topic Re: Sky Q Minibox Connectivity Issues in Sky Q

Sky Q Minibox Connectivity Issues

ChrisR99 — Tue, 13 Feb 2024 19:06:10 GMT

I have a strange setup at home, I have my main box in one house and then my sky Q mini box in a bungalow in garden. The distance between the two is too far to set up using the connection button and I have my broadband through BT.

i cannot get the minibox to connect via wifi even though I've got a network cable that links both houses so i have full strength wifi (same mesh network provided through ubiquiti) in both house and bungalow. I think this is because it's not sky broadband and the mini box doesn't like a 3rd party ISP. So what I have done is :-

- got a TP link wifi repeater with an Ethernet port and then just wired that repeater into the minibox via Ethernet

- gone into special menu to disable the minibox 2.4ghz and 5ghz connections so it's not trying to override the Ethernet with the mesh it wants to create

Despite this the connectivity on it is awful, it constantly judders, like when you have awful connection speed. I cannot watch even recorded programmes as it just jumps in blocks of seconds and won't play smoothly at all. On the connection section on the menu the "internet connection" just toggles from a tick to a cross constantly, like it thinks the connection is constantly dropping out but it isn't, I've got a 250mb connection in the room but my sky minibox just cannot accept the connection it's got through the Ethernet.

its so frustrating, so hoping someone else has this issue and figured out a work around, I've looked for ages for similar issues but can't find anyone with the same.

Re: Sky Q Minibox Connectivity Issues

ChrisR99 — Tue, 13 Feb 2024 19:27:13 GMT

To distill this down a bit has anyone else got the same issue :-

1. Main and mini too far to link together

2. Not on Sky ISP

3. Able to use the same wifi mesh network for both boxes but unable to use as an option due to the way the sky boxes try to communicate/function

4. Noticing on the minibox the network name it's saying it's connected to starts with a "sky" prefix even though you're not actually asking it to connect to any form of sky network but instead proving the connection via an Ethernet connected to a WiFi repeater NOT directly to the main sky box

Re: Sky Q Minibox Connectivity Issues

Alison151 — Thu, 25 Apr 2024 20:31:05 GMT

I have almost the same problem except that my two tvs and boxs are in the same house. Sky di help me to do a reset and it lasted for about 3 hours and then started being erratic.

It s so frustrating and I agree I am paymh for a service I am not getting, and it seems that I am not alone.

Re: Sky Q Minibox Connectivity Issues

ThePope27 — Thu, 25 Apr 2024 21:02:05 GMT

Could you run an Ethernet down to the bungalow ? Which will solve all your issues,

If that's not possible try a Sky q booster (Sky will send you one FOC) you will have to put it halfway between the main q box and the mini box in the bungalow

In regards to the wireless network showing on the mini boxes being a "sky" network, that's because sky q Mini boxes won't connect via your non sky internet, so it uses the internet from the main box via the mesh the box creates which is why you can see the sky network.

Re: Sky Q Minibox Connectivity Issues

bemak187 — Fri, 26 Apr 2024 08:42:16 GMT

@ChrisR99SInce you already have ethernet ran to the bungalow forgot about WiFi on the Sky q. Connect your boxes to the network via ethernet and swich off wifi on them. If you only have one cable doing down tot he bungalow which is connecting to a wireless access point get a switch and connect the wap to one port and the mini to the other.

Re: Sky Q Minibox Connectivity Issues

ChrisR99 — Fri, 26 Apr 2024 10:13:39 GMT

Unfortunately I cannot do this, as the ethernet that runs between main house and bunglaow comes out in a little cupboard in bedroom which is in a totally different room to the TV/Sky Q mini box and there is approximately 5 metres distance between the two. This is why I went with the idea of having the TP Link repeater to wirelessly pick up the WIFI and then run ethernet from that into the sky q mini box, I already disabled both 2.4 and 5ghz wifi on the sky q minibox, so it 'should' just be getting the internet via the ethernet and is essence it is doing the same job.

Re: Sky Q Minibox Connectivity Issues

ftballman — Fri, 26 Apr 2024 10:40:15 GMT

I know I've said it a lot recently with mini box problems, but could you try powerline.

First try would be to just connect bungalow ethernet cable to 1 as the input and the output of the pair would be at the sky box.

I know not everyone will have the same success with powerlines and it brings home wiring into the mix as a variable but I'm not sure what else.

