How to setup a new TiVo without a phone

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How to setup a new TiVo without a phone

Since I moved recently, I went with a Vonage phone that works with my cable modem instead of opting for a standard landline from the local teleco. I knew going in that Vonage clearly states: "We do not currently support DirecTV and TiVo."

So instead, I checked around the TiVo Community and noticed a lot of people happy with their Linksys wusb11 wireless adapter. The problem I found tonight is one of the first steps in the guided setup requires a call to TiVo. All the TiVo docs about getting your machine on a LAN present screens from a fully functioning Tivo, and there didn't seem to be a way around it in the setup.

I decided to call customer service and get the secret backdoor to skipping the call. The customer service phone number listed on the TiVo site has turned into what my friend Merlin dubs "phone jail". You can't hit buttons, skip to a live person, or otherwise get around a slow talking robot that requires you to speak in order to issue commands. Eventually when the robot couldn't help me they gave out the real customer service number: (505) 348-2800. After talking to a human it was revealed that you can't setup a brand-new tivo without a landline. The reason he said, was that TiVo doesn't ship all new units with the 4.0 OS, and without it, LAN connectivity doesn't function. He said that hopefully in the next six months, setups without phonelines would be possible, but currently it was not.

by Matt Haughey July 16, 2003 in SuperTiVo Project, TiVo

Comments

Odd, I used a non-4.0 Tivo to do just that, with a linksys wet11 to boot! Here is the link

Hope that helps.

Posted by: Noel D. Jackson at Jul 16, 2003 10:06:58 PM

Yeah, I suspected it wasn't a 4.0-only condition, though I am using the usb-to-wireless adapter.

I'm sure it'll work fine after I get through the first setup call, but unfortunately that seems to require a landline.

Posted by: Matt Haughey at Jul 16, 2003 10:13:29 PM

ugh. i just went through this myself. i ended up just talking the whole unit to work and calling from there. i got the 4.0 upgrade over a landline and then brought it home and it worked fine with over the network.

Posted by: mike monteiro at Jul 16, 2003 10:44:25 PM

It took many frustrating attempts, but I was actually able to get my Series 1 TiVo to successfully dial out over Vonage, and now it works just fine. Before I got it to work I was trying to figure out which would have cost less money: upgrading my TiVo to a series 2, or getting a landline.

Posted by: Peter at Jul 17, 2003 7:51:14 AM

Peter, did you do anything special, or just keep trying over and over again?

Posted by: Matt Haughey at Jul 17, 2003 8:48:46 AM

It just worked for me, with a discounted Compaq USB to Ethernet adapter that I picked up for $6 at Best Buy. :-) Sorry you didn't have as good luck with it. My new series 2 has never been hooked up to a telephone line... And I'm much happier that way. :)

Posted by: AlanD at Jul 17, 2003 9:03:47 AM

So AlanD, how'd you get around the dialing up screens during setup? Is there a secret code to prompt the machine to use the network instead?

Posted by: Matt Haughey at Jul 17, 2003 9:20:44 AM

Looking at the TiVo Community boards, it appears that new TiVos are shipping with the 3.2 OS, which only supports USB-to-ethernet connections, and guided setup can be run through that if you put in ,#401 as your dialing prefix.

My problem is that I've bought TiVo's suggested wireless usb adapter, but it requires the 4.0 OS to function (it can't get an IP without it), which they don't ship on new TiVos.

So I either need to go over to a friend's house and borrow their phone and TV for a few hours, or I need to go buy a wired usb ethernet adapter.

Posted by: Matt Haughey at Jul 17, 2003 9:42:52 AM

I tried it many, many times with different dialing prefixes and settings, and finally just tried it without anything, just dialing the eleven digit number normally, and after a few tries that worked. Since then it's been fine. I wish I knew exactly why it worked.

Posted by: Peter at Jul 17, 2003 5:49:29 PM

On the Tivo boards, a few mentioned success with Vonage and the Directivo series 1 units, by slowing down the modem in the tivo to 9600kbps (using the ,#036 hack).

Someone summed the problem up pretty well as "a tivo connects through an analog modem to send digital bits, the line is digital and accepts the analog signal, which moves to vonage's server to be converted back to analog, which then route to tivo's servers where they are converted back into digital information." Sounds like a lot of chances for error.

Posted by: Matt Haughey at Jul 17, 2003 5:56:22 PM

Just had to post b/c I went through this hell a couple weeks ago. Mine shipped with 3.2 and would not connect to my WiFi with the backdoor. Since I don't have a landline I finally took it to a friend's house and hogged their line for a couple of hours. The unit said it wanted 8 hours by itself so I had to leave it overnight. Another hour or so the next day to d/l the Home Media Option, etc. and I was ready to go. Got it home and worked flawlessly with WiFi/WEP.

A big hassle, but it was worth it. The HMO was worth it, as well. Being able to browse my iPhoto library on TV is wonderful -- especially with a group of people. No more huddling around a photo album.

Posted by: Scott M. at Jul 18, 2003 7:19:51 AM

Just called Tivo Tech support using a dialing prefix of
,#401
(that's comma pound four zero one)
will cause it to guided setup through the USB via broadband internet

Posted by: mikerccie at Jul 24, 2003 2:05:22 PM

Yeah mike, I mentioned that in my write-up about the Series 2 Tivo (at the end, under the headline "lowlights")

Posted by: Matt Haughey at Jul 24, 2003 4:49:39 PM

I just wanted to add my experience to the list: With my Tivo Series 2, which I bought on 8/22/2003 and which contains the 3.2 OS, I was unable to complete guided setup using the Linksys USB200M USB-Ethernet adapter and ",#401" backdoor. Evidently, according to the Tivo Community forums, 3.2 doesn't has the necessary drivers for this new Linksys adapter.

I then went and bought an older adapter, the Belkin USB F5D5050, which worked perfectly, on the first try, using the backdoor.

Posted by: Michael at Aug 22, 2003 6:54:30 PM

I've just read all your comments and I'm gonna risk getting a Tivo without having a phone line. Thanks guys! Wish me luck.

Posted by: Mat at Sep 29, 2003 3:31:11 PM

I'm tyring a brand new series 2 with the linksys 200M adapter and it will not connect. no clue what software version, bought on 10/4/03. it's being sent to a friends, and an email's getting sent to tivo for not being much, much more forthcoming about this. i wouldn't be pissed if they'd told me up front, but they didn't - and I've gone from a tivo lover to a 'well, we'll see if i like it now that i've got it after a couple migranes' person.

Posted by: tara at Oct 4, 2003 4:49:18 PM

Thanks for the info. I got a new series 2 as a gift (purchased in late august '03), and couldn't get it setup w/o a landline. But with the setup code (,#401), it worked instantly. I am using an SMC wired ethernet adapter (model #smc2208usc/eth).

Posted by: sandeep at Oct 4, 2003 11:19:53 PM

Tara, unfortunately if you don't have a USB ethernet adapter, you'll need a phoneline to update to the latest 4.0 OS so you can use the wireless adapters. And it certainly does suck that TiVo doesn't ship all new units with the 4.0 OS.

Posted by: Matt Haughey at Oct 5, 2003 12:46:09 AM

Unfortunately my series 2 shipped with version 3.2 OS as well and the ,#401 backdoor didn't work with my Linksys USB200M USB-Ethernet adapter, so I lugged the box over to a friend's place and after the 8 hours of loading and thinking, i'm still stuck with version 3.2 software. Can anyone help me figure out what i have to do to get the version 4.0 OS that'll support my wireless network?

Posted by: Mike at Oct 9, 2003 8:35:39 PM

I found that you just have to keep forcing an update over and over. It took leaving the box at a friend's house overnight to get the new OS.

Posted by: Matt Haughey at Oct 10, 2003 12:45:31 AM

I am thinking of buying a tivo but have no phone line. If I get a SMC wired ethernet adapter and just plug it in to my computer will this be all I need to do? I don't want to have to use a phone for setup at all. Is this possible?

Posted by: Will at Oct 13, 2003 9:11:38 PM

I just bought a series 2 TiVo and a Linksys WUSB11 but I could not find version 2.6 only 3.0. The light shows up on the Linksys for power and link but I cannot not see it from my router and the networking option is not avaiable in setup. I would have though a minor version upgrade to the USB wireless NIC would not be such a big deal. There should be a way to update the drivers so this version will work. I have asked TiVo to send me the beta for the 2.8 version of this wireless NIC but they say it takes up to five days for this. TiVo should have better support for more NIC cards, why should this be so difficult.

Posted by: Dan at Dec 1, 2003 3:03:07 PM

Hey, this has been very informative. I want a tivo for chrismas but live in Fairbanks alaska where there is no local number. My question is how long is the initial call for the update if the ,#401 does not work??

Posted by: ed at Dec 6, 2003 5:15:04 PM

Hey- I have a DirectTV Hughes HDVR2, and I wanted to get rid of my home phone, as I'm just blowing cash better spent on a cell phone. The system is showing as 3.1. Is there any way I can connect this machine to my broadband service? When you say you force a system upgrade to 4.0, how do you go about doing that? I guess I'm wondering why I would have to take it over to a friends place for 1-2 days.

Thanks-
Chris

Posted by: Chris at Dec 7, 2003 8:26:09 PM

Unfortunately, the TiVo 4.0 OS isn't available for the directivo system. You can operate a DirecTiVo system without a phone line just fine though, it's how I've got mine set up. The TiVo gets all its guide data via the satellite, the only feature you lose is the ability to order pay per view.

Go ahead and ditch the phone line.

Posted by: Matt Haughey at Dec 7, 2003 9:26:44 PM

Thanks for your help!

Posted by: Chris at Dec 8, 2003 8:18:17 PM

Chris,

DO NOT DITCH THE PHONE LINE..... Yet! If you ditch the phone line, your DTiVo (Direct Tivo) will not work.

Matt was partially correct in that some guide data is downloaded via your satellite, but it only downloads a couple days in advance (2 to 3, days I can't remember exactly what it is of the top of my head). I just recently bought the Hughes DTiVo box for my main room and an RCA D-receiver for a second TV. The RCA does not even receive an eight the program guide data my TiVo gets. If you do ditch the line without providing some other means of updating, advanced TiVo features such as season pass and extended schedules will no longer work and you essentially have the equivalent of a glorified VCR.

Direct TV currently has the USB ports on your box deactivated because they do not want you to use a local area network to get your program updates. The reason being is because your Hughes DTiVo box only has one modem that is used for both DirecTV and TiVo updates. If you discontinue using that modem for program updates then the DirecTV portion of your box will also stop updating itself. DirecTV does not want that to happen. In fact in some extreme cases, DirecTV has been known to suspended accounts because of their inability to communicate with at least on of your receivers (but that is rare).

Now with that said, Matt was also correct in that OS 4.0 is not available for your box, but all is not lost. You can hack your receiver. No, I do not mean hack the receiver to steal your service, that is not what true hacking is all about (despite what the media likes to tell you). However, you can break into the DTiVo box to activate your USB ports and then attach an Ethernet or Wireless adapter. How you ask... well the folks at TiVo were kind enough to use the Linux operating system to run everything. And where there is Linux, there are a ton of Techies trying to give it more power (the sitcom "Home Improvement" comes to mind).

If this interests you visit http://www.tivocommunity.com and http://www.tivostuff.com/downloads/fileinfo.asp?sort=name. Specifically, you will be looking for guides of how to hack your DTiVo using the "monte method for OS 3.1.1b". I just applied that hack to my Hughes DTiVo today and it works perfectly. I not only have approximately 230 hours of recording time (I bought the 35 hour HDVR2 and upgraded for much less than the cost of the 100 hour HDVR2), but I also have network connectivity and TiVoWeb (an open source hack that the 4.0 Home Media Option was more than likely based off of). Although as a warning, this will void your warranty (but if you shopped right, you probably got your DTiVo for free after rebates, so no big loss). Also, Linux is not MS Windows so it will require a little reading and following the provided instructions to the exact "T".

Hope this helps. Good luck.

