# TiVo Mini live stream and recordings stuttering



## jasonthedude (Jul 5, 2016)

I did try to search the forum first and found no specific issues like mine, so I wanted to ask for help.

My wife and I moved recently, and seem to be having troubles that we did not experience at the previous residence.

I have TWC TV and Internet. At my old house, I had a standard Roamio connected with cableCard and tuning adapter. Then I had a mini connected over a powerline adapter which I was able to connect and stream live TV and recordings from the host TiVo. Everything worked flawlessly, until we moved.

I had all my services with TWC transferred so theoretically it is the same set up. When I set everything up at the new house, the TiVo mini found the host DVR and paired instantly as before. But when I go to stream a live HD channel, then stream stutters and is unwatchable. During this time, the picture halts for half a second with sound cutting out, then comes back for a second or two, then stops again, then comes back, rinse and repeat ad nauseam. Streaming apps such as Netflix and Amazon work perfectly.

To make sure the powerline adapter was working as it should, I connected my computer to it and ran a speed test. The results came back as 13/1. Not the fastest ever, but again, this is exactly what I had as before and it worked fine.

Should I just bite the bullet and do MoCA?

Thanks in advance!


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## dahacker (Jan 14, 2004)

jasonthedude said:


> I did try to search the forum first and found no specific issues like mine, so I wanted to ask for help.
> 
> My wife and I moved recently, and seem to be having troubles that we did not experience at the previous residence.
> 
> ...


The speed test you are running will not accurately indicate the speed between the roamio and the mini. It is checking the speed from the WAN to the mini.

In any case, you probably need at least 20Mbps and I would push to make sure you have at least 33Mbps.

Your powerline adapters probably just are not working as efficiently in the new environment. If you can't do actual ethernet cabling, then YES MoCA would be great if the cabling is pre-existing.


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## jasonthedude (Jul 5, 2016)

dahacker said:


> The speed test you are running will not accurately indicate the speed between the roamio and the mini. It is checking the speed from the WAN to the mini.
> 
> In any case, you probably need at least 20Mbps and I would push to make sure you have at least 33Mbps.
> 
> *Your powerline adapters probably just are not working as efficiently in the new environment.* If you can't do actual ethernet cabling, then YES MoCA would be great if the cabling is pre-existing.


It's funny you say that. One of the issues I ran into when troubleshooting this seemed to indicate the bolded part above. I have a power line utility program on my PC which allows me to monitor the performance of all power lines on my network. When I checked the utility last night, it indicated that the quality of the connection wasn't good, but that it was performing at around 40 mbps. I'm wondering if there is something about the 'quality' that is causing the issue. Could the wiring in my house be faulty and that's causing the poor quality reading?


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## fyodor (Sep 19, 2006)

Does the room with the Mini have coax? If so, just use the built in MoCA. It's almost always better than powerline.

Regardless of which networking technology you use, I would make sure to set your mini and Tivo to static IP, since not doing so has caused problems for some people (myself included).

The 40mbs may be the physical link layer speed rather than the data thoroughput.


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## jasonthedude (Jul 5, 2016)

fyodor said:


> Does the room with the Mini have coax? Yes, it does. If so, just use the built in MoCA I have the standard Roamio which I thought did not have built in MoCA. If so, I will need a MoCA bridge, correct?. It's almost always better than powerline.
> 
> Regardless of which networking technology you use, I would make sure to set your mini and Tivo to static IP, since not doing so has caused problems for some people (myself included) I have done this and it had no affect on the stuttering..
> 
> ...


Thanks!

EDIT: Ahhh, I see you were referring to the built in MoCA for the Mini. Please disregard my comment above.


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## fyodor (Sep 19, 2006)

jasonthedude said:


> I'm wondering if there is something about the 'quality' that is causing the issue. Could the wiring in my house be faulty and that's causing the poor quality reading?


The goal of your power lines isn't to carry data and there are a lot of design features that might be irrelevant or even helpful to your house's electrical performance/safety that negatively effect powerline data speeds.

