# Best wired ethernet adapter?



## sterickson (Aug 2, 2004)

Ok, I bought a second 80 hour TiVo last week (convinced a friend to buy his first, too!). After doing "the Gary dance", I have MRV working just fine. The prolem is that it's slow, as both units are on my wireless network. I'd like to put them on my 100Mb switched wired network, instead.

What do you folks recommend as the best adapter for me to get? I'm ready to buy.


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## dmlove51 (Mar 17, 2004)

I have no idea if it's the best (I would guess they're all pretty much the same), but I got a Netgear adapter over the weekend at Fry's and it works perfectly, first time out. I've showed slides on the TV, and have done remote scheduling (that took a few forced calls to TiVO, but of course that has nothing to do with the adapter).


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## dirtypacman (Feb 3, 2004)

Linksys USB200M


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## Rwood (Apr 19, 2003)

I recommend the Linksys USB200M also. Using the USB100M adapters I was running well less than real-time on Best Quality. About 90 seconds to transfer 60 seconds of data. With the 200Ms I am running slightly better than real-time in Best Quality.
Fry's/Outpost.com have them for $25.


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## sterickson (Aug 2, 2004)

Just ordered two USB200M adapters from Amazon. Thanks for the suggestions.

Now, if only TiVo would do USB 2.0 and let us run Gigabit ethernet speed, we'd be able to transfer data even faster. Listening, TiVo?


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## buckeye1010 (Dec 11, 2002)

I think you are very well off with Linksys. They may cost a little more, but wired nic's are pretty cheap these days.


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## danieljanderson (Nov 19, 2002)

I know being ready for USB 2 is smart planning, but I hate the "stick" design of the Linksys. It seems like the weight of the cable would put some un-needed pressure on the usb port. I much prefer the design of the Belkin adapter.

http://catalog.belkin.com/IWCatProd...&Section_Id=201487&pcount=&Product_Id=104991#


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## rsnaider (Apr 25, 2002)

> _Originally posted by danieljanderson _
> *I know being ready for USB 2 is smart planning, but I hate the "stick" design of the Linksys. It seems like the weight of the cable would put some un-needed pressure on the usb port. I much prefer the design of the Belkin adapter.
> *


You are not the first one to comment on this aspect of the adapter, but once it is connected and behind the TiVo how much stress is really on the adapter?

I have been using the USB200M's for some time now after trying the USB100M's and 3Com's and can attest the the significant speed improvement over USB 1.1 adapters even though both my hardware and TiVo software are limited to USB 1.1 speeds.


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## Rwood (Apr 19, 2003)

> _Originally posted by danieljanderson _
> *I know being ready for USB 2 is smart planning, but I hate the "stick" design of the Linksys. It seems like the weight of the cable would put some un-needed pressure on the usb port. I much prefer the design of the Belkin adapter.
> *


I don't like the Linksys design either. The 200M comes with a short USB cable, so the stick doesn't have to plug directly into the USB port. I tie wrapped both cables in place to relieve stress on the stick connection.
If you plan to watch best quality, without an adapter like the 200M, you will have to start the transfer well in advance of watching it.


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## ellinj (Feb 26, 2002)

I have a Linksys as well as the the netgear FA-120. The netgear is also usb 2.0 and seems just as fast as the USB200M. IMHO the netgear is a better design since it doesn't have the crazy plug on the end. Also its available for 18.99 at newegg.com


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## alyssa (Dec 7, 2003)

The netgear usb2.0 works fine (fast) for both of my tivos. I'm very happy I decided to go with a wired network!


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## Fofer (Oct 29, 2000)

I recently picked up the D-Link DUB-E100 from eCost:
http://www.ecost.com/ecost/ecsplash/shop/detail.asp?dpno=462769
...and it works great for me.

It doesn't look like the pic on that link above, BTW. D-Link must have updated recently it because the one I received looks like this:









I didn't want a dongle sticking out the back of my TiVo, I agree the weight could put unnecessary stress on the USB port. This one uses a standard USB cable and works very nicely.


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## Georgia Guy (Feb 21, 2003)

My vote is cast with those who said Linksys USB200M.

