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Internet Connection Sharing?

2718 Views 10 Replies 5 Participants Last post by  MrSkippy53
Hi, everyone. I'm new to this community and need some helpful advise. My daughter gave me her used Tivo Series 2 DVR and lifetime activation. So far so good, but here's the problem preventing me from setting it up. i do not have a landline phone, nor do I have a home computer with ISP. I have an Iphone and a Toshiba netbook, both with data/internet through AT&T. I do not have WiFi. I do not want a landline nor do I want another ISP. So, does anyone out there have ideas about how I can set up my Tivo so I can start using it? Thanks for your help!
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If you can tether your iPhone, you should be able to connect to a TiVo network adaptor. Since your 'net access to the TiVo won't be "always on" you'll need to manually connect to the TiVo network periodically.

If you can't tether your iPhone and your netbook has a wireless card on board, you may be able to create an access point through it connecting your TiVo with your AT&T card.
Here's a link within the forum to a method using the serial port on the Series 2

http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/archive/index.php/t-173693.html
Hi, everyone. I'm new to this community and need some helpful advise. My daughter gave me her used Tivo Series 2 DVR and lifetime activation. So far so good, but here's the problem preventing me from setting it up. i do not have a landline phone, nor do I have a home computer with ISP. I have an Iphone and a Toshiba netbook, both with data/internet through AT&T. I do not have WiFi. I do not want a landline nor do I want another ISP. So, does anyone out there have ideas about how I can set up my Tivo so I can start using it? Thanks for your help!
Do you have a nice neighbor who has a phone line? If so, you could do the initial setup at their house where you put in your zip code and then tell them which cable company you have (It doesn't have to be connected to the cable company for that) and it does the initial data download.

That'll be enough to get you started so you can take it back home and figure out how to connect it to the internet for future data downloads.
you all have given me things to try and i really appreciate it. much of it i don't understand, but, in time, i will (i hope). i do have a wonderful neighbor who still has a landline. if i do what is suggested, how does it affect my neighbor, or does it at all? i would hope not! that neighbor also has some sort of sateliite hooked to their house. if they have satellite tv, is that another way to connect?

again, thank you sooo much for the suggestions.
stuxnet, my netbook has an internal modem, is that what you're talking about? don''t understand how i would use it to connect. what would i do?
The Serial PPP thing can be kind of complicated to get working (as I found out). I got mine working on a Series 1 Philips unit but I would suspect that the Series 2 should be similar. Here is a link to my adventures (and finally success) that included a couple of things that don't necessarily show up in the "cookbook" versions in the forum.

http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=463149
you all have given me things to try and i really appreciate it. much of it i don't understand, but, in time, i will (i hope). i do have a wonderful neighbor who still has a landline. if i do what is suggested, how does it affect my neighbor, or does it at all? i would hope not! that neighbor also has some sort of sateliite hooked to their house. if they have satellite tv, is that another way to connect?

again, thank you sooo much for the suggestions.
You need a regular telephone cable (the thing with the modular plug at both ends) and a jack to plug it into at your neighbor's house. The other end goes in the back of the TiVo.

You'll need some way to hook the TiVo up to a TV so you can see the screen, and of course an electrical outlet to plug the TiVo power cord into.

You don't need to hook the TiVo up to cable or satellite or an antenna in order to re-do guided setup (if you're in the same zip code and have the same cable company as your daughter, you don't even need to re-do guided setup).

Oh, if your neighbor is really nice, and has a wireless router, and lives close enough, they might let you make your TiVo a member of their network (you'll need a wireless adapter for the TiVo, you might find the TiVo brand one on Craigslist for $25 or so) and let it get its guide data over their internet connection. It doesn't take very long, maybe 30-60 seconds, so it shouldn't inconvenience them at all noticably.
stuxnet, my netbook has an internal modem, is that what you're talking about? don''t understand how i would use it to connect. what would i do?
A modem wouldn't help, as it requires a phone line.

If your netbook has wireless capability, you should be able to connect to a wifi source with your AT&T device removed, or turned off, for example at a Starbucks...

The easiest way is to "borrow" a friend's or neighbor's wireless signal, connecting through a TiVo wireless network adaptor (see my original post for link). As long as you're only downloading programming menus, and not surfing YouTube, Pandora, etc., you should have a minimal impact on their network.
You stated your laptop has data through att.. Connect your TiVo to your laptop via the Ethernet (You may need to use a crossover cable depending on your network card on laptop). In win xp go through the Internet connection sharing wizard. The TiVo must be connected to laptop when running wizard.

After you finish your TiVo will be connected to the Internet via enet and you att data (assuming att USB modem).

A friend of mine just did with his driod tethered to His laptop and enet to TiVo. The trick was having TiVo connected to laptop when running the wizard.

You can do the same with your iPhone if you jail break the iPhone and install MyWi....
Ps with with jailbroken iPhone and MyWi app you can tether to your laptop via USB, wifi or Bluetooth. I prefer USB because it charges iPhone while you are tethered. Other wise your batt on iPhone drains rather quick because you are using you cell and wifi/Bluetooth radios at the same time.
USB also seems faster....
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