Downloading from Sky Q using a Vodafone Huawei 4G router.

[jerry+m]

I have a Huawei 4G router and Sky Q and I can't download any content from Catch Up or On Demand. I've read different threads on this and have not found a solution. Sky says it's the 4G router and Vodafone are not helpful.

any comments would be much appreciated. I'm in Ireland 

[Rhonny]

@jerry+m

Go to Settings / Setup / Network / Advanced, and select Set Manually. This brings up a screen populated with numbers. If DNS Server says something like 192.168.0.1, change it to 1.1.1.1 and press Confirm. It will drop out for a few secs while it reconnects. Once reconnected, turn the box off at the wall for 30 secs, then back on again and let it reboot fully. See if that helps.

If it does, repeat on any mini boxes. 

[jerry+m]

I tried that, thanks, but no joy. I get either one of two messages

failed no subscription

remote network problem

all Sky have said is you can't download content using mobile 4G broadband 

[ftballman]

Jerry, I'm in the same boat as you. Unfortunately it's a combo that doesn't seem to work very well.

After trying and trying, I have downloaded the odd thing but it's usually the exception than the norm. It will cycle through the errors  of no sub, network problem and sometimes even just "failed".

[jerry+m]

Thanks. Any joy with Sky on this ? 

[DPL1981]

Nonsense from Sky.

I had an issue with my broadband, and Vodafone let me have unlimited data on my mobile to use as a WiFi hotspot with the Sky Q. Worked like a dream - better than the old broadband. It was 4g, and great.

[Chrisee]

@DPL1981 you are correct there is no technical reason why mobile data broadband cannot be used with Sky Q. Satellite broadband can't be used because of the extreme latency issues but many people like yourself use 4G routers. Sky reps tend to confuse the two unfortunately and give misleading advice..

Think @Rhonny  is on the correct lines with changing the DNS settings as mobile providers like Vodafone tend to use caching where they store copies of common files on their servers to save bandwidth. Q does not like this and failing if it cannot contact Sky's own servers. Changing the DNS server on the Q box as he suggested normally gets round this issue. Users can try 8.8.8.8 or 8.8.4.4 those addresses are Google's public DNS service. Which I find are more reliable than Cloudfare on 1.1.1.1. 

However this page  explains how to make the change on the Huwaei unit rather than the Q box which is a better solution as it will help if other devices hit issues. Vodaphone's dodgy DNS seems a known issue.

[jerry+m]

Thanks for this Chrisee. I've changed the address on the main box and mini boxes to 8.8.8.8 and had some initial luck with one download but its back to square one now with the usual messages of failed subscription or remote network problem.

I/m not sufficiently IT competent to change the address on the Huawei router settings - had a look but didn't want to take the chance in case I couldn't get it back

Should I try the 8.8.4.4. on the Sky box ?

Many thanks

Jerry

[Shimme]

Posting this on any thread with Mobile 4G/On Demand download Issues:
I live in an area where Vodafone 4G is the only option. My old Sky HD box never had an issue with the On Demand downloads but since getting SkyQ it fails 99% of the time.

This means that it's the On Demand service that is the problem.

I work in IT and am a senior network engineer with 20+ years of experience in troubleshooting network issues as well as working in Mobile networks too.

With 4G connections, your Public IP address will be constantly changing, not just following a restart, but connecting to a different website etc. I could explain in more detail if required.

With Sky Q on demand, there's 3minutes of Sky Ads which comes from one set of data sources before it redirects to another data source for the content. If your IP address changes during this changeover then the download fails.

Unfortunately you cannot purchase a static Public IP with 4G service due to the nature of the service.

Due to specific connectivity I require for work I bought a separate router and used ExpressVPV service which resolves On Demand download issues.

I've since used my ExpressVPN details to test the Vodafone Huawei Router L2TP VPN (for a member of this community) to see if it also resolved the issue and I'm pleased to say I can download without issue.
The configuration for ExpressVPN L2TP on a Huawei Router can be found here:

https://www.expressvpn.com/support/vpn-setup/huawei-router-l2tp/?offer=3monthsfree&offer_code=3c6hjo...

As far as I recall you can sign up for their cheapest package to test, but if it doesn't work for you then you can cancel with a full refund.

L2TP VPN configuration is very simple so can be applied to many different routers - See Express VPN for other manufacturers.

If you need any further details let me know.

[SkyUserCT]

Shimme, you are a legend, thank you very much for posting this fix. 

It works perfectly. You have saved me a lot of frustration and inconvenience.

Sky support hadn't got a clue when I tried to raise this over the phone.

[Shimme]

That's great, glad to hear it worked for you. 😊

[SaintJB]

Hi Shimmie

I was seraching through the community as I have the same issues that you informed about in your post currently.