I agree that they seem flimsy, but I've had 3 of them working perfectly for many months. Once plugged in, they hold pretty well. In fact, mine have NEVER come unplugged. The price is right and they are extremely fast for transfers. Any show, no matter what the quality level, can be watched within just a few minutes of initiating a transfer. 

And they make a nice little nite-lite behind the bedroom tv. A warm greenish glow. I solved this with a piece of electrical tape (the same way I fixed my old vcr's blinking 000's)


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## DCIFRTHS (Jan 6, 2000)

> _Originally posted by danieljanderson _
> *I know being ready for USB 2 is smart planning, but I hate the "stick" design of the Linksys. It seems like the weight of the cable would put some un-needed pressure on the usb port. I much prefer the design of the Belkin adapter.
> 
> http://catalog.belkin.com/IWCatProd...&Section_Id=201487&pcount=&Product_Id=104991# *


I agree with you on the LinkSys design.


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## gibby (Feb 26, 2002)

I can't beleave that Tivo 2 has been out for over a year and we still don't have usb 2.0 drivers for our units, 
I have 3 Tivo's using a usb 2 100 network card and I would love to get live data transfer speeds, 
I would be so nice to copy one show, lets say 1 hr long to another Tivo in about 15 min, instead I need to wait about 5 to 10 min before I can watch the show...
What is the big holdup ???
anyone....


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## Georgia Guy (Feb 21, 2003)

> _Originally posted by gibby _
> *I can't beleave that Tivo 2 has been out for over a year and we still don't have usb 2.0 drivers for our units,
> I have 3 Tivo's using a usb 2 100 network card and I would love to get live data transfer speeds,
> I would be so nice to copy one show, lets say 1 hr long to another Tivo in about 15 min, instead I need to wait about 5 to 10 min before I can watch the show...What is the big holdup ???
> anyone.... *


Are you using wired ethernet? We don't get any 15 minute transfer times, but my wired setup takes about 20-25 minutes to transfer a medium quality 1 hour show. About 40 minutes to transfer a best quality show. We rarely have to wait more than 2 minutes before watching, and we never catch up, even with commercials.

My Tivos are wired into an ethernet switch (switch is usb2, connected to my computer's usb2 card), and transfer speed (or lack of it) never occurs to us.


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## sharkster (Jul 3, 2004)

Thanks to help from D-Pac I also chose the Linksys USB200M adapters (less than $25 at buy.com with free ship) and they seem to work VERY nicely. The adapter is so very light that I simply cannot imagine it putting stress on the usb port. Geez, I probably put more stress on the usb ports of my computer with my keyboard and mouse than that little thing on my Tivo units does.


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## DCIFRTHS (Jan 6, 2000)

It's the weight of the cable that people (including me) are concerned about - not the weight of the adapter.


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## EthansDadu (Dec 17, 2005)

Hello all ... new to the Tivo world and came across this great site. As a precursor, I've impletmented and sold technology for over 15 years and am familiar with all aspects of networking, etc ... however ...

I purchased the recommended USB Ethernet adapter discussed in this thread - the Linksys USB200M to connect my newly purchased Tivo Series2 (140 hour) recorder. After going thru the settings menu to switch from phone to ethernet, I get an error that the adapter is unsupported, etc.

I've tested the adapter, connection, wiring, DHCP with a laptop and all appears to work just fine.

Any ideas on what other factors may be causing the errors? It seems I'm one of the few where plug-n-play with this particular "unsupported" adapter doesn't work.

Thanks much in advance for any ideas/further insight. I'm looking forward to scouring the threads for what looks like great ideas on how to get the most of Tivo.

Regards


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## CuriousMark (Jan 13, 2005)

Linksys just came out with the USB200M Version 2 that is not compatible. You need the version 1 or a different compatible adapter. Check the list at www.tivo.com/adapters for compatibility listings.

CuriousMark


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## Fofer (Oct 29, 2000)

Yup:


> Linksys USB200M Ver. 1 -- Ver. 1 is compatible. Ver. 2 is not compatible at this time. To distinguish between Ver. 1 and Ver. 2, look on the side of the carton beneath the Package Contents listing. Ver. 1 has an image of an orange and white CD-ROM. Ver. 2 has no image of a CD-ROM.On the label on the adapter itself, Ver. 1 shows no version number; Ver. 2 shows "Ver. 2".


