topic Re: Sky Q connection witch craft in Sky Q

Sky Q connection witch craft

Michaelsk — Wed, 26 Feb 2025 12:07:18 GMT

Hi There,

I have some connection challenges with Sky Q and Sky Q mini ( and have been ever since getting rid of sky broadband 5 years ago).

I have Sky Q downstairs and a Sky Q mini upstairs. Initially I used TPlink powerline adapters to create a network between the sky boxes, this worked fine for the last few years, but one of the plugs has died.

I know Sky Q systems seem to work peachy with Sky broadband, I don’t have sky broadband and could never understand why this made a difference?

I have a UDM router and an additional AP (wired) upstairs. 1GB fibre broadband

The Sky Q connects wirelessly with no issues.

The min connected once and gave me a live picture that stuttered at about 2 frames per second, then just drops the connection. Every other device I have in the house has no issues connecting to WIFI, it’s just the Sky Q mini.

I’ve been in IT for 20 years and really struggle with Sky Q, it seems some sort of witch craft to get a stable connection between Sky Q and Sky Q mini, unless you are using a Sky router

Any ideas?

Many thanks

Re: Sky Q connection witch craft

nigea99 — Wed, 26 Feb 2025 12:24:43 GMT

@Michaelsk wrote:

Hi There,

I have some connection challenges with Sky Q and Sky Q mini ( and have been ever since getting rid of sky broadband 5 years ago).

I have Sky Q downstairs and a Sky Q mini upstairs. Initially I used TPlink powerline adapters to create a network between the sky boxes, this worked fine for the last few years, but one of the plugs has died.

I know Sky Q systems seem to work peachy with Sky broadband, I don’t have sky broadband and could never understand why this made a difference?

I have a UDM router and an additional AP (wired) upstairs. 1GB fibre broadband

The Sky Q connects wirelessly with no issues.

The min connected once and gave me a live picture that stuttered at about 2 frames per second, then just drops the connection. Every other device I have in the house has no issues connecting to WIFI, it’s just the Sky Q mini.

I’ve been in IT for 20 years and really struggle with Sky Q, it seems some sort of witch craft to get a stable connection between Sky Q and Sky Q mini, unless you are using a Sky router

Any ideas?

Many thanks

hi @Michaelsk

You need to be aware that when your home wifi is not SKY the minis do not connect to your wifi but instead connect to the main box via a wifi signal generated by the Main box

Thus options include trying to move the SKY boxes even by small amounts to try to provide a better signal between them without interference form your wifi etc

Otherwise, as you did before, connect via Powerline adapters or via full ethernet

Re: Sky Q connection witch craft

oldfella — Wed, 26 Feb 2025 12:26:51 GMT

Hi @Michaelsk

Unfortunately Sky Q minis if using WiFi will only connect to the main Q box WiFi (or Q booster) if using 3rd party routers

Minis will not connect either to 3rd Party WiFi extenders or boosters.

They need a Q WiFi booster

Re: Sky Q connection witch craft

Michaelsk — Wed, 26 Feb 2025 12:56:26 GMT

Thanks for the responses

why does sky Q connect to the mini via powerline ok but not via WiFi?

do the Q boxes connect via a proprietary protocol to creates own mesh network? What does the sky boost do ?

Re: Sky Q connection witch craft

nigea99 — Wed, 26 Feb 2025 13:02:19 GMT

@Michaelsk wrote:

Thanks for the responses

why does sky Q connect to the mini via powerline ok but not via WiFi?

do the Q boxes connect via a proprietary protocol to creates own mesh network? What does the sky boost do ?

Powerline adapters are just a way of providing ethernet using mains cables instead of Cat n cable for the whole distance

I am not sure it is a different protocol. It uses 5GHz between main & minis (as it does with SKY Routers) whereas only 2.4GHz for 3rd party

Re: Sky Q connection witch craft

Michaelsk — Wed, 26 Feb 2025 13:25:56 GMT

But to confirm on the power line front I'd need 3, 1 for each box and 1 for the router.

I'm not sure the main box can be connected wired and wirelessly at the same time

Re: Sky Q connection witch craft

TimmyBGood — Wed, 26 Feb 2025 14:04:00 GMT

@Michaelsk wrote:

do the Q boxes connect via a proprietary protocol to creates own mesh network?

It's a proprietary QoS system licensed by Sky from AirTies a decade ago, and was originally supposed to include built-in Powerline networking in all the Q-badged devices (Hub, main box, Mini boxes and boosters)

https://www.advanced-television.com/2016/01/26/airties-supercharges-sky-q-wi-fi-devices/

Re: Sky Q connection witch craft

Michaelsk — Wed, 26 Feb 2025 18:53:48 GMT

Managed to get a spare TP LINK device up and configured.

Went into the engineering menu on the main box, disabled 2.4 and 5, then set up as wired

Went to mini disabled 2.4 and 5, did nothing else and it connected with out configuration of the network???

I dare not touch anything now.

How can I product be implemented so poorly using non standard protocols???

Re: Sky Q connection witch craft

TimmyBGood — Wed, 26 Feb 2025 19:30:51 GMT

@Michaelsk wrote:

How can I product be implemented so poorly using non standard protocols???

Q was specified a decade ago when such things were far less common, home networks much simpler and average broadband considerably slower.