I am using PureVPN and a Huawei B618 LTE 4G router as access point with a  Netgear Orbi RBR350 mesh with 2 added satallites.

Which model of Huawei royer did you use and as I cannot seem to get my B618 connected to the VPN, either on PPTP or LT2P. I have also raised a support ticket with Pure VPN.

Regards

[CyberFriday]

---

@Shimme wrote:

Posting this on any thread with Mobile 4G/On Demand download Issues:
I live in an area where Vodafone 4G is the only option. My old Sky HD box never had an issue with the On Demand downloads but since getting SkyQ it fails 99% of the time.

This means that it's the On Demand service that is the problem.

I work in IT and am a senior network engineer with 20+ years of experience in troubleshooting network issues as well as working in Mobile networks too.

With 4G connections, your Public IP address will be constantly changing, not just following a restart, but connecting to a different website etc. I could explain in more detail if required.

With Sky Q on demand, there's 3minutes of Sky Ads which comes from one set of data sources before it redirects to another data source for the content. If your IP address changes during this changeover then the download fails.

Unfortunately you cannot purchase a static Public IP with 4G service due to the nature of the service.

Due to specific connectivity I require for work I bought a separate router and used ExpressVPV service which resolves On Demand download issues.

I've since used my ExpressVPN details to test the Vodafone Huawei Router L2TP VPN (for a member of this community) to see if it also resolved the issue and I'm pleased to say I can download without issue.
The configuration for ExpressVPN L2TP on a Huawei Router can be found here:

https://www.expressvpn.com/support/vpn-setup/huawei-router-l2tp/?offer=3monthsfree&offer_code=3c6hjo...

As far as I recall you can sign up for their cheapest package to test, but if it doesn't work for you then you can cancel with a full refund.

L2TP VPN configuration is very simple so can be applied to many different routers - See Express VPN for other manufacturers.

If you need any further details let me know.

---

@Shimme  I get the argument about how changing your ip address can interfere with on demand downloads. But, i have a couple of questions/observations. There would appear to many customers in the same boat based on comments on other threads. But the experience is mixed some say it works fine and others it doesn't. And by the looks of it not everyone is using a vpn. So, why would some work and others not ? 

https://helpforum.sky.com/t5/Sky-Q/Sky-Q-compatibility-with-4G-home-broadband/td-p/3664515

https://helpforum.sky.com/t5/Sky-Q/Best-Mobile-4G-Wifi-Router-That-Works-With-SkyQ/td-p/3525140

And why don't Sky warn customers that mobile broadband won't work with Sky Q ?  And what is unique about how Sky stream this content when other providers stream content over mobile broadband ? 

And i see that three have posted this

https://www.threebroadband.co.uk/swindon/help/hints-and-tips/sky-issue

Not really clear what the issue is. Are they simply blocking traffic on the ports used by Sky Q's streaming. It would appear that they have some router settings that are locked out from the user. Or are they setting up a vpn ? 

Or are the mobile  issues linked to those providers trying to keep their data usage under control ? 

Given the customer interest i'd have thought that one of the Sky employees might give some update on this issue (unless they have done so else where in the community).

[SaintJB]

@CyberFriday 

I was on Virgin Mobile (which uses EE) using a Huawei B618 4g LTE router with no issues.

Unfortunatley Virgin Mobbile switched contracts to Vodafone and I live in an area with poor Vodafone reception so had to leave.

I switched to Smarty (on 3 mobile) and have been having issues ever since with on demand and movies.

I am in the process of getting some assistance to set up a VPN using L2TP on my PureVPN provider as it is not currently working on mu Huawei B618.

[CyberFriday]

---

@SaintJB wrote:

@CyberFriday 

I was on Virgin Mobile (which uses EE) using a Huawei B618 4g LTE router with no issues.

Unfortunatley Virgin Mobbile switched contracts to Vodafone and I live in an area with poor Vodafone reception so had to leave.

I switched to Smarty (on 3 mobile) and have been having issues ever since with on demand and movies.

I am in the process of getting some assistance to set up a VPN using L2TP on my PureVPN provider as it is not currently working on mu Huawei B618.

---

@SaintJB Sky customers shouldn't be out pocket just to access their services. So, they should make it clear when you sign up that there are known issues with using mobile broadband with products like sky q and tell you that you may need to take additional technical steps which could incur extra costs. I notice on the Pure VPN site it states that one of the disadvantages of using a vpn is 

"The anti-VPN measures used by streaming services like Netflix and Hulu are becoming stronger, which means you may have to connect to several servers before you can access the streaming platforms of your choosing"

https://www.purevpn.com/what-is-vpn

And Sky could also be in that mix of content providers who are tightening up on vpn users. So, we need more communication from Sky on the issue of mobile broadband.