Frustrated TiVoToGo Attempted User
 

This is my hail mary to see if anyone has any ideas on how to make my TiVoToGo work on my laptop. Unfortunately, I'm tech-literate at a 5th grade level but not tech-savvy so little bumps are over my head. I've tried calling TiVo support and I've tried the TiVo support forum. Basically they both tell me that it's my firewall but I have no access to my (corporate) firewall and changes/alterations are simply not possible (short of hacking it somehow, but being able to watch Lost on an airplane is hardly a good reason to potentially get fired if discovered). If I need to make any changes to my firewall, I might as well return the TiVo tomorrow and just get a cable company DVR to simplify my remotes/boxes in my stereo/TV set-up.

My TiVo is all set on my home wireless network (standard SBC DSL with Linksys router - no problems with my corporate VPN or my wife's standard 5-yr old obsolete laptop even) - it connects via the web to the servers to do everything it needs to do, I can remote-schedule programs and all that stuff. But the software on my laptop can't locate the TiVo so I can't transfer anything to my laptop....

Not sure if there are router settings I'm having troubles with (but that doesn't make sense to me since the TiVo gets thru to the web no problems and I can get to the TiVo from the web no problems) or if it's just simply my firewall and I'm out of luck. The only other possibility I've thought about, but don't know enough to know if this would help or not - is that I have an un-networked external hard drive that I only use to store digital photos. Could I hook that up to my network and use it somehow to get programs off the TiVo and then transfer the files to my laptop's hard drive? I don't care much if the hard drive is protected that well I suppose - if someone really wanted to look at my wife's friend's g-rated birthday party photos from 2 yrs ago, more power to them.

Any help would be much appreciated! I'm about ready to toss in the towel but thought I'd throw out a quick hail mary.

What EXACTLY is the problem? I assume Tivo desktop can't connect to the Tivo unit?

There are several things you can try. I would be to try and "ping" the Tivo unit or use your web browser to see if it is reachable off your PC.

You mention your corporate firewall, but unless that firewall software is running on your PC I don't see why the firewall at your firm could block you at home. When you are at home are you always connected to the firms VPN? Have you tried disabling the VPN software?

Try and find the IP address of your Tivo unit (Tivo button > Messages and Settings > Settings > Phone and Network > In the top right you'll see your IP. Make a note of that).

Now on your PC click START then RUN and enter CMD. You'll now be in "dos". Type

ping <ip address here>

It should return "reply from........".

Now try the webbrowser too: type https://<enter ip address here> You should get a screen asking for a username and password for the "Tivo DVR".

If neither of these options work, then you do indeed have a network problem and something on your PC is blocking it, we can try further from there...

I'd head over to www.tivocommunity.com and ask there. You'll need to be a bit more specific on how you're set up. The description you provided wasn't entirely clear (and I'm pretty savvy with these things :) )

From what you described, I *think* you've got

1. An internal network with a router to the outside (via SBC).
2. A TiVo on the internal network
3. Another (or multiple) additional computers on the internal network
4. YOUR computer, work issued, with whatever software they have loaded
5. You can connect your computer at home and access your work files via a VPN
6. You can access the TiVoToGo web pages, but cannot seem to download shows from the TiVo.

Right so far? Ok, let's try a few more
7. Can you access shows from your wife's laptop which is on the internal network and doesn't have any VPN software running?

From the TiVo support area
http://customersupport.tivo.com/know...lic/tv2161.htm
it would seem that you need certain ports available in your laptop firewall. See bullet 7 in the link. Seems like ports 2190 (TCP/UDP) and 8080-8089 (TCP). Much of the other communication is probably over port 80 (i.e., schedule shows, etc) since part of the TiVoToGo implementation is vial http requests (like web pages).

One additional question
8. Do you start a VPN connection all the time you use your laptop? Or can you start with a local mode?
For example, my work laptop has a remote connection application I need to use before I can access my on-line email, internal web pages, etc. My browser has, by default, all the proxy settings too. But, they (only recently) have allowed non-VPN use ("hotel proxy off" is the name they use for this). From home, try it without logging into your corporate network. This may enable your laptop to see the tivo.

Thank you for your help! I haven't been home the last few days but finally got the chance to try it out...

Ping - seems to work just fine. Comes back with "Reply from 192.168.1.103" etc. a few times. (I confirmed that 192.168.1.103 matches what the TiVo is)

But within the browser, it comes back as not being found and doesn't let me through to any login or other screen.

Your understanding of my situation was right though - an internal wireless network to which both my wife and I attach to share the internet connection. I have VPN software on my computer, but I have to launch it myself, similar to yours, so that if I don't have any need to be on the company network I don't have to be. I have to turn all my proxies off to get onto my own network and then launch VPN software if I desire to get in. If I don't need to get in, I don't launch the remote connect software. I've tried the TiVoToGo with both the remote network enabled and disabled, and no changes in my capabilities.

To make matters more confusing, I can't even try my wife's computer because hers is more locked down than mine. No software can be loaded onto the computer without admin rights, and her IT dept won't even tell her what the password is to log on as the admin. They questioned her just for having me tinker with the wireless settings to make it work at home (they had it set to work solely on her school's network).

I saw the info on Tivo's forums too and I thought it might have boiled down to opening ports. My IT dept. said that wasn't possible unfortunately.

If I picked up an uber-cheap old laptop that would have no security restrictions, would it be possible to have that unit be the TiVo server and transfer recordings from the old laptop to my computer as a regular file? (Probably don't want to go this route anyway - getting too complicated, not that it isn't already).

(Edit to add a few things)

Found the Microsoft Firewall and made sure the ports were open in that, but it shouldn't matter because the entire thing was disabled anyway (using the corporate firewall software instead). Also went under my wireless network settings, clicked on "change settings of this connection", then on Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) - properties/advanced/options and highlighted TCP/IP filtering and properties and verified it was permit all for TCP/UDP. Not sure if that's relevant or not actually, but I was just trying to poke around.

Going into the actual used firewall settings I can see listings saying "Deny UDP Inbound from 192.168.1.103 port 2190" (More interestingly, I'm seeing a deny/block something from ...104, which I have no idea who that is...anyway, something to think about another day) Is this confirmation that it's the firewall blocking TiVo access each time the TiVo tries to connect to my laptop?

Thank you again for your help!