Sky+ HD box losing the internet connection

[anniep2012]

For the last five days, my box has refused to connect to the internet until I've gone through the fag of unplugging the box, going upstairs,  unplugging the router, waiting for a minute, plugging the router in, waiting for full initialisation, going downstairs, plugging box in and waiting for initialising. Then it works.

I thought it was  maybe happening because the box was set to go into standby overnight so I changed it to never go off. Switched on today, internet was connected so I thought yippee, cracked it!  No such luck. It kept losing connection and I missed the recording of two shows, they went to pause but never carried on. Am I supposed to go through this rigmarole every day or is there any way of fixing this properly and permanently?

Help would be appreciated but please don't start advising too much technical stuff. I had a look at connecting manually after pressing the red button to reset and nothing happened. The manual setting instructions went over my head because I've no idea where to find the required information.

anniep

[Mark39]

@anniep2012  glad to see your post has been released from the forum's referral queue  🙂

This is probably happening because of a deterioration in the wifi signal reaching your Sky box. That can happen at any time because of interference from other nearby wifi devices, or from electrical devices. You may be able to resolve it by changing the wifi channel your broadband router is using. That involves a bit of technical tinkering, but if you have Sky broadband, there's a guide on how to do it here. The process will be similar for broadband from other service providers. Alternatively, give Sky a call.

[anniep2012]

Thanks for your reply Mark. I have tried changing the channel to 2 and it seems to have worked for the moment. It was certainly a lot easier than all that plodding up and down the stairs! The test will be when I switch the TV on tomorrow. If the connection is lost again, I'll be back!

Thank you for your help, you're my hero for the time being!

AnnieP

[Mark39]

Good to hear @anniep2012 🙂

You may have to try several wifi channels before finding a reliable one. Some of the wifi channels overlap so the main ones to try are 1,6 and 11 as they're all quite separate. After those, 3 and 9 as they overlap least. Having said that, if 2 works,, stick with that!

[anniep2012]

Well, here I am again! When I changed the channel to 2 it worked for one day and since then, I've had to change the channel number every day. I have now tried 1, 2, 3, 6, 9 and 11. Today it's on 4. Every time I've altered the channel the connection stays okay for the rest of the day but the next morning when I switch the TV on, the connection has been lost again. The actual internet connection is obviously okay because all my other devices work fine so what exactly is happening? The cynic in me thinks that this may have something to do with Sky and them not wanting to support Sky+ boxes anymore. Do you think it's time for me to contact them?

[Mark39]

Sorry you're still having problems, @anniep2012. Sky are still supporting Sky+, so yes, that's cynical  😉.

What is your Sky box's standby setting? If it's Eco, your Sky box will go into deep sleep mode overnight, and your internet connection will drop. You could try changing it to None or Active, which won't drop your intermet connection and then see if it remains connected into the next day.

Conversely, if it's set to Active or None, try Eco mode. That will make your Sky box automatically restart in the early morning which might kick into reconnecting.

[anniep2012]

Thanks for replying again, I just hope you don't lose patience with me! My box is currently set to ECO but I have changed it a few times during this fiasco. I had a theory that if I stopped it going into standby mode, it may never lose the connection. Wrong! It always drops the connection sometime after switch-off and morning. It's infuriating and although I know I can fix it for the day, it shouldn't be happening at all. I shouldn't need to fiddle with the settings every day so is there anything else you can suggest?

[Mark39]

I'm not one to run out of patience, @anniep2012, but I am running out of ideas, unfortunately! You were obviously thinking along the same lines as I was in relation to the standby setting. In the same vein, if it's not your Sky box restarting that's causing the dropout, I wonder if there's a sleep or an eco mode on your router which turns off its wifi? Failing that, unless it's practicable to connect your Sky box via cable rather than wifi, or to use power line adaptors, I think your best bet is to give Sky a call.

[anniep2012]

Well thanks again Mark but it seems there is no answer 😢  I can't think it's the router because the wifi works on all my other devices. When the box doesn't connect tomorrow morning, I'll just set the channel back to auto and give Sky a ring. You may call me a cynic but what's the betting that Sky Q comes up in the conversation! If they offer a solution, I'll post again, it may help someone else.

[Piper1989]

Have you had any luck? We are also having the same problem and have also though along the lines of the sky Q theory. 

[anniep2012]

Sorry Piper, no luck at all and I haven't rung Sky yet. I tried changing the channel on my router yet again on Thursday and put it on 4. When I switched on yesterday morning, lo and behold, the tv was connected. Yippee thought I, cracked it! Switched on this morning, gone again 😫. I've put it back to AUTO and it's been on all day but I know that tomorrow, it will be disconnected. I can't believe that we are the only 2 people with this problem so I'd love anyone who has had this and found a solution, to please let us know.

[anniep2012]

Well, an update on the ongoing problem that I, and probably many others also, have had with the non-connection to the internet. Today I finally rang Sky to ask if there was any way that this could be resolved permanently. The basic answer is a resounding NO! I was on the phone for a hour with a very helpful and pleasant chap and we went through everything that's happened and everything I've already tried. We decided between ourselves that the problem is probably with the little wi-fi box that is attached to the Sky+ box to enable connection to the internet. They can't provide a new box as they have run out of stocks and they haven't been manufactured for years. So even if a Sky engineer came to the house, there is nothing he could do bar try to persuade me to go for Sky Q. So it seems that I'll just have to carry on re-setting my router every morning because that is the easiest thing to do of all the actions I've taken. Just thought I'd let everyone with the same problem know that there is no chance of getting it resolved because Sky's only answer is to go for Sky Q. Isn't that a surprise!

[oj01]

@anniep2012

Available from Amazon and presumably elsewhere too

Sky Wireless WiFi Adapter Connector SC201 Anytime TV On Demand Sky HD Box https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00PM7NMSS/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_lABpEb3SB1V41

[anniep2012]

Thanks oj10 and I may try that at some point. However, I have put a bid in on the same item on eBay and it's only £18.99. I don't want to pay too much just in case it's not the wi-fi box that's the problem. The one I'm trying for is refurbished but I thought that would be a good starting point. The other thing that the Sky guy thought might work would be to get 2 powerline adapters and have one plugged into the router and one into the sky box. He reckons that that would keep the box connected at all times. The only problem with that is the adapters have to have a dedicated plug socket and I'm a bit short of those!

[anniep2012]

Sorry if this is getting boring but I know that other people have had the same issue and if this helps them, all to the good.

Another update on my issue. I purchased the Sky mini wifi box on eBay for £18.99 and although it is a different model from the one I had, it has completely solved the problem. My connection is now good and doesn't drop at all. I thought when I received the box that is was no good because it only connected to the Sky+ box via USB and I understood that the socket was unable to be used. Not so. Plugged the box in, set the password and away I went.

I hope this helps others and I promise I won't post again unless another problem manifests itself!