Setting up HDHomeRun Prime wirelessly

[sethm1]

If a wired/ethernet connection is necessary for the initial set up, that will be possible.
However, for day to day use I will be connecting the prime in my main entertainment center (downstairs) - but which hard wired to my router is not possible.
Do I have any options - for a wireless set up?

Also, am I correct that my recordings will be on my PC (Win 7) via the Windows Media Center?
This PC is upstairs. And that would be possible to save a recording onto a USB thumb drive?

Thanks in advance.

[Doctor Feelgood]

Wireless is possible, but I would not recommend it. My network is (almost) all Gigabit hardwired adapters with CAT6 cables, and all wireless connections are at least Wireless N 150. I occasionally use a laptop (wireless N) with the Prime and performance is not as good as with a hardwired connection... stuttering, pixelization, etc are far more likely. I would suggest running a cable if possible. I haven't gotten to running a cable to one PC in my house (leading to that almost all comment above), which presently uses a powerline network adapter and I never have an issue with performance on that one. Something to consider if wireless proves less than impressive for you, too.

As for recordings... The recordings are made at the PC they are scheduled at. Does the basement have a PC or an Media Center extender? If it is an extender running off the PC upstairs, then the recordings will be upstairs. If it is a PC in the basement, they will be recorded there. You can move them, most conveniently by using the network, but a USB drive should work. Main issue would be that some shows are tagged to only allow you to play them back on the PC you recorded them on. I have all my recordings moved to a networked storage server, and even though they are all then shared with all PCs on the network, many still can only be played on the PC used to record them.

[adam1991]

My experience is that hard wired is always possible. Start with that inevitability and work from there. (trust us when we tell you, if you go wireless you will spend a bunch of time trying to "figure it out" until you finally come to the realization that "figure it out" means "it will never work right".)

I'm not sure what the rest of your questions really are, so I can't help you with those.

[sethm1]

If wired not possible, what about power line adapters?
How is that compared to wired?

The entertainment is downstairs, the PC is upstairs. There is no media center connected to the entertainment center.

Am I correct there is no USB thumb drive port on the Prime?

As far as the recordings, then not possible to convert and transfer, then take with me on a tablet?

Thx.

[adam1991]

Poke around here and you'll find people that sing the praises of power line adapters and MoCA. Powerline adapters are wired, but of course the speeds are down compared to ethernet. But given that the XBox is only a 100 megabit connection itself, that's all you need.

[foxwood]

Am I correct there is no USB thumb drive port on the Prime?

The Prime is "just" a TV tuner, it's not a recorder.

As far as the recordings, then not possible to convert and transfer, then take with me on a tablet?

If your cable-provider doesn't apply copy protection to the programs that you are recording, then you can do whatever you like to them, including converting them to a more tablet friendly format.

If your cable company applies copy protection, then the recordings can only be watched on the PC that they were recorded on, or an extender (XBox or Echo) that is paired to that PC.

[sethm1]

Adam191 - not sure if I get this, but can the PC that is doing all the control and recording be another room - just as long as its on the same network?

What is the format that a recording is saved as?

Thx

[adam1991]

That's correct. Because this is a Windows Media Center forum, we'll focus on that.

The tuner takes in the stream and passes it through to Windows Media Center, which either plays it for you live (yech) or stores it on disc for you to view later. The file format is .wtv.

You will do all of your recording and storage on one PC. All three HDHomerun tuners go to that one PC (more on that later).

You may play it back on that PC directly, or you may choose to play it back on a TV that is remote. The mechanism used to play it back on a TV that is remote is a Media Center Extender, of which there are currently two: Microsoft XBox and Ceton Echo. The Media Center Extender is connected to the recording/storage PC via your local network (wired), and is a special instance of a remote session on the recording PC. Then you connect the extender to your TV via HDMI (both XBox and Echo) or plain old composite video (XBox only). The extender looks *just* like the recording PC, because it is: it's controlling that recording PC, but is doing so via a remote screen session.

Back to your HDHomerun: it is a network device, and it sends its tuner streams to your PC via your network. Not a big deal. But as such, you may choose where each stream goes on your network. That is, if you choose to have three individual Windows Media Center computers (or Macs, or Linux-based Myth systems) each separately taking one tuner stream from that tuner, you may. Each one would be its own recording/storage device, with its own guide setup and its own setup of what to record and when. They would not interact with each other. That's one choice.

