# Which wired USB Adapter would you pick?



## Bryanw20 (Dec 27, 2005)

Looks like I'll be returning my 200M to Compusa when I get a chance this week.
Now that I've had a chance to research it looks like my local store has these models instock:
Netgear FA120 $30
Belkin F5D5050 $25
Linksys 100M $35
Linksys 200M $30 (hopes of a ver 1)

Compusa Brand $22 (another post seems this will work)

I have a refurb 80h Dvdr and don't plan on using the TTG feature, just the broadband features. Even if I don't plan on TTG I would still like to get a 2.0 just because I can, so I think that leaves the NG FA120 or a possible old 200M.

Any suggestions, objections to which I should get.

Promise I'm almost done bugging the group!

Bryan


----------



## holowac (Jan 1, 2006)

I picked up a Linksys USB 200M ver.1 a few weeks ago at a local Radio Shack. I was previously using a D-Link Wireless G USB Adapter DWL G122 ver A2, but wanted to improve the thru-put by going wired. The 200M seems to work fine but I don't have another wired unit to compare it with. Perhaps someone else in the Community could provide a more definitive answer.


----------



## MonkeyBoy668 (Mar 18, 2005)

Personally, my Tivo has a 200M rev1. I didn't even know they had a rev2, guess I snuck in under the wire when I busted my old 200M and bought the new one a couple months ago.

Frankly given the fragility of the Linksys design I'm leaning towards getting a Netgear FA120 for the 40hr refurb I just ordered. Well, that and an SMC 802.11g bridge. Tivo will probably roll out WPA support 2 weeks after I get everything in place, but meh... I just hope it all works...


----------



## Bryanw20 (Dec 27, 2005)

I also noticed while I was at Compusa in Vegas next to their brand adapter was a usb <-> usb data transfer cable to move files between computers. Would this thing work with Tivo? Again I guess probably not, but gotta ask.


----------



## classicsat (Feb 18, 2004)

The FA120 is the one to pick.
It has only one version, is USB 2.0, uses a standard USB A/B cable, and has a real RJ45. 
None of your other choices feature all those. 
The Belkin and Linksys USB100M are USB 1.1 only.

You can only use network adapters, as USB-USB transfer cables aren't supported at all.


----------



## cassiusdrow (May 21, 2003)

I'll add another vote for the Netgear FA120, because it is USB 2.0 and uses a real RJ45 ethernet jack. I have one on both of my TiVos and have had no problems with them. I get about 900k transfer rates during TiVoToGo transfers. 

The first adapter I bought was a Linksys USB200M, but it always gave me problems because of the skimpy ethernet jack. It dropped packets like crazy and even came unplugged by itself once.


----------



## Nora (Jan 3, 2006)

cassiusdrow said:


> I'll add another vote for the Netgear FA120


Ditto. Just hooked this up with no probs.


----------



## Bryanw20 (Dec 27, 2005)

Nora said:


> Ditto. Just hooked this up with no probs.


Thanks group, did the exchange last night at compusa for the FA120 

Pluged in and it automatically decided to use it vs the phone line. with the desktop I can see Tivo, Tivo can see my photos & music. Now how do I turn on the Yahoo and/or any other toys?

Thanks for the tips!


----------



## Fraser+Dief (Nov 18, 2005)

cassiusdrow said:


> The first adapter I bought was a Linksys USB200M, but it always gave me problems because of the skimpy ethernet jack. It dropped packets like crazy and even came unplugged by itself once.


I'm assuming the connector is the same as my USB100M. At first when I plugged it in, it was very loose, just sitting in there, and it did come loose. I found the next time I plugged it in that if I did it just right, it snapped into place and the tab locked, just like in a normal router, etc. Wouldn't come loose even with some shaking.

The Linksys adapters are fussy, but you can get a solid connection. Just in case anyone searches for this.


----------



## petew (Jul 31, 2003)

Bryanw20 said:


> Now how do I turn on the Yahoo and/or any other toys?


Sign up at http://research.tivo.com/onlineservices/


----------



## emrobin (Feb 23, 2006)

I bought the Linksys USB200M v.2 10/100 Ethernet USB adapter, but the TiVo site says you need the 7.2.2 updated for it to work. It appears there are many people on this site who are already using this. Are they blowing smoke about the upgrade? Can I plug it in and use it now with my Series2 DVR with update 7.2.1? I bought it so I could turn off my home phone since we use our cell phones for everything and the home phone is only there for the TiVo updates. I'd love to save the $37 my local phone is costing me. I'm basically paying $50 a month to have TiVo and want to get this up asap so I can cancel my local phone service.


