Wired vs wireless

General Discussion
1

the tablo app web app really needs more information in the settings area. up to now i’ve been using a wireless connection. today i decided to plug the device in with an ethernet cable. the problem is that the information i’m able to get is only from the wireless connection. only the ip address is displayed. i don’t even know that the wired connection does anything.


can we modify the web app to include wired and wireless connection information, including both mac address and ip information. in addition, can we also have to option to set network information, such as dhcp vs static ip? it seems that the only time we can do anything about the network info is at initial set up.
2

Would be nice.

If you want to switch to hard wiring your Tablo, disable the wireless on your router, restart the Tablo and it should negotiate an Ethernet connection and remain that way after re-enabling your wireless.

3

I’ve never tried it, but I would be surprised if upon reset with an Ethernet cable plugged in that the firmware didn’t automatically prefer ethernet.

4

This is just a power reset, a press of the button on the back for a second. Not a factory reset.

But if I remember correctly if you just power cycle the Tablo and it was originally configured for wireless then it will default to that even if an Ethernet cable is plugged in. Hence the disabling of the wireless for the change.

5

@theuser86 If that’s the case, it’s a strange development choice.  Wouldn’t be totally surprised though.

6

Nope - plug in the Ethernet cable, power-cycle Tablo and it’s on Ethernet cable. It’s that simple, really. If it powers up detecting a cable connection it shuts off the Wi-Fi and does Ethernet over wire. I’ve switched back and forth multiple times testing here.

Also if you want to see the information, log into your router! It will show something like “tablo-quad” and the MAC and current IP address.
To set up a persistent IP, use the router, tell the router any time it sees the Tablo MAC to give it whatever address you want.
My router assigns 192.168.0.100 to the Tablo and 192.168.0.101 to my Chromecast device any time they contact the router for a DHCP address. 
There’s no need to configure the Tablo interface for a static IP address when they can keep the simple DHCP process in their code and we use our routers to assign persistent IP addresses.
I did that so I can simply run a ping from my PC or notebook to determine if the Tablo is talking to the network or the Chromecast device is really on the network. No ping response, it’s time to check the devices for connection status, which I can also do in my router inteface.
My browser toolbar has shortcuts to the Tablo and my router since there’s no native app other than the web app and with the router login screen handy, I know what’s going on all the time.

So to switch a Tablo to Ethernet wired from Wi-Fi, plug in the Ethernet cable and press then quickly release the reset button or pull the power and power it up again if paranoid about the reset button. 
It’s as simple as that. Done it several times and it only takes seconds. 

I forgot to mention you can observe this process - reboot your router and watch the wireless abailability with your computer. As the router’s Ethernet is not available the Tablo will suddenly broadcast Wi-Fi again - as the router’s wired connections come to life the Tablo Wi-Fi simply disappears! It’s possible the Tablo won’t even need a reboot, mine didn’t tonight. I had to reboot my router and watched the Tablo Wi-Fi appear, then disappear as the router self-tested and then sprang to life.
7

@ShadowsPapa


Thanks - good to know.

However, with regards to DHCP reservation of IPs so that a device is assigned a static IP, not all routers are capable of this. Well, all good routers have this feature, but not everyone spends the big bucks on a router.
8

Big bucks? I wish I was that able to spend the bigger money…  One of my routers I just shelved was a WalMart $70 unit. 


Static is set in the device, persistent or “assigned” is done by the router. 

My current router is a Netgear LG2200D

I don’t know where the price-break is for the ability to assign a persistent address comes in but my home network equipment isn’t near as nice as all the neat and nifty gear I get to use at work, the $3500 Cisco ASAs, or the Juniper switches and routers. Now those are fun, if you enjoy migraine headaches and thousands of pages of documents…  

:wink:
9

@jbanks25


@ShadowsPaPa is correct - just attach Ethernet, tap the reset button, and the Tablo is officially hardwired.
10

@ShadowsPapa, thanks for the tip. i’ll try it out tonight. though not expansive as options go, dhcp reservation will work. but i think i will have to do the power reset switch twice, the first time to see what mac address shows up on the router. then a second time after setting the router to assign the specific ip to the mac address.

11

Isn’t the Tablo MAC afdress written on the unit or the box it in came in?

12
Isn't the Tablo MAC address written on the unit or the box it in came in?

It’s on both.

13

@theuser86, i just checked. and you are indeed correct. i had done the power reset without this knowledge and now can verify that the mac address printed on the label on the side of the box is indeed the wired mac address. but on the label, all it says is “MAC ADDRESS” with no reference to wired or wireless. we now at least know that this is the wired one.

