[Dansktex]

Frustration 1: Quality: I bought my Roamio at the end of March. I have been out of the country 5 months since then without using it since my wifi was discontinued during that time. So after only 4 months of use, it is making a loud humming/grinding sound. I have read that this is a common problem, so I am questioning the quality of the Roamio and why the company has not issued a recall. Tivo yesterday said I must return the box to them to get a replacement and charged me $53 in advance for that.

Frustration 2: Impossible Shipping Directions from Tivo: They said I must return my present Roamio box before they will send the replacement which creates a problem with their Customer Service email which requires me to send it to them either in the original shipping container or in the shipping container they use to send the replacement Roamio to me. I do not have the original shipping container and the shipping container from the replacement in my possession will not arrive here until I send them the malfunctioning Roamio. A representative who said to just use any shipping container didn't seem to understand my concern of whether I can trust the company if I violate their written directions for "properly" sending my bad Roamio to them.

Frustration 3: Tivo Mini Connection: I tried to connect a Tivo Mini in July during a short break in my 5 months of travel). It was not possible to use the cable bridge recommended by Tivo because there is no cable outlet in my bedroom near where I needed the Roamio and because the router is in another room where the cable Internet service arrives. I have an electrical wiring bridge I had already had set up so my computer would be connected by ethernet using the electrical wiring bridge between my router location and my office. I hoped I could leave the Roamio where it was (near the one good antenna, but not near a cable outlet or my router) and just connect the Mini directly to the router where it needs to stay (and to a TV beside it that had only a Roku box and no antenna). My thinking was that the electrical wiring ethernet goes both directions, so the Mini would be connected both directions to the Roamio via ethernet and the Roamio would continue to be connected to the router via Wifi and the one antenna. I thought the Mini connected to the router in the kitchen would pull in the stations via the electrical bridge ethernet from the Roamio box in the bedroom. My guess is that the main Roamio box may have to be connected directly to the router for a bridge system to a Mini to work. However, since there is no antenna there (or possible to be there, since there are too many walls blocking reception)) if the Roamio is connected to the router, I worry if not being connected to an antenna will be a problem. So here's a question: Since I will have to take down my Roamio box anyway to ship it back to Tivo, do any of you think it is worth testing to see if this configuration using the electrical bridge ethernet would work--the Roamio connected directly to the router (which is already connected to the electrical ethernet bridge) in the kitchen (but without antenna connection due to no antenna working in that location) and the Mini connected directly to both the antenna and the TV in the bedroom AND to the Roamio through the ethernet via my electrical wiring bridge?

My Plan to Deal with Frustration if the Replacement Roamio Develops the Same Humming Problem: Accept that Tivo has some really big quality control problems since 1) so many are having this problem with their Roamios and 2) their shipping directions do not matching one of their return requirements). Then, I will just take the Roamio and the Mini outside with a baseball bat and film myself beating them both to pieces while filming a video to be place on YouTube!!!

 

[fcfc2]

"Then, I will just take the Roamio and the Mini outside with a baseball bat and film myself beating them both to pieces while filming a video to be place on YouTube!!!"
Please post a link!

 

[Dansktex]

I'm going to give the new machine and trying to set up the Mini a chance. But if it doesn't work, I will definitely post a link. As a "Well-Known Member," are you surprised or not with my frustrations?

 

[fcfc2]

I'm going to give the new machine and trying to set up the Mini a chance. But if it doesn't work, I will definitely post a link. As a "Well-Known Member," are you surprised or not with my frustrations?

It takes a lot to surprise me in this day and age. To be honest, it seems to me you are not really a "good" match for Tivo. It seems like you really didn't do much in the way of homework, i.e., understand how these things work and more importantly how they don't work. Because of this, your expectations are pretty much out of line.
i am pretty sure there is an option to pay for a replacement and then get reimbursed when the old unit is returned. You apparently didn't know this or didn't ask, same thing for your post, which was basically a kind of excessive rant, and made based on your claim that Roamios "making a loud humming/grinding sound....is a common problem." It occurs but I have seen many more complaints about this issue with the Bolt series, I still wouldn't characterize it as a "common problem".
Most of the folks who are "well-known" here are more knowledgeable than you and would have likely started by trying to troubleshoot and possibly repair the problem themselves, often by possibly replacing the internal fan, not a big deal for most of the folks here.
If you were interested in getting help, you likely would have been told that although powerline networking has been known to work...but is a very iffy type of networking tech. If you wanted to learn of other alternatives, some would probably suggest a robust AC router paired with one or more wireless to Ethernet adapters....but you seemed to have reached both your tech limit as well as whatever frustration tolerance you have available, hence the "please post a link!".

