TiVo and Rendezvous

An anonymous reader writes "Just found this press release on the Apple web site. Time to upgrade the TiVo?" Looks way excellent. Right now I have an old iBook sitting on top of the TV, and it streams MP3s via AirPort from the server. But it would be so much better to just listen to the MP3s through the TiVo instead ... and have access to my iPhoto albums too? Sweet. But I would still want it to be wireless: Josuah writes "Alex King has set up his TiVo 2 to download its meta information over his 802.11b network, instead of the landline. He's got step-by-step instructions up." I'd probably want to use 802.11g though ... lots of data, this is.

Comments

MS

[grub]

From: billg@microsoft.com
To: Research and Development

I don't pay the two of you in R&D to play Quake all day! Find out what this Rendezvous is and copy it! I'll prepare a hot press release announcing it today. Be ready to ship by 2006.

Thanks,

Bill

mmmMMMmm

[plexxer]

>I'd probably want to use 802.11g though ... lots of data, this is.

Talk like Yoda Slashdot editors now do.

Broadcast to other TiVos?

[nullard]

Can I broadcast whatever I want to my neighbor's TiVO? Can my neighbor watch my slideshows w/out me knowing?

This may open the door for simple pirate TV stations using 802.11, TiVos, and Macs.

802.11g

[Chazmyrr]

I'd probably want to use 802.11g though ... lots of data, this is.

If you could actually buy consumer grade 802.11g I would agree. At least at the prices currently listed on Amazon. $133.99 for the WAP54G is one helluva deal considering I didn't pay much less than that for each of my WAP11s about a month ago. Problem is that it isn't shipping yet.

Thing is, I don't even use all the bandwidth on the WAP11s. I'm using them as a bridge to get from the cable modem on one side of the residence to the LAN on the other side. Since I only get 1.5 down from the cable modem, it doesn't really matter that much. Even if I went all wireless, it still wouldn't matter. The limiting factor will always be the cable modem.

Still, anything that drives the prices down on 802.11b gear is a good thing. I'll go completely wireless as soon as I can PCI cards at something I consider to be a reasonable price.

Slashdot effect- Contents here

[Anonymous Coward]

Technology > Wireless TiVo Connection

How to set up a Series 2 TiVo with an Apple AirPort (802.11b) Wireless Network
Last Modified: January 9, 2003 @ 3:06 am

Background

When my DSL provider went out of business, I decided to go with cable modem instead of getting DSL with a different provider with the goal of getting rid of my landline phone altogether. With that change, the TiVo was the only thing I had that still needed a landline phone for. I use my cell phone (Treo 300, recommended) for just about everything anyway so if I could get the TiVo to get data over the internet via our home network, I could cancel my landline phone and save about $20 a month which more than justifies the cost of the TiVo, right? One problem - our network connections are all upstairs and the TiVo is downstairs. We do have a wireless network though... so I figured I'd give it a shot. I read up a bit on the tivocommunity.com message boards - basically, you connect a USB-to-Ethernet Adapter to the USB port on the TiVo, then connect a Wireless Ethernet Bridge to the USB-to_Ethernet Adapter. It took too many hours of tweaking and trial and error, but it finally works. I am quite pleased. I decided to write up the steps I took in hopes that it will help someone else who is trying to set up a similar configuration.

I have gotten a lot of mail asking why I didn't just get the Linksys WUSB11 USB-to-Wireless adapter or a similar product. Unfortunately, you cannot currently use a USB-to-Wireless adapter with a TiVo as there is no way to properly configure the adapter. You can read more on this at tivocommunity.com. Although to be honest - I did not try myself, I took other people's word for it. If you somehow make it work, please let me know - it would be a lot cheaper and more convenient.