Posted by: Cuervas at Dec 13, 2003 11:31:39 PM

Cuervas, I've read about monte a good deal and seen disc images floating around. Are there any monte images with the background problem solved?

Posted by: Matt Haughey at Dec 13, 2003 11:40:18 PM

Matt,

I didn't encounter any problems with missing backgrounds. That particular issue actually arises when completly overwrite your active root partition with the 3.1.U5 File system, which mostly doesn't work.

TiVo has two sets of kernel and root file systems (in linux speak hda3,hda4 or hda6,hda7 partitions). Only one of those sets is active at a time. Under non hacked conditions, the other is normally used to store software updates. Once the software has be fully downloaded, your tivo will automatically reboot (during sleeping hours) and switches itself to boot to other partition set.

The monte method uses this to its advantage. You load the old 3.1.U5 into the non active partition set long enough for some pass digital signiture file checking done motherboard PROM. Once all has passed, the monte method will contiune booting from the real operating system 3.1.1b or greater with all your backgrounds.

Visit http://www.tivostuff.com/downloads/fileinfo.asp?sort=name, and download the file "genTiVo_HackPack.zip" (I beleive that is the one for Stand Alone units), I used the book "Hacking the Tivo" and the file "montestuff.zip" from the above site to hack my DTiVo. If you have any furthore questions, then register an account with www.tivocommunity.com and then send me a Personal Message (same username). I am more likely to respond to that since it sends my email inbox notifications (no, the email linked to my username on this board is not my true address). Also, there are many much more knowlegable people than I at tivocommunity.com (MuscleNerd, Alldeadhomiez, KRavEN, etc.). These people are the magic behind all these wonderfull hacks.

Cuervas

Posted by: Cuervas at Dec 14, 2003 12:32:57 AM

What is the second USB port for on the DirecTV Tivo Philips DVR?

I just tried the D-Link usb 2.0 adapter with the ,#401 dial prefix and no go. Probably need to find the Belkin USB adapter to get this to work. My tivo version is 3.1xxxx.

Posted by: pantinor at Dec 20, 2003 3:16:09 PM

Cuervas,

Been acumulating information to do the Monte hack on my HDVR2... Was wondering what wireless USB ethernet adapter you got working? Looks doable to me, but it always helps to have a veteran's advise!

Posted by: Thomas Boyd at Dec 20, 2003 7:16:37 PM

is it possible to use the directv dvr to record movies that you are watching without subscriping to tivo. I just want to use it as a regular recorder. Like my old VCR....

Posted by: glenn at Dec 25, 2003 11:50:00 AM

i bought the smc 2208 wired ethernet adapter for tivo series 2 and it worked fine. linksys usb200m didn't work.

Posted by: Shawn at Dec 27, 2003 12:37:26 PM

I purchased a new Tivo (v3.2.x) and the linksys USB wired adapter USB200M didn't work. I returned it and purchased the belkin f5d5050 adapter and it worked great. Just remember to use the ,#401 dialing prefix.

Posted by: Seth Ladd at Dec 28, 2003 11:27:24 AM

Hello, quick question to you Tivo pioneers,
How are you guys inputting the ,#401 dialing prefix? There are only 3 blanks and how do I even input a "," and "#" from my Tivo remote? Thanks.

Posted by: Marty at Jan 2, 2004 11:04:20 AM

I have the new series 2 tivo and use vonage for my phone system, so I was not able to make the initial phone call. I hooked my tivo up to my wired network using the belkin adapter, and it didn't work. I then turned off the tivo and turned it back on with the adapter in, and it worked using ,#401 as the dialing prefix. Good luck everyone!

Posted by: Alex at Jan 2, 2004 1:30:41 PM

I am trying to do the Initial Guided Setup via a broadband connection and it won't work. Tried the 100M and now bought the Belkin 5050. Both get to "Dialing..." but then tell me "Failed. Could not Connect." My router is working fine and is assigning an IP to it, but it just won't go!!

Posted by: Johnny at Jan 8, 2004 1:07:11 PM

Question: How are you guys inputting the ,#401 dialing prefix? There are only 3 blanks and how do I even input a "," and "#" from my Tivo remote? Thanks.

Answer: The ,#401 is a dialing prefix, but the 3 blanks you are talking about is the area code.

Posted by: Tim at Jan 11, 2004 11:56:35 AM

Tim, I mentioned it on another post, but forgot to mention it here. Here is how you enter ",#401" into a TiVo's three digit area code:

[pause] [enter] 4 0 1.

Posted by: Matt Haughey at Jan 11, 2004 12:14:00 PM

I purchased a Tivo series 2 (v4.0) and the linksys USB wired adapter USB200M. Using the ,#401 dialing prefix broandband setup worked like a charm.

Posted by: Troy Dulinsky at Jan 11, 2004 1:16:58 PM

My problem must be that I have a pre-4.0 Series 2. Waiting for my phoneline to be hooked up later this week. :-(

Posted by: Johnny at Jan 12, 2004 9:04:58 AM

THANK YOU! I recently moved and needed to change the zip code and satellite provider but do not have a land line as I have vonage. My tivo is running os version 4+ so it was previously using the wireless connection for updates at my old address. I used the code ,#401 and it worked beautifully over the internet. :-)

Posted by: Robert at Jan 21, 2004 8:12:18 PM

I just bought a Tivo Series 2 on 1/26/2004 and the Linksys WUSB11 v. 3.0. The Tivo series 2 I got was just new from the factory so it's the latest that Tivo is producing in terms on the pre-installed OS. I have a Vonage line so wanted to use it over the network. The Tivo came with 4.0.1 OS pre-installed. I learned that that OS is directly compatible with the WUSB11, but only with version 2.6. After looking repeatedly at my local Best Buy, I was only able to find versions 2.8 and 3.0 for the WUSB11 product and not the required 2.6. I bought the 3.0 version of it.

I initially tried using the guided setup with the ,#401 dialing prefix, but that did not work as I expected because Tivo itself says on its website that only 2.6 works. But I tried it anyway. I then tried dialing out over the Vonage line hoping that it would work. I even used their highest bandwidth setting, but all to no avail. I also tried the other hacks to slow down the Tivo modem, but that still didn't work.

So I took the box over to a friend's house and did the guided setup there. That only took about 5 minutes to download and then about 25 minutes for the Tivo to "process." I then tried again to use the WUSB11 3.0 device and it didn't work. I then learned on Tivo's website that the Tivo pre-installed with version 4.0 OS doesn't inherently support those drivers for the 3.0 and 2.8 versions, and that I needed an update to 4.0.1B. I then found the site on Tivo through "www.tivo.com/network" where to can force an update on the next time it dials up. I went to the site and submitted my service number to them. The site said that it would take 2 business days. I didn't want to wait that long and leave my box there, so for curiosity I attempted connecting right then while at my friend's house. It downloaded for about 25 minutes, and then restarted itself to install its new software update. Low and behold upon checking I had OS 4.0.1 B! I plugged in the WUSB11 device and restarted the Tivo so it could detect my Wi-Fi device. A new selection appeared in the Phone and Network Setup menu option for Wireless. I then added in my SSIS router name and my 128-bit hexadecimal password to access it, and it connect immediately and flawlessly the first time.

Now it doesn't need a real phone line ever again, and my service updates are downloaded in about 20 seconds. It's great! I decided to re-do the Guided Setup to see if it was able to do that now directly w/o the phone and it was after now entering the ,#401 code for the prefix.

So having OS 4.0 which came pre-installed did not give me the ability to use the 2.8 or 3.0 wireless versions of the WUSB11 adaptor until I updated to 4.0.1b. It seems that some USB to ethernet adaptors (non-wireless) do work with lower versions of the Tivo, but not the current Wi-Fi devices sold. Those require an update.

If you want this type of configuration and do NOT have a phone line or have the Vonage line (which works EXCELLENT for real voice and fax calls by the way), you must borrow a friend's or family's REAL phone line until the Tivos come pre-installed with 4.0.1b.

Good luck everyone.

Posted by: Jason at Jan 28, 2004 3:16:47 PM

Robert wrote: ""I then found the site on Tivo through "www.tivo.com/network" where to can force an update on the next time it dials up. I went to the site and submitted my service number to them. The site said that it would take 2 business days.""

Where on the site? I guess my problem is that I have the direcTV Series 2 unit, running 3.11B

Seems the easiest way, albiet the most expensive also, is to just swap drives from one of the vendors like TVREVO.COM, or Hinsdale

I'm esspecialy interested in utilizing the USB port on this unit to save and port the saved programs to a dvd for my portable DVD player that I use while on the road

Posted by: Spaceshot2000 at Jan 31, 2004 6:56:57 AM

Spaceshot, that slight update will only work with series 2 non-DirecTiVo units.

Posted by: Matt Haughey at Jan 31, 2004 11:16:13 AM

Thanks for everyone's help!

I had a Tivo Series2 with software v3.2. I followed Tivo support's own advice and bought the Linksys USB200-M. Well, using the ,#401, this did NOT work.

Thanks to the posting on this forum, I then went and bought an older adapter, the Belkin USB F5D5050. This worked PERFECTLY with the backdoor!

Better yet, my Tivo immediately updated itself to 4.0 over the next couple of days, and now the Linksys works again. I will be able to return the Belkin and save the $35 bucks I never should have had to spend.

Thanks again....

Posted by: Eric at Feb 1, 2004 7:03:21 AM

Right. The 4.0.1 B update only works on the stand-alone Tivo Series 2 devices.

All of the DirecTivo units (series 1 and series 2) do NOT have their USB ports activated. So even if you do have the latest software update on them, they will not work since DirecTV has control and has decided to not support the USB ports. Maybe this will be added in the future???

UPDATE: There is a new option that I have discovered however. Having the Vonage line not being compatible for my Tivos, I had added in the WUSB11 v3.0 device to my stand-alone series 2 box and it had worked well (see my posting 2 spots above), but I also have a DirecTivo series 1 device that supposedly requires a phone line.

I did a little experiment. And it turns out that you do NOT need a phone line plugged into a DirecTivo!!!

It instead grabs its Program Guide Data from the satellite signal. All of the Season Passes and so forth still work perfectly. It turns out that it only dials up to order Pay-per-view so you will lost that. But once your guided setup has been completed using a real phone line, and if you don't care about ordering Pay-per-view (I don't, and just use Netflix), then you can unplug the phone cord from it. So you actually don't need a wireless adaptor or USB to ethernet adaptor as long as you only care about Program Guide Data. It's downloaded from satellite and to confirm that this is true go to System Information, and you'll see it.

I unplugged my DirecTivo Series 1 last week and I'm still getting program guide updates through my satellite dish connection.

But remember, no Pay-per-view, and no new software updates unless it's connected to a phone line. Software updates aren't an issue anymore since the DirecTivo Series 1 isn't being updated anymore and I previously got the latest version.

So this might be a good option for you. Or at least you can try it and see how it works.

Hope this helps.

-Jason

Posted by: Jason at Feb 3, 2004 6:43:15 AM

Video extraction to a DVD is possible, but according to Tivo and the industry is illegal and from what I've heared is very hard to do. If you don't care about losing some minor quality, you can still save your Tivo programs to DVD either through purchasing that new DVD-Recorder/Tivo unit which sells for like $600-$800 dollars or so, OR you can plug a computer capture card into the output and burn it onto a DVD. Computer-based DVD recorders have gone WAY down in price. I got my parents one for $80 dollars (4x DVD +/- RW combo). You then capture it using Dazzle or whatever you use, and then author it for burning. It requires a good deal of time on your part however.

The best way to record your Tivo programs onto DVD is probably to purchase that new combo DVD-R Tivo unit. You can read reviews of them at www.cnet.com. They currently have a whole comparison between every DVR made.

Good luck,

Posted by: Jason at Feb 3, 2004 6:50:18 AM

but according to Tivo and the industry is illegal

I want to make it perfectly clear that it's not illegal to record programs and transfer them to another format. There are no laws being broken, period. I can tape a show onto a VCR tape and make a DVD out of it, or digitize it and make it a mpeg on my computer completely legally.

Since video extraction may or may not lead to people trading shows, TiVo, Replay, Comcast, and Time Warner are doing their best to make it nearly impossible to do it, but again, it's not against the law.