There is a misconception that newer houses are always better for power line, but sometimes they have better electrical isolation between the circuits which makes the powerline data work worse.


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## gor88 (Jan 3, 2008)

fyodor said:


> The goal of your power lines isn't to carry data and there are a lot of design features that might be irrelevant or even helpful to your house's electrical performance/safety that negatively effect powerline data speeds.
> 
> There is a misconception that newer houses are always better for power line, but sometimes they have better electrical isolation between the circuits which makes the powerline data work worse.


I bought a new construction house 1 year ago. My Dish Network 722k receiver in the master bedroom couldn't "see" the powerline adapter hooked in the living room. The 722k receiver in the living room plugged in through a UPS off the same outlet DID see it. Given this, a newer house might be wired in a way that would significantly affect or wipe out the powerline signal.

Since I am right on the verge of cord-cutting, thanks to my Bolt and Mini, my powerline adapter (and a Dish Network OTA module) will go to my brother with a house built in the 70s.


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## jasonthedude (Jul 5, 2016)

So it sounds like I just need to go MoCA. Which is fine. But I am extremely ignorant of what exactly I will need. Do I simply need to purchase one of these?

https://www.amazon.com/TiVo-ECB6000...F8&qid=1467824035&sr=8-1&keywords=moca+bridge

Also, what is this? And do I need to buy it as well?

https://www.amazon.com/Filter-MoCA-...g_3?ie=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=P7F5HHQSDN9ABRHZZZ0E

Sorry for my ignorance re MoCA.

Thanks for all the help!


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## fyodor (Sep 19, 2006)

No need to buy a bridge. Both your mini and your Roamio have MoCA built in. Make sure that Ethernet and MoCA are both enabled in your Roamio settings and MoCA is enabled in your Mini settings. I'd set both up with static IPs too.

I think that it is generally recommended to have a MoCA filter at wherever the cable enters your house, but don't think it's a requirement.


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## krkaufman (Nov 25, 2003)

fyodor said:


> No need to buy a bridge. Both your mini and your Roamio have MoCA built in.


Quick correction....


jasonthedude said:


> .. At my old house, I had a standard Roamio


OP has a basic Roamio, so no built-in MoCA -- and so they'll need either 1 or possibly even 2 MoCA adapters, depending on where the basic Roamio is located relative to Ethernet connectivity back to the router LAN ports.


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## thyname (Dec 27, 2010)

krkaufman said:


> Quick correction....
> 
> OP has a basic Roamio, so no built-in MoCA -- and so they'll need either 1 or possibly even 2 MoCA adapters, depending on where the basic Roamio is located relative to Ethernet connectivity back to the router LAN ports.


As far as I know there is a Romio OTA, Roamio Plus, and Roamio Pro. Three types of Roamio total. There is no such thing as Basic or Standard Roamio.

He mentioned "standard" or "basic" Roamio *with* cable card and tuning adapter, which leads me to believe it is either a Pro or Plus - that has built in MoCa adapter and can create MoCA network. Roamio OTA does not have a CableCard.


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## jasonthedude (Jul 5, 2016)

This is the Roamio that I have:

https://www.amazon.com/TiVo-Roamio-...ie=UTF8&qid=1467829786&sr=8-3&keywords=roamio

If you scroll down in the comps against the other TiVo boxes, it says:

MoCA networking - requires adapter


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## thyname (Dec 27, 2010)

jasonthedude said:


> This is the Roamio that I have:
> 
> https://www.amazon.com/TiVo-Roamio-...ie=UTF8&qid=1467829786&sr=8-3&keywords=roamio
> 
> ...


I completely forgot about this version of the Roami, when it Roamio first came out (in addition to Plus, and Pro). I believe this version was subsequently replaced with Roamio OTA. Sorry. My bad.

