If the TV Guide is updated up to 14 days, why does the Tablo stops recording show just one day after it lost internet connection? I turn off all my internet connection when go on travel for a few days but every time, Tablo only record within about 24 hours after I turn off the router. It does not make sense to me. And, if I carry the tablo with me to my other house that does not have internet, I cannot play the video because the Tablo requires internet. Why is that?
Do you have an internal network at your second home? While the Tablo can get by without internet, you do have to have a network.
If you do have an internal network, what device are you trying to play your recordings on? PCs, Xbox, and smart TVs require internet access, while the other clients donât. If you are using one of the devices that should work, the Tablo may have to have a successful connection to the internet when moved to a new network before it can work (Tablo support can help on that).
The Tablo folks can hopefully help you out on the first issue. My theory is that since the Tablo gets its time from the internet, and you donât even have a router on, it loses its time at the end of the day. If you had your router on but your internet off, it should keep recording (getting time from the router).
Why are you turning your modem/router off? I suggest you just leave it on.
What other computer or electronic device that has continuous power and starts with a valid time loses the time of day setting? Even when using NTP, a failed request to a time server shouldnât reset the current time. Iâve left my flip phone turned off for over 30 days and it still has the correct time.
While itâs off?
<Schrödingerâs Cat Paradox>
Yes, it will.
No, it wonât.
</Schrödingerâs Cat Paradox>
It is one of the greatest mysteries to many of usâŠ
Tablo FAQs: Do I Need Internet to Use a Tablo OTA DVR?
The Answer
Yes. You DO need internet access to use Tablo Over-the-Air DVRs.
There are those which will help you with specific devices that can get by otherwise, and there are âwork-arounds.â Being mobile might make it really challenging.
The fact that some devices wonât play without the internet has been talked about before.
But the other aspect of the complaint is that even though recordings are schedule they wonât record if the router is turned off for over 24 hoursâŠ
That is the interesting situation. Many DHCP servers have 24 hours as the lease time. So would a tablo connection wired directly to the router stop recording after the router is turned off - which causes the link to go down. I would test it by leaving the router on but unplugging the uplink cable to disable the internet.
The FAQ it only connects to NTP at start up (for what ever reason my router goes hourly)âŠ
Every night, your Tablo will âphone homeâ to the Tablo HQ serverâŠ
They only admit to verify subscription status as to how much guide data to get - 1 or 14 days. Speculation, without the nightly contact it feels âlostâ? for unknown reasons.
I use Roku, the latest model. When I get home, before turning on the cable modem, I use the Roku to access Tablo but it states âAuthentication Failedâ. It does not work until the internet is back online. I should have been more clear: I am used to turn off cable modem when leaving my home for vacation, but the network router is still ON.
zippy, thatâs exactly what happens to me: I turn off the cable modem, the router is still on and the Tablo stop recording after one day.
kennyc, I think since I am not home for a few days, I rather turn off the cable modem. I am kind of testing to see if I can get rid of my cable modem and use hotspot for home internet. So, the internet travels with me.
zippy, only cable modem was off, the router was still ON.
I See.
Why do you guys turn the cable modem off? Mine is never off.
Just curious
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Iâve been using one Tablo without 24/7 internet for about a month now.
I merely unhook the cable into the modem and leave it at that. Basically simulating service outage from provider. Modem is ON and active to router but simply no WAN data.
Recordings work fine. Even the automatic stuff resuming seasons, etc.
Then every couple weeks I share a phone-computer wifi tethered connection overnight from laptop using Cat5 cable from computer into router. Momentarily replacing the Cat5 from the modem.
This doesnât seem to use a lot of mobile tether data. Although I reduced active channels to a handful in order to minimize the amount of guide data over mobile tether.
Tablo performs guide update and maybe some other business during those overnight active WAN sessions. But majority of the time only LAN is active with modem ON but simply no incoming provider data.
At one point ATV4 couldnât find Tablo no matter how many attempts made to locate on LAN. Thatâs when I figured out the tethered connection to Apple base station long enough for Tablo servers and guide data to get right.
In practical use the Roku of course has itâs ânagâ screen about setting up internet connection when opening but Tablo continues to work once you get past that.
Of course turn OFF mobile access since thatâs usually not viable using this stripped down mode of Tablo operation. Itâs basically an offline DVR.
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And why do you do this???
That was going to be my question. Iâm quite curious as to the why of the scenario. 
Primarily do it to save ISP budget expense for secondary location. Kinda regret saying that in public forum - TV Gods might be listening and plotting the next âroll outâ of disabling featuresâŠ
This technique might also lend itself to RV lifestyle. We travel more and more in older 40â motor coach and constantly experimenting/updating the AV setup.
Things have changed dramatically from days of SAT and conventional automotive stereo systems. HahaâŠ
Now might be able to use the Tablo instead of just TV tuner live or an old EyeTv running on a media mac in the coach for OTA TV when parked. Wife likes to later watch recorded material rolling down the road.
OK, makes sense now. Can relate to this - sold my RV a few years back before Tablo - so I would probably have been interested in this approach.
Thanks for sharing. I wondered if it might be a travel/RV type scenario where you donât always have internet access available.