Outside Use of the Tablo

Feature Requests
1

I’m thinking about purchasing a Tablo 4th Gen 2-Tuner. My plan is to feed the signal from an outside roof antenna into it and then use the Tablo to pair with my home’s wireless router. My question is: Would the Tablo be able to send a signal from an outside shed (where the antenna is located) across the yard and into the wireless router inside my house? The distance between the two units is approximately sixty feet, although it is possible to move the wireless router closer to the house wall. Any advice appreciated.

2

So, no antenna run coming into the house at all? I think depending on the Tablo’s wifi going from the the shed to your house… well, there would be many variables. Hard to say how well this would work, but doesn’t sound ideal at all.

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3

Your best bet would be to use a direct-bury Cat6 Ethernet cable instead of wireless. You’re taking your chances on the Tablo working with Wifi at that distance.

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4

Yes, Tablo will work via WiFi, but even at shorter distances, hard-wired via Ethernet is better and more reliable. One other thing, a Tablo, like most electronics, is sensitive to heat. Does that shed get hot?

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5

my main concern would be putting the tablo into a non-climate-controlled area.

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6

Ya, it might be better to bite the bullet and run the RG-6 cable into the house to the Tablo instead of an Ethernet cable out to the shed.

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7

I was thinking the same thing. I don’t know how long you can run RG-6 without significant loss.

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8

One other “ethernet” option that could work is powerline ethernet. Depending on how the circuit breaker box is set up, you may be able to use the powerline ehternet adapters out in the shed. No idea about environmental issues with Tablo though.

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9

https://support.tablotv.com/hc/en-us/articles/14847289307156-Safe-Operating-Temperatures-and-Optimal-Placements-for-Tablo

FWIW where I live, condensation would be a likely problem

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10

Would sixty feet of cable be too much resistance?

11

Yes. No insulation in the shed, although it does have a high ceiling, so the hot air can rise.

12

Also my concern.

13

Never heard of these. Do you have a link?

14

Just google “powerline ethernet”, or search for that in Amazon. For example, I got these for another reason:

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15

@timmayer I’ve used these in the past with good results. However, this would mean your Tablo would be in the shed, where the temp/humidity might not be good for optimal Tablo performance.

For the distance of the RG-6 coax, you could add an antenna amplifier in the shed if needed. I remember AntennaMan having a coax run loss chart but I can’t find it.

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16

Not only is there a chart in this article, but there’s also a calculator for loss depending on coax type and length.

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17

You could try using a WiFi repeater in the shed, before digging a trench. I’ve had zero luck with powerline Ethernet, but ymmv.

Ken

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18

I improved my mesh network to make Tablo work better, and bottom line I now have a full tree wifi signal on my iphone some 500 feet away. There is clutter in the way too, it’s not a direct LOS. My router and points are not really close to any windows. I was quite pleased by this range.

If the OP is going to use a 2 tuner, Tablo sells for $70 factory 2 tuner refurbs with same warranty as new. I would be tempted to get a cheap unit and experiment. If no go, then go to Plan B :slightly_smiling_face: Refurbished Over The Air DVRs | Tablo – Tablo TV

Just an idea, as cable, extenders,etc add up $ pretty fast and I’d be willing to sacrifice a refurb.

YMMV

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19

A few thoughts

  1. Getting Tablo close to antenna can only help with signal.
  2. Tablo isn’t wet area or extreme temp rated. Condensation on cooling evenings of humid days would be of concern.
  3. They make directional WiFi antennas for point to point applications. If your router has removable antenna you might be able to try that. The benefit of wireless is isolation (see next bullet).
  4. You want to be a little careful about galvanic connections across two buildings either of which may be subject to lightening strike. If you go the RG6 route be sure to install a ground block terminated to a good ground rod at entry point of the main building.
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20

One consideration I have is to forget the shed and mount the antenna on top of the house (cottage, actually). Then run it in through a hole in the wall R6 cable. At this point I could plug the cable into a Tablo and send the signal to my router on the other side of the house. From there it could broadcast to the two TV’s.

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