# simultaneous daily call via telnet by 2 tivo's



## bri_tal (Sep 21, 2005)

I have 1 tivo upstairs and I make daily calls via telnet (serial cable) and the other downstairs, too remote from my pc and for this, daily calls are made through the telephone line.

I am considering installing shielded 2 twisted pair cable between PC and downstairs tivo, via the loft/tv aerial trunking which is already in the lounge/bedroom cavity wall.

Is it practical to splice this cable, such that both tivos are connected to my PC serial adapter. and make daily calls simultaneously from both machines ?

Suggestions gratefully received.


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## DX30 (May 22, 2005)

bri_tal said:


> Is it practical to splice this cable, such that both tivos are connected to my PC serial adapter. and make daily calls simultaneously from both machines ?


If you mean can two TiVo's use a single serial adapter then no. You would however be able to fit a second serial adapter to the PC and make simultaneous calls that way.


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## bri_tal (Sep 21, 2005)

Thanks. I was rather expecting that would be the case. Unfortunately my PC has only one usable serial port - the second one is defunct.


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## Richard Loxley (Jun 4, 2002)

bri_tal said:


> Thanks. I was rather expecting that would be the case. Unfortunately my PC has only one usable serial port - the second one is defunct.


If you have USB then you can get a USB->serial adapter for under £5.


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## DX30 (May 22, 2005)

Or a PCI RS232 card if you prefer that.


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## SolidTechie (Dec 11, 2002)

Or just do one TiVo at a time? Or is there a reason you feel you have to do them both at once?


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## deshepherd (Nov 30, 2000)

Or buy an RS232 switch


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## bri_tal (Sep 21, 2005)

SolidTechie said:


> Or just do one TiVo at a time? Or is there a reason you feel you have to do them both at once?


 No reason, except to save having to remove the 3.5mm jack.

So, assuming I were to create one long cable, having 9 pin d sub female connector at one end and 3,5mm stereo jack at the other, plus a tail from the 9 pin having a second 3.5mm stereo jack, I should be able to achieve daily updates on both machines, after removing one or other jacks ??

Before all this, I had already tried USB->serial adapter on my laptop (A much preferred option) but the adapter I bought just didn't work. Still debating whether or not to try a different (non-chinese) adapter.


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## SolidTechie (Dec 11, 2002)

I don't see why that wouldn't work - but my point was, that it may work without havcing to pull the plug on one or other of the TiVos - as long as you only initiate the update from one at a time - TBH I don't do serial connections, so I'm not 100% sure of how it works.


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## drgeoff (Nov 10, 2005)

SolidTechie said:


> I don't see why that wouldn't work - but my point was, that it may work without havcing to pull the plug on one or other of the TiVos - as long as you only initiate the update from one at a time - TBH I don't do serial connections, so I'm not 100% sure of how it works.


The physical serial connection is just RS232 which is a one to one arrangement. You cannot add a third end in parallel and expect it to work even if only one TiVo is doing its update at a time. On top of that there is an IP address for each end of the serial connection

And, switching to pedant mode , making daily calls via the TiVo's serial jack to a PC's serial port is not "daily calls via telnet".


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## bri_tal (Sep 21, 2005)

drgeoff said:


> And, switching to pedant mode , making daily calls via the TiVo's serial jack to a PC's serial port is not "daily calls via telnet".


Can you explain, please ?


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## DX30 (May 22, 2005)

You are using the serial link to establish a network connection, usually referred to as serial ppp (Point to Point Protocol).

This network connection can be used for many things, one of them being the TiVo daily calls. Another thing is can be used for is a telnet session, which is a way of getting a command prompt over a network connection. A third example would be using an ftp client to transfer files over the network connection.

So telnet is just one possible use for a serial ppp connection, it isn't the connection itself.


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## bri_tal (Sep 21, 2005)

Thanks. Ok, my terminology was not quite right, though indirectly, I was using telnet as a means of monitoring the daily update.


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## SolidTechie (Dec 11, 2002)

drgeoff said:


> The physical serial connection is just RS232 which is a one to one arrangement. You cannot add a third end in parallel and expect it to work even if only one TiVo is doing its update at a time


Thanks - wasn't my intention to pass mnyself off as an expert - wasn't trying to confuse - but nobody else seemed to be helping at the time! Thought it might have worked akin to broadcast mode, with only one box "listening"



> On top of that there is an IP address for each end of the serial connection


Which was why I thought it _might_ have worked - since normally, I would have expected the packets to be addressed to the relevant ip address - not trying to start an argument, just letting you know how my disturbed mind works!


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