 

[krkaufman]

Given the resale value of a Mini, even a non-Lifetime Roamio let alone Lifetime, your YouTube plan sounds irrational, to put it mildly.

That said, it sounds like you had a nearly correct understanding of how a TiVo whole home setup works, but the latter part of the OP that discussed switching the DVR and Mini locations eroded my confidence in that opinion.

1. TiVo officially requires a wired networking connection, either Ethernet or MoCA, for all boxes part of a whole home setup; however, the boxes don't perform a test to verify their connection method, so any setup that provides sufficient bandwidth and latency can work. It's just that TiVo only supports wired setups. And it doesn't help your situation that the built-in wireless of the 4-tuner Roamios is insufficient to support whole home streaming. Both Powerline and wireless bridging has been used successfully by many TCFers, but it requires care in selecting the right equipment to ensure a compatible connection.
   
2. "Electrical wiring bridge" == "Powerline adapters" if you're looking to search the archives for similar setups. Also, "Powerline" is not Ethernet, any more than a wireless bridge with an Ethernet port is Ethernet.
   
3. A TiVo Mini acquires all its content via a networking connection. A Mini has no built-in TV tuners as it has no need for them; any TV content requested by a Mini is tuned by the host DVR, either live or when previously recorded.
   
4. A 4-tuner Roamio is not going to pick up any TV signal without an antenna connected, unless you live beneath a transmitter. You'll need to keep an antenna connected to the Roamio.

Given the above negates the swapped location setup you proposed, it sounds like you have a few options:

• use two MoCA adapters to provide a wired network connection for the Roamio, though requiring either coax or Cat5 strung from the coax outlet to the Roamio.
• attempt a Powerline or wireless connection for the Roamio, though not using the Roamio's built-in wireless

I'm still not entirely clear on what is preventing the Roamio from being connected to the available coax outlet in the room.

 

[krkaufman]

See: https://www.amazon.com/Cat-Ethernet-Cable-White-Connectors/dp/B00WD017GQ

If you're not comfortable stringing coax from the coax outlet in the bedroom over to the Roamio location, you could connect a MoCA adapter at the coax outlet and then use flat Ethernet similar to the above to make the connection to the Roamio.

p.s. Of course, if you *could* string coax from the bedroom wall outlet to the current Roamio/antenna location, it opens the possibility to leaving the antenna where it is and using the coax to get the received signals to the Roamio relocated to the Living Room. This alternate setup would possibly mitigate some of the Roamio noise issues, since it would no longer be in the bedroom; and would only require a single MoCA adapter.

 

[Dansktex]

As I said in my title, I am a newbie with Tivo. I am not a "techie" and don't claim to be. But I am a go-to person for everyone I know when they have problems with their computers or other equipment. I am a retired professor of mathematics--72 years old. I am quite good at analyzing and solving problems of various types. I have installed all my electronics up to date, I do all my own electrical work, and I even installed my own hot tub--digging the hole, doing the plumbing, etc., just by reading directions. I asked before buying the Roamio if it would work with the alternative powerline wired connection and got responses on this forum indicating that my planned setup should work with the Mini by having the a Mini connected to the router instead of the Roamio and the Roamio connected to the powerline and the antenna away from the router. My original posting was a rant (as well as a question), because I have been very frustrated and disappointed in Tivo. I had always heard good things about the company. But 1) This box developed a problem within 4 months of use which is unusual for modern electronics, 2) the paperwork directions that came with the Mini were not sufficient in clarifying whether the Roamio unit must be unit connected to the router (vs. the Mini), 3) the customer service email needs rewriting, because it states that the Roamio back in the box of the replacement unit if I do not have the original box when they will not send the replacement unit until I return my present Roamio. There have been lots of complaints about noise with the Roamio outside this forum--probably by ordinary people who were familiar enough with the Tivo product to buy it but didn't know that the Tivo Community Forum exists on the Internet for getting help from those interested and willing to share their knowledge related to problems:
Tivo making a loud buzzing noise - Virgin Media Community
[Equipment] TiVo Premier: Very Loud Fan Whirring Astoria, NY - RCN | DSLReports Forums
Troubleshooting TiVo Sound Problems - dummies

I appreciate the responses I have received. Replated to your comments/questions:

1. The only other TVs in the house are one in the kitchen by the modem/router where there can be no antenna that will work (but I sometimes watch something on a Roku while eating or preparing meals) and one (a Roku TV) in the guest bedroom where I have a second antenna.
2. My powerline setup works well, and I set it up myself. I pay for 60 Mbps download of internet, and I get about 64 at my modem/router. It measures 60 Mbps at my computer which is 3 rooms away. The lights on my plugged in adaptors where I would have Minis if I could get the system to work all show a strong signal coming through the powerline.
3. There is no way to have a coaxial cable setup for the bedroom TV which is my normal place to watch TV. In the bedroom, the coaxial cable outlet is 20 feet away from the TV location on a wall between the doorways--to the kitchen and to the male master bath. The coaxial cable (or the flat ethernet cable) would have to pass through the open flooring of the room and across the pathway to the second female master bath. That's why I put an antenna under my bed and why I chose to buy a Roamio. (The system worked well, so I decided to buy Minis to expand it.
4. I've known all along that Tivo officially requires a wired connection. It sounded to me that my powerline worked the same as the preferred MoCa in providing a wired connection--just using electrical wires (which I have near my TVs vs. cable wires which are not possible to my main bedroom TV). That's why I wrote to see if my powerline setup plan should work for expanding to including a Mini.
5. I understood that the Mini requried wiring. That's why I questioned whether the powerline setup would serve that purpose. I didn't buy the Minis until I researched all of this. I used two powerline adapters one where the Roamio in the bedroom and one for the Mini in the kitchen with the Mini connected to the router in the kitchen. One of you has suggested that setup would work if the connections were MoCA instead of powerline, but it isn't possible due there being to no way to have MoCA AND the antenna connected to either the master bedroom (no MoCA) location or the kitchen (no antenna) location (See #3 above).

I actually bought two Minis. I just didn't mention the one for the guest bedroom in my original post to keep the discussion simpler. I mention it now to ask some specific questions after analyzing your input, since it (the master bedroom TV) has an antenna and has a coaxial cable outlet near the TV:

1. Does the Roamio have to be connected directly to the router, or is it acceptable for one of the Minis to be connected to the router and the Roamio not to be?

2. Am I wrong about the powerline setup working like MoCA by allowing the Roamio and the Minis to have a wired connection between each other?

I ask those, because these seems to be the only possible plans for me to follow:

Plan A (If a Mini CAN be the one connected to the router AND powerline WILL work to connect units--simplest change): Move my Roamio to the guest bedroom where there is an antenna, plug it into the powerline adaptor, and have Minis in both the kitchen and the master bedroom connected to the TVs and to powerline adaptors.

Plan B (If a Mini CANNOT be the one connected to the router AND powerline WILL work to connect units--a little more complex): Move my Roamio AND my modem/router to the guest bedroom and use the system via the present powerline adaptors in all three locations.

Plan C (If neither A nor B will work--the worst plan): Give up on using the Minis and just keep the working Roamio system in the master bedroom (as long as the replacement Roamio doesn't end up having problems within a few months like this first one has had).

Sense of Humor: Come on guys, doesn't someone posting a YouTube of himself beating up a Roamio with a baseball bat sound like fun if the second unit ends up having the quality control problems of the first making it a waste of time to keep trying? (Of course, I would just sell the Minis rather than beat them up, too. That was just me being frustrated by the problems with the Tivo Mini manual, the Roamio grinding noise after only 4 months of use, and the email with return directions that didn't coordinate with the return process!)

 

[fcfc2]

1. Does the Roamio have to be connected directly to the router, or is it acceptable for one of the Minis to be connected to the router and the Roamio not to be?
This is possible and some folks have been able to use powerline adapters to successfully connect their Tivos. However, a lot of folks have found powerline equipment not to be sufficient or stable enough, largely because it is dependent on the vagaries of home wiring. Success in achieving close to your 60Mbps internet speed may still not have sufficient "network" speed to handle a fairly heavy amount of data simultaneously to, from, and between one Roamio and 2 minis. Remember, the Roamio is the place where all of the data must go to and then from there to your minis, so you want the best connection to both your Antenna and your Internet source.
If you want to try the powerline route, trial and error is a valid way to test your particular equipment and wiring.

2. Am I wrong about the powerline setup working like MoCA by allowing the Roamio and the Minis to have a wired connection between each other?
See response to #1 above.

