# So, the mini is not wireless



## DawnW (Nov 28, 2008)

huh, I guess I just assumed it was.

So, I need some help understanding. We have 5 TVs. I would like to possibly get one Roamio and 4 minis.

We don't have enough ethernet ports for these so I would have to get more.

But the woman on the phone also said a coax cable would work. Does that mean only through cable or even through cable wiring (we currently have an antenna hooked up through all of our cable wires.)

How would it be hooked up differently if we were to get cable TV through a cable company?

Thanks

Dawn


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## BigJimOutlaw (Mar 21, 2004)

You can create a moca network over antenna coax also, as long as the Mini locations are fed by the same same coax feed the Roamio is being fed by.


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## Jonathan_S (Oct 23, 2001)

The TiVo mini's are capable of getting network signals through TV coax using a standard call MoCa.

The 2 cable-only Romeo models (Romeo Pro and Romeo Plus) actually have a MoCa adaptor built in and can bridge between your Ethernet and their MoCa network.

However the only Romeo model that works with antenna (or cable) is the 4-tuner basic Romeo. It does not have built in MoCa, so you'd need an external MoCa to Ethernet adaptor it order to connect the TiVo mini's over coax to the Romeo. [Edit: like this one that TiVo sells TiVo MoCa adaptor; but any standards compliant adaptor should work] But if you did that it should work equally well whether you're distributing an antenna signal or a cable TV signal through those coax cables.

Another alternative if you have some Ethernet ports near each TV, just not enough for all devices, is to pick up a few cheap Ethernet switches to increase the number of ports available at each location. But this doesn't help if you don't have at least one nearby Ethernet port to connect the switch to.

Hope this helps


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## bradleys (Oct 31, 2007)

Pretty good info so far...

It would help if you tell his what model TiVo you have and who your cable provider is. From that we can help you understand the steps necessary to get Moca working on your network.

It really isn't that hard - promise!


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## DawnW (Nov 28, 2008)

Well, I don't have it yet, I was working on an order that would include the lowest Roamio (so I can do OTA and/or cable with TWC).

I actually just called TWC after posting my OP to find out what the charges would be to upgrade our speed and add TV and we very well may do it, at least for the promotional period, but I don't want a roamio that is tied to me having to keep cable TV as we have done just fine for over 3 years with an antenna and may go back to it after the promotional period.

Dawn



bradleys said:


> Pretty good info so far...
> 
> It would help if you tell his what model TiVo you have and who your cable provider is. From that we can help you understand the steps necessary to get Moca working on your network.
> 
> It really isn't that hard - promise!


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## PCurry57 (Feb 27, 2012)

DawnW said:


> Well, I don't have it yet, I was working on an order that would include the lowest Roamio (so I can do OTA and/or cable with TWC).
> 
> I actually just called TWC after posting my OP to find out what the charges would be to upgrade our speed and add TV and we very well may do it, at least for the promotional period, but I don't want a roamio that is tied to me having to keep cable TV as we have done just fine for over 3 years with an antenna and may go back to it after the promotional period.
> 
> Dawn


The Roamio Basic isn't ota and/or cable, one or the other. You must pick. The last TiVo to do OTA/Cable concurrently was a Two-Tuner Premiere which didn't work with mini's except to play previously recorded content.


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## DawnW (Nov 28, 2008)

No, not at the same time......just if we choose to get cable in the future I would like it to be able to work on cable. Then, if we choose to go back to OTA at some point, I would like to be able to switch to that.

It looks to me like the $199 (currently $149) Roamio will work on cable or OTA.

Dawn



PCurry57 said:


> The Roamio Basic isn't ota and/or cable, one or the other. You must pick. The last TiVo to do OTA/Cable concurrently was a Two-Tuner Premiere which didn't work with mini's except to play previously recorded content.


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## bradleys (Oct 31, 2007)

The Base Roamio does not have a built in MOCA bridge, so you will have to purchase one. Once the bridge is in place just connect your Mini's to the coax and it will find your network...

This is a pretty good thread:
http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=501722

This is the bridge:
https://www.tivo.com/shop/detail/moca

This is the basic setup you will need:








Note: sometimes the cable modem and router are integrated into a single device.


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## DawnW (Nov 28, 2008)

It is BOTH? I thought it was either/or.

Shoot, then I would need one PER mini? Or just one total?

I guess I need to try and figure this out.

Thank you.



bradleys said:


> The Base Roamio does not have a built in MOCA bridge, so you will have to purchase one. Once the bridge is in place just connect your Mini's to the coax and it will find your network...
> 
> This is a pretty good thread:
> http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=501722
> ...


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## bradleys (Oct 31, 2007)

Nope, you just need one - the mini can find and use the moCa signal just fine.

All this is saying is to take the coax from the cable modem and connect it to the MoCA adapter and then out to the rest of the house. Take an ETHERNET cable and also connect it to the moCa adapter.

This embeds the Ethernet signal into the coax cable. That's it, you are done! Hook the mini to any coax cable in your house and it is connected to the network!

Older Premiers couldn't decode moCa so you needed to split the Ethernet out again at each drop.

The Roamio plus and pro both have a built in moCa bridge so once you connect both the coax and Ethernet cable to it you get network on your coax automagically. The base Roamio doesn't have a moCa brige so you need this adapter.


