topic Re: Internet slow sky q ethernet in Sky Q

Internet slow sky q ethernet

johnromiley — Tue, 09 Jul 2024 14:26:18 GMT

Hi guys. I’ve just upgraded from sky broadband 72mb to sky fiber 900mb. My network switch and AP’s haven’t changed. I’ve now noticed the maximum speed I’m getting is 250mb. If I connect directly to the sky router I get the 900mb. But any device though the router is limited to 250mb. It feels like it’s something on the UniFi switch that is slowly it down. I’ve checked out a few things but no magic bullet solution.

thanks

john

Re: Internet slow sky q ethernet

Chodley — Tue, 09 Jul 2024 14:31:16 GMT

What switch is it?

Re: Internet slow sky q ethernet

johnromiley — Tue, 09 Jul 2024 14:34:20 GMT

Hey @Chodley. So it's a Ubiquiti USW 16 PoE. Then a series of other little Ubiquiti USW Flex Mini.

Re: Internet slow sky q ethernet

Chodley — Tue, 09 Jul 2024 14:52:24 GMT

Hmm

250 is very specific. I'm wondering if there's a software config issue somewhere. Could you push 1Gb through it between local devices before?

Re: Internet slow sky q ethernet

johnromiley — Tue, 09 Jul 2024 15:44:55 GMT

Hey @Chodley .

Yeah so all the Sky boxes are Ethernetted and if they are all unplugged from the switch I get full speed internet. Locally between my PC's I think I'm still getting full speed. Slightly harder to test. Soon as more than one sky Q mini box is plugged in the network speed reduces. I thought it was a config thing too but I've tried most settings now but with no real improvement. One theory I've had is multiple switches. As I'm able to plugging the two mini boxes that have a direct cable. Trying to get a single cable to the thrid and fourth mini box is much harder as I've got other PC etc that need to be plugged in.

Re: Internet slow sky q ethernet

MightyQuinn — Tue, 09 Jul 2024 16:00:24 GMT

Hi @johnromiley Sky Q is famous for not liking managed switches. I have 3 unmanaged Netgear gigabit switches between my router and Sky Q boxes and I just measured my speed (using Netflix) on my Sky Q Main box and the speed is showing as 480 Mbps on 500 Mbps broadband.

Re: Internet slow sky q ethernet

johnromiley — Tue, 09 Jul 2024 16:10:49 GMT

Ah @MightyQuinn. I've read this a few times but have tried not to sack off my unfi setup that I've spent so much money putting into. Is yours something like this:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/NETGEAR-Ethernet-Unmanaged-Internet-Splitter/dp/B07PWHGQSS/ref=sr_1_3?crid=2WHOSZ06L6HTM&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.4-2LYN1NQ4a9u19-1Kgnm2MpDovZgicMGeVTgFq11tSn8C8GPMGvA9OCq42OSx0UrvBrHcKjf5ivgMWEi0I0dnR65FiK6zB-v7-Yx2l6AY2JBDoOb5vOYrseTKnzeUykr8PXxuOeakzjJU2TfmoHiLDAr2kuvKKQSsSJRYoemcIOOu_VLu1lv1qf3II-gReaLsVSizuAwFd51lokWxf8cZT_w6HiMCAFJjPu8xpirxSeZyqG9bpe2ep0b7uda-jxQ0BvQnIekoe829n0j8lMyEneiej5hOTp2qG4RVUICmo.yM_q4UY5xLHlU28QYmLNkAkLKYfz5oGmAg3HINh6RLQ&dib_tag=se&keywords=8-Port%2BGigabit%2BEthernet%2BSOHO%2BUnmanaged%2BSwitch&qid=1720541098&s=computers&sprefix=8-port%2Bgigabit%2Bethernet%2Bsoho%2Bunmanaged%2Bswitch%2Ccomputers%2C65&sr=1-3&th=1

Re: Internet slow sky q ethernet

MightyQuinn — Tue, 09 Jul 2024 16:18:40 GMT

Hi @johnromiley Yes, but I am using 2 x GS108 and 1 x GS116. Some say the GS3 range is cheaper and performs just the same, but I prefer the more expensive GS1 range for the metal case etc.