I suppose before any outlay if possible could you try temporarily hooking up the mini to the ethernet cable? But I know this creates its own headaches.

@Alison151 maybe start a new thread with some specifics and some of us may be able to make some suggestions.

Re: Sky Q Minibox Connectivity Issues

ftballman — Fri, 26 Apr 2024 11:22:40 GMT

1 thing I didn't notice mentioned either. Is the main q box wired back to the router?

Re: Sky Q Minibox Connectivity Issues

bemak187 — Fri, 26 Apr 2024 11:58:38 GMT

@ChrisR99 To garden rooms/outdoor buidings anything but ethernet is a bodge to be honest. I would take the hit and get either another cable ran or move the one you have. As the post above mentioned you could get some very long patch leads and try the ethernet connection before installing anything perm. Another option is move to sky stream as that gets rid of the Q mesh rubbish with the pucks connecting directly to the intetnet and not each other but it doesnt have the same featues as Q if recording is important to you.

Re: Sky Q Minibox Connectivity Issues

ThePope27 — Fri, 26 Apr 2024 16:23:43 GMT

Or if you had Sky+HD in there back in the day you could use that old coax cable for Ethernet over coax.

Re: Sky Q Minibox Connectivity Issues

ChrisR99 — Fri, 26 Apr 2024 18:44:11 GMT

I don't know who you are but I love you so so much! Internet over powerline WORKED! Big win! From the moment I connected them up I could tell it was better, I can pause and rewind seamlessly, on the network screen the network connection doesn't just toggle on and off, it's just a permanent on. Cannot explain how much this has driven me mad over the last 2 years!

Thank you a million times

Re: Sky Q Minibox Connectivity Issues

ChrisR99 — Fri, 26 Apr 2024 18:48:19 GMT

Hey Alison! If you also want to try the Internet over powerline as reccomended to me above, the ones i brought were from Amazon :-

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B01G5Q9E0O?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title

they are super easy to set up and they even have 2 Ethernet cables in the pack so you don't need to worry about getting them either!

good luck, if you hadn't have sparked this thread back into life I might not have ever got the help I did over last 24hrs, so thank you as well!

Re: Sky Q Minibox Connectivity Issues

SKYLRYFM — Sat, 06 Jul 2024 17:26:34 GMT

I have disconnected plugs at wall, then turned them back on. I've tried my password and it won't accept it?

Re: Sky Q Minibox Connectivity Issues

ThePope27 — Sat, 06 Jul 2024 17:49:15 GMT

@SKYLRYFM

Yoi tried the WPS Button ?

Re: Sky Q Minibox Connectivity Issues

Laing1 — Sun, 07 Jul 2024 18:17:44 GMT

@SKYLRYFM wrote:

I have disconnected plugs at wall, then turned them back on. I've tried my password and it won't accept it?

@SKYLRYFM who is tyour broadband provider if it's Sky then as @ThePope27 says you need to use the WPS buttons

Re: Sky Q Minibox Connectivity Issues

ngins — Thu, 24 Apr 2025 08:17:37 GMT

thanks for all the posts here, helped me realise I was not going potty.... I had same issues - driving me nuts. I have a non-Sky Mesh network throughout my house (FTTP 900 meg). I could get the minibox to connect to my 2.4Ghz network breifly then as soon as it swithed to its own mesh it would die, lose network and then I was in an endless loop of restarting, seeing same.
Minibox and Main Q box are a long way apart (hence my WiFi mesh to cover the house). Annoyingly there is hardwired ethernet in every room except the one I want the minibox in (no idea why - was a new build house and they put an RJ11 in, but no ethernet Cat5/6 in this one room!)

My solution....after testing with an ancient Apple Airport Express in bridge mode and getting a result. A cheapo wireless travel router with an ethernet port on it in bridge mode.....RJ45/Ethernet into the Minibox, turn off the minibox wifi all togehter - all working fine - after a lot of initial faff and swearing....... Interetingly 10Meg on the ancient airport seemed fine for streaming everything - maybe the odd bit of initial lag but was fine.
Appreciate could do the same with Powerline adaptors as well but this worked for me. I'll probably actually end up getting another Mesh disc for my house as they all have one Ethernet port in and use it to extend my mesh network and just use the wired connector for the minibox in the end.

Hope this helps someone else.