Sling Media Slingbox SOLO (SB260-100)
by Sling Media
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Sling Media Slingbox SOLO (SB260-100)
Customer Review: The Convenience Can be Addictive
Summary: 5 Stars
My first Slingbox was the original analog version that was designed to work with TV cable systems before most of them converted to digital. The idea of watching TV on my notebook computer seemed frivolous at the time, but the model I bought was so deeply discounted, during a computer retailer's going-out-of-business sale, that I couldn't resist trying it.
Now I must confess that I found more uses for my Slingbox than I had ever imagined. For example, if I'm working late at my office, I don't need to miss the evening newscast. I can take a break, catch up on what happened that day and then go back to work. During my out-of-town business travels, I can watch my local newscasts
Ultimately I was forced to retire my analog Slingbox when my cable company switched almost entirely to digital and disabled most of their analog channels. I also made a change to Verizon FiOS, which promised me a faster Internet connection and more channels for my money but offered no analog TV service at all.
My addiction to the convenience of Slingbox prompted me to buy the Sling Media Slingbox SOLO. It doesn't have a built-in tuner like the more expensive Slingbox models, but it allows me to take control of one of my digital TV converter boxes, just as if I were at home, and feed the channels and program guides to my notebook computer wherever I have a high-speed Internet connection. There are even (extra cost) downloadable applications that run on iPhones and Droid devices which allow you to watch TV via your wireless connection. The app for my Droid X works quite well.
My Slingbox software shows an image of my Verizon remote control (see the image I uploaded). A mouse click on the remote control's image electronically presses the buttons, just as if I were holding the remote in my hand. Once I've made my choices, I move the mouse cursor off the screen which automatically restores a full-screen TV image. If someone at home happens to be watching TV from that converter box, any changes you make remotely will affect what they're viewing and vice versa.
When I upgraded my Sling box I simultaneously more than tripled my Internet access speed by switching to Verizon FiOS, so I cannot attribute the dramatic improvement in remote picture quality "just" to upgrading Slingbox to a newer model. My remote picture quality is now very good to excellent whereas my picture quality prior to my changeover ranged from poor to good. Slingbox's new software buffers the digital stream so, if you miss something because of an interruption, you can "pause, rewind" and watch the digital stream from that point forward. It does not record off-line, however.
Like my old analog Slingbox, this new model is sensitive to warm ambient temperatures. When the room temperature is 80 degrees F or higher my Slingbox's performance deterioriates considerably.
There are several suggestions that I would make as you are considering buying this model:
1. This Slingbox requires a fast digital connection to your router. If you cannot make a direct CAT-5 wired connection, you'll need to buy an accessory that allows you to feed the digital stream via Wi-Fi or through your power line, which is an extra expense.
2. Your Internet Service Provider's (ISP's) upload speed will greatly affect your viewing quality via the Internet. My FiOS connection gives me an upload speed 5,000+ kilobits per second. If I have an equally fast connection at the other end or if I am on my local network, the picture quality is excellent. Less than that causes degradation of picture quality and digital artifacts, although it's not really objectionable until speeds drop below 1,500 kilobits per second. Some hotels, hospitals, businesses and public access networks deliberately block or limit the speed of streaming video, which will affect your access and/or quality.
3. If you have people at home who're watching TV from the digital box that you're controlling, your channel surfing will no-doubt annoy them. In such instances it might be better to either rent a dedicated digital box or buy the more expensive Slingbox with a built-in tuner. It will also be necessary to keep your Slingbox in a cool place for good, reliable performance.
4. In order for you to take remote control of your Slingbox via the Internet, the Slingbox will need to be assigned a fixed internal IP address on your network and a TCP and UDP port will need to be forwarded from your external Internet connection to that address. For the most part the Slingbox installation software will take care of this for you automatically if you can provide the make, model and log-in information for your router. But if you have other devices on your network that require fixed IP addresses or your anti-virus software's firewall or your Internet Service Provider blocks Slingbox's default port 5001 you may need to enlist technical support from Slingbox to avoid connection issues. However, this is a one-time job that should not need to be repeated unless you change routers.