----------



## petew (Jul 31, 2003)

Sign up here http://research.tivo.com/wired/ for the 7.2.2 software.


----------



## dcahoe (Jan 29, 2006)

I use the Netgear FA120.

Picked it up for $11 shipped on eBay. Refurbished, but looks and works great!

Sweet.


----------



## dtreese (May 6, 2005)

I'm another Netgear user. One on each TiVo, and I get excellent transfer speeds.


----------



## mr.cello (Jul 28, 2004)

So has anyone used the NetGear FA120 with the 7.2.2? Is it actually running at 2.0 speeds? What kind of speedups have people seen?


----------



## gtadell (Oct 20, 2003)

Will the wired ethernet connectors like the Netgear FA120 give me more speed than the Tivo branded 802.11G wireless adapter? 
I am currently using 802.11b wireless. My tivo is close enough to my router that I could wire it if that would offer better speed for TivotoGo transfers.


----------



## cassiusdrow (May 21, 2003)

I have two Netgear FA120 adapters, one connected to a 240 series 2 TiVo and another connected to a Pioneer 810. Both units are running 7.2.2, and everything works great. 

I would speculate that any wired USB 2.0 adapter would be faster than any wireless adapter, but I'm not sure if TiVo's wireless adapter does any special processing. I've never used it.


----------



## petew (Jul 31, 2003)

gtadell said:


> Will the wired ethernet connectors like the Netgear FA120 give me more speed than the Tivo branded 802.11G wireless adapter?
> I am currently using 802.11b wireless. My tivo is close enough to my router that I could wire it if that would offer better speed for TivotoGo transfers.


You don't state what speed you currently get, but it's almost certain that a wired adapter would be faster.


----------



## Joey Bagadonuts (Mar 13, 2006)

Just another vote for the Netgear FA120 adapter. The most difficult thing about the "install", is breaking through the cellophane the box is wrapped in.


----------



## carlandmel (Dec 30, 2004)

I just went from wireless to wired using the FA120. Couldn't be any easier to get up and running. The speed is significantly faster than my old 802.11b wireless connection.


----------



## usnret (Nov 25, 2003)

Concur on the FA120. Stupid question: How exactly does one find the transfer speed??


----------



## cassiusdrow (May 21, 2003)

I use Galleon for TiVoToGo transfers and it stores the overall transfer rate after it completes.


----------



## skw (Jan 24, 2006)

Joey Bagadonuts said:


> Just another vote for the Netgear FA120 adapter. The most difficult thing about the "install", is breaking through the cellophane the box is wrapped in.


Another proponent of the Netgear FA120 here.

For me the most difficult thing was waiting for it to arrive. I ordered it from Amazon at a nice price with free shipping, but it took several days to get here. I would have bought it locally, but I couldn't find it anywhere.

LOTS of places around here have the Netgear 200M and nothing else, so I tried that. I bought one that wasn't labeled as a V2 on the outside, but it was on the inside, so I had to return it. I am glad I got my money back, because the construction of the 200M was really, really flimsy.


----------



## Sirshagg (Dec 27, 2001)

Just replaced some Linksys USB 200M ver.2's with the Netgear FA120. :up: :up: :up:


----------



## dtreese (May 6, 2005)

This should give you an idea of how the Netgears work:

Tonight, I began a transfer, and I gave it about a minute after the start before I began watching the program. The first commercial break was at 10 min., and when I hit the ff button, it was just wrapping up the transfer. That was basic quality, though. I always get far better than real-time, even with highest quality. If I wait just a couple of minutes before watching a transfer (enough time to ff through the post-intro commercials) I never catch up to the transfer front, even with highest quality. This is in comparison to when I used to have it wireless b & pretty much had to wait until the transfer was done before trying to watch.

I don't have any hard numbers for you, but the Netgear adapters have made multi-room TiVo much, much better for me.


----------



## Joey Bagadonuts (Mar 13, 2006)

> For me the most difficult thing was waiting for it to arrive. I ordered it from Amazon at a nice price with free shipping, but it took several days to get here. I would have bought it locally, but I couldn't find it anywhere.


Just an FYI. I think CompUSA might be the best place to purchase this adapter. http://www.compusa.com/ In search box at top of page type in FA120 and hit enter.


