Tivo Premiere Fails While Configuring

[rbienstock]

My Premiere XL keeps getting this error when it tries to connect to the TiVo Servers. TiVo support is unable to help (other than to suggest that I revert back to default and lose all my season passes and about 100 hours of recorded content. This isn't a networking problem on my part because if I go into the Network Diagnostics, the unit passes the Port Configuration test, the DNS resolution thest and the TiVo service connection test. The unit is able to see other TiVo units on my network, I can transfer shows to and from the unit, I can schedule shows from the TiVo web site, it downloads content from the Web, Amazon and Netflix, etc. In fact, everything works exactly like it should except that it won't get guide data. In working with TiVo support, we did sort-of find a fix: If I disconnect the unit and connect it directly to my cable modem, it will receive a public address instead of a 192.168.x.x address and it will then be able to connect. Once that connection has completed, I can connect the unit back to the network and future connections don't fail for a few weeks until the issue occurs again. It is clear to me that the problem is that there must be some bad data that is being exchanged that causes the connection to fail, and that only connecting from an entirely different IP range (as opposed to merely giving the unit a different 192.168.x.x address which doesn't work) will clear out that bad data from the queue. Unfortunately, my Premiere is in an equipment rack on the 4th floor of my house and the cable modem is in the basement, so relocating the TiVo every few weeks isn't an acceptable solution. Any ideas?

[aaronwt]

chnage the range of addresses on the network. I use 221.224.xx.xxx on my network. It's worked fine for my home network for over twelve years.

[rbienstock]

Originally Posted by aaronwt

chnage the range of addresses on the network. I use 221.224.xx.xxx on my network. It's worked fine for my home network for over twelve years.

Tried that. Switched to 10.10.10.xxx. Didn't help.

[orangeboy]

Originally Posted by aaronwt

chnage the range of addresses on the network. I use 221.224.xx.xxx on my network. It's worked fine for my home network for over twelve years.

Yikes! For a minute there, I thought you were using a multicast network. I see those start at 224.

[orangeboy]

Originally Posted by rbienstock

Tried that. Switched to 10.10.10.xxx. Didn't help.

Did you use a proper subnet mask (255.0.0.0)?

[crxssi]

Originally Posted by rbienstock

My Premiere XL keeps getting this error when it tries to connect to the TiVo Servers. If I disconnect the unit and connect it directly to my cable modem, it will receive a public address instead of a 192.168.x.x address and it will then be able to connect. Any ideas?

To me it sounds like your router is blocking/filtering some outgoing or incoming traffic that is used for the TiVo service connection (I don't know which ports those are). Typically, most home routers are configured to allow all outgoing and block most incoming. Incoming is only allowed for connections that were established by something on your network.

* Have you checked your router to see if you are blocking any outgoing ports?
* Has your Premiere EVER worked on that network behind your router?
* If it has worked before, did you change your router or its settings?
* Did you have a different TiVo before? Did that work?
* Have you tried using a static address/DNS settings on the TiVo instead of DHCP?

[rbienstock]

Originally Posted by orangeboy

Did you use a proper subnet mask (255.0.0.0)?

Yes, when I changed the class to 10.x.x.x, I changed the subnet mask too. But in theory you can have a 10.x.x.x network with a 255.255.255.0 subnet mask so long as the second and third positions aren't 0

[rbienstock]

Originally Posted by crxssi

To me it sounds like your router is blocking/filtering some outgoing or incoming traffic that is used for the TiVo service connection (I don't know which ports those are). Typically, most home routers are configured to allow all outgoing and block most incoming. Incoming is only allowed for connections that were established by something on your network.

* Have you checked your router to see if you are blocking any outgoing ports?
* Has your Premiere EVER worked on that network behind your router?
* If it has worked before, did you change your router or its settings?
* Did you have a different TiVo before? Did that work?

Thanks for this. I forgot to add some important info: (1) Yes, the premiere works fine for weeks at a time. Then something goes wrong, and configuring fails after that point. Connecting it to the public WAN fixes it, and then the problem goes away until it comes back. It is clear to me that there is some corrupted data in a queue that relates to the network IP address that gets changed when you connect directly to the WAN. But until that bad data is cleared from the queue, connections fail at teh configuring stage. (2) I have three other Series 3 units and all work flawlessly. (3) for troubleshooting purposes, all firewalls have been turned off, which does not fix anything. (3) changing from static to fixed IP doesn't do anything either.

[aaronwt]

Originally Posted by orangeboy

Yikes! For a minute there, I thought you were using a multicast network. I see those start at 224.

I know it's not really supposed to be that address range, it's actually an address range that is used in china. I picked it back in the 90's and have never had any issues with it. And since I have over seventy network devices it also makes it easy for me to remember since I've been using teh IP range for so long.

[rbienstock]

So I did the thing that always solves the problem: I connected the Premiere directly to the cable modem, and it got a new public IP address. That cleared out whatever the bad data in the queue was, and I was able to connect just fine, and once the data updated, I was able to connect it back up to the network and it got a new private address and now it connects fine with that address. I wish there were some way to get rid of the detritus of the failed connect attempts, as that is clearly what the problem is.

[crxssi]

Originally Posted by rbienstock

So I did the thing that always solves the problem: I connected the Premiere directly to the cable modem, and it got a new public IP address. That cleared out whatever the bad data in the queue was, and I was able to connect just fine, and once the data updated, I was able to connect it back up to the network and it got a new private address and now it connects fine with that address. I wish there were some way to get rid of the detritus of the failed connect attempts, as that is clearly what the problem is.

Too strange. If it were me, I would just declare the unit defective and seek a replacement. Sorry

[rbienstock]

Originally Posted by crxssi

Too strange. If it were me, I would just declare the unit defective and seek a replacement. Sorry

I wish I could, but the tech I spoke to said that it doesn't look like a hardware problem, but rather a software problem, and if it were to get fixed by the new update they wouldn't take it back (plus it would be a real hassle as I have over 100 hours of stuff recorded). The Catch 22 is that I can't get the update because my unit won't connect. What I would love to try to do is to get past the tech person on the phone and escalate the case to someone with more experience. Is there any way to do that?

[aaronwt]

Request to talk to a manager. That is what I did with my initial MAK problems and they sent me to a higher tech support person. Of course that still doesn't mean the issue will get resolved, but it's a good start.