My Network Configuration

I have a DSL/Cable modem attached to the uplink port of a hub. I have an AirPort Base Station (which is acting as my router/DHCP server) attached to the hub, along with my desktop computer. I have several laptops connected to the network wirelessly. Desktop Computer (TiVo with USB->Ethernet->Wireless)//DSL/cable modem -- hub -- AirPort Base Station -- Laptop A\Laptop B

Router: Apple AirPort Base Station serving DHCP
AirPort Network Name (SSID): Alex's AirPort (for this example)
WEP Security: none (for the sake of this example, however running a wireless network without encryption is not a good idea).

Required Hardware

• You need a PC (Virtual PC 5 worked for one reader) to run the WET11 setup program. Note to Mac Users: According to this article, you can configure the WET11 through a browser by connecting via ethernet, setting your computer's IP to 192.168.1.5 and sub 255.255.255.0, then going to http://192.168.1.225 in your browser. Thanks to Michael Dinsmore for the tip.
• A USB to Ethernet Adapter, I used a LinkSys USB100M.
• A Wireless Ethernet Bridge, I used a LinkSys WET11.

Configuring the WET11 to be a DHCP client

1. Unpack the WET11.
2. Set the switch on the back of the WET11 to quot;II (not X).
3. Plug the WET11 into your wired network. I plugged mine into my hub.
4. Launch the driver/setup program on a PC (or virtual PC) connected to the network (wired/wireless does not matter). Download Page | Zip file - or you can try accessing the WET11 from a browser using the default IP address (see the screenshot in the setup guide).
5. In the setup program - follow these teps:
   - select the WET11 and click Yes
   - enter the password (default is admin) and click OK
   - choose Infastructure mode (not Ad-Hoc) and click Next
   - enter the name of your AirPort network into the SSID field (Alex's AirPort), all other settings can be left as is, and click Next
   - choose Automatically obtain an IP address (DHCP)
   - enter your security settings, in our example we leave it disabled
   - review your new settings, click Yes to save the changes
6. Note: Your network may go a little screwy at this point until you disconnect the WET11 in the next step.
7. This is important: you must unplug the power from the WET11 for a few seconds then plug it back in again to save the new settings. The directions say to reset the WET11 - they DO NOT mean for you to hit the reset button on the back of the WET11, this undoes all the settings you just entered and restores the factory defaults.
8. Unplug the WET11 from the wired network.
9. Set the switch on the back of the WET11 to X (not II).
10. Now your WET11 is ready to go!

Let's test the WET11 to make sure it is working on the network.

1. Disconnect a computer from your network.
2. Connect the WET11 to this computer with an ethernet cable (RJ45).
3. Wait a few seconds and see if your computer is able to rejoin the network.
4. If you get back on the network, you're set to go, disconnect the WET11 from the computer. If not, try rebooting with the WET11 attached. If it still doesn't work after rebooting, hit the reset button on the back of the WET11 and go back through the WET11 setup steps.

Connecting the TiVo

Now we need to connect everything to the TiVo.

1. Unpack the USB100M.
2. Plug the USB100M into the top USB port on the TiVo.
3. Plug in the WET11 to a power outlet.
4. Attach the WET11 to the USB100M with an ethernet cable (RJ45).
5. Restart the TiVo: Main Menu > Messages and Setup > Restart or Reset System > Restart the Recorder.
6. Enter new dialing settings: Main Menu > Messages and Setup > Recorder & Phone Setup > Phone Connection > Change Dialing Options
7. Leave Dial-In Number as is.
8. Set Dial Prefix to ,#401 (comma - pound - four - zero - one).
9. Set Call Waiting Prefix to nothing, leave it blank or erase what you have there.
10. Set Tone/Pulse to Tone (I don't think this matters).
11. Set 'Phone Avail. Detection to Off (again, I don't think this matters).
12. Set Dial Tone Detection to On.
13. Select Use these dialing options (at the top of the screen).
14. Select Make Test Call.
15. Cross your fingers, close your eyes, make a wish...
16. Press the SELECT button...
17. It worked right? I sure hope so... if not, pull the USB100M adapter out of the top USB port and insert it into the bottom USB port, then Restart the TiVo again (step 5 above) and go through the steps again.

