# Does roamio basic need a cable box? And another question



## DawnW (Nov 28, 2008)

Our roamio basic is hooked up to a cable box but the new roamio plus isn't and it is working just fine.

It made me wonder if the guy who was out here who set it up the first time did it correctly.

???


----------



## Philmatic (Sep 17, 2003)

Any Roamio (Basic, Plus, or Pro) completely replaces your existing Cable Box.

So yes, the guy who set it up the first time did it incorrectly.


----------



## DawnW (Nov 28, 2008)

Philmatic said:


> Any Roamio (Basic, Plus, or Pro) completely replaces your existing Cable Box.
> 
> So yes, the guy who set it up the first time did it incorrectly.


UGH, I think I am paying per month for that stupid thing too!


----------



## DawnW (Nov 28, 2008)

Ok, another question. 

Right now I have the Roamio basic connected through an ethernet to the router. Then I have a MoCa bridge also plugged in to the router, so I am taking up two ports.

Now that I have a Plus, is there a better configuration that may not require taking up so many ethernet ports?


----------



## LoadStar (Jul 24, 2001)

DawnW said:


> Our roamio basic is hooked up to a cable box but the new roamio plus isn't and it is working just fine. It made me wonder if the guy who was out here who set it up the first time did it correctly. ???


My guess is the "cable box" you refer to is a tuning adapter. This allows your TiVo to receive channels referred to as "switched digital" channels. These are most common with Time Warner Cable, but other cable services use switched digital channels as well. If the box is connected to your TiVo with a USB cable, it is almost certainly a tuning adapter. Without the tuning adapter hooked up, you won't be able to tune in those switched digital channels, if there are any in your area.


----------



## DawnW (Nov 28, 2008)

LoadStar said:


> My guess is the "cable box" you refer to is a tuning adapter. This allows your TiVo to receive channels referred to as "switched digital" channels. These are most common with Time Warner Cable, but other cable services use switched digital channels as well. If the box is connected to your TiVo with a USB cable, it is almost certainly a tuning adapter. Without the tuning adapter hooked up, you won't be able to tune in those switched digital channels, if there are any in your area.


Oh, you may be right......that will mean I can't get them with the Plus without another one won't it?

ugh.

Wonder what channels I don't get other than Cartoon Network, Nick, and Disney.....I KNOW when we don't get those because my youngest starts complaining.

Edited to add: Yup, you are right. I don't get the added channels.

It may be time to sell the HD and just stick with the two Roamios and minis.


----------



## PCurry57 (Feb 27, 2012)

DawnW said:


> Oh, you may be right......that will mean I can't get them with the Plus without another one won't it?
> 
> ugh.
> 
> ...


If it were a tuning adapter the Roamio Plus would have one also. Any TiVo with cable card on a switched cable network will require a tuning adapter paired with the cable card.


----------



## BigJimOutlaw (Mar 21, 2004)

DawnW said:


> Now that I have a Plus, is there a better configuration that may not require taking up so many ethernet ports?


If you were able to connect the Plus by ethernet (swap the boxes?), the Plus could create the moca network and eliminate the need for the adapter at the router.

Then the moca adapter could be connected to the basic instead.


----------



## DawnW (Nov 28, 2008)

BigJimOutlaw said:


> If you were able to connect the Plus by ethernet (swap the boxes?), the Plus could create the moca network and eliminate the need for the adapter at the router.
> 
> Then the moca adapter could be connected to the basic instead.


Thanks. So I still need the moca though? I hate that thing. I know it isn't supposed to be hard to connect, but it took me a very long time to figure it out and I never could get it so that I didn't have to connect the Roamio basic with an ethernet. I have two Mocas and had planned to connect one via the router and the second at the Roamio. I never got it working.


----------



## BigJimOutlaw (Mar 21, 2004)

DawnW said:


> Thanks. So I still need the moca though? I hate that thing. I know it isn't supposed to be hard to connect, but it took me a very long time to figure it out and I never could get it so that I didn't have to connect the Roamio basic with an ethernet. I have two Mocas and had planned to connect one via the router and the second at the Roamio. I never got it working.


