|
TiVo must phone its headquarters every day or so to grab your latest show listings. It also needs to phone its headquarters when you first set it up in your home. Unlike a teenager, TiVo doesn't need its own telephone, or even its own phone line. It's happy to share your home's phone or fax line.
TiVo won't interrupt you when you're talking. And if you happen to interrupt TiVo during its call, just hang up for five seconds. TiVo hangs up, letting you make your call.
If you've moved to a new house or apartment — but still use the same TV service provider — you may need to change TiVo's dial-up number to make sure it's not a long-distance call.
Or, if your TiVo somehow does dial a long-distance number to make its calls — often discovered from curious daily long distance phone charges on your phone bill — you can change to a different number. Here's how to check TiVo's current list of available dial-in numbers, and select a different one, if needed:
1. From TiVo Central, choose TiVo Messages & Setup.
2. Choose Settings.
3. Choose Phone & Network Setup.
TiVo displays menus letting you change phone options, make test calls, and perform other troubleshooting tasks.
 | Home Media Option users also see an informational screen explaining how TiVo currently connects with their home network, piggy-backing on their Internet connection to make its calls. |
4. Choose Edit phone or network settings.
5. Choose Phone Dialing Options.
TiVo lists your currently dialed number, as well as any special dialing circumstances: dialing "9" to reach an outside line, for instance, or turning off a call-waiting beep.
6. Select Set Dial-In Number.
Type your area code at the next screen (or verify that it's correct).
7. Press Select to fetch the latest batch of phone numbers.
TiVo uses its current phone number to call TiVo's headquarters and grab a list of available phone numbers in your area.
8. Press the Up or Down Arrow to select a phone number.
TiVo presents a list of nearby numbers. Highlight one for TiVo to call, and press Select to choose it. (You may need to call your phone company to see which numbers are really local.)
| 
