I am about to cut the cord and am trying to assemble the hardware I will need to access OTA channels, record that content, and also subscribe to something like SlingTV, Amazon Prime, YouTube, and Hulu. It looks like pairing Amazon’s Fire box (or Roku’s) with the Tablo is the way to go for me. What I don’t understand is the physical connection between Tablo and the Fire TV box. I assume that is a wireless connection? Is the J45 Cat 5 connector on the Fire TV box used at all, or does the Fire TV box talk wirelessly to the Tablo? As for setup, I assume you set up Tablo first as per the instrucitons on this site and then add the Fire app, or …
Can somebody point me toward the step by step setup instructions for integrating the Fire box? All of the Tablo instructions seem to use a smart phone or a tablet or computer for the setup and it cannot even find where a large screen TV is integrated using, e.g., Roku or Fire. Integrating my home audio system for Dolby 5.1 or surround sound is a whole other question. Thanks.
@wizard_chef - First-time setup must be done via tablet, smartphone or computer.
After your Tablo is set up, all you’ll have to do is download the Tablo app on your Fire TV and it will find your Tablo on the network.
If your Fire TV box and your Tablo are both connected to your router via Ethernet, it will communicate over your home network. If one or both are wireless, it will connect wirelessly.
Thanks a ton for the answer. That helps! Just trying to get this in my head before I start buying stuff.
If my understanding is correct, the Tablo prefers a wired Ethernet connection. Since the set top boxes have the wired option, can I also just plug it into my router repeater, which sits just a few feet away, and go wireless with both boxes??
@wizard_chef - Wired via Ethernet is preferable. You’ll get consistent speed and performance and not have to worry about any potential WiFi interference.
You can go full WiFi and use a WiFi repeater just as long as both devices are on the same network.
Last question. So, is there a Tablo app residing in the Fire box or a Fire app in the Tablo box? I assume I will have one integrated menu somewhere that includes streaming and OTA content somewhere. Who will I be talking to with a remote, the Tablo or the Fire box?
There is a Tablo APP on the Fire TV box that you navigate using the Fire TV remote. Tablo has no remote and does not connect directly to your TV.
When you want to watch Live TV or your recordings you go to the Tablo app on your Fire TV. When you want to watch streaming content you’ll go to the Netflix app for the Sling TV app.