topic Re: SKY Stream hiccups in Sky Stream

SKY Stream hiccups

Stoneybloke — Tue, 19 Nov 2024 14:49:14 GMT

I've had stream for over a year now, and it is still as frustrating as ever. We might have a few stable days but then the problems start again, freezing, random stops and "wait for program to load" messages.

Have to resort to powering off and on, OK for a while, then the sequence starts again. Seriously, is it fit for purpose? I suggest not, as Sky seem incapable of fixing it to provide an acceptable level of service.

Re: SKY Stream hiccups

Mark39 — Tue, 19 Nov 2024 15:14:54 GMT

I don't see any of those issues. While there's no doubt the streaming Puck was more than a bit flaky when it was launched, the updates it has received since have signficantly improved both reliability and functionality. I rarely have to restart mine now, whereas it was at least daily in the initial months. I do have reasonably fast and most importantly stable wifi, however and I suspect, if your Puck is connected over wifi, that's likely to be the cause of the issues you're seeing.

Re: SKY Stream hiccups

Stoneybloke — Tue, 19 Nov 2024 17:02:23 GMT

If it's due to WiFi issues why does it work at all?

Re: SKY Stream hiccups

MarkGoldsmith — Tue, 19 Nov 2024 17:06:02 GMT

@Stoneybloke wrote:
If it's due to WiFi issues why does it work at all?

Because the strength and stability of WiFi signals will fluctuate based on numerous environmental factors and the Sky streaming platform requires a strong and stable connection to the internet.

Re: SKY Stream hiccups

Stoneybloke — Tue, 19 Nov 2024 18:49:15 GMT

What are the enironmental issues?

Re: SKY Stream hiccups

TimmyBGood — Tue, 19 Nov 2024 18:56:02 GMT

@Stoneybloke

The three main ones would be distance, building fabric and interference.

https://www.4gon.co.uk/solutions/technical_factors_affecting_wireless_performance.php

Re: SKY Stream hiccups

Stoneybloke — Tue, 19 Nov 2024 19:13:09 GMT

It's intermittent. The building doen'tchange.

Re: SKY Stream hiccups

MarkGoldsmith — Tue, 19 Nov 2024 19:34:46 GMT

@Stoneybloke wrote:
It's intermittent. The building doen'tchange.

So interference from other electrical devices or neighbouring WiFi networks is therefore likely to be the cause.

Re: SKY Stream hiccups

Stoneybloke — Wed, 20 Nov 2024 16:16:02 GMT

How can I guard against the interference?

Re: SKY Stream hiccups

lettice — Wed, 20 Nov 2024 16:27:10 GMT

Having good broadband is key to Sky Stream.
But also positioning of the equipment.

For interference,, the puck much like a Sky Q box can for some customers suffer from this at times. More often seen as an intermittent blip.
Not always a cure, but the following may help to resolve;

Make sure you have a good 6-8 inches free on all sides of the puck.
Do not stack the puck on top of any other device.

Best not to sit it on a glass shelf. Wood is generally the best.

Make sure the puck is in the open, not tucked away in a cabinet or sat directly behind the TV.
Make sure you have no other devices that can cause interference closeby, like cordless phones, radiators, baby monitors, microwaves and the like.
Assume you are using the Sky supplied hdmi cable or a high speed equivalent one.

Plus, change both your pucks to following recommended settings set in Settings>
Turn wifi OFF under Network (f connected via ethernet).
Set Network standby mode to ON and Overnight power saving is OFF.

More information like the above on the Sky FAQ help pages like here from page three;
https://www.sky.com/help/home/sky-tv/sky-tv-stream/fixing-a-problem-sky-stream/fixing-sky-glass-sky-stream-puck/articles/connect-tv-help-sky-glass-sky-stream-puck

Re: SKY Stream hiccups

Stoneybloke — Wed, 20 Nov 2024 17:38:55 GMT

I will give that a try