----------



## Joey Bagadonuts (Mar 13, 2006)

Speaking of adapters and such....can anyone recommend a good site to use to purchase 200' of CAT5E or CAT6 cable with the connectors already wired? I can't find any place that has lengths greater than 100'.


----------



## dcahoe (Jan 29, 2006)

Joey Bagadonuts said:


> Speaking of adapters and such....can anyone recommend a good site to use to purchase 200' of CAT5E or CAT6 cable with the connectors already wired? I can't find any place that has lengths greater than 100'.


You could always buy two 100' cables and get an in-line coupler to connect them together. I know this probably makes the cost unattractive though.


----------



## Joey Bagadonuts (Mar 13, 2006)

> You could always buy two 100' cables and get an in-line coupler to connect them together. I know this probably makes the cost unattractive though.


It's not so much the cost as the concern that by coupling two 100' sections (I didn't even know that was possible), it might adversly effect the continuity and speed of the connection. Will that be a factor?


----------



## smithrl (Sep 23, 2002)

Joey Bagadonuts said:


> Speaking of adapters and such....can anyone recommend a good site to use to purchase 200' of CAT5E or CAT6 cable with the connectors already wired? I can't find any place that has lengths greater than 100'.


There are lots of sites which will make custom cables for you.

See, for example: http://cables.com/Merchant5/merchan...Product_Code=RJ45-xxx-XX-S&Category_Code=L1PC

Or find a local student who is into networking. They will have RJ-45 crimpers and will have (or can buy) bulk cable and assemble one the exact length you need.


----------



## DrewTivo (Mar 30, 2005)

Joey Bagadonuts said:


> It's not so much the cost as the concern that by coupling two 100' sections (I didn't even know that was possible), it might adversly effect the continuity and speed of the connection. Will that be a factor?


Get a cheap switch and plug both ends into the middle if necessary


----------



## Joey Bagadonuts (Mar 13, 2006)

> Get a cheap switch and plug both ends into the middle if necessary


Geez....I never even thought of this. Thank you. Will get a switch today. And thanks to others who responded, too.

Joey


----------



## dcahoe (Jan 29, 2006)

Joey Bagadonuts said:


> Geez....I never even thought of this. Thank you. Will get a switch today. And thanks to others who responded, too.
> 
> Joey


Surely an in-line coupler would be cheaper than a switch. And it would not introduce any packet-switching or collisions that a switch would that will slow you down a bit.


----------



## jmasterman (Dec 15, 2005)

I got on the list and got the new service update. I used the Linksys adapter from Tivo and I am getting about 280K transfer. I was getting about 350 with wireless! I guess I will try to pick up the other adapter. ;-(


----------



## Scott Atkinson (Jan 19, 2004)

FWIW, I have a Linksys USB 200M v1 - and even though I had/have misgivings about the enet plug - it is performing like a champ, fast transfers, no dropped packets.

Scott A.


----------



## cprovo (Nov 30, 2004)

petew said:


> Sign up at http://research.tivo.com/onlineservices/


Do the online services you are referring to as well as TivoToGo work with the basic service on the Toshiba RSTX20 unit?


----------



## Joeg180 (Jun 1, 2003)

You can buy it in bulk at home centers like Lowes or Home Depot.


----------



## classicsat (Feb 18, 2004)

cprovo said:


> Do the online services you are referring to as well as TivoToGo work with the basic service on the Toshiba RSTX20 unit?


No. You need to sub to Plus to use any networking feature, beyond updates.


----------



## mscottsimon (Aug 30, 2002)

dcahoe said:


> Surely an in-line coupler would be cheaper than a switch. And it would not introduce any packet-switching or collisions that a switch would that will slow you down a bit.


So you're saying a switch would slow him down? That's laughable -- you simply wouldn't see a difference between two computers, much less a Tivo and a computer.


----------



## skanter (May 28, 2003)

Sirshagg said:


> Just replaced some Linksys USB 200M ver.2's with the Netgear FA120. :up: :up: :up:


I have the Linksys 200M -- what a piece of crap! The connecting door broke and now the cable is held in with a piece of duct tape!  The performance, however, has been flawless, as long as it stays connected.

Dos the Netgear have a good connector and compatibility with Tivo? I have to replace the Linksys...