If you still can't get it working, unplug the WET11 from the TiVo and again verify that it is working when attached to a computer. To start over from scratch, you can hit the reset button on the back of the WET11 and go back through the WET11 setup steps.

I hope that this helps someone. If you know of another way to do this or have some related information, please let me know.

td colspan="2" valign="top

Regarding DirecTiVo

[HiroProtagonist]

FYI this hack DOES NOT WORK with the DirecTiVo (Series 2s), as they have (stupidly) disabled the USB ports on the back of the device.

There used to be a hack to get the USB ports working again and the DirecTiVo using a USB-to-Ethernet converter, but the newest version of the DTiVo operating system ( 3.1.0-01-2-151 ) wipes this hack out.

When I got my HDVR2 last week and found this out, it really pissed me off because like many geeks, I have a cell phone ONLY, no land lines, just a Net connection. Had to drag my DTiVo over to a friends so that it could initialize properly.

Anyways, be forwarned!!!

There is hope in the future that Directv will stop being assholes and allow the USB ports to be used in the future, but that's all it is.... Hope.

Wireless TiVo is easy...

[NetJunkie]

I just did this the other night. I use a WAP11 in bridge mode to get wireless connectivity to my home theater. I just popped in a TurboNet card in the TiVo and I was set. Enabling telnet, FTP, and Web took 15 minutes.

The problem is, 802.11b is sloooooow for pulling off video. An hour of video on a TiVo may be 2.8GB. When pulling vid over wireless it takes a LONG time... I usually either do it over night or just plug in to the switch behind the HT and get it off directly.

For those wanting to do this check out TiVoApp. It's pretty much a one step vid extraction tool that'll dump anything in Now Showing to an mpeg file.

Discussion on tivo forums

[gatekeep]

There's a discussion about this press release at the tivo forums - http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.ph p?s=84c11bddf1300f950b6c97ad19d4e465&threadid=9446 9

It seems the consensus is that since this is an apple press release, it doesn't preclude PC support, but means that mac's will be supported, probably in addition to PCs.

Re:Sonic Boom

[Twirlip of the Mists]

Heh. I like it. "That thing that Rendezvous will let you do with zero configuration? Oh, you can do the very same thing today with this list of obscure tools and a couple of weekends of hacking work."

That, ladies and gentlemen, is why Rendezvous is a good thing. ;-)

Re:Rendezvous

[Twirlip of the Mists]

Actually, and in all seriousness, it's like AppleTalk for IP. AppleTalk was great, but had problems, not the least of which being that it was proprietary. Windows networking-- Network Neighborhood and all that-- was a horrible copy of AppleTalk. Now here comes Rendezvous, which combines the ease of use and convenience of AppleTalk with the goodness of IP without having to suck.

Gonna change the world, man.

Here's just one example of why Rendezvous is cool. Safari has Rendezvous support built-in. I have a friend who works for a company that builds web applications; their apps run on Apache, and they have dozens and dozens of development servers in their lab, all with names like SVR-LAB-01-A-342 and stuff like that. Keeping track of which server is running what, and on what ports, is a nightmare. So I set him up with mod_rendezvous yesterday. Now everybody who uses Safari (which is like half the damn company already) gets a nice list of all the currently running servers on his bookmarks screen. All you have to do is pick the one you want.

I'll say it again. Rendezvous is gonna change the world.

A few notes...

[dr00g911]

But I would still want it to be wireless.

I noticed this press release a few days ago, as well. Been doing some research since then.

You'll need a TiVo Series 2 to make this work. No word on whether 3rd party TiVo 2s will be supported (like the Sony unit).

Most everything below is an educated guess, so take with a grain of salt.

I'm assuming after looking at the unit's connectivity that you'll need to get a TiVo USB->Ethernet adapter. No word as to whether other parties' USB->Ethernet or USB->802.11x adapters will work as of yet.

