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TiVo network name?
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Posted by: mbernste

This might be a silly question that might be in a FAQ somewhere (though I'm darned to know where) but is there any "native" (aka no hacks or back door) way of naming the TiVo on the network?

I have HMO and the TiVo is connected to my wireless LAN and when I pull up my router's logs for the TiVo entries I just have a blank space. I could not find any option in the network settings to name the device on my network.

Thanks!

Posted by: kitsap

Have you checked to see if the router can associate a name with an IP or MAC address? I think mine (a DLink) will do that.

Posted by: boettcht

My Tivo's show up in my router as their TSNs.

Posted by: andyf

I'm not sure if this is what you want, but you can name and rename your TiVo via Manage My Account.

Posted by: mbernste

quote:
Originally posted by andyf
I'm not sure if this is what you want, but you can name and rename your TiVo via Manage My Account.

Will that also change the network name of the TiVo? Right now it's nameless.

Posted by: mbernste

quote:
Originally posted by kitsap
Have you checked to see if the router can associate a name with an IP or MAC address? I think mine (a DLink) will do that.

First of all, I am using DHCP. Secondly I don't know of a way to do that on my router, which is a Linksys BEFSR41.

http://home.comcast.net/~mbernste/routers.jpg

Posted by: andyf

Not sure. Go to System Information, that's where your TiVo's name is listed. That's the name it changes.

Posted by: phone1

quote:
Originally posted by andyf
Not sure. Go to System Information, that's where your TiVo's name is listed. That's the name it changes.

Your kidding...changing the name in your account changes the name in System Information? I'll have to check that out. I think I'll name mine Fred.

Posted by: Dan203

quote:
Originally posted by boettcht
My Tivo's show up in my router as their TSNs.

Same here. I have a 2Wire HomePortal.

Dan

Posted by: JPriller

quote:
Originally posted by phone1
Your kidding...changing the name in your account changes the name in System Information? I'll have to check that out. I think I'll name mine Fred.

I just changed mine in Manage My Account. Maybe I should go force a daily call. :)

Posted by: rsnaider

I am running the same Linksys Router (1.45 firmware) and my TiVo's show up with no name or TSN. I have not found anyway to get the name to appear.

So if there is a solution, I would interested as well.

Posted by: OzarkLad

I think what you have is that the IP address the Tivo is given is not associated with a name. When the router looks up the IP address, it does not find one, and so puts a blank in the log.

If that is what is happening, then the DNS server that the router is using would need to be updated, although you probably won't be able to get your ISP to make that change. Barring that, you would need to set up your own DNS server and put in the entry.

Posted by: Dennis Wilkinson

From what I remember, the Linksys routers display the DCHP Client ID as the machine name in the clients table. I'm not at home to try it, but configuring the TiVo to use a DHCP Client ID should cause it to show up in the Linksys tables. Since you're behind the router, it's not required, but it shouldn't break anything, either.

Posted by: mbernste

quote:
Originally posted by Dennis Wilkinson
configuring the TiVo to use a DHCP Client ID should cause it to show up in the Linksys tables.

Where on the TiVo do I set this up?

Case in point regarding the blank entries:
http://home.comcast.net/~mbernste/tivo_linksys.png

Posted by: Dennis Wilkinson

Look here:

<http://customersupport.tivo.com/tiv...lic/tv2014.htm?>

Posted by: kitsap

There's no place on the Tivo to set up a name. If the router can't do it, I think you're out of luck.

Posted by: Dan203

The TiVo is definitely sending out something, because my router shows all of my TiVos named by their TSN and I didn't set anything manually.

I wonder if the Linksys router is just ignoring them because they're all numbers? Or if the format they're sending the name in is incompatible with the Linksys in some way?

Dan

Posted by: DPF

Mine defaulted to the TSN, but I have a D-Link as with the earlier posts so I just forced it to say TiVo according to the MAC through the 614+ admin page, static DHCP and it always comes back after a reset. I do not believe changing the name through TiVo will affect anything, that's just for within the TiVo Software and through TCO.

-DPF

Posted by: mbernste

quote:
Originally posted by DPF
I just forced it to say TiVo according to the MAC through the 614+ admin page, static DHCP and it always comes back after a reset.
-DPF

What pray tell, is static DHCP?

The terms are mutually exclusive.

Posted by: ccwf

quote:
Originally posted by mbernste
What pray tell, is static DHCP?

The terms are mutually exclusive.

I'm sure what is meant is a “fixed address”. For example, with a typical DHCP daemon

code:host TiVo {
      hardware ethernet 01:23:45:67:78:9A;
      ddns-hostname "TiVo";
      fixed-address 10.11.12.13;
}

Posted by: aaronw

Well, you can set up DHCP servers to always give a certain IP to a certain MAC address... so it's 'statically configured DHCP'...

Posted by: Fustanella

quote:
Originally posted by mbernste
First of all, I am using DHCP. Secondly I don't know of a way to do that on my router, which is a Linksys BEFSR41.

