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Broadband connection on a Sony SVR2000 with V3.0
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Posted by: cdnav8r

Hey guys,
New to the forum and Tivo upgrades but very interested in learning. I wondered if someone could point me in the right direction.

I have a Sony Tivo with 180 hrs hooked up to a dish network receiver and I would like to switch over to broadband to update my guide (load times suck). I have highspeed internet run throughout the house and a functioning network outlet right behind the Tivo (runs through an SMC router/barricade).

I have the 3.0 software on the Tivo and I am wondering exactly what I need to do to upgrade. I have seen a few posts on the Turbonet cards but where do I get one - does it replace the modem - do I need a dedicated PC to support the Tivo?

If anyone out there has recently done this with success I would love to hear from you. Thanks for taking th time to help out an FNG :-)

Posted by: stormsweeper

http://www.9thtee.com/turbonet.htm

It's a NIC for your Tivo. If all you want to do is get your guide updates, you just have to plug it in and reboot (it uses DHCP to get an IP), then put

code:
,#401

as your dial prefix.

Posted by: 747

has anyone successfully used this thing?

747

Posted by: gbeer

Yep,

But, the connector has to be properly located on the motherboard edge. There arn't any keys to locate it from side to side, so you have to look carefully.

Not being aligned usually means no link light, and maybe a failure to boot up.

Posted by: 747

"Not being aligned usually means no link light, and maybe a failure to boot up."

Do you mean the TiVO won't boot up? And will the link light be in the window on the front of my TiVO with the power and recording lights? Also, is there a hole on the back of the unit where the Ethernet port will be located? I imagine I will just have to plug an ethernet cable into the back of my TiVO and the other end into my cable modem, then force a daily call using the,#401 prefix. Correct me if I am wrong.

747

Posted by: garywilk

I've done exactly what you're talking about doing - putting in a network card and using broadband for updates with a Sony SVR2000 running 3.0 software.

The easy part is that there's nothing at all you need to do as far as programming goes other than changing the dialing prefix as mentioned above. The TiVo automatically recognizes the card and gets an IP number from the DHCP server. If you have a decent router (I'm using a Netgear FR114P) there's a way you can even permanently assign an IP number to the TiVo by finding out the TiVo's MAC address from the router.

I got a Turbonet card from 9th Tee (good outfit) and opened up the TiVo. Only minor install hitch was that the back side of one of the front feet for the cabinet was blocking sliding the card onto the edge connector. I got around that problem by loosening a few of the front hold-downs for the motherboard, GENTLY lifting up the front part of the motherboard, sliding the NIC on, and then reattaching the motherboard.

The network card has a regular RJ45 jack on it and I guess most people just run a net cable by creating a small opening in the back of the cabinet and running the cable out of that to the wall jack. I went a little fancier and ran a short jumper cable inside the cabinet from the NIC to a jack I mounted to the back of the cabinet. That way if for some reason should the net cable get tugged it's just tugging at the jack on the back of the cabinet rather than an NIC plugged into an expensive motherboard. Most people aren't that anal, though.

Anyway, I've been running my SVR2000 off broadband almost since I got it a year or so ago and it's worked great. BTW, the cabinet is held on with some torx screws on the back panel. Even after you remove the screws it still takes a pretty good tug to pull the top shell off the chassis. A few GENTLE nudges with my palm did the trick in loosening it.

Good luck

Posted by: gbeer

The link light is on the edge of the network card. Unfortunatly it can not be seen with the case closed.

I left the cover off for the first power on after install, just so I could see if the link light came on.

I said it might not boot if the card was mislocated. The problem is that undesired crosswiring/shorting of the connections would interfere with the proper operation of the motherboard and possibly prevent booting. Certenly the network card won't work.

1 It's best to get it right in the first place.
2 If there is no link light, don't try to make adjustments without removing power first.

As I remember, once seated, it isn't easy to tell if it's aligned correctly. Fully seated the pads on the edge card disappear entirely.

Thinking about it I wish the connector had a mark on it that could be checked against something that is visible on the MB. Or vice versa.