"Bill Kearney" <wkearney-99@hot-mail-com> writes:

>> However, I would like to consider buying something else to connect
>> said tivos to the network, since most of their network traffic will be
>> tivo-to-tivo or tivo to internet, and not tivo to pc, and I'd like to
>> minimize the traffic over the wireless.
>
> Wire CAT5 ethernet from each Tivo to the router. If you really want to
> isolate the Tivo-to-tivo MRV traffic you could add another cheapie switch
> between them and the wifi router.
>
> Thus you'd use wired ethernet USB dongles on the Tivo units, not wireless.

Thank you for the reply.

Unfortunately, I don't want to run cat5 all the way from the TiVo
units to the router. They are on different floors and diferent sides
of the main doorway and both on the front side of the house. I want a
local router connected closer to the TiVos and I want that router to
talk to the main router over wireless. I don't want any new wires
running from any room to any other room. I want my room to room
connections to be wireless.

So, I can understand the point about usb to ethernet dongles. I then
plug the ethernet side of those into the extra 8-port ethernet switch
I'm not currently using for anything else. What do I plug into the
"wan" port of the ethernet switch to connect that switch (wirelessly)
to the wireless net that is already running? Is there a box I can get
that connects to a wireless net and acts like a local switch (or hub)?

Hmmm, would powerline networking be a better solution? I presume
that's just through the existing wall power outlets and dies at the
transformer box to the house. Do I have to worry about lightning
strikes (frequent in my area, take out the power several times a month
during the summer, often close by, taking out trees on our block too)?
I have everything on UPSs to minimize that damage, but I presume
that's a transformer, so that powerline networking would have to be
uptream of the UPS, and thus unprotected from spikes.