TiVo Community Forums Archives - Need New Modem

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Need New Modem - Please help
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Posted by: mbev

My internal modem died in a lightning storm a few months ago. My Tivo is old and no longer under warranty (I bought it back when they were a $1000!). I called Tivo and it will cost close to $150 to get it fixed. Instead of just fixing the modem I am considering having it upgraded as well (bigger drive, etc). I am not comfortable doing it myself. I know there are several "Tivo upgrade companies" out there... can somebody please suggest one that you have had a good experience with? Thanks!

Posted by: cjalphonso

I was in your same perdicament several weeks ago. If your used to the 13 our unit you have (original size), then I believe your best bet would be to buy new. If you call tivo you can get the series 2 at&t 60 hr. units for $299. Any upgrade you do along with a modem fix would cost you pretty much the same thing if not more. However what i did was found an external modem and used it. If your machine has version 3.0 on it and you can find a modem its really easy to do, pretty much plug in and go. See the thread on it, my whole problem was I didn't have 3.0. Look at the "external modem success" thread in the tivo underground.

Posted by: ADent

Electiclegs can fix it for well under $150 (unless parts are melted or something). See http://www.9thtee.com/tivomodemrepair.htm .

You can also use an external serial modem, hook up to a PC via serial cable, or drop in an ethernet card to get network connectivity.

Posted by: dfenton

> You can also use an external serial modem, hook
> up to a PC via serial cable, or drop in an ethernet
> card to get network connectivity.

My modem on my SVR-2000 started malfunctioning July 9th after a thunderstorm. Symptom is that as long as it's plugged into the telephone line, it takes the line off-hook. I've gone through all the troubleshooting with Sony over the phone and they say I have to send it in (don't ask how I've managed for 2 months; getting a DVD player for the first time has helped!).

I have an unused 28.8 external modem, and I want to hook it up and use it and save the $160 Sony wants to charge me for the repair.

But I don't think it is really as simply as "hook
up to a PC via serial cable," is it? Don't you have to tell the TiVo to use the serial port for dialing? And doesn't that mean you have to have the BASH shell enabled? And to do that, well, what the hell do you have to do?

I'm a computer consultant for a living, but all Windows (no Linux; yes, I have two boxes sitting here I want to install Linux on and play with, but, well, never found the time). I'm perfectly comfortable with connecting everything up and working at a UNIX command prompt (never used Linux, though). I'm a little wary of pulling the drive out of the TiVo, but the things I've read say this is required to enable the BASH shell.

I can't seem to find instructions anywhere that are up-to-date, nor can I find anything all in one place. Everything I've found assumes I've already set up the BASH shell, and the things I've found for enabling that seem really old.

Can some one give me the rundown on what specifics steps I need to follow with a completely unhacked out-of-warranty SVR-2000 to get it to use an external modem? Pointers to relevant instructions are all I could hope for -- I can certainly follow instructions! I just can't find them!

Thanks in advance.

Posted by: Robert S

Wouldn't this thread be a good place to start?

Posted by: bad9brad

Check out External Modem SUCCESS thread in the Underground.

edit: Robert S beat me to it.