Can I run my Tivo without a landline?

6665 Views 59 Replies 12 Participants Last post by TCM2007, Sep 11, 2007

MarkH

Discussion Starter · Sep 6, 2007

The only thing I use my landline for is my tivo and to be truthful I wouldn't mind getting rid of it!

I want to get a mobile hi speed internet connection and of course I have my mobile phone, would it be possible to get my tivo to get it's downloads via either one of these methods?

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Fred Smith

· #2 · Sep 6, 2007

Short answer yes. No doubt Pete will be along soon.

Via internet if you have a router, buy an Ethernet card, there are three versions around:

Cachecard, Turbonet or Terbonet.

http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=362097

Or via ICS through your computer using an Ethernet card (above) or serial connection, apparently not easy to set up though.

Via mobile again via ICS through your computer using a Ethernet card or serial connection.

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Pete77

· #3 · Sep 6, 2007

Fred Smith said:
Short answer yes. No doubt Pete will be along soon.

Via internet if you have a router, buy an Ethernet card, there are three versions around:

Cachecard, Turbonet or Terbonet.

This only works if you live in an area served by NTL where you are not forced to also pay for a POTS phone line connection anyway to also have ADSL broadband. Unfortunately good old Ofcom has failed to make it illegal for companies like BT and PostOffice HomePhone to force you to also take phone service to have broadband on their piece of copper wire.,

Of more interest is the new range of data services just announced by mobile data provide Three which may be a sufficient replacement for a landline for some home users who do not use more than 5Gb of data per month.

Now I imagine this could be got to work if your Tivo is hooked directly to your computer's ethernet port and you then have that computer also connected to the internet via a 3G PCMCIA adapater containing a Three SIM card.

However if you use a normal ADSL modem router how do you connect the router to the 3G mobile internet link??? Me thinks you will need a new kind of router that can hold 3G SIM card for such activities?

Perhaps Three has it in mind to provide such a router?

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MarkH

Discussion Starter · #4 · Sep 6, 2007

I am a basic amateur when it comes to this sort of stuff so I am suffering from brain cramp already!

I believe the three package comes complete as is, with a 3meg econnection speed!

http://threestore.three.co.uk/offerdetails.aspx?offercode=24MB7GD001&tariffid=682&id=1201

Pete77

· #5 · Sep 6, 2007

MarkH said:
I am a basic amateur when it comes to this sort of stuff so I am suffering from brain cramp already!

I believe the three package comes complete as is, with a 3meg econnection speed!

http://threestore.three.co.uk/offerdetails.aspx?offercode=24MB7GD001&tariffid=682&id=1201

Do you already have a Tivo with a Cachecard or Turbonet card and get your Tivo data via your broadband connection?

Three only provide a USB adapter which connects your PC to the internet via their network but you have to connect your Tivo to your computer as well. You can do this if you have a Cachecard or Turbonet card in your Tivo and then connect to your computer's ethernet port directly with a cross over cable. That should work out as far as I can see. I suppose using a wireless bridge attached to your Tivo you may also be able to connect direct wirelessly to a wireless adapter on your computer and then from the computer to the Three network with its USB adapter.

However if you currently connect your Tivo to a router with a cable or wifi connection I can't see a way to then connect that router to the Three network using the USB adapter on your PC.

But there may be a way so I await blindlemon's arrival as our technical guru in such complex networking and Tivo connecting matters.

The Three offer is interesting. If they can turn it in to 10Gb for between £15 to £20 per month I will be a lot more interested in signing up. The bad news at the moment is their charges for running over their data cap. At present these are criminally expensive instead of being say just double the prepaid data rate.

I can't see why they don't have a package for up to 15Gb a month which many customers will want to have reassurance they won't ever exceed the data cap (especially given the extortionate charges for exceeding it).

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cwaring

· #6 · Sep 6, 2007

Pete77 said:
This only works if you live in an area served by...

It's VIRGIN MEDIA and has been since FEBRUARY!!!

blindlemon

· #7 · Sep 6, 2007

Pete77 said:
But there may be a way so I await blindlemon's arrival as our technical guru in such complex networking and Tivo connecting matters.

Well, thanks for the confidence, but as I know nothing about Three network's package I'm not going to be able to add very much.

It sounds as if you would have to use ICS to make use of the Three USB modem via your PC - which should work, but can be a pain to setup at the best of times. It would, of course, also only work when your PC was switched on.