Re: Internet slow sky q ethernet

ShabbyShabbs — Tue, 09 Jul 2024 16:19:10 GMT

@johnromiley I have a similar issue and coincidentally also have a UniFi switch, but mine is USW Lite 8 PoE.

Before 20th March 2024 I was getting speeds of around 500Mbps from devices connected via ethernet to the switch, which is then connected to my Sky router. This I could see from regular speed tests that my Fing network device does automatically every day and records in a log. Then at 3am on 20th March it showed a very short outtage, which my first assumption was to think it was a Sky router firmware update, and immediately after that and since then my speeds dropped by 25% to around 330Mbps.

It wasn't until I investigated further and noticed that if I connect directly to the Sky router then the speeds were back up to my expected 500Mbps, so then I started contacting UniFi support instead.

I then found out that there was a UniFi update to the switch on 20th March, so that is now the suspected culprit, due to the exact date being a big giveaway.

UniFi support gave me instructions on how to roll back the firmware, but I've been away from home for a while so only just got round to rolling back the switch firmware today, so it is now back to version 6.6.61 before the 20th March update. However, I'm still getting the same lower speeds through the switch.

UniFi support has just asked me to factory reset the switch and try speed testing after that, but I'm loathe to do that as it's managed by their cloud hosting service and all devices will be totally cut off if I don't have that set up, so I'm in limbo at the moment.

I'm not sure if it's a compatibility issue with Sky, or something has changed the maximum throughput if all my Sky boxes are connected to the UniFi, or what. But if I unplug everything else from the UniFi switch (3 x UniFi access points, 3 Sky Q mini boxes and my main Sky Q box) then the speed tests from the Fing device plugged into the switch are back to normal again.

Perhaps if you contact UniFi support they may recognise that something is causing this issue with Sky boxes on the network. I shall update my ticket with this information too.

Re: Internet slow sky q ethernet

johnromiley — Tue, 09 Jul 2024 17:35:04 GMT

Hey @ShabbyShabbs.

thanks for your input. Looks to be almost identical to my situation. Do you have a link to the UniFi forum that you posted on. Maybe I can drop a message on there. Replacing my kit with unmanaged switches sounds like still a plan be.

Re: Internet slow sky q ethernet

ShabbyShabbs — Tue, 09 Jul 2024 19:23:15 GMT

@johnromiley

It was a support ticket that I submitted, rather than a forum.

https://help.unificloud.co.uk/support/home

Re: Internet slow sky q ethernet

Chodley — Tue, 09 Jul 2024 20:29:39 GMT

So you had Sky devices attached prior to the 20March speed drop?

(they definitely swamp the network with broadcast advertising packets)

Re: Internet slow sky q ethernet

ShabbyShabbs — Tue, 09 Jul 2024 20:36:12 GMT

@Chodley

Yes, the main Sky Q box and three Sky Q mini boxes were all connected to the switch via Ethernet prior to the speed drop on 20th March.

Re: Internet slow sky q ethernet

johnromiley — Wed, 10 Jul 2024 09:08:41 GMT

@Chodley. Unfortunatley I didn't have gigafast before the 20th of March so I'm unable to tell. But I've been wired in for a long time. Ever since I've had gigafast it's been slow.

What does this mean? and who? Is there a solution?
(they definitely swamp the network with broadcast advertising packets)

Re: Internet slow sky q ethernet

ShabbyShabbs — Mon, 15 Jul 2024 15:55:17 GMT

I did some further testing today and discovered the following...

(FYI, I'm on Sky Broadband Ultrafast Plus, 500Mpbs service)

With Ubiquiti managed network switch USW Lite 8 PoE:

Speed test with everything connected gave me 342Mbps down and 60Mbps up.

