# Roamio OTA with Tivo Stream?



## Adam C. (Jul 24, 2017)

I have a Roamio OTA and I was thinking of getting a Tivo stream on Ebay. Does the Stream have to be connected directly to the Roamio or can I plug it into a Mini? Where can I find instructions on how to set it up?


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## JoeKustra (Dec 7, 2012)

Adam C. said:


> I have a Roamio OTA and I was thinking of getting a Tivo stream on Ebay. Does the Stream have to be connected directly to the Roamio or can I plug it into a Mini? Where can I find instructions on how to set it up?


You plug it into the network that contains your Roamio. Setup: plug it in to power and Ethernet to the router.

I can access/play recordings through TiVo Online. I haven't used my mobile devices in a while. Check the Stream forum.


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## krkaufman (Nov 25, 2003)

Adam C. said:


> I have a Roamio OTA and I was thinking of getting a Tivo stream on Ebay. Does the Stream have to be connected directly to the Roamio or can I plug it into a Mini? Where can I find instructions on how to set it up?


The Stream needs a wired LAN connection, same as the DVR and Mini in your whole home setup.


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## Adam C. (Jul 24, 2017)

Thanks for the replies. Does Tivo restrict viewing of local channels if you travel outside your local DMA?


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## JoeKustra (Dec 7, 2012)

TiVo Stream


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## gigaquad (Oct 25, 2004)

Nope, this is the same setup I have. You can watch your shows from anywhere.


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## krkaufman (Nov 25, 2003)

Adam C. said:


> Does Tivo restrict viewing of local channels if you travel outside your local DMA?


So long as the local channels haven't been copy-protected then they can be viewed out-of-home. Copy-protection is typically not a concern for OTA setups, though there have been some odd cases where it's been reported.


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## mroy5150 (May 30, 2017)

I have had a Tivo Stream for a couple of years. I bought one on eBay when I learned that the Roamio doesn't support streaming inside or outside the home. It works great. The only thing that would make it better would be if they had a Tivo app for streaming players such as Apple TV or Roku. They had a Beta app for the Fire TV for a while but they have since retired it.


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## Adam C. (Jul 24, 2017)

My understanding is that Tivo no longer sells the Stream. How can I reliably buy one on Ebay without running into this problem again? I have been using a Slingbox which generally works pretty well, but the interface is too slow and clunky.


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## krkaufman (Nov 25, 2003)

mroy5150 said:


> I have had a Tivo Stream for a couple of years. I bought one on eBay when I learned that the Roamio doesn't support streaming inside or outside the home. It works great. The only thing that would make it better would be if they had a Tivo app for streaming players such as Apple TV or Roku. They had a Beta app for the Fire TV for a while but they have since retired it.


See: Finally some TiVo Apps for Roku, Apple TV and FireTV


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## mdavej (Aug 13, 2015)

Adam C. said:


> My understanding is that Tivo no longer sells the Stream. How can I reliably buy one on Ebay without running into this problem again? I have been using a Slingbox which generally works pretty well, but the interface is too slow and clunky.


Running into what problem again?


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## Mikeguy (Jul 28, 2005)

Adam C. said:


> My understanding is that Tivo no longer sells the Stream. How can I reliably buy one on Ebay without running into this problem again? I have been using a Slingbox which generally works pretty well, but the interface is too slow and clunky.


I would just make sure that the previous owner had purchased the device. I don't know if you can call TiVo up with the serial no. to make sure that there is no issue.

A nice thing with eBay purchases, in most cases: the 30-day guarantee. (Not so with Craigslist.)


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## pfiagra (Oct 13, 2014)

Mikeguy said:


> A nice thing with eBay purchases, in most cases: the 30-day guarantee. (Not so with Craigslist.)


But Craigslist prices are usually cheaper (if you are lucky enough to have one being sold in your area), and you can always jointly call TiVo with the seller to move the Mini to your account during the actual transaction.


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## pfiagra (Oct 13, 2014)

Adam C. said:


> My understanding is that Tivo no longer sells the Stream. How can I reliably buy one on Ebay without running into this problem again? I have been using a Slingbox which generally works pretty well, but the interface is too slow and clunky.


Also keep an eye on the sellers/buyers forum under the eBay auction area here:

eBay Auction Central

Although there's a higher level of trust and risk involved without eBay, I've not had any problems purchasing used TiVo products for the fine folks here on this messageboard.


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## Mikeguy (Jul 28, 2005)

pfiagra said:


> But Craigslist prices are usually cheaper (if you are lucky enough to have one being sold in your area), and you can always jointly call TiVo with the seller to move the Mini to your account during the actual transaction.


I agree--it's just the push and pull between the pricing and the protection.

I'm fine with Craigslist for something that I easily can inspect at the time of exchange and that likely is free from possible issue (e.g. a piece of Soloflex exercise equipment), but at this point, I think that I would prefer to pay a bit more and have the eBay guarantee for most electronics (e.g. a new TiVo box or TiVo device, or a replacement hard drive). What remedy do you have with a pretty-much anonymous seller if the Craigslist-purchased device malfunctions or even just doesn't function from the get-go?--a situation I've had, on occasion, with eBay purchases and where the eBay guarantee fully protected me.

Looking back on a limited number of Craigslist electronics purchases, I've been very fortunate.


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## mdavej (Aug 13, 2015)

Stream isn't as difficult to move from one account to another as a Mini or Roamio/Bolt/Premier. But it is quite likely to be a cable company owned brick (I know first hand).


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