topic Re: Sky Minibox problems in Sky Q

Sky Minibox problems

Cart68 — Tue, 12 Dec 2023 20:08:44 GMT

Hi, hoping someone can help. I have Sky Q with 2 miniboxes and Sky Full Fibre ultrafast+ (500mb). I have not changed any router settings. Around the time I upgraded to 500mb from 150mb I have had stuttering problems on both miniboxes. This NEVER happened before! Have carried out software updates, resets, reboots etc and had an engineer out - he installed a white booster box which made a difference for a day or 2. The stuttering only happens on live TV (not on apps such as netflix or YouTube), although the controls for sky Q recordings can also be a bit laggy now too. Any advice would be much appreciated. Thanks.

Re: Sky Minibox problems

oldfella — Tue, 12 Dec 2023 20:23:48 GMT

@Cart68 wrote:

Hi, hoping someone can help. I have Sky Q with 2 miniboxes and Sky Full Fibre ultrafast+ (500mb). I have not changed any router settings. Around the time I upgraded to 500mb from 150mb I have had stuttering problems on both miniboxes. This NEVER happened before! Have carried out software updates, resets, reboots etc and had an engineer out - he installed a white booster box which made a difference for a day or 2. The stuttering only happens on live TV (not on apps such as netflix or YouTube), although the controls for sky Q recordings can also be a bit laggy now too. Any advice would be much appreciated. Thanks.

Hi @Cart68

Have you carried out Network resets on the minis?

Start with the mini nearest to the main Q box.
Network Reset found in mini Home - Settings - Setup - Network.
Highlight Status and then select Reset on the right hand side. Follow instructions to WPS with main Q box.
You will be asked to press the WPS button on the main Q box (not the mini as the Network reset will start the mini WPS automatically).

If you have a Sky Q booster nearer than the main q box and it has been connected to your main Q box (or your router) by WPS you can use that to connect the mini.

As you are on Sky Broadband and the if Router is nearer to the mini than the main box then you can try pressing WPS on the router instead of the main Q box. If you do this make sure you press the Sky router WPS button and not the router reset button.

If you get the nearest mini to the main Q box connected then this also can be used for WPS for the second mini if the nearest Q device.

Re: Sky Minibox problems

Cart68 — Tue, 12 Dec 2023 21:03:42 GMT

Hi @oldfella. Yes, I have carried out network resets as you describe. I did one tonight on the downstairs Minibox (the other is upstairs and not used very often) and used the WPS on the closest box (the white booster box) but this made no difference unfortunately 😞.

Re: Sky Minibox problems

oldfella — Tue, 12 Dec 2023 22:02:03 GMT

@Cart68 wrote:

Hi @oldfella. Yes, I have carried out network resets as you describe. I did one tonight on the downstairs Minibox (the other is upstairs and not used very often) and used the WPS on the closest box (the white booster box) but this made no difference unfortunately 😞.

Hi @Cart68

Did you first check the the Booster had been correctly connected to the Main Q box?

And it is a Sky Q booster?

https://www.sky.com/help/articles/sky-wifi-booster-what-do-you-need-help-with

Re: Sky Minibox problems

Cart68 — Tue, 12 Dec 2023 22:23:30 GMT

Hi @oldfella. I compared my booster to the ones in the link and it looks to be a Sky broadband booster, not a sky Q booster ... That's the one that was installed by the engineer. It has all 3 lights lit in green, including the 'connected' light. That sometimes goes out, but a router reset fixes it. One other thing ... Nearly every time I check the connection settings on my Minibox it says 'there is a problem with your network connection. To check your settings select Network Set-up'. When I then go to 'Network Set-up' and select 'reset' it tells me that I'm connected to the broadband router and internet and shouldn't need to reset my network. I sometimes proceed with the reset ('confirm') but mostly cancel at that stage. Also, the stutter I experience on the miniboxes does not happen on the main Sky Q box. Thanks a lot.

Re: Sky Minibox problems

oldfella — Tue, 12 Dec 2023 22:25:44 GMT

Hi @Cart68

The WiFi booster needs to a Sky Q booster.

Re: Sky Minibox problems

Cart68 — Tue, 12 Dec 2023 22:35:10 GMT

Thanks @oldfella. So it sounds like he has installed the wrong one!! I'll phone them 2morrow and discuss. Thanks a lot for your help and hopefully that will sort the problem. I've still no idea why the issue started in the 1st place though. I'll let you know how I get on. Cheers

Re: Sky Minibox problems

Cart68 — Tue, 12 Dec 2023 23:37:13 GMT

@oldfella hi, I was just looking at the boosters online and it appears that the Sky broadband booster replaced the Sky Q booster around 2019. Am I picking this up wrong? Thanks.

