TiVoAG0100 Wireless G USB Network Adapter for TiVo Series 2 and Series 3 DVRs

First, thank you to the previous reviewers: I had several questions regarding this product such as "does it support Wireless Encryption?" and the previous reviews really helped...by the way yes, it supports WEP.What you will need if you want to use this:1) Wireless Internet Access (Wireless Router and Connection to Internet) within range of your DVR2) Series 2 DVR (with USB plug)3) A computer for some of the advanced featuresOnce you have these two things then using this product is amazingly simple to set up for about 80% of "Lucky People."1) Plug it In2) Follow the Instructions3) Enter your WEP key (alphanumeric or hexadecimal --- alphanumeric is much easier)4) I had to restart my DVR5) If you're connecting a computer and using TivoToGo, you have to install the software on your computer...which also has to be connected to the network for your TIVO to see it and for your computer to see your TIVO and you'll need your Media Access Key.Benefits I received from this product:1) I don't have to use a phone line to get updates (no dialing)2) TIVO updates come much faster over Broadband (Faster updates)3) I bought TIVO to Go Plus --extra $$ from TIVO for the license key that you use with the computer software and I can listen to my iPod music through my Bose in my living room4) I have my picture library shared....baby pictures are nice on the television....but caution, the quality of the pictures will only be as good as your TV....ie HDTV is still not as good as a good laptop screen and if you don't have HDTV, they'll only look as good as your TVs best resolution. Its still very cool to show baby pictures on the big TV.5) I have a huge Attached Hard Drive array on my computer...its really a Server...so I offload movies I plan to keep and they're always there when I want to watch them so the 180hour DVR size limit kindof doesn't apply.Issues / Challenges:1) You have to know a little bit about computers if you want to get some of the more complex benefits such as share pictures, music, download movies.....ie you have to know about firewalls, how to install software, IP addresses and things like that.2) If you have wireless access already set up and just want to use it to connect to the internet and get program updates instead of using your phone line, its pretty easy but you'll have to a) have DHCP turned on or b) assign it a static IP......for those of you who think I just typed in Greek, chances are that you have DHCP but if you happen not to, you could bump into problems.3) If you want to listen to your IPod, share pictures, download to your computer, please make sure to read the software/hardware requirements for your computer.Overall, these are my thoughts on the average person installing this easily:A) 80% of the people who buy this should have Zero problems installing this product because you have a standard network configuration, know your way around networks, or are just lucky.B) 20% of the people who buy this who don't have a standard Wireless network configuration AND don't have some knowledge of networking....you could become frustrated at trying to connect this product ESPECIALLY if you want to use some of the advanced functionality.My Luck:1) Start to finish it took me 5 minutes to install this to get its updates through the wireless network.2) It took me about 30 minutes to install all the other software and get everything configured to share music, pictures and enable TivoToGo on my computer.

There is one installation issue with this adapter that I was not aware of, and it took me a few detours to get the wireless adapter functioning with my new TIVO series 2 box.The adapter plugs into the TIVO recorder and uses the TIVO software onboard the recorder to connect to the internet. Unfortunately, the software in the TIVO was a revision 7-something and that only works with WEP security encryption. Unfortunately in this case, my network uses WPS2-PSK wireless encryption. In order to access a network (like mine) using WPA-level encryption security, it was necessary to first download a software update from TIVO, to a level 8-something. But since I had no landline telephone access and the adapter could not get through to my network, I was apparently stuck. No way to download the software that was required to get the adqpter operating. Then I realized that I had an undocumented work-around. Since the adapter recognized all of my neighbors' networks and showed their names (SSID) as networks TIVO identified in the setup program, I found one of those which had no security.I then set up my TIVO using my neighbor's wireless network SSID as if it were mine. I was then able to connect to TIVO through my neighbor's internet connection and download the software update which then allowed the adapter to access WPA security. After the download, I went back into TIVO settings and changed the wireless network setting from my neighbor's to my own wireless network and the adapter and TIVO accepted my change without a hiccup.It worked, but before I figured that out, I spent a lot of time messing with setting up IP access settings (and inadvertantly shut my own computers out of my network until I hard-wired a laptop with a network cable and then added all of my devices' IP addresses). Don't do that. Grab an unencrypted neighboring wireless signal and save yourself lots of time and aggravation.A note on how to find which neighbors' accounts are unencrypted. My Netgear wireless setup program (which boots up with the computer every time it starts) has a search for available networks tab. I clicked that and it gave me a list of all networks my computer could identify, showing network name (called the SSID), security level (WEP/WPA/WPA2-PSK or "none"), and strength of signal. I noted the name of the strongest signal without security and then told TIVO that was "my" network.Good luck.

Certain TIVOs are configured to only be compatible with a TIVO wireless adapter. This one was used and offered at a very favorable price. Shipped fast and worked fine when installed and my only complaint is that a prior user had adhered it to something with sticky black gunk that I had to attack with mineral spirits. All good.