I upgraded over the weekend from ROKU 1 to ROKU 3 in my main living room where we watching 90% of our TV. I also purchased power line adaptors to connect the ROKU 3 to the Router. I am very impressed with the new set up with one exception that I mentioned on another thread. I am still having intermentent problems with live TV not wanting to load on some channels until I reboot my Tablo.
Going to give this set a try, newer generation than yours and cheaper and the reviews said it works for just Ethernet over coax outside of the DirecTV system.
I’ve been using a Roku3 and Roku2 and both would do a lot of “loading” when on wifi. But with both the tablo and the Rokus hardwired they work well.
So my question is: does anyone have good results using the Tablo with the Roku Streaming Stick? (I guess I shouldn’t get one then) Thanks.
Roku 3 (2, both wired) and Roku 2 XS (1, wired).
Forgive my non-techiness, but can someone please explain “power line adapters?” I’m currently using a Roku 1 so wires aren’t a problem, however I plan to switch to a Roku 3, at lease for my main TV. If I’m understanding correctly, my best option is to use Ethernet rather than WiFi to connect my Tablo. The problem is the antenna location. My best reception puts the antenna on the far side of the house from where my computer/router are located, and there’s a doorway between them. I don’t want wires running all over the place.
So…I’ve gotten the impression (probably wrong?) that a power line adapter would allow me to connect my Tablo to my router without moving the antenna near the computer. Is this accurate? ANY info would be appreciated, and keep in mind that I don’t understand half of what I’m reading on this forum. LOL I need very specific info and instructions (and I’m not even using my advanced age as the excuse!).
A powerline kit has two components. You have one device plugged in to a power socket near your router, and an Ethernet cable connects them. The other component plugs in to a power socket where your Tablo is located. You plug in another Ethernet cable between those two devices. The electrical wiring in your home then acts like a big network cable, connecting the two components.
I used to have for a while a few years ago, and it works fairly well. I got rid of it when I was able to move my router from my downstairs to my upstairs, and most of my devices were upstairs.
Thank you snowcat. It now makes sense (even to me LOL). Can you comment just a bit more on “it works fairly well?” Would you say it would work better than WiFi?
Does the Roku 3 only work with HDMI? I don’t see WiFi mentioned as an option in the description on Amazon.
Roku 3 is just HDMI.
I had an older version of powerline, so it is probably better now, but I would have times where I lost connections. I would have to restart the powerline connectors to get them to work. But at the time, my wi-fi in the house was even worse.
OK. Thanks very much. I’ll have to think about this. If the powerline doesn’t work well, I think I’m stuck with the WiFi Roku. I can’t see how I can move the Tablo and Roku near the router without degrading my antenna signal. I’m around 30+ miles from most of the broadcast stations. Luckily, I’m in FL so there are no hills, but I seem to need the antenna (Leaf) on the side of the house facing the station locations.
If anyone else has any input on the efficiency of the newer powerline adapters and/or another suggestion entirely, I’ll keep watching this thread.
@MsMetaP I have 4 of these
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003ULOZ5W/ref=wms_ohs_product?ie=UTF8&psc=1and 2 of these
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005XUNWZ2/ref=wms_ohs_product?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I have what I would consider a rock solid WiFi router (ASUS RT-N56U), but I use powerline adapters whenever possible. According to my purchase history on amazon I started using them in July 2012. I think I have had to fiddle with resetting them twice since then. Highly recommended for as much flexibility as possible. Currently my Tablo is in my bedroom on the second floor with my antenna in the window. It is connected via powerline adapter to my Tablo in my office. System works perfect.
Roku 3, Roku 2 XS, and Sony Blu Ray with Google TV are all connected via powerline
Awesome, jbanks25. Thanks for the info and especially the links. I just got my new hard drive (first one was the wrong kind), so if everything gets to working now I’ll order the Roku 3 and the PowerLine. This should be perfect.
question about the powerline adapters. for streaming 720p or even 1080p over our router would the 200 mb versions be sufficient, or would you see better results with the 500 mb versions?
btw, thanks for the info on these....I didn't even know there was such a thing.
My 200s pass around about 24mbps on my network, so that is way below their theoretical limit. I suspect that strapping 500s in their place would pass around the same amount…
The difference between the 200mb and 500mb ones will probably be little, if at all. This doesn’t have to do with Tablo, but rather how the powerline adapters work. There are a lot of variables with how the circuits are setup in your house, the age of the wiring, and even which breaker the outlets you plug the adapters into are on. These variables usually result in people getting no where near the speeds that are advertised. I highly doubt you will see above 100mb consistently from either adapter.
That said I do use them and they are much more stable then using wireless. I have no issue streaming plex videos with them, but nothing compares to regular ethernet cable connections.
Hope that helps
Edit: I’m not sure if anyone has ever tried these: http://www.amazon.com/Actiontec-Ethernet-Adapter-without-Routers/dp/B008EQ4BQG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1404218001&sr=8-1
I use powerline exclusively for my main TV which my roku 3 is hooked up to. Never had a problem and my pictures is beautiful!
I do recommend ASUS RT-N56U as well! And wired Roku. Mine is a Roku 3.
I used to have issues with my PS4 connecting wifi and what I did, is I bought a 20 bucks DLink switch and connected a CAT6 Ethernet cable from the router (one of the available ports) to the switch, which is in a different room. Now my game console is wired and performance is fantastic.
Granted, depending of the distance and house’s setup, using am Ethernet cable may or may not be easy, but I try to avoid wifi for streaming. Current standard is still slower than wired, specially when using a good router.
I have a Roku 2 XS upstairs in the bedroom and a Roku 3 downstairs in the family room. Both are on wired Ethernet and work beautifully. I agree with @sql_lover that wifi for streaming makes me nervous, especially if streaming is the basis for “live” TV. Stuttering & buffering is a sure-fire way to fail the wife test.
In any case, my 802.11n router is wonky at the moment, as it has a tendency to reset when under any sort of load (like, say, streaming video) which is awkward. I’m debating whether to replace it with the RT-AC66U router, as I have a couple of devices that are AC-wifi ready.
My wife was reluctant to cut the cord, lol. So quality of service was a must for me. So if you don’t want her to complain all the time (mine is not ) you better invest short term in a good router, switch and make everything wired. You may have to run some Ethernet cables here and there, but it’s not big deal. If we’re not taking about huge distances, that’s better than forcing the wifi alternative.
I try to leave less bandwidth hungry devices on wifi, like iPad, cellphones, and streaming or heavy use devices connected directly, like PlayStation, Roku, Tablo.
I've been using my Asus for almost a year and have no complaints. They update the firmware regularly and has so many features and so easy to use that is a no brainer. I combined that with my own Modem and I no longer pay Modem rent fees to Comcast.
I get download speeds of up to 70 Mbps. I have a 50 Mbps plan, which is more than enough for streaming.
@sql_lover that’s exactly my model. PS3, Tablo, Rokus & desktop PCs are all on gigabit Ethernet. Everything else is wireless.