vonage and TIVO

Posts: 4 · New Forum Member Joined: May 01, 2004 Posts: 4

gfoulks wrote:

My DirecTivo is connecting through a external modem thru Vonage. I've not had any problems with the updates until recently when it was trying to download a system update. The connection would work but the download would only last for 15 minutes.

So I thought I would get cleaver and I setup my second phone port for fax support by signing up online and paying the initial $10 for the setup. I connected my Tivo to the fax port and voila.. the download completed in 2.25 hours. So I called vonage and said that they do in fact support Tivo and all that they had to do was setup my phone port to allow the same kind of connections that allow the Tivo work on the fax port.

They made some changes to my config and credited back the charges for the fax port and turned it off.

Long story short I've been running Vonage and Tivo (Tivo and DirectTv daily calls) for over a month now without any more problems.

Greg

Greg

Thanks for your post. I too had my Vonage able to dail in for 3 months then all the sudden it stopped at the same time while talking to someone they would hear this beep about every minute I would not hear it however.

I have now spent counltess hours on the phone with Vonage and they claim they have tried everything. The last attempt was Wednesday. They said they were going to make some changes and then they had me move the line from the Vonage device from line 1 to line 2. However the beeps are still there during a conversation and I can connec to Direct TV for the Tivo update and it config and all but when it starts the download it stop and says call interupted.

Now that they have made the canges to your line do you have any codes in the dial in screens such as call waiting and the ,#0341 or the ,#019. I would apprecaite any help that you may have to offer at this time.

I ahve contacted them and ask what I needed to do to get my line set up like yours. LOL

Thanks
Nicole Very Happy

Posts: 188 · Vonage Forum Master Joined: Mar 07, 2004 Posts: 188

gfoulks wrote:

My DirecTivo is connecting through a external modem thru Vonage. I've not had any problems with the updates until recently when it was trying to download a system update. The connection would work but the download would only last for 15 minutes.

So I thought I would get cleaver and I setup my second phone port for fax support by signing up online and paying the initial $10 for the setup. I connected my Tivo to the fax port and voila.. the download completed in 2.25 hours. So I called vonage and said that they do in fact support Tivo and all that they had to do was setup my phone port to allow the same kind of connections that allow the Tivo work on the fax port.

They made some changes to my config and credited back the charges for the fax port and turned it off.

Long story short I've been running Vonage and Tivo (Tivo and DirectTv daily calls) for over a month now without any more problems.

Greg

Can you please let me know what your config number is. I have my DirecTivo set up with an external modem (US Robotics 28.8 Sportster Fax) using: *70,*99,,#319 prefexes and can only complete a call less than half the time. I called Vonage Tech Support (got right throught Lol

) and asked them about setting my line 1 up with a more data friendly config. They said that they could only do that on line 2 and that I would not have good voice quality. Maybe if I could ask them about a specific config number it would help. Thank you.

Posts: 243 · Vonage Forum Master Joined: Jan 18, 2004 Posts: 243

Well first of all the codes that you use #019 etc... can only be used on DirecTivo's when you have an external modem attached. The codes are used to slow the modem down to a speed that can negotiate a link over more easily on the VoIP.

I could never get my DirecTivo to call out with any reliability with the built in modem because it's too fast. Once I configured the external modem and attached it everything was fine.

You should explain to them that another user setup the second port as a fax port and was able to make the connection and download without the call being dropped. However when doing it over the 1st port the call would drop after 15 or so minutes.

I believe that they have some kind of timer on the line for when your trying to do a data call without voice it drops your call after 15 minutes. I asked if they could simply setup my 1st port to not drop my calls after this 15 minute period. They made some changes and I've not had any problems.

Good luck

Posts: 4 · New Forum Member Joined: May 01, 2004 Posts: 4

Could some please help me by telling me how I go about setting up a external modem. I have Direct Tv Tivo and was able make the daily call for 3 months using Vonage and the codes I was given the all the sudden it stopped.

