@theuser86, Not looking to argue but have you ever heard of OpenDNS? The use of Alternate DNS is a completely normal and accepted practice. For your information, I found 5 free dns sites on the web and then stopped counting. The point RJPingrey and I are making is that Tablo preview works differently from Tablo production regarding the DNS server being used when it shouldn’t. Minor? Maybe, but a bug never the less.
A DNS smart proxy (man in the middle) is vastly different from the term “alternative DNS”.
DNS is merely a means to transform a name to an IP. Generally speaking, this is unblocked. You can run your own caching only DNS on almost all ISPs and it will work (which may avoid some delays).
But what if I want to fool DNS. What if I want to stand authoritative for a zone that I do not own. For that you need a type of DNS proxy that will not only allow you to override traditoinal DNS lookups, but also change and/or supplant. Thus if some body using my “special DNS”, I could redirect all tablotv.com lookups to go to addresses of my own choosing and possibly “fool you”.
If I setup a transparent proxy or VPN as well for you to use, then I can falsify certifiates and all other sorts of evil (allowing me to fully capture your most sensitive data). Of course, you’d have to use my special proxy … but maybe I can get some of that for free by merely convicing you to start using my “smart DNS” to begin with.
Anyhow, I understand what movtivates people to circument regional security, and if you’re doing this your own way, I think you’re fine (expect the possible violation of terms of service). If you are using a 3rd party, you might want to be a bit wary. You may be giving the 3rd party more than you realize.
I just mainly wanted to say that using “your own DNS” is perfectly fine and may actuall be preferred. However the creation and/or use of an “evil DNS”… well… you just never know, right?
Which OpenDNS servers are you using? These:
OpenDNS IP Addresses
208.67.222.222
208.67.220.220
@theuser86 yes and Google also has some dns servers. Using tricks to change your region is different than just changing dns.
also see https://developers.google.com/speed/public-dns/docs/using#before for google dns both IPV4 and IPV6 you can use either or both. Just not the same numbers in both primary and secondary.
theuser86 - what is really strange is 192.168 addresses are NOT routable, so the Tablo preview app should have no problem finding the Tablo. Does anything else use the same ports as the Tablo. The main differences I can see is the new improved guide.
I guess that my point about this. Addressibiity behind the router has not changed and I have internet access (Tablo prduction and every other app I use is unaffected.) Tablo preview channel is doing something different in how it speaks to the internet.
Tablo Preview has the guide and I assume it is coming from the internet. All the pretty images that they have also come from the internet. Somehow all this additional internet use is causing the Tablo Preview to not work for you. The Tablo production version just has the one show that is currently on and as a result doesn’t have as much internet use. If you got rid of the guide, would the Tablo be found by the Tablo Preview channel? Guess we’ll see tomorrow when @TabloSupport or @TabloTV says something.
True enough, but all the guide and programming data you mention is downloaded in any event for all of the Tablo apps including production and preview. And the guide download is on a daily timer pop so I’m not buying yet that increased network load is the cause.
The Roku does not use the internet at all for the Tablo apps, either old or new. I disconnected my internet, and both worked just fine.
The Amazon Fire will not work at all without internet access, which I thought was interesting. The Roku doesn’t care (though there isn’t a lot the Roku can do without internet besides for the Tablo and maybe playing games).
So the guide data downloads to the Tablo, and then goes to whatever we are watching on whenever we are watching? If that is the case, I would have thought the guide would load a LOT FASTER than it does on the Preview. Guess the next thing to try is connect by cat-5 and see if it speeds up, which I expect it would simply because cat-5 is faster.
@snowcat I agree that the Roku should have nothing to do with how the tablo does its thing. The issue is the Roku Tablo preview channel finds the tablo on the local network but cannot connect to it when the unlocator.com DNS proxy is used in your router setup. When the affected user switches from the unlocator.com DNS proxy to their ISP DNS the channel works as expected. This condition is further exascerbated by the fact that the production Roku Tablo channel works just fine (along with every other Roku channel).
@beastman, The tablo downloads and saves guide data on the hard drive, along with all programs you record. You watch the recorded programs via your local network through one of the Tablo apps. I use the ipad version wirelessly, a browser on my pc, and Roku for the TV in the family room. Everything is cat 5 for meexcept for the IPad app. I don’t see much of a delay when I start watching at all.
Some additional information on this issue. When using unlocator.com and connecting to the Preview Roku Tablo channel, the Tablo connect screen refers to the Tablo as Tablo Quad and fails. When using my ISP DNS, the connect screen refers to the Tablo as Tablo. Tablo happens to be the network name of the device. I don’t know what i means, but its interesting.
From my understanding, since there is no local storage on the Roku, the Tablo can’t sync guide data to it like it can on all the other platforms. So every time you load the live tv guide, it has to get it from the Tablo each time.
The old Roku app just had to load the current show on each channel, making it much faster. But it does sound like the Tablo folks are trying to make it faster on the Preview version.
@snowcat there was a previous discussion about an enhancement to store the guide and images on the microsd card if it is installed on the Roku 3. Other Rokus don’t have it, so I don’t know if they test for a presence of a microsd card, but then they could see if a Roku 3 is being used.
@midnightjim I think that once it is figured out why the Tablo has a different device name with the different dns that the problem will be fixed. BTW, where is Slekirk, NY? I was born in Watertown, NY and my grandparents were in Oneida, NY area.
I just received a tablo the other day and I am having the same issue when I have my router setup for using the unlocator service. Has there been a solution to this yet?
The only one I’ve seen is to not use unlocater or use the old Tabloid application :-w