Re: Sky Minibox problems

Chodley — Wed, 13 Dec 2023 00:49:33 GMT

Are you on sky broadband?

edit: sorry you said that in your first sentence.

The broadband booster should work then. Where is it positioned?

Re: Sky Minibox problems

Cart68 — Wed, 13 Dec 2023 09:18:00 GMT

Hi @Chodley. it's positioned between the router and the Minibox. It was positioned by the engineer and seemed to be the ideal position. It hasn't been moved since.

Re: Sky Minibox problems

Chodley — Wed, 13 Dec 2023 09:36:18 GMT

Yeah that seems correct (seen it placed in odd locations before)

I thought they did still provide Sky Q Boosters

I wonder if the mesh is rearranging itself and the mini is deciding it prefers a direct connection to the Q which is actually weaker

Is it possible to try an ethernet connection from the mini to the booster? (Even if you have to move it)

Re: Sky Minibox problems

Cart68 — Wed, 13 Dec 2023 09:41:22 GMT

Thanks @Chodley . I don't know how to check mesh preferences, but assume the engineer would/should have checked that sort of thing. I do have a long enough ethernet cable and can try that after work later. I'll let u know how I get on. Also, @oldfella had suggested that I need a sky Q booster, not a sky broadband booster, so I was going to phone sky today to ask for one. Thanks.

Re: Sky Minibox problems

Chodley — Wed, 13 Dec 2023 09:46:00 GMT

I don't think they're configurable. I think it does what it wants (having looked over an installer's shoulder at their mesh map software)

You'll need to reset the network on the mini to get it to use ethernet instead (and disable wifi in the installer menu)

Might also be worth trying the same trick with the Q (and the mini on wifi -> booster so the other way round) just to see what happens. My Q is much happier thinking it's on ethernet.

Re: Sky Minibox problems

oldfella — Wed, 13 Dec 2023 09:50:48 GMT

@Cart68 wrote:

@oldfella hi, I was just looking at the boosters online and it appears that the Sky broadband booster replaced the Sky Q booster around 2019. Am I picking this up wrong? Thanks.

Ok Sorry @Cart68

As I'm not on Sky Broadband not kept up with that.

You can also position the booster between the main Q box and the mini if that brings it any nearer. However not knowing your layout I don't know what device your Main Q box is connected to.

Wherever you position the booster make sure that it connected by WPS to the nearest device you want to get the booster WiFi from.

if being used by the mini to connect to the router then the booster needs to connected first by WPS with the router. Then the booster connected by WPS following a Network reset on the mini.

Likwise if you want to use the booster between the main Q box and the mini it would then needs to connected by WPS to the main Q box first.

Re: Sky Minibox problems

Cart68 — Wed, 13 Dec 2023 09:52:29 GMT

Ok @oldfella, thanks.

Re: Sky Minibox problems

Cart68 — Wed, 13 Dec 2023 09:57:05 GMT

Thanks @Chodley . Can you please tell me how to go into installer mode/menu? Also, when you say your Q is happier 'thinking' it's on ethernet, do you mean you disabled wifi but still continued to use WiFi (rather than ethernet)? An ethernet connection is certainly not a viable long term solution for me but happy to see if it works.

Re: Sky Minibox problems

Chodley — Wed, 13 Dec 2023 10:09:11 GMT

Hover over settings and hit 001 Select

I plugged ethernet into the back of a BT wifi mesh disc (I use 5 BT Wholehome discs around the house with a non-BT fibre ISP) and disabled wifi on the Q. Use powerline ethernet for the minis. That requires a small ethernet switch between the Q, wifi disc and powerline adapter to get the 3 on the same network.

Re: Sky Minibox problems

oldfella — Wed, 13 Dec 2023 10:22:58 GMT

@Cart68 wrote:

Thanks @Chodley . Can you please tell me how to go into installer mode/menu? Also, when you say your Q is happier 'thinking' it's on ethernet, do you mean you disabled wifi but still continued to use WiFi (rather than ethernet)? An ethernet connection is certainly not a viable long term solution for me but happy to see if it works.

Hi @Cart68

Just to be clear you can only turn WiFi off if it is on permanent Ethernet.