This past weekend, I finally got the chance to install my new TiVo branded wireless adapter. Prior to installing this adapter, I had my TiVo connected to my network via a Linksys USB200M adapter. The Linksys adapter has worked fine however, I recently moved my TiVo into the living room and I’ve been too lazy to run a new network run. Also, I’m going to be moving soon and I don’t think that I am going to run wire in the new house. I use to have a 802.11b wireless adapter for my TiVo however, when TiVoToGo was about to be released I upgraded to a wired connection.

Upon taking the new adapter out of the box, I was extremely surprised with how small and sleek it is. As you can see from the picture below, the adapter is smaller and thinner them my iPod Nano with a silicon case. Since it’s so small, you really don’t notice it even if it sits directly on top of your TV.

Installation was a snap. All I had to do was plug the new adapter into my TiVo and everything just worked. In my opinion, the biggest drawback with using a wireless adapter is that TiVo does not currently support WPA encryption (there are ways to do this however; I didn’t want to bother with a bridge). Because of this, I had to downgrade my wireless security to WEP (128 bit). Come on TiVo lets fix this.

Other than the WPA issue, I am extremely happy with my new wireless adapter. Transferring shows from my TiVo to my PC was speedy (more to come on this later). Also, to my surprise I didn’t have any noticeable speed issues when I tried to play my mp3s and view my photos. In the past when I had an 802.11b adapter installed I remember thinking that it was a little slow whenever I tried to perform these operations. TiVoToComeback was also fast. I tried transferring an episode of The Office back to my TiVo. I was surprised that I was able to watch the show while it was being transferred without any pauses or delays. In fact, I was even able to fast forward through some of the commercials.

I would definitely recommend this adapter to anybody who is thinking about connecting their TiVo to a wireless network. The adapter costs a little more than other wireless adapters however, it’s nice to be able to plug it in and have your wireless connection work right away. Since the adapter is “TiVo certified”, you don’t have to worry if you purchased the right version or anything like that.

In the near future, I plan on putting together a post which will compare the TiVo wireless adapter to my old Linksys wired adapter. Check back if you are interested in reading this comparison.