----------



## Maxnl (Jan 7, 2006)

Yes, the netgear connection is excellent. Its like you are plugging it into a ethernet card in a computer. Take a look at the pic on the netgear.com site. We have had it working flawlessly for almost a year now, and the speeds are much faster than g-wireless.


----------



## arment (Apr 1, 2006)

has anyone ever tried this type of ultra cheap usb network adapter on their Tivo? I am just looking at the alternatives to buying the netgear adapter...
http://cgi.ebay.ca/USB-10-100-Ether...706530205QQcategoryZ11182QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem


----------



## cassiusdrow (May 21, 2003)

arment said:


> has anyone ever tried this type of ultra cheap usb network adapter on their Tivo? I am just looking at the alternatives to buying the netgear adapter...
> http://cgi.ebay.ca/USB-10-100-Ether...706530205QQcategoryZ11182QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem


Most likely that adapter wil not work with the TiVo, but you could try it.


----------



## classicsat (Feb 18, 2004)

arment said:


> has anyone ever tried this type of ultra cheap usb network adapter on their Tivo? I am just looking at the alternatives to buying the netgear adapter...
> http://cgi.ebay.ca/USB-10-100-Ether...706530205QQcategoryZ11182QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem


 AFAIK, they use the realtek chipset, which is incompatible with TiVo.


----------



## arment (Apr 1, 2006)

Thanks for your input guys. I guess I'll stay safe and get the netgear.


----------



## zoner88 (Aug 21, 2004)

I don't know, man. TyTools is telling me anywhere from .7 to .9Megs/Sec (I'll assume the benefit of the doubt and say that's MB/s, not Mbps. It takes about a minute per 45MB. Which really isn't all that bad, at least I have the capability to do it, but my question is, does getting NetGear FA120 (like I do) do any better than a Linksys 1.1 Ethernet Adapter? 

I'll assume it's the processing and recording that's taking place at the same time. I believe these units (mine is an SD-DVR40 -- er 250? hehe) have only a 200MHz processor and not a whole gob of memory. Plus, these units probably weren't designed for this type of connectivity anyway ...


----------



## jgruiz (Dec 28, 2001)

I have been using the Linksys USB 200M Ver 1's in my Tivos (3 of them) for a while, and they work great. I see pretty fast transfers, using the 240 Tivos, a one hour best quality show takes about 20 mins to transfer between them. The 540 Tivo is slower that the 240 ones.


----------



## audio (Feb 11, 2006)

I have the Linksys USB200M ethernet adapter and my transfer speeds for a medium quality show (600 MB per 1/2 hour) take, roughly, 40 minutes per 1/2 hour of show time.

I have a 540 TiVo Series 2 box and I understand that these are slower. 

Is this a normal speed for TiVo transfers or can I speed these transfers up?


----------



## randar (Mar 27, 2006)

I got my Netgear FA120 hooked up last night, and, before I was done sorting the cables, etc., behind the TV, the TiVo had already recognized it and switched to network from phone connection. I installed TiVoToGo on my laptop, and, at first it didn't see recordings to transfer. But after rebooting the laptop, TiVoToGo had no problems seeing everything and transferring files. I love it because I can now schedule recordings from anywhere with Internet access.

Thanks to all who recommended the Netgear FA120.


----------



## classicsat (Feb 18, 2004)

zoner88 said:


> I don't know, man. TyTools is telling me anywhere from .7 to .9Megs/Sec (I'll assume the benefit of the doubt and say that's MB/s, not Mbps.


Yes, that is MegaBytes/Second.


> It takes about a minute per 45MB. Which really isn't all that bad, at least I have the capability to do it, but my question is, does getting NetGear FA120 (like I do) do any better than a Linksys 1.1 Ethernet Adapter?


Yes. You should get ~ 3.000 MB/S with an Ax8817x adapter with backport drivers, ~ 0.9 MB/S on a stock 240 with 7.2.2


> I'll assume it's the processing and recording that's taking place at the same time. I believe these units (mine is an SD-DVR40 -- er 250? hehe) have only a 200MHz processor and not a whole gob of memory. Plus, these units probably weren't designed for this type of connectivity anyway ...


Exact same CPU and USB as a 240.


----------



## Scott Atkinson (Jan 19, 2004)

audio said:


> I have the Linksys USB200M ethernet adapter and my transfer speeds for a medium quality show (600 MB per 1/2 hour) take, roughly, 40 minutes per 1/2 hour of show time.
> 
> I have a 540 TiVo Series 2 box and I understand that these are slower.
> 
> Is this a normal speed for TiVo transfers or can I speed these transfers up?