Well, the basic Roamio doesn't have moca built-in, so if you wanted it connected by moca, at least the one adapter would be necessary.

Since you have 2 adapters, then the other option is to have one connected to the modem/router and both Tivos connected by moca (with the Basic using adapter #2).

If you have a setup preference, we can walk you through the steps to make sure each box/location is setup correctly with your tuning adapters included in the mix.


----------



## krkaufman (Nov 25, 2003)

DawnW said:


> Ok, another question.
> 
> Right now I have the Roamio basic connected through an ethernet to the router. Then I have a MoCa bridge also plugged in to the router, so I am taking up two ports.
> 
> Now that I have a Plus, is there a better configuration that may not require taking up so many ethernet ports?


As BigJimOutlaw said...



BigJimOutlaw said:


> If you were able to connect the Plus by ethernet (swap the boxes?), the Plus could create the moca network and eliminate the need for the adapter at the router.
> 
> Then the moca adapter could be connected to the basic instead.


... the Plus is capable of creating your MoCA network, so long as it has an Ethernet connection to your router. And if you're keeping the basic Roamio around, rather than sending it to other pastures, you could re-purpose the MoCA adapter to network the Roamio via MoCA, rather than Ethernet.

So you'd be using a single Ethernet port on the router, dedicated to the Roamio Plus.


----------



## krkaufman (Nov 25, 2003)

BigJimOutlaw said:


> If you have a setup preference, we can walk you through the steps to make sure each box/location is setup correctly with your tuning adapters included in the mix.


Yeah, have to wonder if that tuning adapter on the basic Roamio wasn't the stumbling block in the earlier attempts.

---

That said...

Your recommendation to have the Plus connected via Ethernet and create the MoCA network, assuming it doesn't involve leaving an Ethernet cable strung along the floor, would be the preferred solution, since it should provide the maximum possible throughput for MoCA-connected devices -- owing to it having a Gigabit Ethernet port, as compared to the Fast Ethernet port on a MoCA adapter.


----------



## krkaufman (Nov 25, 2003)

DawnW said:


> So *I still need the moca (adapter) *though? I hate that thing.


If using the Roamio Plus to create your MoCA network (meaning it's connected via Ethernet), and you're OK with the Roamio basic also connecting via Ethernet... *no*.


----------



## DawnW (Nov 28, 2008)

krkaufman said:


> If using the Roamio Plus to create your MoCA network (meaning it's connected via Ethernet), and you're OK with the Roamio basic also connecting via Ethernet... *no*.


It would be hard to connect them both through Ethernet. I have the Roamio basic on the other side of the main router. The plus is in the bedroom and we don't have an ethernet port in there.


----------



## krkaufman (Nov 25, 2003)

DawnW said:


> It would be hard to connect them both through Ethernet. I have the Roamio basic on the other side of the main router. The plus is in the bedroom and we don't have an ethernet port in there.


Ok, good info. (Also, my previous answer needs to be amended to a "yes, you'll need at least one MoCA adapter.")

If I might pry, is the Roamio basic where you'd prefer it to be, or is it only there because of earlier issues getting MoCA working?

If you *are* good with a DVR being in that location, where did you stand on BigJimOutlaw's previous suggestion (quoted below), re: swapping the basic and Plus, to eliminate the need for the MoCA adapter at the router?


BigJimOutlaw said:


> If you were able to connect the Plus by ethernet (swap the boxes?), the Plus could create the moca network and eliminate the need for the adapter at the router.


Do you have Ethernet networking anywhere other than adjacent to the router, or will you be relying on MoCA for the rest of your TiVo device locations?


----------



## BigJimOutlaw (Mar 21, 2004)

DawnW said:


> It would be hard to connect them both through Ethernet. I have the Roamio basic on the other side of the main router. The plus is in the bedroom and we don't have an ethernet port in there.