Speed test with the Sky Q boxes unplugged gave me 487Mbps down and 60Mbps up.

Changed the Ubiquiti managed switch to my original TRENDnet TPE-TG81G unmanaged switch:

Speed test with everything connected gave me 338Mbps down and 59Mbps up.

Speed test with the Sky Q boxes unplugged gave me 486Mbps down and 59Mbps up.

So, although I suspected the problem was the Ubiquiti switch firmware update on the 20th March, I have reconsidered that assumption after rolling back and getting the same problems, plus the further testing above with a different switch, I'm now wondering if it was in fact my original assumption of a Sky firmware update instead and just a coincidence it was on the same day as the Ubiquiti update.

Anyhow, it basically looks like Sky Q boxes just don't play nice. However, getting information out of Sky or any hope of resolving this through them is in my experience pretty unlikely, but we can live in hope!

Re: Internet slow sky q ethernet

johnromiley — Tue, 16 Jul 2024 09:34:21 GMT

Hey @ShabbyShabbs.

This sounds so frustrating. I've just taken order of a new unmanaged netgear switch so not hopeful that it will work after your test. I'll try and find some time to contact sky today and speak to someone in the software/technical team if that's even possible. I'm pretty convinced at the moment it's something to do with the software on the sky Q boxes. Plan C is to move to sky stream. 😞

Re: Internet slow sky q ethernet

ShabbyShabbs — Tue, 16 Jul 2024 15:31:59 GMT

@johnromiley

Another user with unmanaged Netgear switches said they didn't cause the issue, so fingers crossed your new devices will be the same. I'd be interested to hear your results and maybe I'll have go back to NetGear too, which is what I had prior to Ubiquiti and the TRENDnet.

I've searched other threads on a similar topic and some people recommend creating a VLAN just for the Sky boxes, but for me that would take some recabling (I believe) as two of my Sky minis are networked via the second ethernet ports on my Ubiquiti access points, so I guess I'd need to separate them...?

Anyhow... that's a little above my experience level so hoping some other resolution appears!

Re: Internet slow sky q ethernet

johnromiley — Wed, 24 Jul 2024 10:34:10 GMT

Hey @ShabbyShabbs . I've tried a few things since the last message. So here goes it.

- Spoke to sky. Said they wont allow convosations with the software team and don't know how to fix the problem. Suggested it was multiple switches. Or setting up a Vlan.

- Setup a Vlan. Just killed the internet and sky Q service. Needed to restart the switch each time.

- Tried unplugging the other boxes on other switches and just having a main box and a second box plugged into the one switch. Speed was still down to 300mb from 1gb.

- Bought an unmanaged switch and wired it directly to the sky broadband box. Speed was the same slow speed.

At this point I think I've tried everything. I'm pretty convinced its software and it's the sky software that is the issue. The real strange thing that has been happening with all these failures, is once the switch is not working the internet goes down. I've been returning it to how it was in terms of physical cables plugged into the same old ports. Nothing then works until the sky Q box is restarted and then the whole network comes back to life. It's almost like the sky Q box won't adapt it's self to a new network without been restarted.

Thanks

John

Re: Internet slow sky q ethernet

johnromiley — Wed, 11 Dec 2024 13:11:29 GMT

@ShabbyShabbs @Chodley @MightyQuinn

Hey Guys.

Just thought I'd put a note on here and for anyone else looking into the problem. I've had stable and fast internet for a few months now and thought it was a good point to share. So what was happening was that all my sky q boxes were wired via a few different switches. After lots of testing I eventually plugged a separate unifi switch into the sky hub. Then ran all the sky q boxes off that network switch directly. I've not done any fancy vlan system or isolated the switch from the network. It seems that the sky boxes are the only thing that touches, and it works great.

Hope this makes sense and sorts some issues out for people. If sky could fix this it would have made life easier.