Maybe we should talk about one real issue for the “average” non-technical user where “a dingo ate my fiber” and the internet is out for over a week.
For most simple installations the user will probably be using an ISP router that contains the DHCP server. For some reasons these often go down when the WAN connection is lost.
Many of these have an IP lease time of 24-hours. This means you are SOL after 24 hours since almost all devices will have their IP address relinquished.
So unless you have pumped up your IP lease time or have a topology where the DHCP server doesn’t go down you are going to have problems before the end of one week.
@TabloTV How about turning the web application into a PWA so that you have to ability to run it offline? There would obviously be limitations, but you should be able to configure it to, at a minimum, cache the recordings page so that they are accessible without an internet connection.
While I would find that awesome, I over time I have a strong feeling it’s highlyunlikely this will ever occur. (they don’t find the web app significant enough to announce new versions)
While there’s still wishful thinking and I don’t really know anything, while you’re waiting I suggest you consider looking into some of the 3rd party apps even if for a “back-up” app
Just want to reiterate for those with a Windows environment that Tablo Tools will play Tablo live without an internet connection (if the program has been downloaded before losing the internet).
I’ve actually found its player more forgiving of signal hiccups than the Tablo web player. (Maybe because less is going on than with the web app - no scheduling or guide, for example.)
Tablo Tools plays Tablo on pretty much any computer (Win, Mac, Linux) without internet. (As long as downloaded before internet outage.)
Roku, I believe, can play Tablo without internet.
Firestick actually can play Tablo without internet through the workaround of going to Settings, then Applications, then Manage installed aps, then Tablo app, and then launch Tablo app.
iPad and iOS can play Tablo without internet, I believe.
Not sure about Android app, can anyone confirm if it works without internet?
And I believe the Xbox app does not work without internet (but can’t personally confirm).
So thanks to Jesse and Tablo Tools, I think now pretty much anything except Xbox can play Tablo recordings and live TV if the internet goes down.
Yes, but to be fair, thanks to 3rd party apps, recordings can be viewed without internet. Taking into account Tablo Tools is a PC application, so using PC based 3rd party app would suggest you have… at the least a media player on or PC to view videos.
As for watching live TV, vast majority just press the TV input button on the remote, and use the TV for what it is… a TV - when the internet is down, make sacrifices.
I’m not discounting Tablo Tools or the work, I do believe it’s the first to play live TV, just it’s not the first. others allow for directly viewing such as APL Tablo, and acquiring playlist URLs for streaming via media player. There’s also ota2GO specific to android mobile devices.
Ironically, I lost my internet yesterday and can confirm that you can play Tablo on Roku (Roku TV) without the internet. Just had to tell it to ignore the no connection and proceed.
agree completely! no technical reason why tablo cannot work short term during an internet outage. after a hurricane, for example, it would be VERY advantageous to access local programming. yes power may be out, but many people have generators, particularly in storm prone areas. a lot of folks these days don’t have portable radios, but pretty much everybody has tv, and having a device that can “stream” local tv would be a very nice thing during those times. this is when i found out about tablo’s shortcomings - running on generator after a storm - tv slowly degraded until it stopped working altogether. thought i had that scenario covered and was surprised/disappointed when i discovered i did not. even worse, when i contacted tablo to ask about it, i was badly treated - like i was some kind of idiot for even asking! don’t think it will ever be fixed - seems it’s ingrained in the tablo ego that this is the way it must be! somebody will come out with a product that addresses this defect, i’ll be a customer!
I’m using Roku. And, yes, Roku works without internet - that’s not the issue. I have four TV’s throughout the house, all on Roku via wireless mesh network. Tablo works fine as long as internet is online. When the internet went down, the feed from TABLO (not Roku) slowly degraded until it failed altogether - this behavior confirmed by tablo customer “service” as “normal”. But without internet, Roku offers nothing - that’s where tablo SHOULD come in.
The whole point of tablo and streaming OTA over my network was to avoid having to run coax all over the house - works fine as long as there’s internet online. Still, stupid that it will not allow access to local OTA as long as my network and power are online.
I did some further research this morning, seems HD Homerun does NOT require internet to work. Yes, it does need an internet connection for set up, but from what I’ve read so far it won’t stop working altogether if the internet goes down. I have no idea what a long term outage would do to it - I would guess the guide info would certainly go stale - but I don’t really care. I just want the tv to work if I have a outage for a couple hours/days. I’m old enough the remember when the “guide” was delivered every day in the newspaper - I can live without an online guide for a few hours! More research to do, but this might be the answer.
You didn’t mention how long you expect the internet to be down but the Roku to continue to work, whether when the internet goes down so does your DHCP server, or what your IP lease time is.
I completely agree with you, however I easily discovered this short coming before I purchased my tablo… still grumbled about it. But it’s documented. If/when you need local information I have a TV to watch TV - I find logic in this.
I find it discouraging I need to pay for internet access to watch recordings from free OTA broadcast programing - even though select device may function under ideal conditions without internet. Network connected devices are marketed as requiring internet for basic function.
[TV connected HDMI tablo’s have only been label since Nov '20]
Instead of using an ISP DHCP server you could use a third party DHCP server on your own router, convince your ISP to not stop the DHCP server when the “internet” is down, or you could petition the IETF standards committee to change the various standards.
I bought the Tablo Quad HDMI so that wouldn’t have to rely on the internet.
My OTA reception is excellent, but my WI-FI reception for my device might have problems periodically, especially during high use when my kids are home. When they aren’t online, I have no problems watching tv.
I bought an OTA DVR, because I didn’t want to bog down my WI-FI. Otherwise, I’d get a streaming device. And I got the HDMI model, so that I could watch my recordings without streaming.
Bad Wi-Fi shouldn’t affect my tv viewing.
It shouldn’t. That was the whole purpose of getting the Tablo Quad HDMI, but it pauses frequently. If I’m lucky, I can let it buffer before viewing, and it’s okay. If I’m not lucky, it pauses frequently even after buffering. I’m seriously thinking about returning it.
I would open a ticket with Tablo then. I’m just saying if you are watching on the device that has the Tablo connected via HDMI there really isn’t any way it’s your network. Could be a hard drive issue I suppose and they can easily verify that for you.