Posted by: Matt Haughey at Feb 3, 2004 8:58:03 AM

Here's the website as requested that places your Tivo at top priority to receive the latest update, 4.0.1B.

http://research.tivo.com/401bpriority/401bpriority.html

Posted by: Jason at Feb 7, 2004 5:07:14 PM

Any successfully using Tivo in Canada? We get everything last. Thanks to the posts above, I'm sure I could get it to work with my home network, but will it be able to get appropriate channel/programming info for my area? I'm on Rogers digital cable in Toronto.

And where is the best place for me to buy a Tivo? eBay? I don't think Amazon will ship them out of the U.S.A.

Any help would be appreciated.

Posted by: Warren at Feb 10, 2004 10:42:34 AM

HELP!! Just bought a Tivo Series 2 and don't have a landline. I use Vonage and am unable to get through the initial setup call. I keep getting the "Failed. Could not connect". I even retunred my D-Link USB Adapter for a Linksys WUSB11 v2.8 and the #401 doesn't work. Anyone have any suggestions? Other than going to a friends with a land line....

Posted by: Keith at Feb 14, 2004 8:36:28 PM

Hey all, I just bought a tivo today and was able to get through setup with my vonage line. I tried some of the dialing prefixes mentioned here but none of them seemed to have any effect.

Finally i just went for the brute force approach and kept retrying over and over again. It took a couple of hours but just as I was about to give up hope and pack up the tivo so I could bring it to work tomorrow it managed to keep a connection and finish it's download. It's doing the 8 hour data load thing right now and everything works great.

Posted by: Mike Akers at Feb 18, 2004 11:10:19 PM

I just bought a rca directv tivo reciever will the ,#401 work for me since I do not have a phone line? and what else do I need to buy?

Posted by: wartecus at Mar 8, 2004 12:37:55 PM

I just bought a toshiba Tivo series 2 with dvd. Hooked it up to my vonage phone line and got it working. It did take a few tries, but it works just fine. Since my unit has a DVD player I get the tivo basic service for free. Great deal for $250.00.

Posted by: Sherri Egyud at Mar 10, 2004 8:01:17 PM

If you are Canadian and you buy a TIVO from the good ole USA I think it will work. I looked on tivo's website and I saw that there are local call in numbers for TIVO here in my province so I guess if someone uses DTV (grey market) then they can get the service. Just pay monthly balance with a credit card and your off and runnin!

Posted by: Sean at Mar 22, 2004 3:22:19 PM

I assume none of the wireless adapters will work with the directivo when your network has WEP enabled?

Posted by: Jon at Apr 12, 2004 5:48:05 AM

Just switched to Vonage and ditched land line. Have a Series 1 Tivo and I don't want to spend money right now on Turbo adaptor or new Series 2. Exactly how can I try slowing down my modem to be more reliable. I'm getting a "busy signal" tally when I know it's not busy...it's just Vonage trying to connect them modem to the local number. Any one do this successfully without hardware mods? I read something about #036?

Posted by: Ray at Apr 22, 2004 7:31:03 PM

ok so I also have a new philips direct tv tivo and VONAGE and also BROADVOICE .... I cant get it to dial out.. I just ordered the serial to modem cable.. will this work? it says I can hook up an external modem and dial out with the modem speed slowed down. has anyone tried this with vonage or broadvoice??

Posted by: Dave at May 4, 2004 1:39:25 AM

I just got the directv dvr phillips 704 and I don't have a land line phone and I don't have vonage or anything just my comcast broadband internet and my cellphone how can I get the damn thing to dial up so I can start recording or connect it to my broadband internet? Please Help

Posted by: Cuddleboie at May 6, 2004 2:20:53 PM

Using Tivo w/ Vonage:

You will probably need to be using the "Fax" line option. This requires you to pay an additional fee, currently ~$9/mo.

The important thing to note is that Vonage voice lines are not meant to carry analog modem signals. However, the *Fax* line option does allow you to do this, a fax being essentially a modem.

I've used both Series 1 (Sony Sat-60) & Series 2 (Samsung SIR-S4040R) DirecTV/Tivo receivers w/ the Vonage fax line and both work fine.

You may also need to drop the modem speed down, Dial prefixes:

Series 1: ,#019 (comma, pound, zero, one nine)

Series 2: ,#034 (comma, pound, zero, three, four)

These are the codes given to me by Vonage tech support. Acutally, I found that my Series 1 works fine w/o the prefix. Try it out, your mileage may vary.

So if you want to use your Tivo w/ Vonage service, you will probably have to get the Fax otion.

HTH

Posted by: cosmo lee at May 28, 2004 1:13:57 AM

I just purchased a Toshiba with DVD-Tivo player and the LINKSYS USB wireless adapter recommended by TiVo (the 802.11b) and after finally getting the "LINK" light to light up (had to drop the firewalls), the Tivo unit still doesn't seem to recognize the network, as the "Messages and Setup" screen on Tivo still isn't presenting me with the "Wireless" option that is supposed to appear once it recognizes the network. I am ready to give up and return everything and Tivo customer service is not available right now. I've tried all the troubleshooting tips to no avail (checked the connections on the adapter, restarted Tivo, etc.). Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. The Tivo software version is 5.1.1. This is just leaving me stumped.

Posted by: David Kekst at May 29, 2004 11:04:09 PM

Forgive the stupid question here but I need advice please. Bought a new Series 2 TiVo and am trying to complete guided setup over Vonage. Got it to do several successful "test phone connection" calls and the "setup call" where it downloads local phone numbers, (with ,#019 and *99 [,#034 doesn't work]), but the "Program call" fails. Won't go through at all in the evenings, but at 5am it will dial, connect, begin "downloading" and continue 1-3 minutes before disconnecting with a "call interrupted" message. I'm finally frustrated enough after 50+ retries that I'm almost willing to go buy a USB/Ethernet adapter and ethernet router and try it that way.... but what is the configuration? What goes where? I have PC, cable modem, Vonage ATA, and TiVo. Any advice would be appreciated. THANKS!

Posted by: Cathy at Jun 1, 2004 5:08:51 PM

I have a hughes hdvr2 with os 3.1.1c running under DTV, what options do i have asa far as upgrades or hacks? any good sites to start looking at?

Posted by: NanoTekk at Jun 8, 2004 9:53:55 PM

So all you people are saying your INITIAL guided setup was successful using ,#401 across a network?
Tried it on a 80hr series2 tivo brand with the Linksys 200M and the Belkin F5D5050 and no luck.
I can get an IP address, but when tivo needs to actually "make the call" it doesn't do anything. Occasionaly I see it doing a broadcast over UDP, but to some unresolvable hostname I'm not remembering.

Is that pretty much it? Plug in, type a magic prefix & pray?
Are there any ways to kickstart this mother or am I failed as a "geek" by having to lug this pos over to "a friend's house" and use their ancient ol' copper?

Seems silly.

Posted by: Lance at Jul 8, 2004 12:02:51 PM

I just got Tivo and it won't work with my Vonage line despite several different prefixes and using a DSL filter in reverse (see posts in broadbandreports.com voip forum). Finally, I just got a null modem cable ($3.99, or more if from Radio Shack) and connected the Tivo to my XP laptop, and set the PPP connection (http://www.tivohelp.com/archive/tivohelp.swiki.net/45.html). It worked great. After it got the update and rebooted, it recognized the Belkin F5D6050 Wireless USB.

Posted by: Upilogue at Jul 8, 2004 3:09:45 PM

i have spent the last two days trying to get this ,#401 thing to work. i have the Belkin F5D5050 usb adapter and have tried two different routers, an Apple Airport Extreme and a Microsoft one. I have ruled out the routers and the cord I am using. I have followed the directions found here and elsewhere on the web with no luck. Can someone help with a step by step on how they got this to work? I've tried resetting the modem, router, the tivo, everything. This is beyond frustrating.

Posted by: eric at Jul 10, 2004 7:26:10 PM

Eric, is your TiVo obtaining an IP address properly? Usually you can tell by checking your router's DHCP tables, or ping the IP range until you find it.

Posted by: Matt Haughey at Jul 10, 2004 9:57:59 PM

Matt, I'm not 100% sure but I think it is. I'm working on a Mac, and I went to Network Utilities and ping'd my range. And was able to ping three addresses, which I assume were my two computers and the tivo. Any specific advice on what to look for on a Mac and using an Airport? And what if I am getting an IP on the tivo?

Posted by: eric at Jul 11, 2004 11:14:07 AM

As a follow up, I worked in the Network Utility some more and I believe that the tivo does have an IP address. I again ping'd the three addresses in use, my two computers and the tivo. While I did this I watched the activity light on the usb tivo adapter. The light didn't do anything when pinging the two computers, but when I did its address, the activity light flashed.

Posted by: eric at Jul 11, 2004 11:23:21 AM

I have Vonage and a Toshiba SD-H400 Tivo and have been trying for two days to complete guided setup via a Linksys USB to Ethernet adapter and the ,#401 prefix with no luck. I decided to try Vonage, and after many tries I was able to get it to work beautifully. The key was adding some extra pauses to the dialing sequence by inserting some more ",' commas in. My solution:
Dialing Prefix : ",#034,"
Call Waiting Prefix : "*99,"
Good luck my fellow voip pioneers!

Posted by: Jonathan at Jul 12, 2004 8:59:33 PM

Follow up to last post: I spoke with Vonage customer support about troubleshooting this problem. The main problem with a modem call over Vonage is packet loss. Only so much packet loss can occur before Tivo thinks the call has been disconnected. If you call Vonage tech support, they can try to adjust your packet sizes to compensate. (This did not work for me, you experience may vary.)

After using the dialing prefix ",#034", and Call Waiting Prefix ",*70,*99" (to supress call waiting and let the Vonage ATA know a modem call is going to be made), I was able to complete the first Tivo call with disconnects still occuring about 33% of the time. After two or three tries, the call was able to complete, and proceed to selecting a cable box and channel lineup.

However, the second call to download the program guide is another story. I am assuming there is much more data to be transferred over this second call, including updating the operating system to the latest version. I must have tried to complete this call 20-30 times over several days. The call would connect and downloading would begin, only to be disconnected due to packet loss. (Of course, the Tivo doesn't tell you that; it says there is no line detected, or the line is busy, or something else. It's software was not developed with this use in mind, so there are no error messages that are appropriate.)

Persistence pays off though, and I finally was able to complete the call successfully. The OS is now 5.1 and supports my ethernet device (both wired and wireless), so no more calls are necessary. I think the Tivo must be able to cache the data it has downloaded with each call and complete the process where it left off each time. Eventually, it finishes. So, if you do not have a land line, and going to a friend's to borrow their POTS is not an option, it IS possible. Just be patient, and keep trying.

Posted by: Jonathan at Jul 15, 2004 5:30:52 AM

Posted by: Jonathan at Jul 15, 2004 5:32:18 AM

Hallo to all. I just bouth a SD-H400, Tivo + DVD player. I also do not have a gournd line. I would deeply appreciate if you guys can help me my quesions:

1) how can I find out what OS version my system is using?
2) Any updates on the #401 seting up without ground line procedures?
3) I am trying to set up TIVO without calling in and so any advise will be deeply appreciated

Thanks!!!

Posted by: Tommy at Jul 15, 2004 11:56:45 PM

Tommy,

My SD-H400 shipped with an OS that did not support networking out of the box. I connected the Tivo to my router via a usb ethernet adapter and tried the ",#401" hack many times without success.

If you do not have neither a land line or a voip (Vonage) line, you will need to use a friend's land line to complete guided setup. The good news is once guided setup is completed, you will have the latest OS which will support networking and you will no longer need a phone line again.

I do not know of a way to identify your OS until guided setup is completed. Once complete you can go to:
Tivo Central -> Messages and Setup -> System Information
to see you OS version. After guided setup, my SD-H400 is running 5.1.1b.

Hope this helps.

Posted by: Jonathan at Jul 16, 2004 4:44:11 AM

Jonathan,
Thank you so much!!! That saves me a lot of time and trouble. I will do exactly what you said. Thank you boss!!!!