I've already got a Linksys WET11 hooked up to my Playstation 2 network adapter, bridging to my wireless LAN (iMac with connection sharing on via Airport card), so adding a cheap hub at my receiver isn't a big deal on my end.

If you go this route, you'll need a Wintel box, or at the very least Virtual PC to properly configure the bridge (for the first time -- its http admin works on the Mac after initial setup) -- even though Linksys claims otherwise. Also, if you turn on encryption, keep in mind that you need to set up the Mac side to use the long-ass hex version of the password you pick (ie $AA2E43323B2300000) or the WET11 won't be able to get on. At the very least, lock your access point down to specific hardware addresses.

As far as bandwidth concerns -- let's see -- MP3s ripped at 192k -- vs the 11 megabit bandwidth on 802.11b. I'm not seeing a problem here. Hell, a direct uncompressed dump to AIFF or WAV from a CD will only come in at 150k/second (ie 1x CD-ROM). That's 1.5 megabits of bandwidth -- for uncompressed audio.

Back to the info -- this functionality seems to be part of a forthcoming firware upgrade for the series 2 models (which are currently shipping and on sale -- $199 for a 40 meg unit, $399 for an 80 with rebate).

It also seems that they're hinting that LAN functionality is going to be part of a new 'tiered' pricing structure -- the veiled hint being "part of our premium service".

At any rate, I'm in on this the moment it's available. I bought a Sony 200-CD jukebox about 5 years ago, and it's skipping horribly now and cleaning hasn't helped. I'm giddy at the thought of dropping it and just getting a 120-gig drive to take its place.

Here's to hoping that TiVo's media center (or whatever they call it) UI is decent, and it supports iTunes playlists and iTunes browsing by artist, album and genre.

I'd pay an extra $5 or so a month for that.

One last hint:

When ripping to iTunes, make sure your prefs are set to add track numbers to the filenames, otherwise your albums will play back in alpha order.

--dr00gy

Re:this is just the beginning

[Twirlip of the Mists]

No offense, but I think you're full of shit. An iPod holds 20 GB today, and presumably 40 GB real soon now. DVD's put about two hours into about 7 GB, at about 8 Mb/s. So you could store five DVD's without additional compression on a 40 GB iPod, and stream them over plain old AirPort, and still have room left over for some MP3's.

So everything you describe could be done right now, with last year's technology. If Apple were planning to do it, they would have been doing it already.

I'm not 100% sure, but I think you're full of shit.

Re:802.11g for meta information?

[happystink]

Listen, you obviously don't grasp the complexities of this: g is a higher lette than b, and it's newer, so it's better and 802.11b sucks, it's useless, it's garbage. I know we all loved it last week, but now that Apple has announced some g units coming out, we all hate it.

It's an open standard

[overunderunderdone]

It won't change nothing if it's proprietary and doesn't play nice with other OS's (Windows included).

Fortunately it ISN'T PROPRIETARY! It is an open standard that is also called zeroconf. Apple has also released source code.

Why isn't there an open source package that just makes it easy to share folders/files/printers across all platforms? Like Samba, but without being a cloned MS tech?

Grab Apple's code and get working ;)

I Love Irony

[lamz]

I love the irony of two slashdot articles in a row, where one talks about Apple's Rendezvous, and the next talks about Microsoft's new 'Spot' wristwatch thingy. Apple's product is useful, open-sourced, and can provide benefits beyond Mac owners, since devices can communicate without a Mac or any Apple products at all. Contrast this with the Microsoft announcement: a clunky, expensive watch that will cost at least $100 year in service fees.

Apple Press Release
Microsoft Watch Article

But there is something more going on here. Apple is returning to its roots, and to computing's roots, by giving away software in order to sell hardware. Microsoft sees the "free software" writing on the wall, and is desperately trying to sell hardware and services. Who's going to win?