 

[krkaufman]

There have been lots of complaints about noise with the Roamio outside this forum--probably by ordinary people who were familiar enough with the Tivo product to buy it but didn't know that the Tivo Community Forum exists on the Internet for getting help from those interested and willing to share their knowledge related to problems:
Tivo making a loud buzzing noise - Virgin Media Community
[Equipment] TiVo Premier: Very Loud Fan Whirring Astoria, NY - RCN | DSLReports Forums
Troubleshooting TiVo Sound Problems - dummies

To be fair to the 4-tuner Roamios, none of the above links relate to the Roamio, and only one relates to mechanical noise emanating from the DVR.

I asked before buying the Roamio if it would work with the alternative powerline wired connection and got responses on this forum indicating that my planned setup should work with the Mini by having the a Mini connected to the router instead of the Roamio and the Roamio connected to the powerline and the antenna away from the router.

Note that this forum is not affiliated with TiVo, so TiVo, Inc. isn't on the hook for responses made to this forum -- aside from posts by the few, infrequent users officially representing TiVo.

And "should" or "could" work in regards to a Powerline connection for the Roamio DVR was covered in bullet #1 in my previous post:

1. TiVo officially requires a wired networking connection, either Ethernet or MoCA, for all boxes part of a whole home setup; however, the boxes don't perform a test to verify their connection method, so any setup that provides sufficient bandwidth and latency can work. It's just that TiVo only supports wired setups. And it doesn't help your situation that the built-in wireless of the 4-tuner Roamios is insufficient to support whole home streaming. Both Powerline and wireless bridging has been used successfully by many TCFers, but it requires care in selecting the right equipment to ensure a compatible connection.

Taking a step back...

If you could ignore technical hurdles, where would you prefer the Roamio OTA be located, owing to its superior live TV surfing functionality (relative to a Mini)?

What is your Internet connection type: DSL, cable, other?

Does each location (Kitchen, Guest Bedroom, Master Bedroom[though moot] have a single wall coax outlet or multiple? (Older satellite installs often required multiple coax runs, which can be useful for OTA setups.)

Where do you do most of your TV viewing: the Kitchen or Master Bedroom (NOT the Guest Bedroom is assumed)?

If the Roamio *could* work in the Kitchen (assuming it is able to tune available OTA content), would you even be OK with it being physically located there?

NOTE: The DVR is responsible for tuning all OTA content and will stream requested OTA programming via the home network connection to the associated Mini. Whether the Mini or DVR network connection doesn't meet the official wired (MoCA, Ethernet) requirement is moot for a single stream since the sub-optimal connection would still be the bottleneck. Though, as @fcfc2 highlighted, if you're talking about multiple Minis, then the Roamio's network connection becomes that much more important; it would be wiser to make sure that the Roamio has an Ethernet or MoCA connection (or a connection that is capable of delivering multiple simultaneous streams).

 

[krkaufman]

Can you provide clarification for this statement:

I actually bought two Minis. I just didn't mention the one for the guest bedroom in my original post to keep the discussion simpler. I mention it now to ask some specific questions after analyzing your input, since it (the master bedroom TV) has an antenna and has a coaxial cable outlet near the TV:

If the Master Bedroom location has a coaxial cable outlet near the TV, where is the problem? Or is the Roamio not located next to the TV? (If so, how is the Roamio's A/V output getting to the TV?)

I'd previously misinterpreted the above statement to mean that you did have a coax wall outlet available at the Guest Room TV/antenna location, but your original thread indicates otherwise:

4. I want to put a TV in my guest bedroom which has no ethernet wiring, no cable wiring and no antenna

If you don't have an available coax connection at either the Master or Guest Bedroom locations, then, yeah, MoCA won't be possible -- short of making coax connections available. You're left to the fallback options, at that point, wireless or Powerline.

Speaking of your original thread asking about Powerline, here, I'm seeing plenty of caveats regarding the efficacy of Powerline networking. YMMV is the norm. I've posted a link to this new thread to your original thread, hopefully to notify any Powerline proponents that you're in need of assistance.

 

[Dansktex]

My internet is cable.

Each location of a coaxial cable outlet has a single outlet.

I don't believe that the main Roamio unit can be in the kitchen, because there is no way to connect an antenna directly to it there that will receive a signal through all the walls. The antenna in the guest bedroom which gets all local broadcasts there, was the one I tried in the kitchen where it only received ONE channel.