How's that signal booster working out for you? Right now with my BEFW11S4, I can make it halfway to the townhome complex's pool. If that'll take me the rest of the way, I must not resist the tug of UMF. :D

Posted by: kitsap

"Static DHCP" seems to me an appropriate term for it (and that's the term the routers use). The DHCP server assigns the IP address, but it always assigns the same pre-specified IP address to each listed MAC device.

Posted by: headroll

I know it can be done, and it was posied here once ... My TiVo's are named in my DHCP Client's List ... I jsut need to play around and figure out how I did it again.

Off I go ...

-Roll

Posted by: headroll

quote:
Originally posted by Dennis Wilkinson
Look here:

<http://customersupport.tivo.com/tiv...lic/tv2014.htm?>

^^^
This is IT. Step 7 sets the ID seen on the DHCP client table.

-Roll

Posted by: Dennis Wilkinson

Yup... setting the DHCP client id has the effect of making that name show up on the Linksys DHCP clients table (I have a BEFSR41 on firmware rev 1.45.7)

Posted by: kitsap

That's cool. Thanks!

Posted by: CraigHB

quote:
Originally posted by aaronw
Well, you can set up DHCP servers to always give a certain IP to a certain MAC address... so it's 'statically configured DHCP'...

Why bother. Just give all the devices inside your private network a static IP. You don't have to use DHCP or any other dynamic addressing scheme to configure them. Every device I've ever worked with capable of using DHCP can also be configured statically. That should not be a problem for the TiVo device. I can use the 10.0.0.0 network and have over 60,000 class C subnets to chose from each containing as many as 254 devices. The only IP address that cannot be arbitrarily selected (within the range of IP addresses reserved for private use) is the one assigned to the public port on your router or whatever device you are using to do the NAT for your private network.

Associating names with IP addresses is something that is handled by DNS which is the internet naming service. Unless you are running some kind of internet server, you normally would not be concerned with that. Typically, a NetBIOS based name service like WINS is used for name assignment on a local network (NetBIOS is a broadcast protocol as opposed to TCP/IP which is a routable protocol). However, you could use DNS to assign names if you have your own server. It is possible to use DHCP well. Since your router is acting as your DHCP server, it's handling the DHCP name assignment. It's not assigning a name to your TiVo because your TiVo is not telling the router to give it one, but that's not going to affect connectivity. It is not necessary for your device to have a name to communicate on the internet. The internet is IP based. Names are only used for human convenience.

Posted by: Crash331

quote:
Why Bother.

Exactly. Why bother with all that mumbo-jumbo you typed out when all you do is Type in "TiVo", type in the TiVo MAC address and then type in the last 3 digits of the IP you want it to have.

Lot's more simpler than having 10,000 subnets with 256 devices controlled with a harmonic defribrulator with a built in flywheel. :D

http://mpgla.djbrookshire.com/sony/dhcp.jpg

Posted by: ccwf

quote:
Originally posted by CraigHB
Every device I've ever worked with capable of using DHCP can also be configured statically.

There are a few, although they are certainly uncommon. Some of the UK TiVo owners have reported such issues since UK TiVos don't do DHCP and must use static IP addresses instead.

Posted by: DonRoeber

quote:
Why bother

Well, the short answer is, for me anyway, to prevent address space conflicts. If I set all of my devices to DHCP, I don't have to worry about conflicting IP addresses with other devices. The few devices that I want static IP addresses for I assign in the DHCP control file, and let the rest of the devices get any old IP they want.

"Static DHCP" is also really great for network booting devices, if you're into that kinda thing.

Posted by: CraigHB

Yea, it is a handy tool. Formaly known as a DHCP reservation, it allows you to do things like port mapping to make a public service available on your routable port from a box inside your private network. However, for a home network, where you have only a handful of devices, static IP's are a reasonable way to go. DHCP is beneficial under conditions where new devices are added and old devices are removed from the network on occasion.

- Craig

Posted by: ccwf

It's also useful for home networks with laptops that you use there, at work, at a friend's house, ….

Posted by: mbernste

quote:
Originally posted by Fustanella
How's that signal booster working out for you? Right now with my BEFW11S4, I can make it halfway to the townhome complex's pool. If that'll take me the rest of the way, I must not resist the tug of UMF. :D

I just saw this posting, better late than never I suppose. :)

I got the booster when I got the wireless NIC for my TiVo. The TiVo is in what was a dead zone in my house when it came to connectivity. The wireless NIC connected to the TiVo gets about an 80% signal.

In terms of connectivity, I took my HP iPAQ 5555 which has integrated 802.11b outside and I got about 30 yards away from my house before I lost connectivity.

Posted by: mbernste

Just for the record, I got my TiVo named. I did not name it Fred like someone suggested. Its name is "Altus" and it shows up in my DHCP clients table as per the instructions posted in a link above.

Posted by: Fustanella

quote:
Originally posted by mbernste
I got about 30 yards away from my house before I lost connectivity.

Hm. 30 yards is about what I'm getting so far. I'll find a store that has a good return policy and try it out - if it doubles that distance, I'm working at the pool! :)