Make Your DirecTV Tivo work with Vonage VOIP service
Most people experience problems with using their DirecTV Tivo (aka DirecTivo) with Vonage Voice Over IP (VOIP) phone service or IPvaani Video Phone Service. The problem is that Vonage phone service does not handle data calls well, especially those transmitting at speeds higher than 19k. One helpful workaround is to use a cheap external modem that is attached to the Tivo unit and to set up the Tivo to slow down its data transfer rate. The setup is really easy -- keep reading to get started!
Steps
- Get an external modem.
- You can find cheap 33.3K modems on Ebay for around $10-$15. Some are even preconfigured to work with Tivo. If not, instructions for configuring your modem can be found below. Not all modems work with TiVos, so be sure to get one that does. If you have trouble finding one or don't want the hassle of programming it yourself, you can find one at Weaknees.com.
- Get a Tivo serial cable and, if necessary (not all modems require it, as not all modems have a 25-pin connector), an adapter that connects the Tivo serial cable to an external modem (the adaptor is called a DB9-to-DB25 adaptor). You can get both the serial cable and this adaptor at Weaknees.com (order the stereo to serial cable; the stereo end connects to the serial port of the TiVo; the serial end connects to the modem). Alternatively, you can get these parts on eBay or Tivo.com. These parts cost around $10 total.
- Unplug your Tivo power cord.
- Connect the serial cable to the Tivo.
- Connect the Tivo serial cable to the serial jack in the rear of the Tivo unit, which is located above the IR port. Connect the other end of the serial cable to the special DB9-to-DB25 adaptor (if your modem requires it).
- Connect the serial cable to the modem.
- Attach the phone line to the Line jack of the modem and to a phone jack in your room.
- Attach the power cord to the modem and plug in the power transformer plug. Turn on the modem.
- Plug in the power cord to the Tivo.
- Go to the "phone setup" area in Tivo.
- When your Tivo menu screen is up, use your Tivo remote to navigate to "Messages & Setup" => "Recorder & Phone Setup" => "Phone Connection" => "Change Dialing Options." (If you are running Guided Setup, this step doesn't apply. If not, do not run Guided Setup if you don't have to.).
- Highlight "Select Dial Prefix" and press Select. Follow the screen's instructions to enter the following prefix (without the quotes): ",#319" [That's comma, pound, three, one, nine]. This tells Tivo to use the external modem and to dial at 19K instead of 56.6K.
- Press Select to save the prefix. Then, test the new settings to make a test call.
- When that completes, force a daily call. When that completes, force another daily call to make sure that the process is repeatable.
Troubleshooting
- Make sure that the Tivo is plugged into the Line 1 of the Vonage phone adapter.
- If the local dial-up code doesn't work, set your Tivo area code for New York (212). For some reason, NY seems to work better than other area codes. In some cases, Vonage may require dialing a long distance number with a 1 before the area code. Note that the area code must be part of how Tivo dials the local dial-in number and not as part of the dial prefix. So ",#3191" will not work. Ex: 1-212-XXX-XXXX.
- Try to lower the dial-up speed by changing the dial prefix to ,#396. This dials at 9.6K.
- Make sure your Vonage service is set to 90Kpbs. You can make this change by logging into your Vonage account at www.vonage.com or calling Vonage customer service.
- Try setting your Call Waiting Prefix to *99 [that's star nine nine]. This tells Vonage that a data call is coming.
Tips
- Read How to Configure a Modem to Make DirecTV work with Vonage VOIP Service for information about configuring your modem correctly.
- The following two steps may help: 1) change the Call Waiting Prefix to *99 [that's star nine nine]. This tells Vonage that a data call is coming. 2) chose 212 area code, dialing 1-212-xxx-xxxx which ended a 3-day bout of aggravation with interrupted service calls.