See the very first column:

https://www.weaknees.com/tivo-roamio-comparison.php


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## JoeKustra (Dec 7, 2012)

thyname said:


> As far as I know there is a Romio OTA, Roamio Plus, and Roamio Pro. Three types of Roamio total. There is no such thing as Basic or Standard Roamio.
> 
> He mentioned "standard" or "basic" Roamio *with* cable card and tuning adapter, which leads me to believe it is either a Pro or Plus - that has built in MoCa adapter and can create MoCA network. Roamio OTA does not have a CableCard.


When someone says basic Roamio it means a four tuner 500GB box. The OTA is identical except TiVo pulled the cable card bracket. I have two basic Roamio boxes, two basic Premiere boxes and four Mini boxes.


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## thyname (Dec 27, 2010)

JoeKustra said:


> When someone says basic Roamio it means a four tuner 500GB box. The OTA is identical except TiVo pulled the cable card bracket. I have two basic Roamio boxes, two basic Premiere boxes and four Mini boxes.


Got it. You are right. I realized my mistake early (see my previous post above).


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## krkaufman (Nov 25, 2003)

jasonthedude said:


> So it sounds like I just need to go MoCA. Which is fine. But I am extremely ignorant of what exactly I will need. Do I simply need to purchase one of these?


Yes, *you will need at least 1 MoCA adapter*, to create your MoCA network (by connecting the MoCA adapter to both your coax lines and via an Ethernet connection to your router, either directly or via a connected Ethernet switch).

And, yes, *you will want to have a MoCA filter in place on your cable provider's (TWC's) point-of-entry (PoE)* to your home, typically prior to any splits, to keep your MoCA signals confined within your own coax lines and to strengthen them via reflection off the MoCA filter. (more here)

And, in your case, since you're a TWC customer with the need for a tuning adapter, you'll ALSO *need to install a MoCA filter on the input to the tuning adapter*. (more here)

Assuming you also have MoCA-friendly splitters throughout your home and no enemy-of-MoCA amplifiers blocking the signal on your lines, the above should give you a secure, strong MoCA network on your coax lines.

Next, you'd want to network your basic Roamio. If it can connect via Ethernet to your router's LAN ports, either directly or via an Ethernet network switch, then it should be set. If, however, the basic Roamio lacks Ethernet connectivity, then you would need a second MoCA adapter, located with the Roamio, to provide its network connection. Either way, the basic Roamio will see an Ethernet connection: via the router, a network switch or the Ethernet port of its MoCA adapter.

NOTE: The addition of the MoCA adapters, either at the cable modem/router or at the basic Roamio, may also require adding coax splitters (MoCA-compatible!) to ensure direct coax connections for the adapters, DVR & tuning adapter. Configuration options vary, but it is recommended that each device be connected directly to the coax lines.​
Mini should be cake... connect it to the coax lines and configure it to "connect using MoCA."


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## jasonthedude (Jul 5, 2016)

krkaufman said:


> http://tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/newreply.php?do=postreply&t=541739
> 
> Yes, *you will need at least 1 MoCA adapter*, to create your MoCA network (by connecting the MoCA adapter to both your coax lines and via an Ethernet connection to your router, either directly or via a connected Ethernet switch).
> 
> ...


Lots of great info in this post. Thanks a bunch! In accordance with this post, I ordered two POE filters and one Moca bridge. My router is staying next to my Roamio so ethernet input for the Roamio won't be an issue requiring more than one adapter.

Thanks again! I will report back onto this thread if I am successful in fixing my live stream stuttering issues using moCA, in case some poor soul searches google in the future with a similar issue.

So glad I found you guys.


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## fyodor (Sep 19, 2006)

krkaufman said:


> Quick correction....
> 
> OP has a basic Roamio, so no built-in MoCA -- and so they'll need either 1 or possibly even 2 MoCA adapters, depending on where the basic Roamio is located relative to Ethernet connectivity back to the router LAN ports.


Whoops! Sorry! Just assumed that since older models had it, that it was in all the Roamios.


