topic Re: SkyQ how many mini boxes can I have in Sky Q

SkyQ how many mini boxes can I have

127Stuart — Sat, 25 May 2024 17:15:34 GMT

Hi all, I have a question for you; how many mini-boxes can I have IN ADDITION to my main box?

Re: SkyQ how many mini boxes can I have

Daniel0210 — Sat, 25 May 2024 17:18:08 GMT

@127Stuart
You can have a maximum of 4 mini boxes loaned to you by Sky. You can watch Sky content on two minis and the main box at the same time. You may be able to use a third mini box if the first one in use is being used for a streaming app ie: Netflix or DIsney+.

Be aware the original 1TB (non-UHD) Sky Q box only allows one mini to be in use. To check if you have the non UHD 1TB box check in:-
Home - Settings - System Info - Hardware Version
If it shows as 32Cxxx then you have a non UHD 1TB that only supports 1 active mini box.

All 2TBs and the UHD/HDR 1TB permit two mini boxes. Each mini box which is loaned to you may be subject to a one off upfront charge but you only need one Sky Q monthly Multiscreen subscription.

Re: SkyQ how many mini boxes can I have

nigea99 — Sat, 25 May 2024 17:19:18 GMT

Deleted - as @Daniel0210 already answered (more fully)

Re: SkyQ how many mini boxes can I have

127Stuart — Sat, 25 May 2024 17:23:01 GMT

Daniel0210,

Many thanks for your reply.
Stu

Re: SkyQ how many mini boxes can I have

127Stuart — Sun, 26 May 2024 06:56:25 GMT

So, can I definitely have 4 mini boxes AND the main box loaned to me by Sky can I ?

Re: SkyQ how many mini boxes can I have

nigea99 — Sun, 26 May 2024 07:05:00 GMT

@127Stuart wrote:

So, can I definitely have 4 mini boxes AND the main box loaned to me by Sky can I ?

hi @127Stuart

Yes you can have up to 4 minis on your account (each additional one is likely to incur an admin fee, even though they are loaned)

As @Daniel0210 's notes you can only use 2 minis at one time for SKY content (only 1 if you have the 1TB non UHD box)

Re: SkyQ how many mini boxes can I have

Chodley — Sun, 26 May 2024 07:07:41 GMT

@127Stuart wrote:
So, can I definitely have 4 mini boxes AND the main box loaned to me by Sky can I ?

No one who knows their stuff would include the main box when they use the term minis, so yes.

Re: SkyQ how many mini boxes can I have

Russell251 — Wed, 05 Feb 2025 12:28:04 GMT

We currently have 2 HD+ boxes and about 10 tv screens using magic eye

If we upgrade to Q does that limit the number of TVs?

Re: SkyQ how many mini boxes can I have

Daniel0210 — Wed, 05 Feb 2025 12:36:32 GMT

@Russell251 wrote:

If we upgrade to Q does that limit the number of TVs?

@Russell251
You can have a maximum of 4 mini boxes loaned to you by Sky. You can watch Sky content on two minis and the main box at the same time. You may be able to use a third mini box if the first one in use is being used for a streaming app ie: Netflix or DIsney+.

Each mini box which is loaned to you may be subject to a one off upfront charge but you only need one Sky Q monthly Multiscreen subscription.

Re: SkyQ how many mini boxes can I have

nigea99 — Wed, 05 Feb 2025 12:37:47 GMT

@Russell251 wrote:

We currently have 2 HD+ boxes and about 10 tv screens using magic eye

If we upgrade to Q does that limit the number of TVs?

You may, also, wish to read some notes I have made for people considering switching from SKY +/HD to SKY Q

SKY +/HD to SKY Q

Re: SkyQ how many mini boxes can I have

TimmyBGood — Wed, 05 Feb 2025 13:29:12 GMT

@Russell251 wrote:

We currently have 2 HD+ boxes and about 10 tv screens using magic eye

No current Sky product can provision that many screens.

Glass/Stream permits up to three Glass television sets and six Stream pucks (and would require 500Mbs or better FTTP). There's apparently a significant announcement regarding Glass due later this month (February 2025)

To get Sky Q to anything like that many points you'd need a fairly sophisticated HDBaseT setup.

Re: SkyQ how many mini boxes can I have

Russell251 — Wed, 05 Feb 2025 14:25:40 GMT

We currently have 2 Sky HD+ boxes

is that possible with Q

Re: SkyQ how many mini boxes can I have

Daniel0210 — Wed, 05 Feb 2025 14:30:55 GMT

@Russell251

You can only have one main Sky Q box and, as we've stated, a maximum of 4 mini boxes.

Re: SkyQ how many mini boxes can I have

TimmyBGood — Wed, 05 Feb 2025 14:40:29 GMT

@Russell251

Sky Q has a fundamentally different topology to Sky+

The single main Q box contains satellite tuners and hard drive, and all associated Mini boxes access these (typically over WiFi generated by the main Q box itself)

Re: SkyQ how many mini boxes can I have

Russell251 — Wed, 05 Feb 2025 14:40:33 GMT

As we are a multi generation house we could have 2 contracts

Re: SkyQ how many mini boxes can I have

Daniel0210 — Wed, 05 Feb 2025 14:41:53 GMT

@Russell251

No you can't. It's one TV subscription per postal address.

Re: SkyQ how many mini boxes can I have

TimmyBGood — Wed, 05 Feb 2025 15:14:26 GMT

@Russell251 wrote:

As we are a multi generation house we could have 2 contracts

Nope: it's not a supported deployment model, and where it's been tried it horribly confuses the hardware to the point of non-functionality.

As @Daniel0210 indicates, Sky won't supply two main Q boxes to the same address anyway, and Q hardware sourced eleswhere is stolen and won't work.

Re: SkyQ how many mini boxes can I have

Russell251 — Wed, 05 Feb 2025 15:46:08 GMT

Our HD + boxes are connected to 2 separate dishes!

Re: SkyQ how many mini boxes can I have

TimmyBGood — Wed, 05 Feb 2025 16:07:00 GMT

@Russell251

You still cannot legitimately possess two main Q boxes at a single address, and the crossover point is the local data network and internet connection, not the dish(es)

Given Q has been around for very nearly nine years, you're reasonably unlikely to discover a workaround which hasn't been tried before and is known not to work

Re: SkyQ how many mini boxes can I have

Godfrey — Wed, 05 Feb 2025 16:40:48 GMT

@Russell251 The closest to your present 10 DTTV television Sky+HD twin receiver setup when using Sky Q receivers would be to connect the main Sky Q receiver to a HDMI to terrestrial TV modulator to provide DTTV distribution of one Sky Q programme source and then connect the HDMI output from a Sky Q mini to a second HDMI to terrestrial TV modulator to provide DTTV distribution of a second Sky Q programme source.

Thus, each of your 10 terrestrial TVs could have a choice of the programmes being received on either your Sky Q main receiver, or your Sky Q mini receiver, with the option to even use a second Sky Q mini feeding an HDMI to DTTV modulator to provide a third Sky Q programme source.

Godfrey.