Tommy

Posted by: Tommy at Jul 16, 2004 9:36:25 PM

Jonathan,

One more question, I have heard that once you updated the system to 5.1.1b, it automatically remove the Tivo Basic service? Did it happen to you?

Thanks

Tommy

Posted by: Tommy at Jul 16, 2004 10:27:07 PM

Tommy,

Once my SD-H400 finished guided setup and updated to the 5.1.1b OS, Tivo Basic is still the default environment. You should be offered the opportunity to try out a 30 day trial/preview of the Tivo Plus service (sans the Home Media Option or HMO) for free. However, Tivo Basic is still available without monthly charges, and you can cancel the free Plus preview at any time.

I am debating upgrading to Tivo Plus. Season Pass and Wish Lists are nice features. What's more attractive though is that the HMO is free with Plus service now. Being able to program your Tivo from the internet, and playing your mp3 and photo collection through your Tivo is so cool.

Have you been successfull in getting your Tivo setup yet?

Posted by: Jonathan at Jul 19, 2004 5:07:01 AM

I just bought the toshiba tivo from DirectTV and I don't have a phone line or a network set up, and I need to know how to get past the initial set up. Is the only way, to take the tivo to a friends house and plug it in to their phone line for the first call, and then I don't have to worry about it again, or is there another way?

Thankx

Posted by: Dirk at Jul 19, 2004 10:56:52 AM

CNET article mentions VOIP & TIVO problems:

http://news.com.com/The+price+of+VoIP%27s+thriftiness/2100-7352_3-5273275.html?tag=nefd.lede

Posted by: Dan Entin at Jul 19, 2004 12:44:05 PM

Dirk,
I am not an expert on DirecTivo's since I don't have one. Having said that, my friends do. You need a phone line to complete guided setup on a DirecTivo. Without opening the Tivo box and physically hacking the Tivo after completing Guided Setup, you will need a phone line for Tivo's daily call.

Posted by: Jonathan at Jul 20, 2004 4:04:25 AM

I have an RCA DVR40 with software version 3.1. I want to upgrade to 4.0 and can not get updated even using the backdoor code. I have a Linksys usb100m ethernet adapter connected to my router. The router works fine as well as the cable. I have forced may call for an updtae many many times for hours with out any luck. Please Help

Posted by: Doug at Jul 20, 2004 9:53:38 PM

I'm sure this has been asked before, but I'm in a bind. I'm trying to setup a tivo2 and it's just not working. Here's the scenario.

I have a video feed going into my Tivo2. Then I have an output into my computer. If something happens on the feed that I need to capture I can just rewind it and use Adobe premiere to capture what I need....at the same time Tivo2 is still recording, so I won't miss any new events.

I've done this with a TIVO1 at a different site, but I haven't messed with a TIVO2 until now. Is there a way to make TIVO2 do what I want and bypass all the subscription crap?

If anyone can guide me to a link it would be greatly appreciated.

Posted by: chris at Jul 21, 2004 1:36:08 PM

To all who posted,

Thank you for all the help. I recently used the ,# code with my area code to complete my Toshiba SD400 DVR + DVD guided setup via a the linksys wUSB11 (ver 3.0) network adapter.

Here is my saga. Maybe it will help.

I did initially run a guided setup at a friends place with a phone line, but when I brought it home to it didn't work with my cable box. (Settings were wrong, i.e. set to Cable without Box, instead of Cable with Box, etc.) The solution was to run the guided setup again. Alas, I have no phone line. I did previously have the usb network adapter up and running with the tivo, but what did it matter? Cable and tivo were not talking anyway. So close, yet...

Then I found this forum. Scanned the posts to find the multiple references to ",#401" code postings. The sound was off, but I got the jist of it...

Went home to try it. Found the dialing options page in the guided setup. After inserting my area code were the 401 previously was in the code and applying the glorious ",#", Victory. Tivo found my network, and sailed right through the guided setup.

THanks PVRblog forum on How to setup a new Tivo w/o a phone line,...you're the best

Posted by: David Lowe at Jul 29, 2004 7:44:24 AM

Moved from a working wireless configuration with a Series2 to a new residence. Had to rerun the setup in order to let Tivo know new zip code, cable company and so forth. Used the ,#401 with success on the first try. Did not even get to attempting it with my Vonage line. THANKS for the info!

Posted by: StEEvo at Jul 31, 2004 5:54:38 PM

Thank you, thank you, thank you! I was beginning to think that I was going to have to break down and get a phone line for a month just so I could set up my d@#^ TiVo. I found this thread and initially read the code wrong and entered "#401" and it didn't work but I read on and realized that I had missed the "," at the beginning of ",#401". Once I had this entered into the dialing prefix, my TiVo connected right away and was done in less than the time it took me to write this. Thank you one and all.

dave

Posted by: David Courtney at Aug 3, 2004 1:56:03 PM

I have a TiVo series 2 DVR and am using a linksys wireless network to connect to the TiVo service...until last week, that is, when my TiVo became unable to connect for no apparent reason. When I try to connect to the TiVo service, I get to "downloading..." and then after 2-3 minutes and get a message saying "failed to connect." However, when I test the connection, it always succeeds. Meantime, my program info. runs out on Sunday. The tech folks at TiVo were baffled. Any advice?

Posted by: Steve at Aug 3, 2004 3:59:28 PM

Posted by: Steve at Aug 3, 2004 4:01:14 PM

Here's my story:

Same as everyone else ... no land line. "Hello, I'm your shiny new TiVO ... In just a few minutes, you'll enter the exciting world of 21st Century Television. Now, please connect me to a device invented in the 19th century and designed for two HUMANS to speak to each other."

What morons. They have this new thingy .... it's called the INTER-NET." It's designed SPECIFICALLY for COMPUTERS to talk to OTHER COMPUTERS.

I have some questions for TiVo before I send my unit back (btw: I've already instructed Visa to reverse the charges, and they told me they'd be happy to. I'm sending the unit back to you COD via U.S. Mail and I hope they lose it or postman steals it, plugs it in, figures out he needs a landline before it will work and spends as much frustration as I have and decides to just come on down to Tivo HQ and "go postal" rather than try to get service from AT&T.

Here are a few questions.

1) Your website is false and misleading. Why do you insist on touting the TiVo's ability to connect to a home network WHEN IT CANNOT DO THIS WITHOUT A land-based telephone line? I will be forwarding some correspondence to my state attorney general shortly.

2) I understand (now that I am researching everything I can about your product) that FEATURES on my TiVo (such as pressing the Record button) can be TURNED OFF BY YOU WHENEVER YOU WANT in an attempt to extort subscription money from me. I'm pretty sure that making changes to MY COMPUTER that DISABLE features opens up some sticky DMCA and anti-trust issues for your company. I'll be forwarding some correspondence about this shortly to my state Attorney General and to the Anti-Trust Divison of the U.S. Justice Department shortly. Now that they are through with Microsoft, I'm quite sure they have plenty of time to engage your lawyers in some paperwork for $600 an hour.

3) Why would I give you MORE MONEY to get the Home Media Option when the HELP FILE for TiVo Publisher is NOWHERE TO BE FOUND on your site?

4) Touting the "features" of version 4, then shipping me version 3.2 is just sick.

TiVo is NOT READY for prime time yet folks. If you are considering buying one, DON'T do it YET. They have stuffed their channel full of boxes that DON'T WORK AS ADVERTISED. Wait for several more quarters until they've DUMPED all the crap units on poor saps like me.

Oh wait, in another few quarters, WALL STREET will have the stock value down around $2, which is where it belongs.

Get a Panasonic DVR instead or an HP Media Center PC. Neither require you to connect it to anything but your LAN.

Posted by: kevin at Aug 3, 2004 7:19:14 PM

Posted by: Steve at Aug 4, 2004 4:45:13 PM

Posted by: Steve at Aug 4, 2004 4:45:49 PM

Steve, are you still getting an IP on the network and everything?

Posted by: Matt Haughey at Aug 4, 2004 6:23:21 PM

Yup, still getting an IP.

Posted by: Steve at Aug 5, 2004 2:21:55 PM

I have an old Philips Tivo (my 3d) that is no longer supported yet has a lifetime subscription. The modem is dead or dying. I have a broadband modem and Belkins wireless router. Is there anyhope I can get this to work?

Posted by: Lucinda at Aug 7, 2004 11:07:18 AM

Regarding the July 20th post about the RCA DVR40. All direcTivo units have their USB ports DISABLED by default. The only way to activate them is to hack the tivo with new software.

I was hoping to just plug in my DVR40 into a USB adapter and hit a few buttons on the remote as well... no such luck.

Posted by: fastzva at Aug 7, 2004 11:39:06 AM

I've got the Belkin USB-ethernet, approved adapter, i have a Dlink wireless router, ,#401 won't work ,Series 2 TiVo purchased 2 weeks ago. Helllllp

Posted by: Greg at Aug 7, 2004 11:53:11 PM

I've got a question about using a null modem PPP connection. They all just say "attach a null modem." I see a slight problem in not explaining this, in that I can't seem to understand where. The computer uses the serial connection, but what do you connect to the damn TiVo? The mini jack end of the included cable wouldnt work because that port is used only for output to a cable box via that serial cable correct? I don't know that I've ever seen a adapter that turns that type of a cable into a regular phone jack... Is that what has to be done? Or to USB? What's going on?

Posted by: alex at Aug 16, 2004 1:27:00 PM

I just purchased a Toshiba SD-H400 DVD/Recorder, which includes Basic TIVO services. My question (I haven't read the instructional manual yet) what line does the TIVO hook-up into for operating use?

Thanks

Posted by: rich at Aug 17, 2004 2:01:32 PM

No emails please. All I know is in this post.

I got my series 2 tivo to work with vonage this prefix to decrease modem speed down. It will disconnect the first time saying error while configuring, but just call back again and will work fine.

Prefix ,#096

If that is no go, try a fax code *99 also along with it. ie *99,#096

How to connect a null modem by ppp info here:
http://www.tivohelp.com/archive/tivohelp.swiki.net/45.html

hope this helps

Posted by: akr at Aug 19, 2004 10:17:29 PM

Also donot browse the net while tivo is calling. always drops the connection.

Posted by: akr at Aug 19, 2004 10:20:19 PM

OK...here is my problem. I bought a Toshiba H400 yesterday. Plugged it into my Vonage phone line, not knowing about any of these issues posted here, and without doing anything but following the guided setup, was able to setup the unit and download the guide. HOWEVER, during that initial download the latest software did NOT download for whatever reason, and now I am stuck trying to get the software. I have a USB wireless adapter to access my wireless network, but have been trying for hours now to connect through the phone line, using these ",#XXX" codes with no luck. I do not get an option to use my USB link right now, due to old software I suppose.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Posted by: Dave Wagner at Aug 29, 2004 10:33:52 PM

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Posted by: Dave Wagner at Aug 29, 2004 10:35:55 PM

I started reading this thread but figured posting to find an answer would be easier.

I tried the ,#401 thing and it didn't work.

But I used to have my tivo connected at my moms house via phone line and now that i moved its been sitting here for 6 months. I dont have a phone line in my apartment i use my cell phone for talking. But I can not get it to work.

I have a Linksys Router, Tivo Series 2 DVR and a cable modem. Do i need anything else?

Posted by: dusty at Sep 6, 2004 10:20:37 AM

more information: I followed the directions with the ",#401" dialing prefix, but was still having problems with tivo recognizing the network. Then I read on another source that the adapter must be plugged into tivo before any of the initial setup has begun. Since I was already in the setup, this seemed to be an impossible requirement. Here's how I restarted the setup:

I "arrowed" back to the beginning of the setup and noticed the option for "demo" setup (for retailers.) I chose that. The tivo then sets itself up to play a video loop of a commercial for tivo. After that was done initializing, I then immediately powered off/on the tivo and a new set of prompts were listed. I then chose to reconfigure this "demo" unit for consumer use. After that completed, the initial setup that I had previously started was gone; the setup was again clean. I plugged in the adapter, restarted the tivo, and started the initial setup along with entering the dialing prefix ",#401" and everything worked perfectly.

