# Can you use TiVo and DVR with a broadband phone **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 22, 2005, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-use-tivo-and-dvr-with-a-broadband-phone/313712 "2005-07-22T22:34:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2005, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-use-tivo-and-dvr-with-a-broadband-phone/313712/1 "2005-07-22T22:34:50Z")
TiVos and DVRs require a land based phone line in order to get scheduling information. Would a broadband phone line work to get DVR or TiVo information or do you need an actual line hooked up to the phone lines? The brands of DVR I am referring to are either TiVo DVRs or DirecTV DVRs, if that matters. ---
**Author:** ![arrosen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@arrosen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/arrosen)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2005, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-use-tivo-and-dvr-with-a-broadband-phone/313712/2 "2005-07-22T22:36:40Z")
> [@Wesley Clark](#): > > TiVos and DVRs require a land based phone line in order to get scheduling information. Would a broadband phone line work to get DVR or TiVo information or do you need an actual line hooked up to the phone lines? > > The brands of DVR I am referring to are either TiVo DVRs or DirecTV DVRs, if that matters. If you have a router and a Series 2 Tivo, you can hook it up directly to your router (either wireless or wired). There is lots of information on their site to tell you how to do this. I don’t know about a broadband phone, though. ---
**Author:** ![interface2x](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c0e974/32.png) [@interface2x](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/interface2x)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2005, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-use-tivo-and-dvr-with-a-broadband-phone/313712/3 "2005-07-22T23:07:35Z")
Yeah, my TIVO has directions on how to have it directly hooked into your broadband internet to get the updates. I’d look into that first. ---
**Author:** ![abby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/48db29/32.png) [@abby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/abby)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2005, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-use-tivo-and-dvr-with-a-broadband-phone/313712/4 "2005-07-23T01:15:12Z")
> [@interface2x](#): > > Yeah, my TIVO has directions on how to have it directly hooked into your broadband internet to get the updates. I’d look into that first. Tivo has not extended their service to Australia, but we can buy the machines on Ebasy and have them shipped over. A bunch of fantastic people pool their time and enter the guide data by hand. A group of technical people have copied then adjusted the tivo OS (all linux and perl scripts, so very programmer friendly) so that it works by connecting it to a broadband connection (or wi-fi), and connects to the server that stores all the guide data that people have entered, which makes itself look like a tivo server. Ok, I guess that’s not so relevant (save that, if tivo cannot do it out of the box, someone have have done a hack that you can install), but it is cool. a ---
**Author:** ![SpartanDC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b2d939/32.png) [@SpartanDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpartanDC)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2005, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-use-tivo-and-dvr-with-a-broadband-phone/313712/5 "2005-07-23T01:17:52Z")
Also, **Wesley** , the TiVo instructions will tell you that while you can download information via broadband, you’ll need a land line for Guided Setup. Not so. After you get the TiVo on your broadband network but before you do Setup, go to the dialing options and tell it to use a dialing prefix of “,#401” (comma-pound-4-0-1). This will tell TiVo to use the broadband connection for setup, and it works flawlessly. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2005, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-use-tivo-and-dvr-with-a-broadband-phone/313712/6 "2005-07-23T02:48:19Z")
> [@SNenc](#): > > Also, **Wesley** , the TiVo instructions will tell you that while you can download information via broadband, you’ll need a land line for Guided Setup. Not so. After you get the TiVo on your broadband network but before you do Setup, go to the dialing options and tell it to use a dialing prefix of “,#401” (comma-pound-4-0-1). This will tell TiVo to use the broadband connection for setup, and it works flawlessly. Yep, that’s what I did and my TiVo happily gets its updates via my cable modem. I don’t have a landline at all, anyway. Be aware that you’ll need a ten buck USB adaptor, as the TiVo does not have on-board Ethernet. ---
**Author:** ![Turek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/turek/32/18782_2.png) [@Turek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Turek)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2005, 11:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-use-tivo-and-dvr-with-a-broadband-phone/313712/7 "2005-07-23T11:33:41Z")
> [@friedo](#): > > Yep, that’s what I did and my TiVo happily gets its updates via my cable modem. I don’t have a landline at all, anyway. Be aware that you’ll need a ten buck USB adaptor, as the TiVo does not have on-board Ethernet. And make sure it’s a compatible adapter: [http://customersupport.tivo.com/knowbase/root/public/tv2006.htm](http://customersupport.tivo.com/knowbase/root/public/tv2006.htm)?