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## Stainless Steele (Feb 2, 2004)

Yea I had trouble with the linksys adapters. The boxes are not labeled very well. I gave up and went with the dlink ones and they have worked without a hitch.


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## xultar (Jun 15, 2005)

EthansDadu said:


> Hello all ... new to the Tivo world and came across this great site. As a precursor, I've impletmented and sold technology for over 15 years and am familiar with all aspects of networking, etc ... however ...
> 
> I purchased the recommended USB Ethernet adapter discussed in this thread - the Linksys USB200M to connect my newly purchased Tivo Series2 (140 hour) recorder. After going thru the settings menu to switch from phone to ethernet, I get an error that the adapter is unsupported, etc.
> 
> ...


I just got the same error but I went through set up and it works fine. Keep in mind though, I think mine is a ver 1.


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## John_fla (Dec 21, 2005)

Fofer said:


> Yup:


My daughter is having a heckuva time. So far, she has only found the linksys usb100m which is supposed to be usb 1 compliant. Every 200m she's found has had v2. She wanted to stick with linksys since that's the router brand she has for her wireless pc network.

I'll search their site but are comatible Dlink adapters readily available in say bestbuy, etc or is there a better place to look.

Thanks for any suggestions.


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## Fofer (Oct 29, 2000)

John_fla said:


> She wanted to stick with linksys since that's the router brand she has for her wireless pc network.


Tell her to not worry about this AT ALL. Get a different model that works, matching brands will make NO difference.


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## danieljanderson (Nov 19, 2002)

If you don't mind waiting, just order from TiVo.


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## emwoods (Jan 23, 2005)

gibby said:


> I can't beleave that Tivo 2 has been out for over a year and we still don't have usb 2.0 drivers for our units,
> I have 3 Tivo's using a usb 2 100 network card and I would love to get live data transfer speeds,
> I would be so nice to copy one show, lets say 1 hr long to another Tivo in about 15 min, instead I need to wait about 5 to 10 min before I can watch the show...
> What is the big holdup ???
> anyone....


 Not true. USB 2.0 support has been available for some time assuming you have USB 2.0 hardware in your unit (most Tivo Series 2 do, but there are some exceptions). I believe software support arrived in 7.1, but it may have been in an earlier 7.x update. Even with USB 2.0 support if you are going wireless, you will not get anywhere near 802.11g speeds for reasons that have already been dicussed in a bunch of other threads. If you want the best possible speed, wired is the way to go.


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## wgary (Nov 22, 2003)

emwoods said:


> Not true. USB 2.0 support has been available for some time assuming you have USB 2.0 hardware in your unit (most Tivo Series 2 do, but there are some exceptions). I believe software support arrived in 7.1, but it may have been in an earlier 7.x update. Even with USB 2.0 support if you are going wireless, you will not get anywhere near 802.11g speeds for reasons that have already been dicussed in a bunch of other threads. If you want the best possible speed, wired is the way to go.


I bought g game adapters before Tivo added support for g. This is pretty zippy -- I can download HQ shows and within a few minutes can start fast forwarding through commercials. Plenty fast for me; I'm not sure how using the Tivo-approved g-adapters compares. But wired wasn't a feasible solution for me since my Tivos are on different floors, and my b-network was too slow to be usable. (Set a program to download and come back in 2-3 hours.) In any case, I'm satisfied with my setup. Moderate (not cheap) price but compared to having the house wired...


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## emwoods (Jan 23, 2005)

wgary said:


> I bought g game adapters before Tivo added support for g. This is pretty zippy -- I can download HQ shows and within a few minutes can start fast forwarding through commercials. Plenty fast for me; I'm not sure how using the Tivo-approved g-adapters compares. But wired wasn't a feasible solution for me since my Tivos are on different floors, and my b-network was too slow to be usable. (Set a program to download and come back in 2-3 hours.) In any case, I'm satisfied with my setup. Moderate (not cheap) price but compared to having the house wired...