I used the linksys 200M with the toshiba sd-h400.

Thanks so much for the great information you all and good luck to those who are still working out issues with network functionality.

Posted by: Joshua at Sep 12, 2004 10:04:54 AM

Okay then.

Here's what I got:
toshiba sd-h400 (nice!)
Netgear MA111 wireless adapter.

Here's what I did:
I went ahead and borrowed a buddy's land line, and upgraded to 5.1.1b. Those of you reading this post wanting to do wireless, be sure you get 5.1.1b, not just 5.1.1. You can do this by forcing a call: "Connect to tivo service now". Let it download. When it says "pending restart" unplug your toshiba, wait 15 seconds, and plug it back in. The new software should download to create 5.1.1b. Then plugin your wirless adapter and you will get the menu for changing to a wireless environment. Rock on with your WEP stuff and network name stuff (be sure to use hexadecimal password).

Here's my problem:
I think I picked to wrong GD provider in guided setup. The Tivo guide is MOSTLY right, but has many wrong program labels. I tried to change it through channel lineup, and service level (extended, basic, etc), but its just doesn't seem to match up.

I am dreading doing another guided setup and getting locked it. Has anyone done a guided setup (using ,#401) with the toshiba sd-h400 and the netgear MA111 WIRELESS adapter?

Posted by: Jess at Sep 14, 2004 2:32:11 PM

Joshua - Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

Your advice helped me successfully set-up my Tivo. I had bought the "approved" Belkin adapter & tried the Dialing prefix, but to no avail. It turned out that the problem was I had initially tried Guided Setup with a Linksys adapter that didn't work. After NUMEROUS failed attempts, I was right about to give up & start calling around to my friends with a phone line. Without your advice, I never would have known to clear all of the settings & redo it with the Belkin adapter plugged in from the beginning.

Thanks again! and Thank you to everyone for your wonderful advice!

Posted by: Kari at Sep 18, 2004 10:46:02 AM

THANK YOU to Joshua! I knew about the ,#401 but didn't realize that my adapter (also the 200M) had to be in place at startup.

Thanks a million Josh! You rock my Tivo world!!!

Posted by: Brandy at Sep 20, 2004 3:50:16 PM

Same situation: Vonage phone service and brand new Tivo
Toshiba SD-H400
Linksys 200M USB to ethernet adapter
D-Link Wireless VPN router (DI-824VUP)

-BEFORE turning the TiVo on for the first time, make sure you don't have any filters in the firewall that might block it. I use MAC filtering and static DHCP to make sure ONLY my devices are on my network...I had to force the USB adapter to use an address (ex.192.168.0.110) + put in the MAC address.

-Plug the adapter into the TiVo and make sure it is connected to router.

-Turn on the TiVo and allow it to start up. If you don't get any video, make sure the Interlace/Progressive switch on the back is set to "I" (If your TV can handle Progressive you can ignore this). Because I assigned the adapter an IP address, I went ahead and tried to ping it from another computer (open a command prompt and type in "ping xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx" (ex. I typed "ping 192.168.0.110)). You should get 4 replies back. If you don't check your cables first and then check on the router to see if it's in the client table and that the IP address is correct. Ping the IP until you get a reply....you should see the lights on the USB adapter blinking.

-Go through the setup and when you get to the dialing part, add a dialing prefix of ",#401" (no call waiting or modem codes). Have the TiVo call and it should take no longer then 1-2 minutes.

I tried virtually everything listed in this thread but I think the key is plugging the adapter into the TiVo FIRST and then TURNING IT ON. Good luck.

Posted by: Will at Sep 22, 2004 10:00:14 AM

I just bought a new Series 2 Tivo. I am trying the Linksys USB200M adaptor, plugged into the ethernet cable coming out of my cable modem. So far, I have not had any success using the ",#401" dialing prefix.

Am I supposed to have this thing plugged into a router instead of directly into the ethernet cable? Also, I see that my cable modem has an output for a USB cable in addition to the ethernet cable. I am using the ethernet cable for internet on my computer, but if I plug the USB cable in from the cable modem to the Tivo, do I create a type of null modem? The modem is a Motorola Surfboard something or other.

Any help would be appreciated!

Thanks,

Aaron

Posted by: Aaron at Sep 23, 2004 7:11:20 PM

I picked up a Series 2 Tivo from Amazon.com ($60 after 100.00 rebate, credit card signup promo, and free shipping) and was able to setup without a hitch using a Linksys USB200M adaptor (purchased at best buy reacently). I have a cable modem that plugs into my linksys router. The adaptor is pluged into the router. I connected the adaptor to the Tivo before powering up and waited for a few minutes for the router and adapter to communicate. No problem using ,#401 for me. Best part was the 2 hr download taking about 2 minutes. Hope it works for you.

Posted by: SillyG at Sep 23, 2004 10:58:23 PM

Okay...so I am making the assumption that I must have a router, and that I can not plug the ethernet cable that comes directly out of the cable modem into the Linksys USB 200M. Is this correct?

Posted by: Aaron at Sep 24, 2004 4:28:52 AM

Spent all day on phone with DirectTV bozos. Am in need of answer to the following:

Recently bought an integrated RCA DirectTV TIVO, have Vonage and cannot make the initial setup call. Have tried all the codes mentioned on the list with no success. Here's the kicker - also have a SONY SCR3000 TIVO in another room and it is able to make the call on the same Vonage system w/ ",034" although its now connected to my wireless network via a USB adapter. But again, no solution for the RCA one. What can I do here?

1 - If I go to a friend's house to use his analog phone, does he have to have DirectTV or can I just make the call without anything?

2 - I assume I'll be able to download the most recent software version but will that offer me the Home MEdia Option? Again, as I understand it DirectTV does not support it.

3 - After making an initial call as in #1, how will I make the daily call going forward and do I need to. As DirectTV yet supports a wireles USB fix, not sure how I do this?

Posted by: rig123 at Sep 25, 2004 8:34:59 PM

Just bought my Tivo TCD540040, service number starting with 540. I tried using two different wireless NICs (Linksys & MS) using the ,#401 prefix w/o success - it seems to me that the Tivo won't work with them for General Setup on the initial call.

Thanks to advice in this forum, I bought a Linksys USB200M adapter (very cheap at CompUsa) and it worked perfectly the first time. The USB200M is connected via ethernet cable to my Linksys WRT54G router.

Thanks everyone!

Posted by: Paul at Sep 26, 2004 10:54:14 AM

I've just bought a DirecTV Tivo, RCA DCR80 and it's not even powering the USB200M up at all. :/ no idea what is going on.

Posted by: KT at Sep 28, 2004 4:04:07 PM

I do not have a land line. I want to get the HD-DVR TIVO. I can go through the initial set up at a friends house. Is there a way to make the daily call through my DSL internet modem? Any suggestions would be greatley appreicated. Thanks

Posted by: Dave at Sep 29, 2004 10:03:56 AM

Unfortunately, DirecTiVos do not enable the usb ports without significant hacking, so no, there is no way to get daily updates via the net at this time.

However, after you finish guided setup on a DirecTiVo, you can unplug the phone and have it send you updates via the satellite.

You can't get the OS upgrades, but you'll get schedules just fine.

Posted by: Matt Haughey at Sep 29, 2004 12:29:48 PM

Hello. l am writing from Turkey. As a present l got a tivo from a friend in USA. It is Toshiba sd-h400 with dvd. the service number is 264. How can l learn it's software version. Because l am in Turkey. l cannot cont to tivo center with the phone line. Also l tried to dial international dial prefixes. nothing happens. A local person is hanging the phone or a wrong number tone l hear from my parrallel phone.

l will try to use ",#401" but l am not sure which adapter l will use. In turkey it is not possible to find the belkin 5050 or wusb11 any version. l tried to find dwl 122 but l was not successful. Any idea. Is it possible to dial the service senter for guided setup from outside of USA. No local number for tivo for sure.

Thank You very much

Posted by: blaxius at Oct 1, 2004 6:38:35 AM

Lifesaver. For anyone who might be wondering, the 401 backdoor works just fine with a just purchased Pioneer DVR-810H-s.

Thanks!!!

Posted by: Tony at Oct 7, 2004 9:56:40 PM

Ok... here goes:

I also have the Toshiba SD-H400, went out and bought the Linksys USB200M, a D-Link 624 wireless router (but I have it wired thru the Linksys adapter) and have Vonage.

I reset the machine by following Dusty's intructions about using the demo function and then unplugging the machine and returning it to consumer mode. I filled in all the info (zip code, area code, email, etc.)

As per instructions from Brandy, I gave the adapter a static IP address referenced to the MAC address. I pinged it repeatedly and got replies after the machine finished "warming up."

I use the ,#401 dialing prefix, and it keeps telling me that the connection has failed because there is no dial tone.

Ahhhhhhh!

BTW, I also tried the Vonage route of all the prefixes and DSL filters, etc. without being able to connect.

Am I missing something?

Also, it's been frustrating because the remote seem to have a gremlin in it and keeps putting "'s and ,'s during the email and prefix windows.

Please help... &^(

Posted by: Christina at Oct 9, 2004 8:03:11 PM

Anyone know how to connect the tivo to the internet via computer? My computer is connected to a broadband wireless network. I've got a crossover ethernet wire to connect my computer to the tivo, now I just need to figure out how to get the Tivo to find the internet. Essentially I am trying to turn my computer into a router that Tivo can work with, but have had no luck. Any ideas?

Posted by: Steve at Oct 19, 2004 10:44:01 AM

i have an rca direct tv dvr 40gb and currently have a regualr phone line. if i want to get vonage will my tivo still work if the daily calls aren't made?

Posted by: thomas at Oct 22, 2004 11:51:30 AM

i have an rca direct tv dvr 40gb and currently have a regualr phone line. if i want to get vonage will my tivo still work if the daily calls aren't made?

Posted by: thomas at Oct 22, 2004 11:53:14 AM

sorry for the double post. i think i hit submit twice.

Posted by: thomas at Oct 22, 2004 11:54:06 AM

Hi;
I Just bought my Tivo Series2 and I have linksys Wireless network, I connected my Tivo to linksys wireless USB Adapter model G, I live in Saudi Arabia, I would like to use my Tivo as stand alone, without calling, can I do that. if yes what do I need to do.

Thanks
Regards
Khalid Almansour

Posted by: Khalid at Oct 25, 2004 2:46:36 PM

Just wanted to confirm broadband initial setup with the new tivos..

I took my new tivo (new style series 2.. silver,glowy front) out of the box, plugged in a usb WIRED USB100M, and set a dialing prefix of ",#401". It connected immediately and did the initial setup in minutes. No phone line req'd!

Posted by: Joe at Oct 26, 2004 1:53:37 PM

Thanks for all the posts. I just got my Tivo last night and with my vonage phone line I have been unable to get through the setup. I am just going to a friends house this morning and get it done. I had an old usb adapter, but I use macs with wireless so I figured I would never use that outdated usb piece of junk. Crap!! Anyway, thanks for all the help, this info has been very helpful.

Posted by: Ajv258 at Oct 28, 2004 6:49:23 AM

WHATS UP with having to make the daily call? My "Hughes DirecTV Tivo" works fine and gets PayPerView and i AM NOT connected to a phone line...WHY would i want to?

Posted by: Steve Wilson at Oct 31, 2004 4:55:23 PM

Ok People.

Listen Up. Joshua was on the right track here, and Jess has it right.

For Network dialing (no Vonage):

You need to have an approved adapter for your OS version- the (Linksys 200M is not for out of the box Standalone Tivo series2).

If you tried the guided setup with an adapter that isn't working, you need to clear the information stored in the the guided setup before trying to dial out again. Seems that the only way to do this is to set it do demo mode, power off, change back to guided setup (it then takes awhile to clear the data) then re-run guided setup.

Posted by: jake at Nov 6, 2004 7:17:53 PM

Hey all, comments on the initial setup and Vonage as the phone provider:

Just a positive note that the ",#401" command for a dialing prefix worked for me to connect via Linksys wired ethernet USB200M.

