The TiVo Mini Wireless Adapter has arrived, having just popped up on Amazon for $59.99 with delivery available as soon as 11/26.
The wireless adapter was originally announced at CES in January and, as I said back then, “Unlike my most recent 802.11n bridge suggestion, the upcoming TiVo USB dongle implements the more current, capable 802.11ac (which we’re now calling WiFi 5).” The Digital Media Zone had also reported that beyond merely hopping onto your existing 5Ghz WiFi network, supposedly newer Bolt (and Edge?) DVR hardware communicates directly to the adapter and Mini it’s attached to. However, given the product listing below, I wonder if that feature made it to production. Further, based on TiVo employee forum input, only the Mini Vox will be supported at launch but the company is hopeful of expanding support to the the second gen TiVo Mini (the one with the RF remote).
From the Amazon product page:
Having recently moved, I found myself in something of a conundrum. Our bedroom TiVo Mini isn’t collocated anywhere near coax (for MoCA communication) and we’re not wired for Ethernet. I temporarily solved the problem with an Eero Pro on our dresser, but the access point Ethernet jack is needed in the upstairs office next door and we’re generally clutter adverse. TiVo, Inc to the rescue with beta access!
In our limited usage over the last few months, the streaming experience from Roamio Pro/Plus has been surprisingly solid – I can only recall one disruption, but can’t point to a specific cause. I guess what impresses me the most is that TiVo clearly still cares. (At least the portions of TiVo that aren’t pushing pre-roll and guide advertising.) I mean this is likely a corner case accessory … for another TiVo accessory in the Mini – the decision to go down this path had to have been made with customer goodwill in mind, because they’re not going to move a ton nor generate meaningful revenue from this sku. Assuming the streaming set-top box clients are still in play and given the upcoming Android TV streaming stick, in light of the TiVo Mini Wireless Adapter, the broader story here is that TiVo is willing to meet us where we are.