1st off any of those helpdesk peeps from any vendor are level 1, if that.
There are lanes of technology here… you bring in a new device and it works right from the jump and or it doesn’t. The doesn’t part happens more often than you think. Across all vendors. Even if it works off the jump, and then stops… You still need the fortitude to fix it. Not saying you didn’t try. I completely understand that you put your best foot forward. You are trying to do your best. I get it.
Don’t get me wrong, my wife was pissed last during the server blip… I get that 500%!
But to post your frustrations about Tablo on this platform, when most of that is in your hands.
It’s not fair for you to do that. Then post later:
Just cuz Tablo didn’t fit into your awkward puzzle… and the HDHomeRun did. Isn’t a fair assessment.
Thanks, but I choose to disagree. It is a very fair assessment. Companies should not sell simple stuff like an OTA viewer/DVR to the general public if the general public cannot install it and use it, especially if their own tech support cannot get it functioning the way they intended for it to work. If the company is selling server farm hardware and software, I get it, only people with inherent capability should jump in. The Tablo is not for networking techies only; it is intended for anyone who can connect wires, I think.
I accept that it could be my network, even if Tablo or TIVO could never point to a problem and AT&T could never identify a problem. My point is, what am I supposed to do about it, especially when I can buy different hardware with the same functionality that works flawlessly? If Tablo had not the other problems, I probably would have lived with it while continuing to search for ways to solve the problems, i.e. network issues. But the debacle with their servers and the inability to even watch TV led me to different viewing/DVR hardware that seems to work out of the box.
Everything I know is from experience. No training or school in any of it.
But at the same time, you shouldn’t find a device to work around weird network behavior. To me, that seems a bit backwards.
Why they couldn’t fix your network issues, I’m not sure. Perhaps a faulty ethernet port on the wall jack? IDK. And even though @KimchiGUN talks way over my head sometimes, he’s been a great help in getting others to find little quirks in their networks.
I gotta say, though, I was surprised at how different your actual network is compared to the way I understood it while others have been trying to help these past few weeks. That’s what makes me wonder if there’s a possible issue with that specific ethernet split/port/extension/switch/whatever.
I’m shocked you let them convince you to put something between your TV and your network just to have basic functionality! That sounds like the beginning of just throwing money at your problem! IDK who installed all your network hubs or whatever, but it sounds like they decided they didn’t care enough to get to the real problem – likely because it would have required running new cables and a much more expensive fix than a couple of tests of your network.
I’m sorry you’re frustrated. I get it. It sounds like a terrible way to shop, always needing to buy 3 different products because they might not work on your network.
In the end, what matters is that you find something that works. But… all it could take is an app update or a firmware update to mess up any device currently on your network and you’re back at step one. I feel for ya, but I still can’t find it in myself to blame the Tablo. If anything, it’s a combination of everything involved.
I’ll jump in as a non 4th gen Tablo user. I can see both sides of this but everybody has their own use case.
In general, while Tablo is attempting to be non-techie friendly, merely choosing to go with the OTA route means you have to be willing to have to “tinker” a bit. That’s why there will always be people who subscribe to cable (at least for as long as cable exists/is an option). It should “just work” and if it doesn’t, 99% of the time it’s the responsibility of the cable company to “fix” the issue.
I will admit, I’m watching the Tablo 4th gen issues from afar but some of them are somewhat concerning. I wasn’t around yet when the OG Tablo units were released so I don’t know in detail what growing pains they had and whether these 4th gen issues are similar in severity or worse.
I really don’t have a “dog in the game” with the 4th gen issues (knock on wood nothing starts going weird for the OG Tablo models) but when it comes to a ATSC 3.0 Tablo devices, I’m VERY interested so these initial issues have me watching things closely to see if there are any “systemic” concerns with the new Tablo corporate ownership for when it comes decision time for a ATSC 3.0 device.
If I’m being honest, mostly back-end process non-technical issues, like communication.
If back-end maintenance was being done to address stability issues, implement new functionality, etc., while I understand it is scheduled to minimize impact, that maintenance should always be communicated, even if user impact isn’t expected. Good communication, even if it doesn’t change the outcome, helps prevent user frustration and misdirected blame.
What I’m trying to determine now is how much of the recent issues is just lack of good communication (which can be concerning in and of itself) and how much may indicate technical issues.
I’ve been a happy OG Tablo owner for many years, so I’m biased toward giving Tablo the benefit of the doubt in this situation until proven otherwise (seems like some of these issues are growing pains), but I’m also not blind to the current issues and they will factor in when I’m eventually looking at ATSC 3.0 solutions.
Not totally a non-starter. There are network extenders where the HDHR could be connected and then wirelessly connect to your main router. HDHR has an app very much like the Tablo that may be supported by your favorite streaming device. It takes a little more effort to get the router and wireless extender to work together. The Tablo is attractive because it is simple to plug and play. Just a bit frustrating with the various issues that have popped up lately.
One last stab at this. One of the other posters hit the nail on the head, we all have a different environments and I would add, different receptivity to what happens. Here is my current living situation: an apartment building with about 200 apartments, AT&T fiber to the building and however they then distribute it to the apartments in the locked closets they have in the hallways. My apartment has a wallbox with the ONT and the router, along with the cables to each outlet in the rooms. So, I encounter an intermittent problem that I know occurs randomly. Compounding that is the reality that it occurs with only certain hardware; there is other hardware available that does not have the problem. Everyone knows the difficulty in troubleshooting an intermittent problem, car, network, personal health, whatever. The network provider, AT&T, tries to find a problem but everything checks out OK with all of their instantaneous measurements. Nevertheless, they upgrade the router. A day later it is clear the intermittent problem still exists, so they do some more testing, no problem identified. End use hardware provider(Tablo) does what ever testing they do from their end, no problem identified. Yet, they can see that something is causing recordings to interrupt and sometimes restart and sometimes terminate. I wonder if anyone else in the 200 apartments is having similar problems but my guess is that the other residents are happy with their Spectrum cable connections(most popular) or Amazon Prime over fiber(another favorite). No motivation for AT&T to dig deep or spend a penny. My problems are laughable to them. So, if I can find a solution by buying hardware that fully works, why shouldn’t I complain about hardware that doesn’t work under the same set of conditions? I have no choice but to blame Tablo for not doing it as well as someone else.
I’m not using a residential wireless router… I run a full SMB/Enterprise network stack network rack in my home office. 4 core 10G router against a 10G core switch with 2 Access Points in my home. I have multiple managed switch within my home too. 4x4 AX Access Points.
I document my hardships here:
(This was also before/during the Roku update and the Tablo Roku APP update)
Then I tweaked my network to accommodate my Tablo. I spent almost 2 weeks on this. And I got it work. Not disregarding @LarrySB efforts and assessment, even though I may not agree with it but I can respect it. Due to my early Tablo network hardships, with my wife breathing down my neck (all husband’s can understand that, wifey wanting to watch her shows) It’s possible and achievable to have it work 99% of the time. 1% is when the stupid server goes down.
Ah, the former joys of living in a home with all of the attendant space to fill it with whatever floated your boat!!! My home was populated with a whole of lot of security hardware and automation using Hubitat and a raspberry pi!!!