Customer Review: Poor documentation, doesn't seem to work with wireless adapter
Summary: 1 Stars
I bought a Slingbox Solo so that we could watch live TV in our kitchen, where we don't have a cable connection. I wanted to connect the Slingbox to my TIVO HD in the living room and to my router in another room.
I spent hours trying to get Slingbox Solo, Slinglink, Slingcatcher, and finally a wireless Ethernet bridge (replacing the Slinglink, which requires that the router and TV source to be on the same house electrical circuit--see below) to work, and finally gave up. Most of my frustration was due to poor documentation and the fact that Slingbox wasn't designed to work wirelessly.
Documentation:
1. I didn't see a mention in the documentation that Slingplayer must be installed on your laptop to view TV from the Slingbox. Although this seems obvious in retrospect, it isn't obvious to someone who hasn't a clue as to how the Slingbox works.
2. On the Slingbox Solo box it is mentioned in small print that you'll need Slinglink if the TIVO/TV to which the Slingbox is attached and the router are in separate rooms. This requirement should be presented very prominently on the box and on the web site; it's disappointing to get the product home and discover that you need to go back to the store.
3. My second disappointment was that neither Slinglink nor Slingcatcher work if the TIVO/TV to which the Slingbox is attached and the router are in separate rooms AND are also on separate electrical circuits, as mine are. (I know that they are because I used a long extension cord to plug the Slingbox into an electrical outlet in the same room as my router. Then the Slingbox had no problem connecting to my router.) There must be lots of houses that have this situation. (The Slingbox's basic design is that it will be connected directly to your router by Ethernet cable. But how many homes have their computers and routers in the same rooms as their TV or TIVO? The Slinglink is designed to solve this problem by connecting the Slingbox to a router in another room through your home's electrical wiring (not wirelessly). It doesn't mention on the box or in the "Quick Start Guide" or on the website description of Slingbox that if the router and TIVO are on separate electrical circuits, Slinglink won't work to connect a Slingbox to the router. I had to dig through all of the support information on the website to discover this problem with Slinglink and to find a mention of the possibility of using a wireless Ethernet bridge as an alternative connection from the Slingbox to a router. Slingcatcher has the same limitation, which I didn't find mentioned on the website, but is referred to in its box.
4. It would be helpful to have a clear technical description of how the system works, e.g., after the Slingbox is connected to router, how is the TV/DVR signal made available to other devices? How is the internet connection used, e.g., is it needed once the system is installed, if you're not planning to access the Slingbox outside of the home? Also I found it very confusing trying to understand what each of Slingmedia's products do. It isn't just me who is confused by Slingmedia's documentation: the Best Buy people knew less about how Slingbox and its accessories work than I did (after I'd spent quite a bit of time understanding them): for example, when I described the electrical circuit problem with Slinglink I was told that Slingcatcher would solve it problem, It didn't, of course, since a Slingcatcher, like the Slinglink, isn't wireless and must be on the same electrical circuit as the router.
5. I tried to register on Slingmedia's web site before I was able to connect the Slingbox to my router. But the "Finder ID" requested during the registration process must be obtained after the Slingbox is on your local network. There was no information about this on the website's registration screen or in the "Quick Start Guide."
6. Slingmedia's instructions for using a wireless Ethernet bridge (which I found in one of Slingmedia's troubleshooting comments) are for a Netgear bridge which, based on my internet search, is no longer available. I bought a Linksys wireless internet bridge, based on Best Buy's recommendation, and after spending two hours on the phone with Linksys tech support (he did try hard), I gave up when the Linksys technician wanted to transfer me to another tech because he thought that the problem was with my AT&T 2Wire router's settings. (The wireless Ethernet bridge was necessary because, as described above, my TIVO is in a different room and on a different electrical circuit than the router.)
After this ordeal I bought a HAVA Titanium HD WiFi device, with which my wife can now watch the weather report and the news in our kitchen on a laptop. It was frustrating setting up the HAVA too (see my comments on the HAVA device), but it wasn't as difficult as my unsuccessful attempt to set up a Slingbox. For my needs, Slingbox is obsolete until it gets a wireless capability.