Considering that the main Roamio unit cannot be in the kitchen because of no antenna working there, the ideal for me would be to have the main Roamio in my Master Bedroom. But that is not going to be possible unless I give up on using the minis due to the fact that I cannot have coaxial cable to the master bedroom TV location. I have only had over-the-air TV for decades, so the TV is where it is best for me to watch it and NOT near a coaxial cable outlet. The only coaxial cable outlet is across the room about 20 feet through open travel space--to/from the kitchen, the master man's bath, and the hallway to the master woman's bath and further onward to the guest bedroom/bath or living room. There is just no way to string or lay coaxial cable to the location, and there is no way to run a cable through a wall, ceiling or attic: The rear wall to the TV is to a bathroom/closet. The nearby side wall is to my neighbor's condo. The ceiling goes to the floor of the condo above me and the floor is the bottom of the building with a concrete foundation. And reconfiguring the bedroom setup would put the TV about 24 feet from my head when in bed--too far for me to enjoy it as my main TV.

So my solution choices seem to be to give up on the Minis or to get the system to work by putting the main Roamio unit in the guest bedroom where there is a coaxial cable outlet by the TV by either of the setups I mentioned as Plans A or B I mentioned in my entry at 10:13 today (Sunday, 12/10/2017).

I am not as worried as you seem to be about my powerline system. It works well in all 3 locations as indicated on the strong signals of my plugged-in powerline adapters. I have very heavy copper electrical wiring in a condo that was built in 1986 as a luxury unit. Since I live alone there will only be the use of one Tivo unit at a time except when I have guests which is rare. So maybe signal routing would not degrade enough to be a problem. I mainly use the Tivo system to record Masterpiece Theater on Sundays so I am free to go to concerts, have guests, etc.; otherwise, I watch and record very little over-the-air TV. I tend to watch a Netflix film (either on DVD or via streaming) once a day when here, and the Tivo system with the minis would make that easy to do anywhere I have a TV. I bought the Minis thinking that if the setup worked, it would make it easier for people in my guest bedroom (which is rare) to watch what they want and would allow me to see over-the-air TV (on the rare occasion I would want to do so) in my kitchen where an antenna will not work on the TV because there are too many walls blocking the signal.

After all of this analysis, I have become comfortable with the idea of giving up on the Minis if neither Plan A nor Plan B will work. The Roamio works perfectly in my master bedroom by being connected to the antenna, my surround-sound system, and (via WiFi) to my router. If either Plan A or Plan B will work, however, it would be nice since I already have the Minis.

 

[krkaufman]

I am not as worried as you seem to be about my powerline system.

Wait, have you not even tried the proposed Powerline setup, yet?! With even a single Mini, connected directly to the router?

... by putting the main Roamio unit in the guest bedroom where there is a coaxial cable outlet by the TV...

Ok, so this contradicts your previous statement:

4. I want to put a TV in my guest bedroom which has no ethernet wiring, no cable wiring and no antenna

To confirm, you *do* have an availlable coax outlet in the Guest Bedroom. If so, that Room can be connected via MoCA, for a Mini or the Roamio, leaving only the Master Bedroom to be connected via other means.

Whether you'd relocate the modem/router or Powerline adapter to the Guest Bedroom would be dependent on whether doing so would improve overall network performance.

Do you have any other rooms with available, unused coax outlets?

 

[krkaufman]

The Roamio works perfectly in my master bedroom by being connected to the antenna, my surround-sound system, and (via WiFi) to my router.

How is your Roamio connected to your surround sound system?

If via optical, know that the v1 and v2 Minis do not have digital optical audio out; the new Mini VOX does.

 

[Dansktex]

Everything is connected by HDMI cables including the Minis.

I was not aware of the cable outlet in my guest bedroom until I started getting further into this. Because I don't have cable, when I put a TV in the guest bedroom in August, I just moved the antenna that wasn't working in the kitchen to the guest bedroom and connected it to the TV without looking for a cable outlet. The cable outlet was hidden by a chest of drawers and I didn't find it until following up on all of this.

I did test the powerline when I first got the Tivos. It didn't work the way I had it set up. That's when I started questioning whether the main Roamio box had to be the one connected to the router, because the test was with the Roamio in the master bedroom connected to the TV, an antenna, and the powerline; a Mini in the kitchen connected to the TV, the router, and the powerline; and a Mini in the guest bedroom connected to the TV and the powerline. It was totally dead. I started this thread. Before I bought the Minis, I was advised that the setup like that (with a Mini rather than the main Roamio unit connected to the router) should work. When it didn't, I started questioning whether it was because the main Roamio had to be the one connected to the router (as well as to the powerline, an antenna, and a TV). Nowhere in the Mini directions could I find a statement indicating this. But that created a complication. There was no place for all of those connections. Then, as I was into this discussion round, I found the cable outlet in the guest bedroom which meant that the modem and router could be moved there. I have not tried moving everything to the guest bedroom yet. It will create a mess trying to put the main Roamio, the modem, the router, and a home VOIP phone master unit that also has to be connected to the router all on top of a chest of drawers with the TV. Before doing that, as a part of this process with this thread, I realized that everything boiled down to Plan A or Plan B with the present powerline setup with my hopes that Plan A (moving only the main Roamio unit) would work because it is simpler. It depends on the answer to a question that has been in many of my posts which I don't believe has ever been answered directly:

Does it have to be the main Roamio box that is connected to the router, or can it be one of the Tivo Minis? Plan A is based on the hope that only the main Roamio unit has to be moved to the guest bedroom while the Mini in the kitchen is connected to the router. Plan B is based on the possibility that the system will only work if the main Roamio box is the one connected to the router meaning that the modem, the router, the VOIP telephone unit and the main Roamio unit have to be moved to the guest bedroom. (In both instances, all Tivo units would be plugged into the powerline system.)

I am going to mail the main Roamio unit to Tivo to be replaced today. When I disconnect it in the master bedroom, I will connect a Mini there and try the main Roamio unit in the guest bedroom without moving the modem, router, etc. If that works, my problem is solved using the powerline setup. If it doesn't, then when I get the replacement unit back, I will go to the effort of moving everything to the guest bedroom to see if that works. If it does, fine. If it doesn't, as I said in my last post, I will just keep the main Roamio unit in my master bedroom and forget about using the Minis in the kitchen and the master bedroom. Since there is way to try the alternative cable setup in the master bedroom where I watch TV almost all the time, it is not a consideration.

 

[krkaufman]

My previous post answered your question fairly directly. The Guest Room should be connected via MoCA, and whether you relocate the Roamio or Internet gear is optional.

A direct question unanswered is whether you have any other rooms/locations with unused coax outlets. So far you only have coax outlets in the Kitchen, Guest Room and an inconvenient, unusable location in the Master Bedroom. But then this line of questioning would be attempting to optimize your setup via implementation of MoCA, which you're looking to avoid.

So try the Powerline setup and see how it goes. I don't see a reason that your proposed Powerline setup would prevent basic recognition of the other TiVo boxes, presuming the Powerline connections are verified as functioning; I'm just skeptical that Powerline will reliably support (simultaneous) Mini streaming -- the same skepticism voiced by a majority of respondents to your original thread -- and so would look to minimize its use, using a superior technology where possible. Also note that some who have failed with Powerline fared better by upgrading their Powerline units. YMMV. Good luck.

 

[fyodor]

This is a stupid question, but if your Roamio was previously configured to connect via wireless, have you gone to your Roamio and switched its network connection to ethernet so that it can connect via the Powerline-Ethernet bridge?

Also, "totally dead" isn't terribly helpful. What does that entail? Could the first Mini, which I understand to be connected to the router through Ethernet get an Internet connection? Could it access youtube, etc? What about the other mini?

 

[JoeKustra]

This is a stupid question, but if your Roamio was previously configured to connect via wireless, have you gone to your Roamio and switched its network connection to ethernet so that it can connect via the Powerline-Ethernet bridge?

It's not stupid. Wireless is not permitted if there is an active Ethernet cable attached. Just connecting Ethernet turns off wireless. There is no provision to have both active.

 

[krkaufman]

There is no provision to have both active.

Too funny. It had been nagging me for days trying to remember the term used by ISPs for the back-end authorization of modems, formerly a manual process but now often automated. Thank you.

 

[JoeKustra]

Too funny. It had been nagging me for days trying to remember the term used by ISPs for the back-end authorization of modems, formerly a manual process but now often automated. Thank you.

I try to differentiate between pairing, which make the card happy with your box and feed, and provisioning, which I feel is the way the card handles the channels. My card is paired, but not provisioned for 2/3 of the available channels.

Since it was paired at one time, another card I have has a VAL: ?, but still works. I changed the hard drive again.

I have a friend on Comcast. I gave her an old modem a while back. I was amazed that there was a display that pops up and gives instructions on making the modem work. They even updated the firmware.

 

[randywalters]

As for the loud humming/grinding sound issue, it's probably a bad cooling fan and if so i'd be more inclined to just replace it myself instead of shipping the Tivo back and all the hassle of exchanging it etc. Super easy to replace the fan, and it's cheap.