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## DawnW (Nov 28, 2008)

Thank you.



bradleys said:


> Nope, you just need one - the mini can find and use the moCa signal just fine.
> 
> All this is saying is saying is to take the coax from the cable modem and connect it to the MoCA adapter and then out to the rest of the house. Take an ETHERNET cable and also connect it to the moCa adapter.
> 
> This embeds the Ethernet signal into the coax cable. That's it, you are done! Hook the mini to any coax cable in your house and it is connected to the network!


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## bradleys (Oct 31, 2007)

No problem! You are going to love the Roamio!


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## Pacomartin (Jun 11, 2013)

DawnW said:


> Shoot, then I would need one PER mini? Or just one total?


It is a little confusing since the standard image shown by actiontec shows one bridge at the point of entry and one bridge in each room for each device.

But the "standard image" has three devices that can only accept input on CAT-6 cable. Your TiVo devices can all accept MoCa input, but they don't all have an internal bridge. So in your case *you need only one Actiontec bridge* to put the network on coaxial, but all the TiVo devices can get network readings via Moca.

If you had a Roamio Plus or better you wouldn't need the Actiontec bridge, but then you would lose the option to go back to OTA.

Just be sure and have enough Moca filters. The most important one is on the Point of Entry (PoE) to the house so you don't get noise from outside or mess up your neighbor's signal. It is strongly advised to put a second one on the coaxial leading to your modem. It may not be necessary, but some modems can be noisy, and it is an inexpensive way to avoid problems. So at worse you are wasting $8, but at best you are avoiding intermittent problems that are difficult to trace.


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## bradleys (Oct 31, 2007)

I know moCa filters are recommended but the risk for a single family residence is minor - an apartment situation is another story. I suppose least common denominator and all..



> How can I secure my MoCA network and improve its performance?
> 
> Poe Filter
> Because MoCA connects your home network to your coax cable, it is possible for the MoCA signal to carry your network signal out of your home. That means that if a close neighbor has a MoCA adapter of their own, it might be possible for them to connect to your home network. While this isn't very likely, the way to avoid it completely is to install a Point-of-Entry (POE) filter where the coax cable enters your home. Installing a POE filter also prevents signal conflicts with other MoCA networks and improves your MoCA network's performance. A POE filter is easy to install and can be found on TiVo store. Find out how to install your POE filter here: Instructions for installing a POE filter.


https://www.tivo.com/assets/pdfs/mytivo/POEFilterInstallation.pdf

https://www.tivo.com/shop/detail/moca-poe


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## Pacomartin (Jun 11, 2013)

bradleys said:


> I know moCa filters are recommended but the risk for a single family residence is minor


I consider the primary reason to be noise management, and the secondary reason to be network interference with your neighbor.

Noise, is variable. Every situation is different. I have talked to the RCN technicians and they say statistically they have a lot of problems without the filters. Also the issues with the modems do not happen a big percentage of the time, but it is cheap insurance. As one report stated simply "What is the cost of a filter compared to the cost of a truck roll?".

It's like too many splits. My system worked with several splits, but I felt it was worth doing the cable rewiring so that I got my wiring down to one 4 way split and my downstream power to 1 dBmV. Every now and then it spikes up to 4 dBmV, but I know my system has enough flexibility to handle transient problems.


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## DawnW (Nov 28, 2008)

Thank you. I think I have it now.


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## vurbano (Apr 20, 2004)

minis can be wireless for 35 bucks http://www.amazon.com/Linksys-Wireless-AC-Universal-Connector-WUMC710/dp/B0090DX8O8
These work incredibly well for me. Absolutely flawless


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## DawnW (Nov 28, 2008)

oh, even better! Thanks.



vurbano said:


> minis can be wireless for 35 bucks http://www.amazon.com/Linksys-Wireless-AC-Universal-Connector-WUMC710/dp/B0090DX8O8
> These work incredibly well for me. Absolutely flawless


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## vurbano (Apr 20, 2004)

DawnW said:


> oh, even better! Thanks.


you need wireless AC router. I use an ASUS RT-AC68U


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## bradleys (Oct 31, 2007)

Wireless isn't officially supported for streaming (but should work), however, that isn't really the problem with this recomendation. 

The issue is you would need one of these at each access point in your home... You would also need to make sure it will work with your existing wireless router or upgrade to the companion lynksis router as well.

Most modern'ish homes already have coax drops conveniently located throughout the home making moCa cheaper and more reliable than this meathod.

That said, no reason this wireless AC router won't work - but as I said, you are going to need 4 of them - one for each mini.

If you go moCa - you just need one Actiontec bridge and a tivo will work at any coax drop in your house.

If you have one hard to reach spot without either a coax or Ethernet drop - this is a great suggestion.


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## jcthorne (Jan 28, 2002)

DawnW said:


> oh, even better! Thanks.


No, not better. If you have coax OR Ethernet at each tv location, stick with the hard wired solution. You will be miles ahead in reliability and ease of use.

The wireless work around is only to be considered if a hard wired solution is not available and its not supported by tivo because of its problems.


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## DawnW (Nov 28, 2008)

Actually after I posted I wondered about this.

Thanks

Dawn



jcthorne said:


> No, not better. If you have coax OR Ethernet at each tv location, stick with the hard wired solution. You will be miles ahead in reliability and ease of use.
> 
> The wireless work around is only to be considered if a hard wired solution is not available and its not supported by tivo because of its problems.


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