November 7th, 2009
TiVo readying 802.11n Wi-Fi adapter?
It’s been a tough slog for TiVo, whose once-innovative DVR ecosystem has been co-opted by cable companies’ own DVR services. (Though some offer the TiVo interface for an additional charge.) The company and its devices still have their champions, but it’s difficult to achieve mass success when buyers have to pony up a minimum of $149.99 (for a new standard-definitio Series 2 DVR) and a monthly fee, instead of just paying a few bucks a month for an HD DVR box from their cable provider.
One of the many things TiVo offers that cable boxes do not (yet) is Wi-Fi capability, which you can add via a $60 802.11g adapter. Among other things, it allows you to connect two TiVos wirelessly to transfer recordings between them. But 802.11g throughput speeds are no longer the best with the development of 802.11n, so it comes as no surprise that TiVo is now working on a 802.11n adapter that has made its way to the FCC.
Those faster speeds could come in handy with TiVo’s additional services you get with your monthly fee, things like Netflix and Amazon Video On Demand. If you haven’t purchased the 802.11g adapter, and you don’t have an Ethernet port near your TiVo, an 802.11n adapter could be your means to unlock more entertainment from your Series2 Dual Tuner, HD, or Series3 device. There’s no word about how much an 802.11n adapter would cost or when it would be available. But what would be even better is a Series4 TiVo with built-in 802.11n, right?
Sean Portnoy spent several years as an editor at Computer Shopper magazine, most recently serving as online executive editor. See his full profile and disclosure of his industry affiliations.
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