TiVo Network Remote - Introduction & Installation

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Sun Aug 18, 2013 9:43 pm
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TiVo Network Remote - Introduction & Installation

Quick Download: Plugin v2.0.4 | GitHub Repository

Introducing the TiVo Network Remote Plugin
This Indigo 6.0+ plugin allows Indigo to act as a remote control for a network-connected TiVo Digital Video Recorder. Virtually every command/button found on the standard remote can be sent to TiVo as well as several additional commands not found on the TiVo-branded remote.

The only limitation of this TiVo-provided interface is that connected applications are simply acting as a remote and get little feedback, limited primarily to the current channel (as shown on Live TV).

INDIGO 6 IMPORTANT NOTE: The Indigo 6 version of this plugin is end-of-life with respect to new development, however the latest stable version on Indigo 6 is still available and is working as expected at the moment. Please consider an upgrade to Indigo 7 to support further development of our favorite HA platform!

Hardware Requirements
This plugin should work with any network-connected TiVo which supports the TiVo TCP Control Protocol; generally speaking this means any Series 3 or Premier (or newer) DVR which is running at least v9.4 of the TiVo software. This plugin has been successfully tested with:
  • TiVo Series 3
  • TiVo Premier
  • TiVo Mini
  • TiVo Bolt
  • TiVo Roamio

The auto-discovery feature requires that the TiVo and Indigo be on the same subnet, though manual IP entry should allow remote control via a WAN interfaces (such as over a VPN connection). You may also want to consider setting a static IP address on the TiVo to help ensure a stable connection (see below).

Enabling Network Remote Control in the TiVo Software - Important Requirement
Before any device (not just this plugin) may initiate network control over a TiVo, this feature must be enabled on the TiVo DVR itself. To enable remote control on your TiVo DVR:
  1. Go to TiVo Central -> Messages & Settings -> Settings -> Remote, CableCARD & Devices -> Network Remote Control
  2. Choose Enabled
  3. Press Select

Setting a Static IP Address in the TiVo Software - Optional
The TiVo Network Remote plugin communicates with the TiVo DVR using an IP address; if this address changes for any reason then you will need to go to the Device Configuration and change the IP address. To avoid this, you might consider setting your TiVo to a static IP address.

Note that this is optional; I personally have one TiVo that is NOT set with a static IP that has had no trouble keeping its IP lease for several months running while using this plugin.

Installation and Configuration
Downloading the Plugin Package
The latest version of the plugin is v2.0.4 and may be downloaded here.

Previous and pre-release versions of the plugin are available for download in the GitHub Releases section... those versions in beta will be marked as a Pre-Release and will not appear in update notifications. Once installed, you may use the Check for Updates option in the plugin's menu to check for and download updates.

Configuring the Plugin
Upon first installation you will be asked to configure the plugin; please see the instructions on the configuration screen for more information. Most users should be fine with the default values.
Image

Plugin Devices
Each TiVo that you wish to control should be created as an Indigo Device:
Image

In the Device Settings you will need to select from the list of TiVo devices found on the network or else manually enter your TiVo's IP address. Note that if you ever lose connection with your TiVo device, you may need to return here to find/enter the IP Address again if it has picked up a new address on the network. You can avoid this by setting up a static IP address for your TiVo.

Image

Available Device States
The majority of the TiVo API is for control, but a couple of states are exposed via the plugin:
  • isConnected & connectionState - tracks if Indigo has been able to successfully create/maintain a connection to the TiVo
  • currentChannel - tracks the current channel in the LiveTV view
  • channelSelector - stores the current channel selector (see actions above for usage)

Available Actions
  • IR Command
    This action will send a network command that is equivalent to pressing the button on the remote.
  • Teleport
    Teleport commands are meant to allow navigation straight to a particular TiVo section/feature. According to the documentation, the teleport command is guaranteed to succeed unless the DVR is in the process of Guided Setup.
  • Tune to Channel
    This command will tune the TiVo to the requested channel; the DVR must be in Live TV mode in order for the set channel command to succeed. The command may fail if a recording is in progress unless you click the option to force the change.
  • Channel Selector Actions
    The "channel selector" methods are present as a convenience for you when creating control pages. The channel selector acts as a placeholder for the user entering a channel via a number-pad style interface. Digits may be added (or removed) by buttons on the number page until the user presses a "Go" button at which time you should execute the Tune to Channel Selector action; this will also clear the selector to allow for new input.