Or as I've mentioned above, you may choose to have all three streams go to one Windows Media Center PC and have one central tank of recording/storage/schedule, and use network-based extenders to view what's on that central tank and to control the deletion of the programs on that central tank an to control the recording schedule on that central tank.

As you can see, the central tenet of both the HDHomerun Prime and Windows Media Center is shuttling streaming data around your network. That's why we're telling you, wireless won't work. It's not reliable enough to handle all of that in real time, which is what's required for video like this.

You certainly could put the HDHomerun Prime right next to the central recording PC, even to its own private network interface with a two foot patch cable. Then use powerline networking to distribute the recorded TV to extenders throughout the house.

[sethm1]

Thanks-
What did you mean by "(yech)" ? - second paragraph.

In your last paragraph, your wrote "
You certainly could put the HDHomerun Prime right next to the central recording PC, even to its own private network interface with a two foot patch cable..."
So based on the following, am I not going to be able to set up the Prime ? :

The entertainment center (down stairs) will have: TV, Cox Cable Motorolla DCH 3416 DVR, Blue Ray, AV receiver, VCR, then the HomeRun Prime connected to a Wireless Network Adapter.

The PC running Windows Media Player is upstairs.

The router itself is also down stairs - but not close enough to be wired to my entertainment center

[foxwood]

The entertainment center (down stairs) will have: TV, Cox Cable Motorolla DCH 3416 DVR, Blue Ray, AV receiver, VCR, then the HomeRun Prime connected to a Wireless Network Adapter.

The PC running Windows Media Player is upstairs.

The router itself is also down stairs - but not close enough to be wired to my entertainment center

Why are you planning to put the Prime in the Entertainment Center? Is there nowhere else in the house where you have a cable outlet?

The Prime only has 2 inputs (power and coax) and one output - Ethernet. It doesn't belong in your Entertainment Center - you can't "watch" the output of a Prime.

[adam1991]

Thanks-
What did you mean by "(yech)" ? - second paragraph.

I hate watching live TV, that's all.

In your last paragraph, your wrote "
You certainly could put the HDHomerun Prime right next to the central recording PC, even to its own private network interface with a two foot patch cable..."
So based on the following, am I not going to be able to set up the Prime ? :

The entertainment center (down stairs) will have: TV, Cox Cable Motorolla DCH 3416 DVR, Blue Ray, AV receiver, VCR, then the HomeRun Prime connected to a Wireless Network Adapter.

The PC running Windows Media Player is upstairs.

The router itself is also down stairs - but not close enough to be wired to my entertainment center

That'll work fine.

[sethm1]

There is only one room in the house that has access to the router & a cable coax.
The router is accessible via a 20 foot line I installed under the floor at the same spot where the cable coax is.

I am guessing that since the Prime has more than one Tuner- I will be able to record one show while my wife records her show onto the Cox (Motorolla) DVR? - Where this TV is set up is basically "Her" TV.
Will I run into an issue if my wife is recording two shows onto her DVR and I want to record another using the Prime?

I checked with Cox - The monthly fee for the car is only $1.99 - so doable.

[blueiedgod]

There is only one room in the house that has access to the router & a cable coax.
The router is accessible via a 20 foot line I installed under the floor at the same spot where the cable coax is.

I am guessing that since the Prime has more than one Tuner- I will be able to record one show while my wife records her show onto the Cox (Motorolla) DVR? - Where this TV is set up is basically "Her" TV.
Will I run into an issue if my wife is recording two shows onto her DVR and I want to record another using the Prime?

I checked with Cox - The monthly fee for the car is only $1.99 - so doable.

Prime will record 3 shows, and your wife's Motorola DVR will record as many tuners it has. Two comepletely INDEPENDANT from each other.

Edit: PC connected to PRime will record 3 shows. Prime it self has no ability to record, or play back.

[sethm1]

This may be a question more for Cox - so since the Prime independent from the dvr, could I put the Prime on my bookcase next to the router and thus only need a foot long Ethernet cable and use Cox's provided cable card OR do I still need a coaxial into the Prime?

Thx