Since you want to use fewer ethernet ports on the router, this is going to be my suggested setup -- create a moca network at the router and have both boxes connect to that instead of ethernet. This way you can have whichever box at whichever location.

At the Modem/Router:
1. Coax goes to cable-IN of moca adapter.
2. Cable-OUT of moca adapter goes to the cable modem.
3. Connect modem ethernet to the router WAN (as usual).
4. Connect moca adapter ethernet to an empty router LAN.

For the Plus, use a splitter:
1. One leg goes to the Plus, the other leg goes to the tuning adapter. (ignore the TA's cable-out.)
2. Connect the tuning adapter by USB to the Plus.

For the Basic, use a splitter:
1. One leg goes to the Tuning Adapter, the other to the moca adapter.
2. Connect moca adapter's ethernet *and* cable-out to the Basic.
3. Connect the tuning adapter by USB to the Basic. (ignore the TA's cable-out.)

Ideally POE filters would also be installed on the back of the tuning adapters to avoid any possible interference with moca.


----------



## worachj (Oct 14, 2006)

> At the Modem/Router:
> 1. Coax goes to cable-IN of moca adapter.
> 2. Cable-OUT of moca adapter goes to the cable modem.
> 3. Connect modem ethernet to the router WAN (as usual).
> 4. Connect moca adapter ethernet to an empty router LAN.














> For the Basic, use a splitter: (TUNING ADAPTER NOT IN DIAGRAM)
> 1. One leg goes to the Tuning Adapter, the other to the moca adapter.
> 2. Connect moca adapter's ethernet and cable-out to the Basic.
> 3. Connect the tuning adapter by USB to the Basic. (ignore the TA's cable-out.)


----------



## HobokenSkier (Oct 14, 2015)

DawnW said:


> Our roamio basic is hooked up to a cable box but the new roamio plus isn't and it is working just fine.
> 
> It made me wonder if the guy who was out here who set it up the first time did it correctly.
> 
> ???


Is it a cable box or a tuning adaptor. It may need that.


----------



## krkaufman (Nov 25, 2003)

HobokenSkier said:


> Is it a cable box or a tuning adaptor. It may need that.


*Confirmed in an earlier post* as a tuning adapter, and necessary.


----------



## krkaufman (Nov 25, 2003)

> For the Basic, use a splitter: (TUNING ADAPTER NOT IN DIAGRAM)


Yeah, I looked around for a diagram detailing the recommended connections for a basic Roamio (or 2-tuner Premiere) needing both MoCA *and* tuning adapters, but couldn't find one.

Tuning adapter diagram (from BigJimOutlaw's MoCA setup thread):
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y179/bigjimoutlaw1/ta-poe_zps400fb9e4.jpg~original

The options are going w/ a 2-way splitter and feeding the DVR from the MoCA adapter's coax out, or a 3-way splitter and feeding each device directly (w/ a MoCA filter protecting the TA in either case).

edit: p.s. Found one; see *here*.


----------



## HobokenSkier (Oct 14, 2015)

krkaufman said:


> *Confirmed in an earlier post* as a tuning adapter, and necessary.


But both main boxes would need one.


----------



## krkaufman (Nov 25, 2003)

HobokenSkier said:


> But both main boxes would need one.


Yes, as *confirmed by the OP in the earlier post*.


----------



## krkaufman (Nov 25, 2003)

BigJimOutlaw said:


> For the Basic, use a splitter:
> 1. One leg goes to the Tuning Adapter, the other to the moca adapter.
> 2. Connect moca adapter's ethernet *and* cable-out to the Basic.
> 3. Connect the tuning adapter by USB to the Basic. (ignore the TA's cable-out.)
> ...


Here's a diagram for the Roamio basic setup recommended by BigJimOutlaw (which assumes a functioning MoCA network on the coax lines) ...








p.s. Diagram based on older, pre-Roamio example, mentioned *here*.


----------

