Fastest way to transfer shows between Tivo boxes

Are they both Premiers or earlier models? Premiers transfer significantly faster then the earlier models. To answer your question, a wifi connection "can" slow down the transfer rate.

Just a piece technical decice, you cannot just connect the two with a single cable. You will need a switch between them - or a special patch cable...

 

You should not connect them directly to each other at all. Connect both to your network via a wired connection. If either one or both are TiVo 2s, you will have to get new wired ethernet adapters.

 

Premiere to Premiere is very fast. Anything else is really slow.

 

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As has been stated, the primary bottleneck is the Tivo itself - especially the older boxes. The speed you indicate is especially slow, so running ethernet cables from your router to each Tivo would probably help some. Can't connect them to each other directly.

 

My wife just received a new Tivo Premiere Elite Series 4 with 4 tuners yesterday. She had roughly 30 one hour shows on her Series 3 that she wanted transferred to the new Tivo prior to taking the series 3 to another location. After the setup of the new box and the transfer of the M Cable Card (Comcast) (very easy no problems) I powered up the series 3, connected an ethernet cable wired to my Linksys Router and began to transfer all her shows. The blue LED on the Premiere Elite was still on indicating transfer when I went to sleep. It was off when I woke up. All the shows transferred so the answer to your question is yes but use a wired ethernet cable to both of your Tivo boxes.

 

Why not?

 

To connect them directly you need a diagnostic patch cable. It is a cat5 cable with the wires terminated a little differently on each end.

Put a router or a switch between the two TiVo's and you are fine with standard patch cables.

 

Are you talking about a simple ethernet crossover cable or something more involved?

 

Yep - that is what I am talking about.

 

Have you actually wired two Tivos together that way? I'd be interested in doing that occasionally if it was viable.

 

I haven't, although, I have connected two TiVo's with a switch and that worked fine. No reason why a crossover shouldn't work.

I have one laying around - If I have time I will hook it up and see what I get.

 

You do not need a crossover cable when connecting two tivos as long as one of them has an ethernet port, so that would be any Tivo starting with the DT and later.

and fwiw, needing a crossover cable is not the same thing as "you should not connect them at all" it's not even similar

 

I am not sure I understand what you are saying...

Advice to the OP is that a hardwired network connection will give him the best connection for transferring files from one TiVo to another.

The conversation devolved from there discussing how you cannot just take an Ethernet cable and connect two TiVo's together. You cannot - they will not see each other. You need a router or a switch between them.

I suggest that with a crossover cable you could actually connect two TiVo's together. Not that it is necessary or even preferred, just possible.

I am perfectly aware what model TiVo's have Ethernet ports, and I am not sure how it is germain to the conversation.

 

I have two premiums and two old S2duals.. I use cat6 Ethernet and 10/100/1000 switcher. Took about 5 minutes to transfer 2 hours show.

 

You do not need a crossover cable when connecting two tivos as long as one of them has an ethernet port (vs a S2 with an adapter), so that would be any Tivo starting with the DT and later.

Your confusion probably comes from the fact that you are wrong, but you believe that you are right even after being told otherwise.

 

So one has to have a real ethernet port and the other can have an ethernet to USB adapter but both cannot have the ethernet to USB adapter (i.e.: two S2's). Can I assume that you have actually successfully done this direct connection? Inquiring minds want to know.

 

Correct.
&
Correct.

This isn't new information here, it's been discussed many times.

 

This is just false. If they are S3 or later TiVos, then they support auto-MDIX, and a straight through cable will work just fine. Most consumer level devices with Ethernet ports made the last 10 years support auto-MDIX.

 

I didn't say that you couldn't do it, just that you shouldn't. If you do so, they are no longer connected to the network.