Customer Review: Works as advertised...pretty good product.
Summary: 4 Stars
I have to say I have not used this product very much yet, but so far it does perform fairly well and as advertised.
HOOKING UP: I will tell all of you that I was a little fearfull of hooking it up AFTER I purchased it and started reading reviews on all the trouble people seemed to have had. However, I found that after receiving it and going to the Slingbox web site and following the easy hook up link, it walked me right through it and I had it functioning within 20 minutes. it is very helpful to have your computer, slingbox, cable box or dvd recorder & router all located close together.
WORKING IT: It works pretty well and as advertised. HOWEVER, I have basic cable that connects directly to my tv or my DVD recorder via analog cable connection. I was able to hook up the slingbox through my DVD recorder using a S-video cabel and audio composite connection. BUT...FINDING A COMPATIBLE ONLINE REMOTE IS CHALLENGING. I wasn't aware of how troublesome it seems to be trying to get it to work correctly while online with the online remote because it did not have my model number for my DVD recorder. Therefore, I didn't have the ability to turn on my DVD recorder and changing channels remotely over the internet like you expect to or should be able to. I found the Slingbox ONLINE CHAT to be quickly responsive but not very knowledgable on how I could solve this problem. I thought I needed to buy a new DVD player or DVD recorder that was on their list of compatible players so I could use the online remote and be able to turn my home DVD player/recorder on and off and change the channels remotely over the internet as it should work. However, all the slingbox chat help teck could offer me was a link to a compatibility tool where you plug in various model numbers for various brands to see if they are compatible. I spent hours searching availble players online in my proice range but NOTHING SEEMED to be compatible to be able to use an online remote for it. THANKS TO AN ONLINE HELP SITE MY PROBLEM GOT SOLVED! A man gave me a link, which is to a link on the actual slingbox site, which allows you to PROGRAM YOUR REMOTE TO WORK WITH YOUR SLINGBIOX. Basically, you go to this link and it starts a tutorial which walks you through the process. You need to have your computer, slingbox and remote with you and riught next to each other. You pick and generic remote for your brand. nad then you start a process of training your slingbox to recognixe your remote's buttons. For instance, you select the on/off button on the online remote. It then has you aim your remote at the slingbox's sensor and then when ready click the train button and then you point your remote at the slingbox and press and hold your on/off button and after a few seconds it tells you if it successful learned that button. You then can train all your main buttons like on/off, channel up/down, each number, and any of the other buttons that may be applicable.
RECORDING: This problem was my fault for not doing my die dilligence. I was under the impression that I could use the slingbox to basically turn my laptop into a DVR. Perhaps this is true with other slingbox models, but with the SLINGBOX SOLO I have so far been unable to record programs to my computer as I watch them. I mistakingly thought I would be able to do this. So, be aware of this if u r looking to purchase and hoping to record programs on your computer through your slingbox.
Sorry for the lengthy review and any typos. Hope it makes sense and you find it helpful. Overall, the product is so far working as advertised and seems pretty cool.
Customer Review: Class Action Lawsuit Waiting to happen
Summary: 1 Stars
This is a really great concept that suffers because its so poorly executed. Out of the box. This device comes with zero printed instructions which is great because it saves paper, but it really did leave me scratching my head as to what to do.
The Setup:
They really did make a valiant effort at making this a user friendly experience for the setup. But if you dont have some network experience or comfort working with your network devices, the setup is likely going to be very frustrating for you. The "setup assistant" tried to automatically setup two routers that I have, using the information that I provided, but it simply didn't work. Ultimately I had to go in and manually configure the IP address on the slingbox and then in the router I had to setup the rules to allow the port to be forwarded to the internet so that I could access the slingbox in the outside world.
The initial user experience (Locally):
After about 1.5 hours setting the Slingbox up I was watching TV on my Mac(10.4) and My XP (SP3) boxes. For watching analog service on my local network the video quality is tolerable. I can honestly say that this device met my expectations. Everything was copasetic, but then tragically I kept getting nagged to upgrade the firmware and I did and thats when the problems started.
