NA RCN, Tivo, Whole Home

[Bob Noel]

I have RCN for TV, internet, phone, and I'm considering the Tivo thing with "Whole Home"

So, questions for anyone that has RCN and the Whole Home bundle:

What is the wiring infrastructure to interconnect the Tivo sets?
Can the existing coax be used? or do I need to run Cat 5e or Cat 6?
(wireless would have some challenges)

Thanks
Bob

ps - so far, the customer service reps aren't providing good information. Maybe I'm asking the questions improperly, but their canned/scripted responses just aren't giving me the information I need.

 

[EppyGA]

Who or what is RCN?

 

[Bob Noel]

Who or what is RCN?

RCN is a TV, internet, phone provider. Like Comcast, Verizon.

The fact that you have to ask tells me that you probably can't answer my questions. But I'm just guessing about that. ;-)

 

[flyingron]

RCN is an ISP. They purchased the old Erol's TV Internet in the DC area ages ago. I had service from them early on and customer support was pretty good, but they quickly got overrun with other providers in the broadband age.

The "Bundle" is just a billing issue. It changes little with regard to the way your services are electically provided.

If you don't already have RCN providing you phone service, they will add a box to your internet setup that connects into your house wiring (after disconnecting from Verizon or whoever). You'll also have the option to use digital phones connected into whatever you have for existing internet wiring in your house. But this is independent of whether your phone is "bundled" with anything.

 

[EppyGA]

RCN is a TV, internet, phone provider. Like Comcast, Verizon.

The fact that you have to ask tells me that you probably can't answer my questions. But I'm just guessing about that. ;-)

Well then. If the boxes are fed via coax as traditional CATV is, it is likely that they will use coax to communicate. If the boxes are connected via Ethernet, it is likely that they will communicate through that medium.

 

[Bob Noel]

I guess I need to clarify:

I have RCN. I have multiple TVs, each with an ordinary cable box. Each of the current cable boxes are fed by a coax.

My question is what wiring infrastructure is required if I want to change from the ordinary HD and SD cables to Tivo boxes with the Whole Home service?

I've had conflicting information provided by RCN.... so I was hoping that one or more POA members that have RCN, Tivo, and the Whole Home bundle would be able to chime in on their wiring configuration.

 

[EppyGA]

I guess I need to clarify:

I have RCN. I have multiple TVs, each with an ordinary cable box. Each of the current cable boxes are fed by a coax.

My question is what wiring infrastructure is required if I want to change from the ordinary HD and SD cables to Tivo boxes with the Whole Home service?

I've had conflicting information provided by RCN.... so I was hoping that one or more POA members that have RCN, Tivo, and the Whole Home bundle would be able to chime in on their wiring configuration.

Maybe this will help:

https://www.tivo.com/shop/mini

Looks to me like the DVR connects to the system via coax and also connects to your home network via ethernet and the mini's connect via ethernet but can use MOCA also.

 

[nauga]

I have RCN for TV, internet, phone, and I'm considering the Tivo thing with "Whole Home"

So, questions for anyone that has RCN and the Whole Home bundle:

What is the wiring infrastructure to interconnect the Tivo sets?
Can the existing coax be used? or do I need to run Cat 5e or Cat 6?
(wireless would have some challenges)

I use a different provider but I have a Tivo Roamio and a mini - that looks to be the same Tivo setup as RCN stuffs in their 'Whole Home' bundle. My Roamio is coax to a cable adapter and ethernet to a router. The mini needs Cable/MOCA and ethernet - there's no direct wireless capability, which sucked for me since I didn't want to run new lines and there's cable in the room with the mini but no ethernet drop. I set up a WAP next to the mini, so the mini is ethernet to the WAP.

TL,DR: cable and ethernet to the main Tivo box, cable and ethernet to the mini or cable+wireless/WAP with a little fiddling.

Does that help?

Nauga,
and a rat's nest of wiring

Nauga,
in the blind