However, if Three were to produce a compatible modem/wireless router package in the future - and I suspect the demand would be there, as most broadband suppliers now offer this option as standard if you buy/take their modem - you could just add a wireless bridge to your cachecard and all would be well

aerialplug

· #8 · Sep 6, 2007

I'm sure it's possible to connect to the TiVo servers via a 3G mobile phone connection... but I'm too tired to work out how you'd go about setting it up at the moment - presumably you'd need to get the PC connecting to it via its cable/bluetooth to act as a router.

Pete77

· #9 · Sep 6, 2007

cwaring said:
It's VIRGIN MEDIA and has been since FEBRUARY!!!

New name may be but same old promising looking three tuner PVR let down by stone age software.

Fred Smith

· #10 · Sep 6, 2007

Pete77 said:
Of more interest is the new range of data services just announced by mobile data provide Three which may be a sufficient replacement for a landline for some home users who do not use more than 5Gb of data per month.

Now I imagine this could be got to work if your Tivo is hooked directly to your computer's ethernet port and you then have that computer also connected to the internet via a 3G PCMCIA adapater containing a Three SIM card.

However if you use a normal ADSL modem router how do you connect the router to the 3G mobile internet link??? Me thinks you will need a new kind of router that can hold 3G SIM card for such activities?

Perhaps Three has it in mind to provide such a router?

Actually Three offer upto 7Gb per month for £25, 3Gb for £15 and 1Gb for £10, I have just received (Tuesday) my 'free' USB modem for the 3Gb service, I am moving away from T-Mobile whom I currently pay £20 for 2Gb per month (no longer available to new customers, minimum is now £29 for 3Gb per month).

Draytek offer routers compatible with 3G USB data modems and Linksys (amongst others) offer routers compatible with PCMCIA cards, according to a Dutch website the Linksys can be make to work with other networks. Neither are cheap though.

Pete77

· #11 · Sep 6, 2007

aerialplug said:
I'm sure it's possible to connect to the TiVo servers via a 3G mobile phone connection... but I'm too tired to work out how you'd go about setting it up at the moment - presumably you'd need to get the PC connecting to it via its cable/bluetooth to act as a router.

Really 3 need to come up with a wireless router to go with the product that you can still join up all your existing wired network and wireless network (eg laptop with wifi adapter) to.

I'm not quite clear if their USB adapter then interfaces by Bluetooth with your mobile phone or if it contains a SIM card in its own right. But then if the latter how do yo make phone calls when out and about unless you drag your laptop with you????

Also the maximum 7Gb data limit says that for now its not a totally serious replacement for home broadband. If they charged a sensible amount per Gb for exceeding the cap and/or also had a 15Gb offering then they might start to be seriously in that marketplace. I would still have to have a geographic number for my non voip savvy friends to call me on too but you can get one of those without charge from www.sipgate.co.uk

The thought of telling BT where to stick its overpriced piece of copper and to be able to use broadband seriously on the train and when away at the weekend etc is appealing. I note that 3 now does have a decent 3G signal in this area on its own transmitter, even though all the other four networks here several miles from town are still only 2G. Well done 3 who were relying on roaming with O2 here when I last trialled and returned one of their phones. But which Voip networks can you use on 3? As they mention Skype hopefully it is open to any Voip connection, including most SIP based providers.

Three would really have a killer product if they could do a deal with EU mobile networks so you can use data when you are on holiday on this connection at a sensible fixed price supplement for the months in question. In countries where there is no 3G of note a 2G GPRS alternative would be perfectly adequate for most people and is far better than nothing at all.

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TCM2007

· #12 · Sep 6, 2007

Pete77 said:
R
I'm not quite clear if their USB adapter then interfaces by Bluetooth with your mobile phone or if it contains a SIM card in its own right. But then if the latter how do yo make phone calls when out and about unless you drag your laptop with you????

It's a standalone device. You don't/can't make voice calls with it, it's to connect your laptop to the net at high speed whereever you happen to be.

But which Voip networks can you use on 3? As they mention Skype hopefully it is open to any Voip connection, including most SIP based providers.

It's an internet connection. Do what you like with it.

Three would really have a killer product if they could do a deal with EU mobile networks so you can use data when you are on holiday on this connection at a sensible fixed price supplement for the months in question

You take your laptop on holiday?

blindlemon

· #13 · Sep 7, 2007

TCM2007 said:
You take your laptop on holiday?

I do. Otherwise, how would I keep up with this forum while on the beach?

Pete77

· #14 · Sep 7, 2007

TCM2007 said:
You take your laptop on holiday?

Some of us have been known to go on holiday for a month.