Actually, I am wireless as well. Generally get around 7 - 8 Mbs which is a little better than real-time transfer for TTG. MRV is a bit better for reasons discussed elsewhere. However, I have wired adapters connected directly to the Tivos which are in turn connected to Belkin routers configured as access points.

By watching for rebates I was able to get my whole network configured for around $100. My understanding is that the latest Belkin firmware for the Belkins I use no longer suppports WDS. WDS is part of what makes my configuration possible. I don't know for sure, but I don't think you can downgrade the currently shipping Belkin hardware to one of the earlier firmware versions. My guess is the hardware is different, but that is just a guess. While I use Belkin routers there are other routers (e.g., Linksys WRT54G) that can be configured similarly, but generally you have to be using routers from the same manufacturer.

Check out the ultimate wireless network thread if you want the skinny on making all of this work. It is not really a newbie thread, but definitely worth the time if you are seriously thinking of going wireless. This is pretty much the definitive thread on wireless with Tivo, although there are some other good threads.


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## SullyND (Dec 30, 2004)

emwoods said:


> Not true. USB 2.0 support has been available for some time assuming you have USB 2.0 hardware in your unit (most Tivo Series 2 do, but there are some exceptions).


The post which you replied to was from 08-06-2004, at that time TiVo did not support USB 2.0.


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## emwoods (Jan 23, 2005)

SullyND said:


> The post which you replied to was from 08-06-2004, at that time TiVo did not support USB 2.0.


Good thing someone is paying attention here <LOL>. Thanks for pointing out my oversight.


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## sterickson (Aug 2, 2004)

I recently bought an 900 hour unit from Weaknees, along with a wired 10/100 adapter, which is some generic thing they sent me. Frankly, the adapter sucks. I have three TiVos, and the other two have Linksys USB200M Ver. 1 adapters. All three units are connected to a dedicated netgear switch just for their use. Transfers between units with the Linksys adapters is blazingly fast - much faster than I can watch. Transfers to or from the new system are very slow - slower than I can watch.

I bought a new Linksys adapter, but unfortunately it turned out to be a version 2 unit. I don't understand why it isn't supported yet.

I'm very disappointed.


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## CuriousMark (Jan 13, 2005)

sterickson said:


> Transfers between units with the Linksys adapters is blazingly fast - much faster than I can watch. Transfers to or from the new system are very slow - slower than I can watch.


You can swap adapters between the new and old system to see if the problem follows the adapter. Most likely it won't if the new TiVo is one whose TSN starts with a 5. It is my understanding that the 5XX units handle USB2.0 in software, whereas the 2XXs have hardware support.

You can pause a recording on the new TiVo when you are transferring from it to get some of the speed back, but it won't be enough to catch up with the older units.

CuriousMark


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## Totohydra (Jan 16, 2006)

From the Tivo website regarding recommended USB adapters.

Linksys USB200M Ver. 2 An advanced release of 7.2.2 software is available to support Ver. 2. Click here to sign up on the TiVo Priority Page. To distinguish between Ver. 1 and Ver. 2, look on the side of the carton beneath the Package Contents listing. Ver. 2 has no image of a CD-ROM and shows "Ver. 2".

I would include links but I keep getting a nastygram about not including URLs until I've made five posts to the forums.


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## greg_burns (May 22, 2004)

CuriousMark said:


> It is my understanding that the 5XX units handle USB2.0 in software, whereas the 2XXs have hardware support.


Not sure about that, but the newer 5xx units have a slower CPU. Which slows down transfer times.


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## dougdingle (Jul 4, 2007)

This is an old thread, but can anyone tell me what will work with an older HUMAX Series2 box, an adapter that's available currently?


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## newskilz (Jul 11, 2008)

dougdingle said:


> This is an old thread, but can anyone tell me what will work with an older HUMAX Series2 box, an adapter that's available currently?


