TiVo Community Forums Archives - Will the Series 2 save long distance phone charges?

TiVoCommunity.com
(c)opyright 1995-2005 All rights reserved
indexcheckTC
This area is a static history of posts in the TiVo Community Forum Archive.
This archive history was made for the simple indexing of search sites like Google.

Pages:1

Will the Series 2 save long distance phone charges?
(Click here to view the original thread with full colors/images)

Posted by: Rich Peterson

I understand that in some non-urban areas, Tivo subscribers must pay for a daily long-distance phone call. Given that, will those who live in remote areas that have a local telephone dialup for internet service be able to get their program guide information over the internet thus not requiring a long-distance phone call to Tivo? That would be nice.

Posted by: Dan203

Possibly! According to the press releases if you use a USB->Ethernet adapter the Series2 will uses your broadband connection to download data instead of the internal modem. However this feature will require a some sort of router, a LAN, and a broadband connection so it won't help everyone.

Dan

Posted by: feldon23

Rich, for $99 you can drop an Ethernet card into any TiVo (DirecTV models need a $40 adapter) and use it with your DSL/Cable Modem or other LAN in your home. Or you can plug a serial cable between your TiVo and your computer running Linux and get the data that way.

The TiVo Series 2 comes with two USB ports which will support Ethernet adapters.

For people who live in rural settings or simply want to ditch their phone line, there are solutions with the TiVo and TiVo Series 2.

Posted by: Rich Peterson

Thanks for the info. I didn't realize there were already ways to get around the phone charges. However, it is still not clear to me if Series 1 or Series 2 will work with a slow dial-up internet connection rather than broadband. (The rural family I would like to buy a Tivo for only has dialup internet service.)

Posted by: Breacagan

quote:
Originally posted by feldon23
Rich, for $99 you can drop an Ethernet card into any TiVo (DirecTV models need a $40 adapter) and use it with your DSL/Cable Modem or other LAN in your home.

You make this sound like a plug-and-play process. It's not.

Posted by: Otto

quote:
Originally posted by Rich Peterson
Thanks for the info. I didn't realize there were already ways to get around the phone charges. However, it is still not clear to me if Series 1 or Series 2 will work with a slow dial-up internet connection rather than broadband. (The rural family I would like to buy a Tivo for only has dialup internet service.)

While there's no specific instructions on how to do it, with some effort you could make the Tivo call your own ISP and connect to Tivo that way instead of making the normal phone call. You'd need to change the PPP configs and the dialup routine on the unit. Like I said, there's no specific instructions for doing this as not many people have bothered, preferring instead to connect it via serial PPP to a computer or to ethernet or to some other way.

If you connect it to a computer via PPP and have proper routing software, it can connect to Tivo that way too. There are instructions for this type of setup. I'd suggest a search in the Underground forum.

Posted by: lordsutch

quote:
Originally posted by Rich Peterson
Thanks for the info. I didn't realize there were already ways to get around the phone charges. However, it is still not clear to me if Series 1 or Series 2 will work with a slow dial-up internet connection rather than broadband. (The rural family I would like to buy a Tivo for only has dialup internet service.)

I don't see how the Series 2 would know the speed of the router it's attached to (or even if it did, why it would care when using it to download data); all it should know is that it's in some sort of NAT environment and it has a route to the Internet via your router. I just wouldn't try to download any fullscreen video on a 14.4 modem :)

Posted by: Rich Peterson

Thanks for all the good info, folks.

Posted by: hotbobert

On 1/15 I got a new, in the box Phillips Receiver/Tivo unit from Minidishes.com (see them in E-bay). Cost $95 or $109 with 3X4 multiswitch.

Reading the install manual, it says if a local phone number doesn't show up, select none and TiVo will assign you a temporary authorization to use their 1-800 number and will send a message to Cust Service to follow up about permanent authorization to use 1-800.

Messages & Setup > Receiver & Phone Setup > Phone Connection > Change Dialing Options

From page 89 of the Phillips DTV REciever with Tivo Viewers Guide: "The No Local Numbers screen apprears if you selected None Of The Above...Select "Request 800 number authorization" on the No Local Numbers screen...this temporarily authorizes you... Tivo's policy is to allow you to use the toll-free number if there are no local numbers available...."

If, according to next post, that this not avail with stand alone, seems like you might want to pony up the $95 for a combination unit and have the dual LNB second record capability in addition.

( Guess I will see when I install next week.)

If this doesn't work suggest you go to Opex communications at https://www.opexagent.com/newagt/se...19&phone=404264 and sign up. They waive $2 monthly fee if you spend $20/month and charge 5.06 cents/minute intrastate or 4.14 cents/minute interstate calling if you authorize credit card charge prepay increments. Select an out of state tivo dial up number to save about a penny a minute (I select out of state dial up modem for my laptop when I am at vacation home so that I get lower interstate rate)
Good luck to us all.

Posted by: Otto

The D-Tivo's can still use the 800#, standalones can't, excepting those grandfathered in, I think.