Kind of a long time to have no computer.

Current data roaming rates in the EU are scandalous. I don't know what Vodafone's excuse is for not having replicated their voice based Passport deal in other countries in the EU where they also own a network.

Pete77

· #15 · Sep 7, 2007

TCM2007 said:
It's an internet connection. Do what you like with it.

Its perfectly possible to restrict use of the Voip ports on an internet connection as those students at universities with an internet connections in their room but also with a phone provided by 0870 student rip off phone provider DognBone know to their cost.

In fact use of Skype is often restricted on corporate or academic networks because of the peer to peer load that it imposes.

terryeden

· #16 · Sep 7, 2007

Disclaimer - I work for Vodafone but I am not speaking for them in an official capacity.

To answer the original question....
Buy a Cachecard or a Turbonet card or a Terbonet Card or an Airnet Card. Congratulations, your TiVo is now connected to your LAN.

Now, how to connect your LAN to the wider Internet
a) ADSL, you will need a BT line but you don't have to pay them line rental (you need to pay line rental to your broadband provider)
b) Cable, if you're in an area served by Virgin Media - http://allyours.virginmedia.com/websales/availability/get-address.do
c) Steal your neighbours' WiFi

d) Use the GPRS/3G signal from your favourite phone provider...

You can use a product like the WRT54G3G
http://www.pcpro.co.uk/reviews/87367/linksys-wirelessg-router-for-3gumts-broadband-wrt54g3g.html
This means that you don't have to have a computer on for your TiVo to access the Internet. You can get a USB modem, if you want to have your computer act as the gateway
http://online.vodafone.co.uk/dispat...fpb=true&_pageLabel=template08&pageID=MB_0002

Put in a SIM card and hook your network up to Mobile Broadband. On Vodafone, £30 a month gets you a 3GB download limit. On a business contract you might be able to get a better deal. Other network provider are available etc.

T

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cwaring

· #17 · Sep 7, 2007

Pete77 said:
New name may be ..

No. New company completely. Company formed by merger of three others; but don't let the facts stop you

terryeden

· #18 · Sep 7, 2007

Pete77 said:
Current data roaming rates in the EU are scandalous. I don't know what Vodafone's excuse is for not having replicated their voice based Passport deal in other countries in the EU where they also own a network.

(Usual disclaimer)

Vodafone have a passport rates for data. It's £9.99 for 24 hours (depending on price plan. See below for more options)

Taken from http://www.abroad.vodafone.co.uk

Mobile Browsing (on your phone)
Pay Monthly customers:
Passport Countries - £5 per day for up to 15MB¹
Non Passport countries £8 per MB

Mobile Broadband 24
£4.99 per MB
Any network#
Any country

Mobile Broadband
£9.99 for 24 hours* in selected countries**
£4.99 per MB in other countries

Mobile Broadband Travel
200 MB included
Any network#
Any country
£4.99 per MB out of bundle

Mobile Broadband (per MB roaming)
£4.99 per MB
Any network#
Any country

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Pete77

· #19 · Sep 7, 2007

terryeden said:
(Usual disclaimer)Vodafone have a passport rates for data. It's £9.99 for 24 hours (depending on price plan. See below for more options)

£309.69 per month. Wow that's a real bargain isn't it.

The UK equivalent cost on Pay As You Go is £31 per month as long as you don't use more than 15MB per day.

I believe Vodafone Spain sell a Pay As You Go card with 1Gb of data that can be used at any time within its 90 day validity for 60 Euros or about £40

Now why doesn't Vodafone UK offer the same deal to UK customers roaming in Spain? Sounds like its time for another project by the fearless lady EU Commissioner to stop these absolutely blatant abuses of the customer by your company. A company so abusive it won't even itemise any call charges on Pay As You online or anywhere else purely because a commercially hijacked regulator that fails to serve the UK citizen consumer does not mandate it.

And Vodafone does do not anything to the customer's advantage on billing that it is not forced to do at the point of a regulatory gun!

:down: :down: :down:

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BrianHughes

· #20 · Sep 7, 2007

I have the Vodafone mobile broadband product. I use the USB version on a £25/month contract. It is a fabulous little gadget. All the operating software is stored on the device itself so you can walk up to any PC and get on the internet straight away without having to hunt out drivers or whatever. I can thoroughly recommend it. Even when it falls back to 2G service it's faster than the old GSM version I used to have.

I've no connection to Vodafone - Just a happy customer. It needs to be a bit cheaper for widespread use but my company pays the bill.

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