My first attempt at the above did not work, as I had already gone too far and initially set things up to use the phone line. I followed the recommendations above, reset my TiVo using the "retail demo" and then re-did setup using the ",#401" command. Worked like a charm. I have a series 2.

Posted by: Brian at Nov 6, 2004 11:57:14 PM

I made a goof at end of MLB season pass and hat a hundred season pass for post season amd world series. I got lazy trying to delete
the season pass and found erase the recorder on my DVR40 menu. it took over hour and when it rebooted it lost the recorder drivers.
Never had a land line but it worked perfect out of the box Jan04 from the satellite. DTV says to carry to a neighbor with a phone line but we are all retiress in motorhomes with cell phones only. Got a new cellsocket that converts to standard house using the house Vteck phones and can setup internet connection on dailnetworks. but the socket needs a # following the dailed call
cannot add that to TIVO dailer. What is tivo phone number than will download recorder drivers ? need help granpa rudolph,retired
NASA diector 1984,designed deep spacse net for Mars missons and cellphone chip forconvaesion of house lines driven by a cell,but
can 't get my DVR40 to record, Help!!!!!!

Posted by: neal rudoph at Nov 16, 2004 7:27:56 PM

Thanks to everyone who posted the ,#401 fix. I just upgraded from a analog to digital cable box. I have the Pioneer Tivo DVD Recorder. Pioneer customer support told me I would have to go through setup and needed a phone line, which I do NOT have. I thought I would have to pay just to connect a phone line for a month but the ,#401 with my Belkin wireless router worked perfectly!

Posted by: Adam at Nov 20, 2004 12:15:01 PM

After reading all the posts, nobody has said for awhile whether the DirecTV DVR boxes have had their ports enabled, or not. Also, is it still true that without the phone line, you only get 2 days of directory info and so Season Pass won't work? I just got a Samsung DVR from DirecTV and it has 3.1.1 software. The System Info says that it wants to download new software.

Any info/thoughts? Thanks!

Posted by: Ron Land at Nov 23, 2004 3:36:25 AM

I realize this may be clear to everyone else and I'm missing something but I just brought my Direct TV Tivo to my brother's to dial in. When I plug it into the phone line will something just happen? Does it also need to be plugged into a tv? May seem like silly questions but...

Posted by: Karen at Nov 26, 2004 5:55:28 PM

I managed to get my Direct TV Tivo (Hughes - 40gb initially) upgraded to a 120gb hard drive (~105 hours) and get the USB ports to work on the back (I have the Linksys USB200 deal). I used the Sleeper ISO package since (at the time) I was unable to find any other method that worked simply. If interested, you can find it at http://www.weethet.nl/english/tivo_dtv2_hacksleeper.php.

The Sleeper ISO installed a telnet and ftp daemon along with the TivoWeb program. I can telnet in (and also ssh in) and see that my configuration is correct (it shows a valid eth0 section and loopback (albeit after using the busybox 'ifconfig').

I still can not get the Tivo to make the phone call via the internet using the ,#401 backdoor hack and no telephone line.

Originally, I set up the Tivo through the phone line, but recently (after purchasing a Vonage phone) I've decided that Tivo doesn't need to be making phone calls on my 500 minutes and I'd REALLY like to solve the problem of Tivo not calling on the network.

Has anyone gone through the same pain/suffering I have and had success? Is their any updates I need to do (like out of date drivers or moving from OS 3.1.1e to 4 or what have you) to get this to work?

Here's my setup:
Direct TV/Tivo Series 2 (serial starts with 151)
Sleeper ISO w/ TivoWeb, telnet, ftp, hacks...
Linksys USB200 ethernet connector (wired)

(*- also, am using a switch and a router with a cable modem (if that makes any difference at all))

thanks

Posted by: Erik Sahl at Nov 27, 2004 2:18:51 PM

Just got my TiVo today, picked up a cheap 9.99 USB->RJ45 adapater with the ,#401 trick - FANTASTIC! You guys saved me a trip to my parents to activate this bloody thing.

Posted by: ToSS at Dec 3, 2004 6:57:43 PM

I just purchased dual 120GB drives from weaknees.com. I assume that I will have this same problem with my wireless USB after I upgrade the drives. I have a digital phone line through Time Warner Cable. Has anyone had experience with the drive upgrades?

Posted by: Rich at Dec 5, 2004 9:03:50 PM

I have a similar problem, but with DSL. I have one phone line, and it's set up for DSL. On installation, and plugged into a 3-way splitter, the test call didn't go through. I unplugged the splitter from the wall, plugged the TIVO line directly in and it worked.

Now, when I try to do the same thing, I get a "phone busy" error message during the call initialization.

I've tried resetting the unit via unplugging the power and phone line at the box, I've tried different prefixes in the dialing setup, I've tried different combinations of settings for dial-tine detection, and I've tried plugging into the phone socket with a DSL filter attached - all to no avail.

Does anyone have any ideas for me?

Thanks!

Mike

Posted by: Mike at Dec 6, 2004 10:13:12 AM

Basically, I think the deal is: All Direct Tv users are out of luck when it comes to the network option with Tivo. The USB ports are not enabled. I think this needs to be made clear. THE USB PORTS FOR DIRECT TV TIVO ARE NOT ENABLED.

I have been scrolling down the list and I see a lot of repeat questions concerning the Direct TV Tivo boxes.

I wish I had seen this website before I plunked down $30 ON A USB to Ethernet adapter. Good thing is: I just bought it today. :> I hope I didn't thrash the receipt.

Posted by: Al at Dec 10, 2004 7:20:07 PM

YAY! Thanks to the comments on this blog I got my series 2 working with a linksys 200M and after re-entering my info!

Thanks a lot!

Posted by: Nate at Dec 12, 2004 11:34:11 AM

I've read through most of these posts, and there seems to be some disagreement about whether or not DirecTV Tivo functions without a land line or not. I just talked to one of their customer service agents and he assured me that if I don't have a phone line then the DVR will just work as a receiver and I won't be able to do any recording at all. Is this just a blatant lie? I know that they have been known to lie about DirecTV not working without a phone line, Season Pass not working without a phone line... all of which are not true.
I just don't want to buy this if it means that I'll either have to get a phone line or eat it and have it not function at all.
Is it possible to hook the DVR up to a phone line once for initialization and then not ever hook it up again and still have it work correctly (minus PPV)?
Thanks!
Emily

Posted by: Emily at Dec 13, 2004 1:04:27 PM

Just wanted to say Thank you to everyone here for all the hints! I felt like I had tried everything to get that darn thing (40 hr Series 2) to connect (including the Linksys USB200M). Note: I have Vonage phone service too. All it came down to was going into demo mode and powering it off and back on (with the usb200m already plugged in) and starting guided setup over! Worked like a charm! To all of you that are frustrated - It CAN work!!! Also - I was randomly able to call out through Vonage (with no special prefixes) and get it to connect, but I could never get it to stay connected long enough to complete the second call.

The USB200M (along with all the helpfull posts) was my TIVO miracle!!!

-Katie

Posted by: Katie at Dec 14, 2004 4:03:32 PM

To all:

I just got a Tivo series 2 as a gift. I want to use it in place of my old VCR. I don't want to connect a phone line to it, or activate service. The TIVO setup says, if you don't activate the service, take your Tivo back to the retailer and get your money back.

Is there anyway to setup Tivo without connecting to a phone line or to the internet?

Thanks,

Bart

Posted by: Bart at Dec 16, 2004 8:49:04 PM

Hi all;

I pretty mauch have the same issue as Bart.
TIVO Series 2 DVR.
Comcast Digital Cable.
Don't have DSL
Don't want to connect a phone line, nor to a PC via internet.
Is there a way to setup tivo as specified?

Many thanks in advance.

Joe

Posted by: Joe at Dec 17, 2004 2:52:34 PM

I was able to connect my TIVO to my wireless network to do the initial setup and download by using a cable to my wireless router (Microsoft MN-500)and the ,#401 dialing prefix. But now I am unable to change it to use a wireless adapter (Linksys WUSB11). I have unplugged the TIVO and the adapter and plugged them back in. And I reset my router and reset the TIVO. I cannot get the Tivo to recognize the wireless adapter to even get to the Wireless setup. HELP!

Posted by: Kathryn at Dec 18, 2004 11:01:09 PM

DirecTV boxes do not come with the ports enabled. I have Vonage phone service as well. Had to take it to the neighbors. It only uses the phone line to intiate the box. After that everything functions normally (i.e. season pass, etc.) as it downloads the directory over the satellite.

Posted by: Brian at Dec 19, 2004 7:01:06 PM

I have a stupid question that no one has asked yet. It seems to me that it should somehow be possible to make the tivo-required periodic phone calls through a standard, everyday cell phone. It may have something to do with digital/analog, etc. but what do I know? I keep hoping to find some sort of adapter cable to connect the dvr to the phone.

Posted by: Mitch at Dec 22, 2004 11:53:07 AM

I read Dusty's comments about reseting the Tivo in demo to clear the prior setup... but if you left Arrow I do not get this option anymore.. ???? I have my tivo on the network, I ping the IP address and there is activity. So I think I need to reset the box, as I tried with a diferent ethernet card the first time and failed. Now with the new nic it errors when dialing out... need help to reset the box

Posted by: Jim Espejo at Dec 23, 2004 9:02:14 AM

I bought my TiVo series two during the Christmas. Yes, there seems to be some imcompatibility with Vonage, but fortunately I passed the program call in the 9th attempt. The program call actually only takes 10 minutes.

Posted by: mm at Dec 25, 2004 8:04:47 AM

Here's what I did.

I went to my www.vonage.com account and increase the bandwidth saver feature to HIGH or 90Kbps and I used the prefix *70, to disable call waiting.

Try the call a few times, I think mine worked on the 4 or 5th call.

Ken

Posted by: Ken Mitchell at Dec 25, 2004 8:40:16 AM

Since, "All Direct Tv users are out of luck when it comes to the network option with Tivo. The USB ports are not enabled. I think this needs to be made clear. THE USB PORTS FOR DIRECT TV TIVO ARE NOT ENABLED."

Does anyone know if you can set the PPP with the null modem cable without hacking the OS on a hughes DVR80?

Thanks, Perry

Posted by: Perry at Dec 26, 2004 11:09:35 AM

Just got a Humax t800 and have Vonage. Anyone had success with this setup? Does #401 work with the Humax? I plan on getting a Linksys USB ethernet adapter and will try that. Otherwise, I have only been able to complete the first call and have tried 20+ times on the second call part of the setup.

I've done what Ken suggested, but to no avail.

Trent

Posted by: Trent at Dec 26, 2004 11:21:44 AM

I just got a TIVO and I don't plan on signing up and getting the TIVO service, I'm just going to use it as a VCR replacement. Would there be any benefit to getting the wireless adapter then and hooking the TIVO up to my home wireless network if I don't get the TIVO monthly service plan? I couldn't do remote scheduling since I wouldn't have the service and be buying the HMO, right? Is this a correct assumption or is there any benefit to having my TIVO connected to the internet with no service plan.

Thanks for any information.

Posted by: Neal at Dec 27, 2004 10:01:37 AM

K....

just to CLARIFY for everyone else who assumed like me...that the dialing prefix was only ,# and the area code was 401... that's not the case...

the entire dialing prefix you need to put in for it to use the USB Network adapter is the ",#401" ....once I realized I was a dumbass and figured that out..it worked like a charm *hangs my head in shame*

Posted by: Johnny T at Dec 27, 2004 4:13:40 PM

Just wanted to confirm a setup. Bought an open box S2 540040 silver "nightlite". Tried the setup with a Linksys USB200M, could not complete call with ,#401 even though the USB200M was registering an IP. Did the Demo Reset method and started guided setup again. Flawless. Open Box Tivo at Best Buy $60 after rebates. Being able to tell the wife to transfer "The Nanny" shows over the the bedroom Tivo -- Priceless.

Posted by: Kakarot at Dec 27, 2004 5:02:17 PM

To Kathryn who has a problem with the Linksys WUSB11. I had the same problem. Look on the bottom of the Linksys WUSB11. If it is version 4, it is not supported. I took mine back to Best Buy and bought the D-Link DWL122. Worked like a charm after that.