Not sure exactly what you mean by "older", but I myself have a Humax Series 2, and just bought a *Linksys USB200M from Circuit City for $21.64* including tax (they're having a sale of some sort here in Fort Worth, TX)

I plugged it in to the tivo's usb, plugged in the ethernet cable and by the time I got to looking at the tivo screen, it had already given me a message stating it had detected ethernet and was now using it, and not using the phone line anymore (not exact words). No setup!!! True plug and play for me. Course I'm running "auto-proxy" on my server, so that helps a lot I guess, because I didn't have to manually add an IP address, subnet, etc to the tivo.

The adapter I bought is a "version 2" (so you'd need software version 7.2.2 or later-you are probably on version 9. something), came with a short usb cable, so no problems with any strain on the tivo's usb port. The flap is a little odd, but seems sturdy enough, but how often are we going to be moving it anyway? I'm hardly ever going to be touching it. Anyway, you can go to tivo's website and see their compatibility list.Tivo Supported Wired adapters.

Hope this helps. I wish I had done this wired ethernet adaptor thing a long time ago, tivo breezes through it's "daily call" now.


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## restart88 (Mar 9, 2002)

The flap is a little odd, but seems sturdy enough, but how often are we going to be moving it anyway? I'm hardly ever going to be touching it.

I've had it for years now myself. And as everybody is saying since it just sits there the odd flap is no biggie since you never see it. But I wouldn't want to have to use it for something that you would often have to unplug it like say a laptop. As long as you can leave it alone it's just a wonderful workhorse.

It suits my needs. It's on a 10/ 100 switch with my 2nd Tivo that has built in Ethernet so despite having a gigabyte router I'm in no hurry to upgrade the adapter, especially since the ultimate fate of my 540 is still undetermined.

Someone mentioned setting up a home network on the cheap after rebates which is kinda how I got started. My setup is now complicated enough that many tech support guys wanna hand me off to someone else. 

The only downside with the old 10/ 100 stuff is that you'll eventually want to go to gigabyte but it's a learning experience so how wrong can you go with nearly free after rebate? As you upgrade parts of the network you really haven't lost anything, except I tend to just keep adding on. 

I remember well getting my 1st router to use really just as a firewall and had no idea how to setup a network. Now I have wires running all over despite not really knowing what I'm doing because while wireless is nice hard wired is better and doesn't interfere with some wireless cameras in my setup that in time will be replaced by by wired. Then I may reconsider some wireless use.

I was excited when I finally got my Tivo wireless G adapter working years ago but since going all wired it just collects dust waiting for me to need it once again. But I see it now as an ok solution where running cable just isn't practical.

As a side note about the Wireless G I did pull it out a few years ago when I'd gotten back into town after a long absence during a prolonged ISP outage (I believe the modem had gone bad after a storm while I was away) and just couldn't stand the nag screens anymore. Fortunately someone had an unsecured wireless connection that I "borrowed" to run a service connection. But lately just about everybody is password protecting their connection around here so those days are probably gone for good.


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## steve614 (May 1, 2006)

Dang it, I hate starting to read a thread and then realize it's almost a year old.  

I got the linksys usb200 adapter 2.5 years ago and I've unplugged it maybe twice.
Works great with my S2 540.


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## restart88 (Mar 9, 2002)

I think a lot of us didn't catch on for a while. So don't feel alone!


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## Rodney (Jan 26, 2002)

Bringing this thread back because I just found out I had recently broken my Linksys USB200M adapter. I wanted to see if this was still the best adapter out there. 
A word to the wise, watch your cabling behind these units! I had another cable pull down on the adapter, and that put strain on the adapter from the card inside the plastic adapter and the usb connection! I pried it open and bent the card and usb edge back, and it is making a connection, (and updating my guide) but I am going to purchase another Linksys, and this time use an USB cable from the TiVo to the adapter, so there will be no chance of a strain on the adapter like this happening again. I am glad it looks like I am the only one who has had this problem! This adapter has worked fine for me for years.

Oh, and the link above to TiVo's website is no longer accurate. Here is the new link for the Tivo Supported Network Adapters.

Hope this helps someone before they have a broken adapter.
Happy new year everybody!


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## Southcross (Nov 28, 2008)

holly old thread batman!

I purchased two Belkin USB "tivo certified" adapters for about $25 shipped on ebay


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