Posted Nov 25, 2025
Can ZapperBox DVRs be used without a connected TV?
The best part of developing the ZapperBox product is the freedom it has given us to implement our own ideas, the interactions we have with customers, and the customer generated ideas that we get to incorporate back into our products. One suggestion that has been coming up repeatedly is the idea of using the ZapperBox without a directly connected TV. The ability to put the ZapperBox in a closet and operate it remotely.
We found this interesting 7” TV monitor that offers a stopgap solution until every aspect of the ZapperBox can be used without a connected TV. Such a device is sometimes called a “headless gateway”. This got us thinking about our headless gateway roadmap. Where are we and how much further do we have to go? In the process we came up with some terminology to help describe the milestones.
In the ZapperBox distributed gateway model, all devices are peers as explained in this blog post. All devices run the same software that adapts to their different hardware capabilities. In other words, it is a peer-to-peer, or p2p, model. Here are the p2p feature milestones as we see them today:
✅ p2p Playback: When we launched the Zapper Mini and v3.0 we took the first step on this journey. The p2p playback feature allowed ZapperBox devices to play back recordings from each other’s storage. To facilitate this, we added the concept of shared storage.
✅ p2p Live TV on Mini: With v3.3 we added the concept of shared tuners and p2p live TV. With v3.4 we enhanced v3.0 and v.3.3 to allow secure content, protected by DRM, to be shared with peer “devices without tuners” aka the Zapper Mini.
p2p Recording from Mini: The next planned release numbered v3.5 and named “Couch Potato”, will allow the Mini to schedule recordings on peer DVRs.
p2p Live TV on DVRs: This feature will allow two DVRs to watch Live TV from each other’s tuners.
p2p Channel Scan: This will allow you to initiate a channel scan on a remote device.
p2p Settings Menu: The ability to control all the settings on a remote DVR and view its signal meter.
p2p Reboot: The ability to reboot a remote ZapperBox.
p2p First Time Setup: The ability to run First Time Setup on a remote DVR without a connected TV. This final step will truly enable a ZapperBox to be placed anywhere without worrying about the proximity of a TV.