for about an hour before beginning the process and then another long wait sitting on Preparing to load… before the actual Loading began. Another difference was that once the Loading was complete I believe the program listings were all already in place so it was six of one and a half dozen of the other.

On July 1st, that changed on both units and it reverted to the old way…which I prefer. Going from Preparing… to Done took about 10 minutes and then it took a while for the listings to get in place. When that happened, I checked my software version which on 2/2/10 was 11.0d-01-2-652. On 7/1/12 it was 11.0k-01-2-652. The only change being the d to a k which I emphasized.

At 5:10PM today I started a manual Connect on both units. Unit A went through the quicker process and now, 1 hour and 18 minutes later I see no new program listings in place yet. Unit B has reverted to the slower process and 1 hour and 18 minutes later it is just sitting on Preparing to load…

Oh, I forgot to mention that before 7/1, when either unit sat on Preparing to load… for as long a time as this, I would have to reboot the unit and it would then complete the Connecting processes without further problem. It has now been 1 hour and 23 minutes since the Connect began and I have just rebooted that unit.

As usual, after rebooting the Connect ran smoothly and after about ½ hour it has already Loaded 27% of the download.

In the meantime, I was diverted briefly because of this:

I just saw a news story on Special Report on Fox News Channel. They warned that many people may have problems with their computers starting on Monday from something that was planted on their computers as long as a year ago. It is a DNS converter and they advised all to go here to detect and fix the problem: http://www.dcwg.org/detect/ It is a site put in place by the FBI.

I tried just now but could not connect but remember a few million people all just got this warning at the same time. I will try again later.

I also checked it on Snopes and it was listed there as TRUE. The listing was added today: http://www.snopes.com/computer/virus/dnschanger.asp

[lpwcomp]

First things first - you do not have "Premiers" (or Premieres). Sounds like you have 2 TiVo HD XLs.

Now on to the important stuff. How are the TiVos connected to the net - wired or wireless? Have you assigned fixed IP addresses to them? What kind of router do you have? Have you verified that the DNS addresses you should be using haven't been changed by your ISP?

[mattack]

Reboot your router?

Plus, why do you CARE how long it takes, as long as it succeeds?

[Tivo II Jack]

Originally Posted by lpwcomp

First things first - you do not have "Premiers" (or Premieres). Sounds like you have 2 TiVo HD XLs.

Correct

Originally Posted by lpwcomp

Now on to the important stuff. How are the TiVos connected to the net - wired or wireless? Have you assigned fixed IP addresses to them? What kind of router do you have? Have you verified that the DNS addresses you should be using haven't been changed by your ISP?

Wireless

Yes

Linksys WRT54G

My DNS addresses have never changed.

[Tivo II Jack]

Originally Posted by mattack

Reboot your router?

Plus, why do you CARE how long it takes, as long as it succeeds?

1 - Rebooted router many times since this change began well over a year ago.

2a - Curiosity? Just a need to know?

2b - As I said, it does NOT always succeed. In the very Connect I had running while I posted here I did point out that one unit had been sitting on Preparing to load... for well over an hour and I had to reboot to allow the Connect to succeed.

If I do not check on the progress and success or failure I have no idea how long it would sit that way.

[lpwcomp]

Have you tried different wireless channels? Is it possible that there was some local interference introduced? I don't currently use wireless at all and have never used it for a TiVo. I assume that switching to wired connections isn't a viable option, so hopefully someone with more experience with wireless will be along to assist you.

Even my knowledge of wired networks is limited mostly to personal experience. As far as I'm concerned, network wei.., uh, gurus speak in tongues.

[Tivo II Jack]

Originally Posted by lpwcomp

Have you tried different wireless channels? Is it possible that there was some local interference introduced? I don't currently use wireless at all and have never used it for a TiVo. I assume that switching to wired connections isn't a viable option, so hopefully someone with more experience with wireless will be along to assist you.

No, that isn't the cause, they were originally on a wired connection. What I am really curious about is why on July 1st did the connection process go from takng over an hour to under 15 minutes as it used to do and then revert back again today.

[mattack]

OK, sorry, I must have skimmed it originally.. I thought it actually was succeeding, but you only cared about it taking a long time.

Heck, what bothers me is how long it takes for "preparing to connect" (whatever it says), before it actually connects.. on the RARE conditions that I make a manual call. (I use a router in bridge mode to get downstairs.. which once in a while flakes out so the call doesn't succeed. If I *notice* that, then I'll tell it to make a call manually.. So I then want to watch it even though I don't have to.. and it takes forever..)

[poppagene]

If you haven't already done so, you should assign each of these tivos an ip address manually rather than through dhcp. and make sure that the address you assign is outside of the addreses your router allocates through dhcp. The change from one day to the next could occur when the dhcp lease expired and failed to be renewed.

[slowbiscuit]

The answer for the OP here is to not be so anal about manually connecting and counting times and just let the Tivo update itself automatically. If that's a problem, then come back.

[Tivo II Jack]

Originally Posted by frankjohnson8

First things first - you do not have "Premiers" (or Premieres). Sounds like you have 2 TiVo HD XLs.

I suggest you go back and reread...read actually...replies #2 and #4 to this very string.

Would have saved you and I both some time if you had done that before posting this note.

I won't even comment on the word for word exact duplication to ipwcomp's original response over a week ago.

[Tivo II Jack]

Originally Posted by slowbiscuit

The answer for the OP here is to not be so anal about manually connecting and counting times and just let the Tivo update itself automatically. If that's a problem, then come back.

I like to know why things work the way they do and why changes occur. If scientists and inventors had your mindset, we'd still be typing these responses by candle light. Anal my asp!

[lpwcomp]

Originally Posted by Tivo II Jack

I suggest you go back and reread...read actually...replies #2 and #4 to this very string.

Since the post you referred to is an exact copy of the first part of my initial post, I suspect we may be dealing with some kind of 'bot.

[slowbiscuit]

Originally Posted by Tivo II Jack

I like to know why things work the way they do and why changes occur. If scientists and inventors had your mindset, we'd still be typing these responses by candle light. Anal my asp!

Some people have better things to do with their time, but to each their own...

[MC Hammer]

Originally Posted by slowbiscuit

Some people have better things to do with their time, but to each their own...

Most people have better things to do with their time

[unitron]

Originally Posted by Tivo II Jack

I suggest you go back and reread...read actually...replies #2 and #4 to this very string.

Would have saved you and I both some time if you had done that before posting this note.

I won't even comment on the word for word exact duplication to ipwcomp's original response over a week ago.

He, or it, is a quote spammer.

Just reported it.