Posted by: Doug at Dec 28, 2004 7:38:49 AM

To clarify, DirecTV tivo DOES NOT require a phone line for updates. You will have the same limitations with the DirecTV receiver that you do with regular DirecTV recievers not connected to a phone line with regards to PPV, etc.

I setup my Hughes DVR80 (or whatever the model number is) last night. Called them to setup, told them I didn't have a landline, got the speech, the my unit proceeded to download the info from the satellite.

all good

Posted by: simon at Dec 29, 2004 7:32:57 AM

My vonage works all the time by putting a prefix of *99 in. This forces the phone adapter into data mode. Vonage says to use this when making fax calls.

Posted by: Anonymous at Dec 30, 2004 9:39:19 PM

Simon, you may have issues after 30 days with other than ordering PPV. I read (possible bad information) that after 30 days or so of the Tivo not making an outgoing call they will shut down the Tivo portion of your equipment, making it a receiver with a 30-minute buffer.

I was able to setup mine using Otto's serial PPP guide. I did not have to open the box (Modify the equipment in any way) or use a bash prompt. I did need to specify IP addresses and not use DHCP though. I used 192.168.0.100 to 192.168.0.110.

Just letting everyone know that the serial port on a DTivo is active out of the box.

DTivo Hughes DVR80
PC running XP
Otto’s setup with IPs not DHCP
Twenty foot TiVo Null Modem Serial Cable
Port speed of 115200

-Perry

Posted by: Perry at Dec 31, 2004 1:05:47 PM

Has anyone had succes with a Philips Directv Tivo series 1 connecting through Vonage. I have a dsl filter that the telco provides and I have tried various prefixes. I either get a fast busy or a connect failed message. Thanks, Damian

Posted by: Damian at Jan 1, 2005 4:44:54 PM

perry, that will be a revolting development if that happens. Guess I will cross my fingers and hope for the best.

I was under the impression that it would download the info via the satellite as long as it needed to.

I explained to them at DTV that there would not be a landline connected to it, and the only thing they warned me about was the standard company line about ppv and whatnot.

I will update when I cross that 30 day period. So far so GREAT!

Posted by: simon at Jan 3, 2005 7:06:00 AM

VONAGE NOT REQUIRED FOR WIRED ETHERNET SETUP!

There seems to be a bit of confusion on this board on whether one can use a wired ethernet connection for inital setup WITHOUT Vonage. There are a lot of posters here without a tradtional landline, but one does NOT need VoIP for TiVO setup, at least in my case. I got a TiVo Series2 for X-mas and this is my experience:

My setup:
TiVo Series2 80-hour(series # starting with "540-")
Linksys WCG20 cable gateway(Router/modem/wireless hub combo)
RCN cable&internet up here in Boston
NETGEAR MA111 USB wireless adapter
No landline, no vonage (we only use cell phones in our house)

Got the Tivo for x-mas, and promptly went to Best Buy to see if someone could help me in my situation. they recommended the proper wireless adapter, but didn't mention about the need for a landline for initial download. I got home and quickly found myself in a jam, and landed on this website. So I took a small TV and my TiVo to work after hours, looking really shady with all that under my arms after midnight. It dialed in OK, but then requested a cable connection after the inital download, which there was none where I worked . So I had to abort, and head back home. Also, what others here don't really mention, is that if you take your TiVo to a landline, I believe you need a cable/sat hookup (possibly the same as your cable/sat provider). Since I'm in the minority in Boston with RCN as a provider (Comcast is dominant), and didn't
know anyone else with RCN, I was out of luck as far as bringing my unit to an RCN, landline-based house.

I headed over to CompUSA and from what I heard on this Website bought two USB-Ethernet adpaters the linksys USB 200M and the Belkin 5050 (each $40), just in case one or the other didn't work. More people seemed to have greater sucess with the Belkin, so I tried that first.Going through the noraml AV/cable connection, first, I then reset my Tivo by running the Demo, and unpluged it after about 8 minutues (you can check the time remaining on the demo via the remote). I then plugged in the Belkin while the TiVo was off and used a standard ethernet cable from my router to the adapter, then booted up the Tivo. It takes several minutes to "clean itself" and restart after a demo reset. Going through the motions of a normal setup now, and using the dialing prefix ",#401", my tiVo setup connected on the first try, and took less than 60 seconds to finish. Then the cable setup came, once again no problem. Then the secondary call. This is supposed to take like a half hour, but was done under 2 mins. After that, my Tivo was almost ready to go. Now that the unit was initally setup, I could go to the "Network settings" page and hot-swap the wired ethernet connection to the Netgear adapter. BAM. Strong signal. No problem.

Afterwards, the setup wanted 8 hours to digest programming, so I left it overnight, and by the morning I was good to go. I returned the Linksys and Belkin adapters, so the process only cost me $30 for the netgear adapter, and some headaches on my part. If I knew all this firsthand, it really would have saved me some hassle. I really don't know why TiVo requries a landline for initial setup, and I'm sure it's been complained about ad nauseum, but TiVO should really let users know how to work around it,since such a way is possible- which really isn't so bad once you know what to do. I'm sure this scenario does not work for every user out there, but this is all I know from my end. Hope this helps.

Posted by: Richard at Jan 4, 2005 9:50:55 AM

Hey all

I have scoured this forum but cant seem to figure out my issues so wondering if you could help this Englishman in Atlanta. I have just moved to Atlanta and my condo is provided DirecTV through a communal DirectTV dish which is wired to each condo. Now I have been told I cant get 'HDTV' but I would like to get the DirecTV Tivo service but do not wish to pay the $30 a month for a telephone line as I wont be using it (High speed networked internet is provided in each condo through Biltmore Communications - I believe this is neither DSL or Cable).

Qus
A) What options do I have of getting DirecTV Tivo without a phone line
b) Do I need a phone line for normal DirecTV?
c) Does my DirecTV TIVO box or standard Directv recevier need to be connected to a phone line?

Many thanks
Confused Englishman (no jokes about how easy that is)

Posted by: DYLAN at Jan 4, 2005 3:00:46 PM

DYLAN, (Confused Englishman)

See the post from (Posted by: Perry at December 31, 2004 01:05 PM ) 4 above yours.

You can make a null modem cable or buy one from someone like the 9thtee.com, look 4 posts down on this link to make one. http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?s=66683d2a57fa2bbadc7cfe4494ee8897&threadid=210072&highlight=PPP

The Otto PPP Serial guide setup instructions can be found @ http://www.b-lan.com/otto/tivo3xp/
Do not use DHCP use assigned IPs as mentioned 5 posts above.

Set your dialing prefix to “,#211” set your Port speed to 115200

Answers
A- This will allow the Tivo calls but not your DTV calls. Do not order PPV though your remote order your PPV on-line, after a few months of your receiver not making a DTV call after ordering PPV, you will lose service and have to call DTV.
B- You do not need a phone line for normal DTV; do not order PPV with your remote without a real phone line connected.
C- You will need to tell DTV that you have a phone line connected to you Tivo box, tell them there is no good way to set-up your phone lines to the other DTV boxes.

Do not order PPV through the remote with no real Phone line, they may discontinue your service or force you to get a phone, if they catch on.

Good luck, -Perry

Posted by: Perry at Jan 6, 2005 5:27:52 PM

Vonage VS DirectTV DVR (model DVR40), My unit made a few succesful calls (useing the Motorola Voip box) but failed most of the time. So I called Vonage the shipped me a linksys broadband router with 2 phone ports (A cost of $99 to me) I installed it attempted to dial and after 8 hours of trying have given up (vonage asjusted the packet rate upped the band with, I even changed the modem speed on the DVR. (IE ,#whatever)) nothing has worked at all since then. Direct TV has been beeing a complete (pain in the but word here) about this issue, They have said I can not return the DVR (even though it was just purchased 12/18/04) and they say that unless I pay for a Land line phone I then I am stuck with a product that may or may not work beause Hughes Direct TV DVR uses a PASSIVE modem which apperantly is diffent than my modem in my computer which I have used over vonage to send 10+ pages of fax data out. Direct TV has A TRULEY DISSATISFIED CUSTOMER as of to day, at least Vonage Tried to do something to help me but the problem lies with the DVR not in their equipment.

If you are think about getting Direct TV DVR service and have a Voice over IP phone (viop) then don't unless you get it in writing that you will be getting a DVR that has broadband connection or one that has WORKING USB ports and that can use the highspeed connection for the daily calls, I would not reccomend Direct TV DVR to anyone since I have gotten an attitude from them of oh well it's your problem and we don't give a darn (used in place of a stronger word).....

If any one knows what else to try or has a phone number some of some one who might be able to help me within Direct tv, please feel free to email me at givhansfireman@yahoo.com.

An Angry Direct TV customer!

Posted by: Clifton Atkinson II at Jan 6, 2005 6:27:43 PM

can any one tell me how to hack a phillips dvr directv tivo so i can get the usb ports working so i can run it on a home network

thank you

Posted by: kirk anton at Jan 9, 2005 12:59:23 PM

I have the Philips DirectTV receiver with Tivo. It pains me to have to pay for a land line which I never use in order for the Tivo to work. Could someone please tell me if:
a) I disconnect the landline, will the Tivo get all the program updates it needs from the satellite? Do I need a landline at all?
b) I can use a cellphone with the Tivo instead of a landline?

Many many thanks,
Leigh Ann.

Posted by: leigh ann at Jan 12, 2005 2:14:28 PM

Using Toshiba SD-H400 TIVO with Vonage phone service.

I am hoping this posting can save people some of the frustration that I went through trying to get my Toshiba TIVO unit woring without a landline.

I switched over to vonage a month ago and shortly afterwords noticed my Tivo stopped downloading the programming information. I started debugging this by trying to modify the programmed phone number that Tivo was trying to dial. I verified the unit was trying to make a call by picking up the phone while the unit was trying to connect. You can hear what sounds like a fax machine but the call does not complete.

I checked the internet and came across this posting. Lots of good information on this posting and I tried all of the calling prefix people suggested, but nothing seemed to work for me. I think someone explained the technical details pretty well on this posting.
Vonage uses packet based communication and the Tivo is expecting analog communication much like a fax machine. I got fed up with this so I was ready to try something different.

I then tried to connect the Tivo to my wireless network using a USB wireless adapter. If you plan to go this route do yourself a favor and just go to the Tivo website and purchase one directly from Tivo. Only limited hardware is supported by Tivo and you could waste a lot of time and effort if you try something not supported.

http://customersupport.tivo.com/knowbase/root/public/tv2184.htm?

I ordered the D-Link DWL-122. It arrived a few days later. It looks like a USB memory stick. I unplugged the Tivo unit. Plugged the USB wireless network adapter into the Tivo unit and turned it back on. On my host computer I could see that the network adapter was sending a signal. Once the Tivo unit boots-up go into:

Messages&Settings-> Phone &network:

Magically you will see an new option called:

"Change connection type"

In here you will see the option for the wireless network. Just modify the SSID and you should be all set. This worked for me and I now get all of the programming info I wanted.

Next I need to figure out a way to hack the Home Media Option.

Hope this helps;

-eddie

Posted by: EZ at Jan 14, 2005 6:11:08 PM

- TiVo series 2 here
- Belkin F5D5050 adapter
- LinkSys BEFCMU10v3
- Cox cable & broadband service
- No phone line

I have read through this entire thread. And others elsewhere too. I would feel like a dumbass except it appears I am not the only one going through this. I am glad for others that have found the light!

I have followed multiple instructions provided in this thread. Each time I try something different I reset my system... set for demo/power off, etc. My latest arangement had my Belkin F5D5050 (usb to R45 adapter) plugged into the TiVo unit on power-up. I attached a R45 cable to connect the adpater/TiVo to my cable/broadband modem (LinkSys BEFCMU10v3). The cable/broadband modem is connected to the cable (from the wall) providing my interent connection. Is that the correct set up?