Maybe I'm not paying close enough attention, but my transfers tend to run a bit faster than real time. Typically, I move a roughly half hour show and it seems to me that it takes a little over 20 mins.

Scott A.


----------



## Radioscott (Jul 12, 2005)

Probably a stupid question, but here goes:

I have a short cable with an ethernet RJ45 male plug on one end and a USB male plug on the other end. I think it came with a UPS I bought a while back. Anyway, would this cable work to network my series 2 box? I'm thinking about getting an inline coupler to connect it to a larger piece of cat5 cable.


----------



## s4guy (Mar 31, 2006)

It's not a stupid question, but no that will not work. The wiring and clock speeds are completely incompatible between usb and enet, plus there would be no MAC layer framing.

Sorry, you need to have a dongle.


----------



## Radioscott (Jul 12, 2005)

s4guy said:


> It's not a stupid question, but no that will not work. The wiring and clock speeds are completely incompatible between usb and enet, plus there would be no MAC layer framing.
> 
> Sorry, you need to have a dongle.


Oh well. I thought that was just too easy/cheap. I wonder what that cable is for, then? Anyhoo, thanks for the info.


----------



## Gospel (May 22, 2005)

Radioscott said:


> Oh well. I thought that was just too easy/cheap. I wonder what that cable is for, then? Anyhoo, thanks for the info.


The RJ45 <-> USB cable is to connect the UPS to the PC. This way the PC is alerted in battery power kicks in due to a power failure. Then the PC can monitor how much power is left and automatically shutdown the PC before the battery power runs out.

BTW, I use the Linksys 200M. The ethernet cable has only fallen out when I was moving wires around. The TiVo 240 Series 2 power cable has fallen out almost as many times for the same reason.

Enjoy life!
Steven


----------



## killme (May 9, 2004)

If I read this thread correctly it looks like it is possible to transfer Best Quality shows in real-time or faster. I regularly transfer shows between my two TiVos and the transfer is always slower than real-time probably because both TiVos use a Belkin F5D5050.

If I upgrade both TiVos to the Netgear FA120 will I be able to transfer Best Quality shows in real-time or faster? If so then I'll probably buy 4 of them for all my TiVos.

I am using two TCD240's and just bought two TCD540's that I will be hooking up within the next week.


----------



## classicsat (Feb 18, 2004)

Yes, FA120s will be faster.


----------



## ThreeSoFar (May 24, 2002)

I've been very pleased with the Hawking wired adapters I'm using, the HUF11 or UF100. Saw them as low as $11, shipping included.

Tough to find now. I do see their HUF2 available, but not sure if it works as I don't have one.


----------



## ThreeSoFar (May 24, 2002)

ThreeSoFar said:


> I've been very pleased with the Hawking wired adapters I'm using, the HUF11 or UF100. Saw them as low as $11, shipping included.
> 
> Tough to find now. I do see their HUF2 available, but not sure if it works as I don't have one.


FYI, I had my first Hawking die on me. I believe it was my fault though. There was a lot of pressure on the cable going into it, and when I noticed the guide data had only 3 days left, the adapter was not responding and the case had cracked open.

Looking now, I see a good deal on this D-Link (wired) adapter:

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=1734053&sku=D700-2107


----------



## killme (May 9, 2004)

This one was cheaper for me since it's free shipping.

Netgear FA120 (refurb)
http://www.justdeals.com/Items/FA120R?sck=421038


----------



## Leon WIlkinson (Feb 13, 2000)

I see my transfer rates drop, anytime I connect for service download. I take it that this is normal? 

So, if you get Product Watch downloads that could explain a slower transfer rates.?.?.?


----------



## Leon WIlkinson (Feb 13, 2000)

Also, it seems if you use the TiVo Remote during a transfer it slows it down!


----------



## cherry ghost (Sep 13, 2005)

Is the FA120 still considered the best. Is it even available anymore?


----------



## alansplace (Apr 30, 2006)

Joey Bagadonuts said:


> Speaking of adapters and such....can anyone recommend a good site to use to purchase 200' of CAT5E or CAT6 cable with the connectors already wired? I can't find any place that has lengths greater than 100'.


i don't necessarily recommend this vendor (i've never done business with them) nor this particular product, but eCOST.com does carry the product you asked for.
--
Alan


----------

