Setting up new TiVo Mini VOX to Roamio Pro on TE3

Any suggestions for setting up a new TiVo Mini VOX to connect to a Roamio Pro running TE3?

Having spent the better part of 4 hours on the phone with TiVo support, with the Mini VOX stuck at the V70 error unable to find a host DVR, I'm exchanging it with Amazon for a new Mini VOX. TiVo's assertion is that the box is defective and needs to be replaced by Amazon, since it was purchased from Amazon.

I'm not the most hopeful that the new one is going to work.

I have an existing Roamio Pro and older Mini, both from December 2013 running TE3 with no desire to update to TE4. Verizon FIOS service, using the Verizon Quantum Gateway (new in 2018) to create a MOCA network. The existing Roamio and Mini both work fine, connect to each other and the Internet.

Hooking up the new Mini VOX, it connects to the Moca network fine, connects to TiVo for account and download in initial guided setup. Both new Mini VOX and TiVo website reflect the same changed device name. But, then after that's done, it goes to the V70 cannot find Host DVR error and never gets past it. Rebooting the Mini VOX stays in this endless loop forever, repeating guided setup and stopping at the same spot.

Over the course of those hours with Support, they had me do repeated Network Connections from the Roamio, reboot the Roamio, reboot the router, and they confirmed that they could see the new Mini VOX. They confirmed that the Mini VOX was running TE4. But, they were expecting it to see the Roamio and prompt to downgrade, which never happened. On the first call, they said they would push the TE3 software to it and to wait 3-5 hours and call back. But, after those hours, it was still on TE4.

The only solution offered by support was to return it to Amazon and get another one, saying this one must be defective. Each time they said this, it definitely seemed like they would have preferred I bought directly from them. There was nothing they could do directly, and stated that Amazon would need to replace it under warranty.

Beyond being super mad, and now needing to wait 3 days for the new unit to arrive and repeat all of this, any suggestions on steps to do differently? Or, things to check? Ideally, I don't want to change to TE4, stuck in my ways and happy with TE3 just fine.

PS: The Amazon call took all of 10 minutes, they immediately gave me a return shipping label and ordered the new unit.

 

Don't type angry. Sorry about that, it stayed on TE4. When I called back, I asked specifically what version it was running, still TE4.

 

It might, thanks. I plugged the mini in before the website changed to active last time. I was planning on waiting this time. No idea why this process takes so long. I don’t remember it being this hard in 2013.

 

Yes. Sorry, I meant to come back and update this thread.

I registered it online, waited a few days, forced a bunch of connections from the host DVR and the existing Mini, then hooked up the new Mini.

And, it didn't work, same error.

I took the time to dismantle the entertainment center where the older mini is installed, and the new one worked from there. I completed the setup, did the downgrade, then moved it back to the new location.

And, it didn't work again, same error.

At this point, with much frustration, I started to look around more. I had added a splitter to get service to the new location, but also found an existing splitter on the line that I hadn't changed. That older splitter was only a 900Mhz one. I removed the old splitter, and everything worked fine then.

The moca networking must have been passing enough traffic to make connections to the Internet with the 900Mhz splitter in the path, getting information from TiVo's servers fine, I could even hit the IP address from a computer to see the TiVo DVR web page fine. But, when trying to connect to the host DVR in the house, hitting limitations because of the splitter.

The entire experience of TiVo support telling me it's a defective unit, that Amazon was responsible for the warranty, that the unit must be defective, and basically not having any better diagnostic information available to them than the user message that says "didn't work" with no reasons is all rather disappointing. Plus the hassle of exchanging with Amazon and all the extra setup time.

It definitely makes me question my buy in to the TiVo ecosystem. I've had it long enough now that's it's definitely paid off vs paying for cable boxes. And at $10 a month for a cable box, after 15 months, the new Mini will effectively be free too. I can't think of any better options, and I prefer the TiVo interface to anything cable has to offer. So, while I'm staying with it, they probably didn't make any money on this sale by the time support costs and product exchange are factored in. It doesn't make me feel very secure in the long time prospects. As my wife would say, how do normal people get it to work. Without them, the customer pool just keeps shrinking. On the other hand, that's been true for a decade already.

Just happy for now that it's all working.