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## krkaufman (Nov 25, 2003)

thyname said:


> I completely forgot about this version of the Roami, when it Roamio first came out (in addition to Plus, and Pro).* I believe this version was subsequently replaced with Roamio OTA.*


No, they sold it in parallel with the OTA model, when the OTA was released, and they kept selling it up until the BOLT was released, including some excellent clearance deals. Post-BOLT, TiVo shifted to -- IIRC -- Roamio OTA, Roamio Pro and BOLT only, snuffing sales of the Roamio Plus and the basic/standard Roamio.


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## thyname (Dec 27, 2010)

krkaufman said:


> No, they sold it in parallel with the OTA model, when the OTA was released, and they kept selling it up until the BOLT was released, including some excellent clearance deals. Post-BOLT, TiVo shifted to -- IIRC -- Roamio OTA, Roamio Pro and BOLT only, snuffing sales of the Roamio Plus and the basic/standard Roamio.


You may be correct (and extremely likely you are). I remember when I bought my Plus, the "basic" was available (4-tuner, 500gb), but I don't remember the OTA being available. It has been a few years....


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## jasonthedude (Jul 5, 2016)

OK so I have a slight update... 

I received my moca adapter and poe filters. Got them all set up and the mini seems to be connected to the Internet (I am able to watch Netflix, etc.), but not I'm getting a v112 error when trying to watch live TV. It says that it can't connect to the host right now. Any ideas on how to resolve this new issue?


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## fcfc2 (Feb 19, 2015)

jasonthedude said:


> OK so I have a slight update...
> 
> I received my moca adapter and poe filters. Got them all set up and the mini seems to be connected to the Internet (I am able to watch Netflix, etc.), but not I'm getting a v112 error when trying to watch live TV. It says that it can't connect to the host right now. Any ideas on how to resolve this new issue?


Hi,
A couple of things to try, power off your Tivos and router, and then power on both Tivos and wait a couple minutes until the DVR is fully booted and then power on the router.
If that fails, find out how to set fixed/static/reserved IP's on your router and use this for all your Tivos and repeat the above power off and on.


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## jasonthedude (Jul 5, 2016)

Ok, so the weirdest thing happened for me to resolve the v112 error I was getting. I worked on trying to figure out what was causing it for hours. Nothing I tried worked. Finally, I wanted to make sure that the mini even COULD work in my new network setup.

So I gathered up my mini and a small TV to set up next to my router. I plugged in my mini directly into my router and waited for it to boot up. After it got going, I checked live TV and it worked flawlessly, recordings also would play perfectly. So at this point, I at least knew there was an answer somewhere, I just had to find it. So I unplug my mini from my router and take it back into the bedroom and plug it in immediately. I plug it back up and connect the coaxial into the MoCA jack and wait for it to boot up. Just for kicks, I decide to check live TV and much to my surprise, it is working! No more v112 error.

I was kind of stunned. Keep in mind, at no time during any of this did I go in a change the network settings. I didn't touch a single thing.

Curiously, I unplug the mini and keep it unplugged for a few minutes. When I plug it back in, I'm getting the same v112 error. So to fix it this time, I plugged in a powerline adapter into the ethernet port and that gets it going. I check live TV and experience the same stuttering which prompted me to start the OP. So now, I unplug the ethernet cable, plug in the coaxial and update the settings, check it and its working great.

After two days, it is still working like a charm. I don't know if I will ever get that v112 error to go away if/when I need to turn off the mini for an extended period of time, but at least I know how to fix it now.

Thanks for all the helpful tips here!


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## krkaufman (Nov 25, 2003)

So MoCA is working-ish, aside from the V112 error. What does your Mini report for its MoCA stats?

See: Checking MoCA connection quality


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## krkaufman (Nov 25, 2003)

fyodor said:


> Regardless of which networking technology you use, I would make sure to set your mini and Tivo to static IP, since not doing so has caused problems for some people (myself included).


Others have reported that fyodor's earlier suggestion, using static IPs for your TiVo devices, cleared-up their V112/V125 errors.

e.g. http://tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=505555


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