Tablo DVR best practices and support resources

Tablo DVR best practices and support resources

If you access your free TV antenna channels from the Tablo app on your Fire TV or streaming media player this free help article will give you best practices for using your Tablo as well as Tablo's Support resources. As with all electronics simply rebooting Tablo will fix most issues (unplug the white circular Tablo from power and plug it back in).

If you have done everything below in this guide and have further Tablo issues we recommend you contact Tablo directly (1-844-822-5688). StreamWise install the best antennas, hardwired the Tablo and recommend using the best streaming hardware, but we are NOT the hardware manufacturer so cannot fix Tablo issues.

From experience it is extremely rare your outdoor antenna will have issues on the major network channels. You can verify this by watching TV on any TV that has coax hardwired directly to it from the wall. 99% of issues are user error (learning how to best use Tablo), WiFi or streaming hardware issues. Since the Tablo is a Network DVR it is dependent on having decent Internet, a newer WiFi 6 Mesh network and newer Streaming Media Players to limit glitches. We have found Fire TV MAX works better than Rokus, Apple TV, Smart TVs & old Fire TVs. 

Because the Tablo is a Network DVR its very important that EVERYONE in your family is using it the right way - if 1 person is not, it will create issues for all Tablo users. See bullet points #1 and #2 below this is the most common issue and an easy fix for it. 

Tablo Support Contact Info

If you already have newer hardware and have restarted all devices several times the next step is to contact the manufacturer Tablo directly - they offer free email and phone support for basic Tablo training and support issues. Tablo also has a Community Forum. Remember older legacy Tablo devices are black and use the white app. The new Tablo TV 4th Gen device is white and uses the blue Tablo TV app.

Tablo Contact Number 1-844-822-5688

The hardware manufacturer Tablo is always working to push software updates to glitches it finds. But here are some things StreamWise has found for best practices to limit issues with Tablo and your streaming network:

When you open the Tablo app you get a blank screen or a screen with a spinning circle or frozen screen

This can happen because you are not exiting the Tablo app correctly the last time you used it, simply restart the device to fix it. To avoid this in the future, do the following in this order:
  1. When you are done watching TV via Tablo, on your remote control, hit the BACK button (left of the home button). Hit Back several times to fully exit the Tablo app.  YOU CAN NOT HIT THE HOME BUTTON OR TURN OFF THE TV LIKE YOU DO WITH OTHER APPS, THE TABLO WILL HAVE ISSUES THE NEXT TIME YOUR OPEN IT IF EVERYONE IN THE HOME IS NOT HITTING THE BACK BUTTON SEVERAL TIMES TO EXIT OUT OF THE TABLO APP. THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT!
  2. If you or someone in your family forgot to hit the back button to exit Tablo previously the Tablo app will usually be frozen, spinning or not working as expected) the next time you open it. If so, simply reboot the white Tablo hardware by unplugging it from power and Reboot your hardware. If its still having issues it is a good idea to reboot your Fire stick and modem/router/mesh by unplugging it from power & plugging it back in again. 
  3. For best performance your Tablo should already be hardwired to your internet router or mesh.
  4. Uninstall and reinstall the Tablo app. (only as a last resort, since this will wipe out records and the Tablo will need to be set up again).
  5. Get new Streaming and WiFi hardware (see below). Older hardware doesnt work well with Tablo since it is a Wireless system, we recommend newer inexpensive WiFi 6 mesh and the newest Streaming Media Players.
    1. Replace your old wifi router with a new Whole-home Wi-Fi 6 Mesh Network for faster & better Wi-Fi coverage.
    2. Replace your old Streaming Media Player with a new Fire TV Stick with WiFi 6 receiver (buy for all TVs).

Tablo Recordings could cause issues

Some users that have very high usage or record a lot have reported issues - normal users don't have many issues. If you watch or record TV a lot, here are a few things you can do to help avoid these issues:
  1. The Tablo will perform better if you watch a program Live or after it has fully recorded. IE If possible dont record a show and then watch it while its recording. 
  2. Sometimes when you pause a live show and then FF through it, you will see glitches.
  3. Do not set up more than 6 hours of recordings in a day.
  4. Do not setup to record more than 2 programs during the same time frame when you want to watch Live TV.
  5. Tablo is a 2 tuner device (record 2 shows at 1x, or watch 1 show and record 1 show at the same time). They appear to have not built in the ability yet to properly notify the use of conflicts and an easy way to handle them.
StreamWise Solutions is not a hardware manufacturer nor a service provider and charges no monthly rate. Even though we are not associated with Tablo, we do have a great review on the Tablo DVR, to help educate consumers of this option.  Tablo & WiFi issues are too complex to support via phone, we can offer paid onsite installation and troubleshooting for more complex streaming, wifi or hardware issues or for the non techy that need expert help. We can also bypass the Tablo and hard wire TVs with a live direct coax cable in some situations which is 100% reliable.

While it might not be exactly like your old Cable & Satellite DVR, Tablo does do some pretty great things and it is the best DVR for Cord Cutters, as other manufacturers like Tivo and Recast no longer make OTA DVRs. For only 1x $99 cost and no monthly rate ever, do not expect perfection… ;-) With Tablo and a properly installed outdoor HD Antenna, you can get 100+ HD live local networks and streaming channels for free, plus a free Grid TV Guide and free DVR for Free Antenna TV!