Vonage moved me from line 1 to line 2 on the Vonage device but it still will not complete the daily calls, it gets to the download and then stops with the error CALL INTERRUPTED

I would appreciate anyone that is using Direct Tv Tivo and has it working to share with me how they are doing. If you ar eusing a exteranl modem please tell me how to set one up to work and if you are still using any codes with this. Also if you have also had to have the changes made to your Vonage account that Greg did to get his to work.

I contacted them after reading Gregs post and they played dumb like they had no clue what he was talking about.

HELP PLEASE... Loosing function on Tivo.

Nicole

Posts: 4 · New Forum Member Joined: Feb 18, 2004 Posts: 4

gfoulks wrote:

Well first of all the codes that you use #019 etc... can only be used on DirecTivo's when you have an external modem attached.

This us NOT correct. THe internal modem of the series 1 DTiVos responds to the slowdown codes and other codes just fine.

Quote:

The codes are used to slow the modem down to a speed that can negotiate a link over more easily on the VoIP.
...

This is what some of the codes are for but there are others that do not slow the modem down.

For most series 1 DTiVos all that needs to be done is:
Enter *99 as a call waiting prefix
Enter ,#019 as a dialing prefix.
That works most of the time.

If the above has problems connecting you can, sometimes, improve connection by adding ,, after the ,#019 .

In 7 DTiVo setups I have done with Vonage I have never had to go to an external modem.

Posts: 188 · Vonage Forum Master Joined: Mar 07, 2004 Posts: 188

Ok, here is the situation, I had a US Robotics External Modem hooked up and was able to make about half of my semi-daily calls successfully. I heard that getting a DSL Phone Filter would help but figured that I didn't need one since I was using a cable modem. Well, I was wrong. I figured "what the heck" one day while I was at Walmart and picked up a six dollar RCA DSL Phone Filter. I tried it out and things started to get better. So then I went to Radio Shack and bought a 2-line DSL Filter for $18s and tried it out. Better still. Just for S&Gs I took off the ,#319 dialing prefix and tried a test call. Jaw drop. It made it past the Dialing Phase!!! Next I plugged the filter into my DirecTiVo and made a successful test call!!! And then a successful daily call!!!!!!!!!!! I hope that this helps everyone.

Posts: 1 · New Forum Member Joined: May 28, 2004 Posts: 1

You can use Tivo w/ the Vonage *Fax* line option. This currently costs ~$10/ mo extra.

Vonage voice lines are not meant to carry analog modem signals, however the Fax line provides this capability. A fax is essentially a modem, and a modem is what is in your Tivo.

I've used both a Series 1 (Sony SAT-60) and a Series 2 (Samsung SIR-S4040R) successfully w/ a Vonage Fax line.

Also, the following prefix dialing codes may be needed to get your Tivo to be able to connect properly (got these from Vonage tech suppt):

Series 1: ,#019 (comma, pound, zero, one, nine)

Series 2: ,#034 (comma, pound, zero, three, four)

My Series 1 unit didn't actually need the prefix, but my Series 2 did. YMMV.

HTH

Posts: 4 · New Forum Member Joined: Jan 19, 2004 Posts: 4

SimpleSimon, you the man, I have tried everything to get my dvr to connect through vonage...
nothing worked, untill I entered the commands that you listed and walla it worked...
Thanks

Posts: 4 · New Forum Member Joined: Jan 19, 2004 Posts: 4

SimpleSimon wrote:

The internal modem of the series 1 DTiVos responds to the slowdown codes and other codes just fine.

Quote:

The codes are used to slow the modem down to a speed that can negotiate a link over more easily on the VoIP.
...

This is what some of the codes are for but there are others that do not slow the modem down.

For most series 1 DTiVos all that needs to be done is:
Enter *99 as a call waiting prefix
Enter ,#019 as a dialing prefix.
That works most of the time.

If the above has problems connecting you can, sometimes, improve connection by adding ,, after the ,#019 .

In 7 DTiVo setups I have done with Vonage I have never had to go to an external modem.

Worked for me... Sprint

Posts: 1 · New Forum Member Joined: Jun 02, 2004 Posts: 1

nxs1, does this procedure apply to use of the Vonage phone adapter without having to spend the extra $10/mo for the optional fax line?