Sky Q TV Box Broadcasts same SSID as Sky WIFI Router

[Paul+Zip]

Sky Q Boxes seem to act as an access point / hot spot (probably for Sky Mini Box relaying), re-broadcasting the same SSID as the Sky Wifi Router they connect to.  However, this causes several network issues. On occasions where the signal between a Wifi card and the Sky Router drops to the level which triggers Wifi cards to go roam (can be due to other interferences), Wifi can and will instead connect to the Sky Q Box.  If I'm working from home, this causes RDP to drop out immediately and this happens infuriatingly frequently.

This is a REALLY poor design by Sky for several reasons:

1. There's no way in Windows to connect to BSSID (an SSID Mac address), so no way to avoid it.
2. There seems to be no way that I can find to switch off SSID broadcasting in the Sky Q settings.
3. There's no way to change the SSID Sky Q uses.
4. Switching off Wifi bands in Sky Q stops it connecting to the internet
5. Switching off Wifi bands does not seem to stop the SSID relay broadcasting.

Although some may suggest connecting via ethernet, in my case that isn't an option.

Oh for anyone who is wondering, I only diagnosed this thanks to NirSoft's brilliant "Wifi Info View".  

[TimmyBGood]

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@Paul+Zip wrote:

This is a REALLY poor design by Sky

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You may be a little late to the party: Q television boxes acting as 'wireless hotspots' was a marketing point in early 2016 as a perk for Sky Broadband users who took Sky Q (and vice-versa).  Pragmatically when the system was being designed in 2014-15 this is the only way it could be done, as the alternative would be to present users with multiple SSIDS all requiring setting up on client devices.

[Paul+Zip]

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@TimmyBGood wrote:

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@Paul+Zip wrote:

This is a REALLY poor design by Sky

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You may be a little late to the party: Q television boxes acting as 'wireless hotspots' was a marketing point in early 2016 as a perk for Sky Broadband users who took Sky Q (and vice-versa).  Pragmatically when the system was being designed in 2014-15 it's the only way it could be done, as the alternative would be to present users with multiple SSIDS all requiring setting up on client devices.

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Yes ok, but at least have an option on Sky Q to switch broadcast SSID off, without mangling internet access that Sky Q needs.

[TimmyBGood]

@Paul+Zip 

Given that the current system is in use by millions of households in its current form (not to mention that Q at seven years old is now a mature product) I'd suggest there's approximately zero chance of such a change.

Making the 'hotspot' functionality optional for Sky Broadband users has been raised here many times: if this were going to happen it would have been done by now.  Most Q television users who have a different ISP won't see the functionality as for them it has to be manually activated.

[Paul+Zip]

Yes, I feared I wasn't the first to ask for hotspot to be disabled, and that being ignored. Even in the hidden settings, Sky Q Network options are dumbed down to the lowest common denominator. Sigh...

[Al+St]

Having the same issue and Sky are about to lose a customer because of it.

[Chrisee]

@Al+St as posted above Sky Q was launched in 2016 with what was then a pretty good mesh wifi system. Time has moved on and systems have improved but Sky are very unlikely to re-engineer Sky Q. There are workrounds but fundamentally if you want to connect Q minis by wifi the hotspots remain..

Skys latest Stream platform does not have the same issue and appears to be the likely replacement to Q if as seems likely they stop satellite broadcasting.

[Al+St]

@Chrisee totally agree with what you said.  doubt it would be difficult to allow users to switch off the hotspot option though (i could be wrong!!!)

[TimmyBGood]

@Al+St 

Rather more difficult to find a senior enough executive prepared to sign off on such a thing...

[PCSLIMJIM]

Is mine the only Sky Q box that gives me an option to turn off the hotspot functionality on the mini boxes?