Posted on
Tue Nov 05, 2013 12:34 am
RogueProeliator offline
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Re: TiVo Network Remote - Introduction & Installation

v1.1 Released
TiVo Network Remote has been upgraded to v1.1, with the following changes:

  • Added a device state that tracks the current Live TV channel
  • Added channel selector state and actions to ease creation of channel entry keypads on control pages; the control page instructions have been updated to reflect this change
  • Changed address storage to IP address for reliability reasons (discovery is still enabled in device config)
  • Migrated backend to a new framework which should be slightly faster
  • Changed debug option (in Plugin Config) to allow setting of the level of debug messages desired
  • Moved the sample control pages images to their own download (see above post for more info)

IMPORTANT NOTE:
You will most likely need to edit your device configuration once you upgrade the plugin; this will ensure that the new IP address storage format is properly upgraded. Simply go to your device in Indigo and edit/save the device configuration.

Posted on
Tue Nov 19, 2013 9:36 pm
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Re: TiVo Network Remote - Introduction & Installation

v1.1.3 Released
TiVo Network Remote has been upgraded to v1.1.3, with the following changes:

  • Created better state detection for disconnected devices and error states
  • Better recognition of new TiVo devices when adding a new device

Posted on
Sun Dec 08, 2013 9:04 pm
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Re: TiVo Network Remote - Introduction & Installation

v1.1.4 Released
TiVo Network Remote has been upgraded to v1.1.4, with the following changes:

  • Improved format and sorting of device configuration and action dialogs/menus to make them easier to use

Posted on
Sun Jan 26, 2014 11:16 am
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Re: TiVo Network Remote - Introduction & Installation

v1.1.6 Released
TiVo Network Remote has been upgraded to v1.1.6, with the following changes:

  • Improved error handling when an error or unexpected reply is received from TiVo
  • Added Standby IR code (available in the "Send network-based IR command to TiVo" action
  • Changed the web server hosting the download and version check page

Posted on
Thu Jul 03, 2014 3:34 pm
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Re: TiVo Network Remote - Introduction & Installation

v1.2.9 Released
TiVo Network Remote has been upgraded to v1.2.9, with the following changes:

  • Improved auto-discovery of the TiVo name and software version, now showing the "friendly" name in place of the serial number
  • Added an automatic reconnection attempt(s) following network interruptions; previous it did not attempt a reconnection until the next action/command was issued, meaning no state information was updated in the interim

Posted on
Tue Nov 04, 2014 1:03 pm
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Re: TiVo Network Remote - Introduction & Installation

v1.3.12 Released
TiVo Network Remote has been upgraded to v1.3.12, with the following changes:

  • Improved plugin response time when multiple commands are sent in a short amount of time (such as scrolling through menus or channel surfing)

Posted on
Fri Mar 20, 2015 9:41 pm
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Re: TiVo Network Remote - Introduction & Installation

v1.3.14 Released
TiVo Network Remote has been upgraded to v1.3.14, with the following changes:

  • Added new event that will fire whenever the plugin is updated
  • Added a graphical window for checking for updates (found via the Plugin's menu)
  • Added ability to send an arbitrary command to the TiVo; this may be used for debugging or testing

Posted on
Fri Feb 12, 2016 3:05 pm
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Joined: Nov 13, 2012
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Re: TiVo Network Remote - Introduction & Installation

v1.3.19 Released
TiVo Network Remote has been upgraded to v1.3.19, with the following changes:

  • Adds support for non-US characters throughout the plugin
  • Adds additional debug and friendlier error messages
  • Better sets an error state in the device list when a connection fails
  • Fixes issue loading the plugin if it is renamed prior to installation into Indigo

Posted on
Tue Jul 12, 2016 9:50 pm
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Joined: Nov 13, 2012
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Re: TiVo Network Remote - Introduction & Installation

v1.4.19 Released
TiVo Network Remote has been upgraded to v1.4.19; functionally there is little reason to update, but you must update if you wish to continue to receive update notifications of new versions.

  • Migrated code and updater to GitHub

Posted on
Sat Nov 12, 2016 11:14 pm
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Re: TiVo Network Remote - Introduction & Installation

v2.0.4 Released
TiVo Network Remote has been upgraded to v2.0.4 and is available for download here

  • Updated to full Indigo 7 support
  • Indigo 7 is required for this and all future plugin versions

Posted on
Fri Jun 02, 2017 7:13 pm
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Joined: Nov 13, 2012
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Re: TiVo Network Remote - Introduction & Installation

v2.1.0 Released
TiVo Network Remote has been upgraded to v2.1.0 and is available for download here

  • Added the four action shortcut options to the IR Command menu (thanks to forum user @NewfD90 for that)

Posted on
Sat Oct 14, 2017 10:56 pm
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Posts: 2501
Joined: Nov 13, 2012
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Re: TiVo Network Remote - Introduction & Installation

v2.1.2 Released
TiVo Network Remote has been upgraded to v2.1.2 and is available for download here. This is a very minor update, no functionality changes at all...

  • Minor update to the UI, no functionality changes
  • Actions now appear under "Device Actions" in menus

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