For what it's worth... lights on the adapter and the cable/broadband modem indicate a connection. I wouldn't know how to ping or provide an ip address... unless someone tells me.

Is the TiVo unit suppose to connect to a router (via the adaptor and R45 cable)... and the router connected to the cable/broadband modem? Or, is it suppose to also work connected to the cable/modem? Or, heck, am I suppose to connect the TiVo (via the adaptor and R45 cable) to my computer?
Someone help... I feel left out.

Other pertient (?) background: I got the unit in Oct/Nov 2004. I went through initial setup using a phone line. I moved in December 2004 and no longer have an antiquated land line. Hooray!? I am unsure if my TiVo ever downloaded/installed the latest software version. I don't recall forcing it or ever checking. Althoguh I geot regualr programming updates. I also would not know if resetting my system (via demo and offing technique) reset to the orginal version.

Any direction would be appreciated!
Brandon

Posted by: bmfarley at Jan 16, 2005 4:44:36 PM

I recently bought Directv dvr with tivo and am trying to figure a way to hook up to my dsl instead of using my phone line. The phone ends up costing long distance because there are no local numbers for me. I was told by DirecTv that there is a toll free number that I can use and that she would email tivo and have it downloaded for me. It hasn't happened so far and I would like to know if I could use a usb adapter to be able to make the daily calls instead of a long distance call on my phone.
Help!!

Posted by: joyce at Jan 18, 2005 5:09:28 PM

I am about to pull my hair out- please someone help me i cant get this damn thing to work

I have Series 2 Tivo box
Linkys wireless router
Netgear wireless USD adaptor

I tried the ,#401 and the other thing i notice is the light is not coming on my usb adaptor when i plug into Tivo. I know i have range in my basement because ive had my laptop down there. Any suggestions?

Posted by: Rob at Jan 22, 2005 7:27:18 PM

I guess I need some help. I knew what I was getting into when I bought my DTivo. I got a RS10, series 2 2in1 unit. But I read in here how so many people use it without a phone line. I took it to my friends house and it dialed out and connected. The software version says it is at 6.1-xxxxxxx It has USB ports on it. I have wireless internet in my house (well I share it with my neighbor, and I dont have the router, just a USB antenna, a Netgear MA111) I can move my USB antenna anytime, but I dont know if it has to connect to my PC or not. I like to think I am technical minded but I dont know how to link up the Tivo to my PC if needed or how to do a software swap. I got my first message today that said it needs to make a call out. I dont want my service to get suspended or something. I just spent 4.76 hours on the phone with DTV just simply trying to get a 2nd line for tivo and they couldnt get it right. I talked to 14 people, including 3 managers, and they set me up 3 different appointments for a install and they never happened. They can execute workorders there. SO it is my worst nightmare to call them for any reason. Can someone hold my hand and walk me through this?

Posted by: Jared B. at Jan 29, 2005 9:28:39 PM

I used the reset hack for the 200 and it worked like a charm for me too!

Posted by: Jim at Jan 30, 2005 7:32:33 PM

I have switched over to vonage and the vonage tech told me I have no problems geting my DTV Hughes SD-DVR80 to call in, ya right. Voanage gave me ,#019 & ,#401 prefixes that solved nothing. Today a voanage tech sent a file to my linksys wired TR31P2 that he said would fix the problem. All I had to do was shut down everything, unhook all cables from all ports, power it up for 15 seconds, then power down and hook everything back up, but this fixed nothing. I still can't call in. It either says my phone is busy or "Can't Connect".

Posted by: HC1Gunner at Feb 2, 2005 9:58:34 PM

Joshua is my hero!

I have an 80hr Series 2 Tivo from Amazon that I first put a Linksys WUSB12 into, seeing on their site that it had a green thumbs up - but not seeing that I needed a wired ethernet to get around the lack of a phone line (I am not in the US, but I have accounts there since I am a citizen, so I can do the billing part, but don't want the phone part).

Got the Belkin 5050 and it didn't work - major bummer.

But after resetting it like Joshua said and then putting the info back in - it worked straight off with the ,#401.

thanks all!

Posted by: Eric at Feb 4, 2005 5:25:46 PM

If you read about tv-b-gone, try this one>>
tv-b-off.com is a cool mini remote control which is great on travel or in hotels. Sometimes it’s great to have control over someone’s TV.

Adrian

www.tv-b-off.com

Posted by: adrian at Feb 4, 2005 8:13:45 PM

Thanks for all the tips guys.

I have a Tivo Series 2 w/ Vonage, and the ",#401" prefix backdoor worked for me.

Thanks!
Dave

Posted by: Dave at Feb 4, 2005 8:41:13 PM

joyce,
The Series 2's don't ship with wireless capability for the most part. Get a wired adapter for the initial calls. Make sure you get one of the USB1.1 versions NOT the USB2.0 versions. Once your software has been updated to 4.0x you should be able to use the wireless adapter.

john

Posted by: John at Feb 5, 2005 12:20:51 AM

It's great to share good info here. But honestly, as a starter, I really don't understand what's what. I want to get a tivo, but I don't have a landline. All I have is Comcast cable and Comcast highspeed internet with a Linksys wireless G router.

What are the things that I need in specific(brand, model) in addition to a new tivo machine?

Thanks, and sorry about the ignorance... just trying to catch up with the technology...

Posted by: Danny at Feb 5, 2005 7:55:27 PM

Danny,
http://customersupport.tivo.com/knowbase/root/public/tv2183.htm?
This is a link to the tivo support website list of adapters that are supported/work. Pick one that is USB1.1 *NOT* USB2.0 compatible. The USB1.1 drivers are loaded automatically, but the 2.0 drivers come with a software update to 4.xx. Then you'll need to enter a dialing prefix when you get to the screen in Guided Setup that wants to dial a phone number. The prefix is ,#401 (Pause, Enter, 4, 0, 1). This tells the TiVo to use the ethernet connection.
Caveats:
Make sure the USB connector is connected before booting the TiVo (last I heard hot-swap was not enabled).
Make sure the network has a DHCP server that will give the TiVo and address.
Make sure the network is up and running before booting the TiVo.

john

Posted by: john at Feb 6, 2005 1:34:16 PM

John. Lots of thanks. Appreciate it.

Posted by: Danny at Feb 8, 2005 8:46:10 PM

I have heard that if you get the 2nd line for fax on the vonage box ($10/month), then if you use that line, the tivo will connect without problems. Basically, the fax line option is for use of a fax modem and since the tivo has a modem, things work.

from http://www.vonage-forum.com/ftopic1183.html
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PostPosted: Fri May 28, 2004 8:38 am Reply with quote Back to top
You can use Tivo w/ the Vonage *Fax* line option. This currently costs ~$10/ mo extra.

Vonage voice lines are not meant to carry analog modem signals, however the Fax line provides this capability. A fax is essentially a modem, and a modem is what is in your Tivo.

I've used both a Series 1 (Sony SAT-60) and a Series 2 (Samsung SIR-S4040R) successfully w/ a Vonage Fax line.

Also, the following prefix dialing codes may be needed to get your Tivo to be able to connect properly (got these from Vonage tech suppt):

Series 1: ,#019 (comma, pound, zero, one, nine)

Series 2: ,#034 (comma, pound, zero, three, four)

My Series 1 unit didn't actually need the prefix, but my Series 2 did. YMMV.

HTH

Posted by: Frube McCoy at Feb 10, 2005 3:38:10 PM

Hi, I have a RCA DVR80. I believe its running 3.1xxxx. I had a $45 a month landline just for this tivo to dial out. No more. How can I get wireless updates?

Posted by: Rob at Feb 11, 2005 12:34:30 PM

Appreicate the help of this Forum, has been very useful to get my series 2 to use ethernet instead of land line, many thanks!

Posted by: Chad at Feb 11, 2005 4:25:19 PM

After fighting with the TIVO Series 1 for weeks with Vonage (I mean I tried everything, external modem, serial cable to PC, DSL filter, all the codes, etc.), nothing worked.

I have just been able to put the DSL filter (reverse in line( in the path of the Series 2 and immediately do the inital call without any codes.

However, I need to use the RCA phone jack but it doesn't seem to work. Any ideas?

Thanks.

Posted by: Tim at Feb 19, 2005 5:05:48 PM

I couldnt get a hold of a usb ethernet adapter, but got a usb cable to connect the USB A port on the Tivo to the USB B port on my cable modem...is that gonna work??

I also have the phone line issue (the lack of one) but haven't tried the ,#401 yet..I'll give it a shot. Someone pelase let me know about the USB cable!

Posted by: Henry at Feb 23, 2005 6:33:07 AM

I have a TIVO Series 2. Tivo told me I needed a land line to set up TIVO. I read the above comments. I bought the Linksys Network adaptor Model USB100M. Rebooted my TIVO like Justin said above. Punched in the ,#401 prefix. It worked!!!!! Thank God.

Posted by: Joe at Feb 26, 2005 6:22:24 PM

I got a Toshiba rs-tx20 with a 120 gb hard drive to work fine out of the box with a Linksys USB200M compact USB 2.0 adapater. No problems, it was plug and play all the way. This is a wired ethernet to usb adapter.

Now, the challenge is to get my TiVo CacheCARD With Network Interface to work so that I can transfer some programs off my old Tivo Series 1 to the new Toshiba series 2 box.

It ain't easy. Teh 9thtee.com folks who make the cachecard don't have a simple installation guide, instead they refer you to a forum for support:

"This product, like most all TiVo hacking items, requires some knowledge about networking and the TiVo. ALL technical support will be handled on the SiliconDust Forum. This is also the location for the CacheCard drivers. Please post all questions on the forum and lots of people can help. Once again, ALL technical support will be handled on the SiliconDust Forum. Please post all questions on the forum and lots of people can help."

And the SiliconDust Forum isn't much help. The information is probably buried there, but it would take hours and hours of searching to find it.

http://tvreviewer.com

Posted by: Paul Terry Walhus at Feb 27, 2005 5:43:19 AM

By the way, with the above install, there's no need to enter anything like a ,#401 code. Just plug it in to your Toshiba Digital Media Server and it works the first time you try and connect to the Tivo network.

And the http://tivo.com/tco tivo network works great. Just scan a list of programs by channel and choose a program and tell it to record it. Then connect to the network and it's there in your to do list.

Posted by: Paul Terry Walhus at Feb 27, 2005 5:49:11 AM

to the person who said:

"I couldnt get a hold of a usb ethernet adapter, but got a usb cable to connect the USB A port on the Tivo to the USB B port on my cable modem...is that gonna work??"

It ain't gonna work.

Please don't do this as it may damage either your cable modem or your tivo. Get yourself one of those Linksys Compact USB200M devices.

Posted by: Paul Terry Walhus at Feb 27, 2005 5:52:35 AM

Paul, I would really like to know in detail how you got the toshiba to work with your equipment out of the box. I've got the same unit, with the same ethernet adapter, going through my dlink router, and i can't get anything to work at all. It's been really frustrating.

Posted by: Doug at Feb 27, 2005 5:02:20 PM

This has been huge. I just moved back into to town and had to reconfigure my tivo. I was just about to unplug everything and head over to a friends house to borrow a landline until I read about the ,#401 prefix work around. My Tivo connected and is working great. Many thanks.

Posted by: Jim Benton at Mar 1, 2005 9:34:07 PM

Alright - I received my TiVo2 box today and I got a Vonage VoIP phone - it of course did not work first try. After asking google, I found (among others) this thread and tried the 401 backdoor with a DLINK USB adapter - didn't work either - I asked Google again and found a forum about the Vonage VoIP service where they recommend to try the *99 (Vonage feature) to use full bandwidth and VOILA: Works perfect!

Posted by: Skeeve at Mar 9, 2005 4:14:57 PM

I have a SIR-S4080R TIVO WITH VONAGE IS THERE ANY OTHER WAY THAT I CAN USE THE TIVO WITHOUT PAYING THE 10.00 FOR THE FAX LINE?

Posted by: Michael at Mar 10, 2005 8:12:44 PM

Had problems with my new tivo and the belkin USB adapter. However, *99 prefix for Vonage worked great for me!

Posted b