topic Re: How to connect Sky Q via wifi in summerhouse in Sky Q

How to connect Sky Q via wifi in summerhouse

59Gary — Sun, 18 Feb 2024 13:35:20 GMT

I have SKY Q and SKY internet as well. I am unable to run a physical ethernet cable to my summerhouse. The building is approx. 5 metres from the house. What is the best way to connect to the mini box via wifi. Currently it wont connect. Is there a recommended way of boosting the house wifi enough so the minibox will connect. Thank you.

Re: How to connect Sky Q via wifi in summerhouse

oldfella — Sun, 18 Feb 2024 15:16:08 GMT

@59Gary wrote:

I have SKY Q and SKY internet as well. I am unable to run a physical ethernet cable to my summerhouse. The building is approx. 5 metres from the house. What is the best way to connect to the mini box via wifi. Currently it wont connect. Is there a recommended way of boosting the house wifi enough so the minibox will connect. Thank you.

Hi @59Gary

Depends where the Mini is in relation to the main Q box or the router.

If they are not relatively close to the wall nearest your Summerhouse then a Sky Q WiFi booster may increase the range of your Q box or Sky router whichever is nearest.

Obviously the boosters cannot be used outside.

No guarantees with WiFi range unfortunately as it depends on many environmental factors.

Re: How to connect Sky Q via wifi in summerhouse

hrai — Sun, 18 Feb 2024 15:23:32 GMT

You can get point to point wifi extenders for under a £100 from Amazon amongst other places

The units would link your house's network to wirelessly building. (But not accesible or even seen by anyone else) You would then have another network in that building - wired or wifi - to connect devices to.

You can also get outdoor/garden wifi extenders but if you just need it for a single building I'd probably not bother. (Also potentially accessible by neighbours etc - albeit unlikely!)

(Personally if it was me - I'd dig up a bit of the lawn and bury some network cabling in armoured ducting 😀 )

Re: How to connect Sky Q via wifi in summerhouse

oldfella — Sun, 18 Feb 2024 15:27:30 GMT

@hrai wrote:

You can get point to point wifi extenders for under a £100 from Amazon amongst other places.........

Unfortunately @hrai Q minis will not connect reliably to 3rd party WiFi extenders

Re: How to connect Sky Q via wifi in summerhouse

hrai — Sun, 18 Feb 2024 15:32:31 GMT

@59Gary

Doh! I'm such an idiot!

Clearly if you have a Tv in your summer house you electricity from the house to it (unless it's on a completely separate power source!) Do you cable from your house to the summer house which is what powerline adapters are ideal for. Buy a couple - stick one next the router, plug in a lean cable, put the other in the summer house, pair it and you then connect the mini box either by cable or using a paired wifi powerline extender.

Re: How to connect Sky Q via wifi in summerhouse

59Gary — Sun, 18 Feb 2024 15:57:07 GMT

Thank you so much both of you for your kind assistance. I am not technically minded at all. The router is in an understairs cupboard which is in the middle of the house. So its impossible to have a cable connection directly from the router to the summerhouse. The summerhouse does have electric power from the house. The sky Q minibox sits below the TV in the summerhouse.

Re: How to connect Sky Q via wifi in summerhouse

hrai — Sun, 18 Feb 2024 19:25:54 GMT

@59Gary

Hi again.

The below should work (hopefully)

Get 2 powerline adapters - you can buy them in pairs - it's worth shelling out a bit more for the ones that have a plug socket pass through imo.

Plug one adapter into a socket next to the router. (If you get one with a plug pass through you plug it into the socket used by the router if you are short of free sockets.) Connect a lan cable from the router to the adapter.

Then go to a spare plug socket in the house, plug in the other adapter and follow the instructions to pair them.

Usually this involves pressing a button on one adapter first then going to the other one and pressing the same button on that which is why is is easier to have them near each when first pairing them (In the past I've done this with them both plugged into the same double socket) This is usually indicated by a green led lighting up - a second green led should also light up when a device is connected.

Now they are paired you can take the second out to the summer house, plug it in and connect the mini box by a cable to it. As long everything is green you should be good to go 👍

There are a few caveats. The wiring in house - depending on its age - might result in a slow connection. (On some adapters this indicated by an amber or red led)

And depending on how the house is wired it is possible that if the sockets are on different circuits there again might be problems.

However in my experience that hadn't been an issue in two houses - one a 1930s build with a mess of wiring and the second a 2005 build with the sockets on 2 different circuits (the mini box worked fine). In the latter case I was even - as I was curious - able to get it work in a 13A socket at the back of the garage a good 6/7m from the back of the house.

Hope this helps.

Re: How to connect Sky Q via wifi in summerhouse

59Gary — Sun, 18 Feb 2024 19:58:21 GMT

Hi,

Your reply is very informative and very helpful.

I have a new Redrow House (one year old). The summerhouse is wired from a fuse box in the garage which is supplied directly from the house supply box on the outside wall of the house by armoured cable. The garage is 2 metres from the side of the house and the summerhouse is attached to the back of the garage. Would you say that your idea is likely to be more effective than the Sky wifi booster.

Thank you for your kind assistance.

Gary

Re: How to connect Sky Q via wifi in summerhouse

Chodley — Sun, 18 Feb 2024 20:42:29 GMT

If you aren't on sky BB your mini needs a direct wifi connection to the Q unless the Q is connected over ethernet itself. Powerline to the router won't work in that situation I don't think.

As you are on Sky BB then it's likely the best approach but those things are never guaranteed so buy some & try it out 🙂

Re: How to connect Sky Q via wifi in summerhouse

59Gary — Sun, 18 Feb 2024 20:51:11 GMT

Thank you for your advice, it is very much appreciated.

Re: How to connect Sky Q via wifi in summerhouse

hrai — Mon, 19 Feb 2024 05:54:47 GMT

@59Gary

When I had a Sky mini (it was basically free for 18 months) my setup was BT router wired to Sky Q then the Mini was connected to the router via Powerline and it worked fine so I would be pretty confident it should work for you.
But as @Chodley says networking can be weird. My advice would be order from Amazon and if it doesn't work just send it back (be careful opening the boxes!)

Re: How to connect Sky Q via wifi in summerhouse

59Gary — Mon, 19 Feb 2024 09:10:57 GMT

Thank you so much for your advice and technical knowledge. It is very much appreciated.