The problems start:
I had problems with the sling using the automatic image settings. The Sling detects slowness in my network that doesnt exist. I know the slowness doesnt exist because I have isolated my network down to basic components having only the Slingbox and my router and my computer being the sole devices separated by mere inches of cables and no other traffic and the Slingbox was still having frame drops, freezes and hangs. The new fave thing is that the sling will pop up a message that its having trouble reaching the sling box, but yet video will continue to play for hours on end.
The initial user experience (Remotely):
This has been a rather frustrating experience. I have fiber optic connections both at my home and my office. I can pump 20 Mbps of data across my pipe from one location to the other for hours on end and not have a single packet with errors. Yet for some reason the signal that comes from the Slingbox from home to office is about as reliable as a 75 year old telegraph wire running DSL. I went through my first 90 days of free service with Sling, trying every little change I could to the settings to somehow make the stream more reliable and nothing has changed. Well one thing changed, I ran out of my free 90 days included customer service. So now that I have paid $49.00 for the customer service plan (prorated to the day I activated my Slingbox! I suppose I'm lucky I didn't have problems a year on, I would have paid $49 dollars for just a few months of service).
Current status:
I am tired of dealing with these problems, this device is still within a year or purchase. I have requested that sling replace this box. I havent heard back.
I think the best thing that could happen would be a class action lawsuit. I just want a refund. This product is terribly made, the support is expensive and equally terrible and I wouldnt mind if Sling went out of business.
Its a great concept, but I would have paid twice as much for something that worked as advertised.
Customer Review: Initally great, but beware of poor quality and horrible customer support
Summary: 1 Stars
I was initially very happy with the Slingbox and the Sling Catcher. However, I am not so thrilled any longer.
After a software/firmware upgrade of which I was prompted to perform, my Slingbox Solo will not stay connected for more than 30 seconds before dropping off. An error is reported giving error code 0x923400dc (the slingbox is in an invalid state). This error is not listed on their site, but you can see others have had this issue if you search the internet. I have gone through the steps outlined on the customer support page for general issues, but the issue persists. My slingbox is 10 months old.
When you call customer support, you are forced to buy either an extended warranty or pay for a single incident which costs $30, even though the hardware is under warranty still. The $30 can be returned at the discretion of sling if it is determined that there is a legitimate issue that requires that the unit be returned.
However, be prepared to jump through some pretty ridiculous steps in order for them to admit that they have an issue. They will want you to plug the unit into a wall socket directly (understandable I suppose as there are power related issues that *could* pop up), they will want your router name and model, they will want your laptop to be connected to the router directly via copper if this is a wireless router (OK), they will want you to view the lights on the unit as they attempt to run through setup again, which fails repeatedly (and when you see the lights flash, they knowingly state that this is the issue, but don't elaborate further). Then they run a speed test on your pc after initiating a remote session to your pc (OK, looks like they are trying to blame my router as being the cause). Then when all else fails, they ask you to schlep your slingbox to another location to try and connect on a different network. WHAT!
Come on. Stand behind your product and don't make your customers go through ridiculous steps just to save a few dollars. What are they going to ask me to do after I go through that step? Are they going to state that this is an issue with my pc, my DVR, with my cables, my router, the wiring at my house... Remember, all was working fine for 10 months until the firmware upgrade.
I can understand a company's need to try and protect themselves from unnecessary expenses. But contrast this company to something like Kitchenaid, and this is night and day. Kitchenaid does not make you schlep your appliance elsewhere or jump through unnecessary hoops when you call in an issue. They stand behind their product, and I am a fan. I don't want freebies, but if I spend a few hundred dollars, I expect a bit of customer support and product longevity under normal wear and tear.
I have worked IT support and IT engineering. I understand the business. And I have a pretty fair understanding of both technology and networking. Sling media assumes that I am an idiot, and their hope is that I will just go away or that they can claim that the issue is elsewhere. I recommend that if you buy from them, that you look at all of the negative reviews. Most are related to the same thing that I am complaining about. Good product when it works, but hope that you never need to call in a support issue. It will be frustrating. For that, they have lost my business.