14

the MAC on my Tablo isn’t even close to what my router says!

With my router I went into the DHCP table, found the Tablo, it was at the address I wanted it to have anyway (192.168.0.100) and I simply clicked a spot next to it and said “reserve” or something like that. No reset needed as the Tablo had that address (at least that was MY case here! Yours may vary)
I was baffled when no network device on my network shows the MAC that’s printed on the label - the MAC the Tablo is using is different 
OR IS IT? MAYBE there’s a match with wired and not Wi-Fi. Geesh, now you triggered my feeble brain into thinking about it. I need to look!
LOL - it matches the WIRED MAC, not the Wi-Fi. No wonder I couldn’t figure out how they figured that as a MAC as I was going by the Wi-Fi mac which is totally different as its a different network interface. MAC on the label matches wired MAC, not Wi-Fi mac.  Geesh.

15

@ShadowsPapa there will alwyas be a hardwired MAC and a Wireless MAC and they would be different :wink:

16

@ShadowsPapa, I am glad you figured it out.  I hadn’t even considered the wired vs wireless Mac.  Maybe the Tablo folks need to print both out in the future.

17

Wired vs Wireless will always have a different MAC regardless of the device; Tablo, Tivo, Computers, etc…

18

yes. to be absolutely clear, the mac address printed on the side of the box is the WIRED mac address.


you will have to discover the wireless mac address by unhooking the ethernet cable, rebooting, and looking for what shows up on your wireless router.
19
Wired vs Wireless will always have a different MAC regardless of the device; Tablo, Tivo, Computers, etc...

Yes - and to the others, I realize that as a network person, but one of the main reasons I went with Tablo was the wireless feature. I didn’t at that time even have wired Ethernet to the front room as I’d dismantled that part of the network as my wireless and notebook worked so bloody well there was no need for wire. So I did exactly what one might expect, unbox it, sit it on the shelf, plug things in, go to the computer, check it out and find the MAC address. Gee, that’s not the MAC it’s printed with. I guess I assumed that the Wi-Fi mac WAS the MAC they meant since it’s supposed to be a Wi-Fi, unteathered, un-restricted-by-cables-and-wires device, cord cutters to me meant almost ALL wires and cords, save for an antenna and power (and eventually we can make these solar powered meaning no connection to AC, talk about cord cutting)
I figured the Ethernet port was there for those who didn’t have decent Wi-Fi or as a secondary plan, a “Plan B” as it were. Never hit me that it may be their PRIMARY MAC since it’s marketed as a Wi-Fi, no need to cable it up to the TV or network type device. 
If they asked me for the MAC and it was in one room and I was on the phone to their support way up north in another room I’d hop onto my router’s interface and read them off the MAC address - and we’d be all messed up because it would be wrong. 

Not blasting anyone or anything, but it’s sure not obvious right out of the box to Wi-Fi users that the MAC ain’t gonna match what your router tells you! And if you manually configure your Wi-Fi router to RESERVE AN IP address for the Tablo and you type in the MAC off the label or box, it ain’t gonna work!   :wink:

Say, I wonder - is that why some folks have troubles - they are putting in the MAC ON THE BOX when their Wi-Fi router is not seeing any device with any such MAC address? Might be worth a second or two to think about the possibilities of putting one MAC on the box when there are two and no one tells us which is which…
Not all buyers or users will be network gurus. I just assumed - Wi-Fi device, that’s the Wi-Fi address as Wi-fi is the default or primary for those tech-types with high-end equipment. 
20
yes. to be absolutely clear, the mac address printed on the side of the box is the WIRED mac address.

you will have to discover the wireless mac address by unhooking the ethernet cable, rebooting, and looking for what shows up on your wireless router.

Fine IF you ever hooked up a cable!
I did not - for almost 2 weeks. Why should I? It was Wi-Fi after-all. I was for days wondering what was up. I never figured I’d even need or use the Ethernet port, why when it’s a Wi-Fi device.
I have since bought a new router and totally redone my network (due to the Tablo) and now have it wired, but some of us simply won’t plug that cable in, some people don’t even have and never did have wired Ethernet (darned kids anyway, don’t know what a network cable is!!) so the last sentence you said wouldn’t apply to many folks, it’s the Wi-Fi mac we saw. 

And no digs or offense intended at/to/whatever anyone, just that sometimes we’ve got to think about how OTHERS may use the device or how OTHER people have networks configured. Some wont’ even have Wi-Fi at all, others won’t even have an Ethernet wall jack or switch or port or maybe have no clue what the #$% RJ45 is, is that some new type of peanut butter or something?