Sky Ultrafast Plus with Sky Q/Sky Mini/Booster (not a good mix) - help!

[Fibre+Man]

After years of patiently tracking the rollout of FTTP, it finally became available at my address a few weeks ago (installed earlier this week).   I opted to go with Sky for FTTP,  taking the 'Ultrafast Plus' (500mb) package.   Prior to this, I had been on Sky's Superfast (80mb) package for many years & I've had Sky TV since as far back as 1989 (Analogue/Sky Digital/Sky Plus/Sky Q since launch)....so I guess you could call me an early adopter and a loyal Sky customer 😊

So, the FTTP experience.  It started well (a quick and clean install).   Straight after the install, I plugged a laptop into one of the Ethernet ports on the Sky router & ran a speed test, which reported 520mb download/60mb upload (perfect)

However, the FTTP experience via Wireless leaves a lot to be desired.   I work in IT & I am tech savvy enough to know that I should not expect to receive the maximum speeds via a Wireless connection...but the speeds via Wireless are not much better than my previous 'Superfast' service (I could get 70mb via Wireless on Superfast and am now getting 70mb to 100mb via Wireless on Ultrafast Plus)

Thing is though, when I power off my Sky Q box/2 x Sky Mini/Sky Booster, the speed via Wireless jumps to 500mb on the ground floor & even 300mb+ on the top floor (it is a 3 storey property). So basically, I am paying for Ultrafast Plus (more expensive than the 150mb regular Ultrafast), but I am being impacted negatively (in terms on broadand speed via WiFi) for the pleasure of paying Sky for their TV service!

I don't want to go through the hassle of sourcing a 3rd party router (I have Sky Talk, so need to use the Sky Router).  Although I have a Sky Booster, I don't actually need it (a Sky engineer fitted it years ago to help the signal reach a Sky Mini box on the 3rd floor, but the Mini works fine with the booster turned off).  Thinking the 'solution' could be to ditch the booster and swap Sky Q/2 x Sky Mini for 3 x Sky Stream Puck, but, this will no doubt mean an increase in what I am paying to Sky every month & I am conscious that Sky Stream is not an upgrade to Sky Q (Stream still has some teething problems and in some ways is an inferior service to Sky Q)

Can anyone help?  Is there a known fix to the 'Sky Q kills my WiFi speed' problem?  Are Sky aware of this issue?  Given the circumstances, if the only solution is to swap from Q to Sky Stream, I do feel that Sky should at least allow Ultrafast Plus customers take a Sky Stream package for the same price that they were paying for the equivalent package via Sky Q

Regarding my current set up.  The Sky Q box / 2 x Mini / 1 x Booster connect to my Sky Router via Wireless (are not connected via Ethernet)

Any thoughts/comments/suggestions welcomed

[jamesn123]

@Fibre+Man 

There is no 'issue' thats just the nature of mesh networks, especially ones like Sky Q that are based on old tech & hardware. Your cheapest & easiest option is to just connect a WiFi AP to your Sky hub and use that for WiFi. Changing over to Sky Stream to solve the issue is a bit overkill, especially if you dont think it'll be an actual upgrade for you. 

Sky are currently developing a WiFi 6 router to suit their ultrafast packages however there is no known release date for it at the moment. 

[TimmyBGood]

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@jamesn123 wrote:

@Fibre+Man 

Sky are currently developing a WiFi 6 router to suit their ultrafast packages however there is no known release date for it at the moment. 

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Strictly speaking that's already here, but only for Business Connect subscribers.

It's probably reasonable to assume the domestic version will lose all but one of those green 'Phone' ports.

[Fibre+Man]

Yes, would be keen to get one of the Sky WiFi 6 Routers once they are released (pretty sure I read somewhere that the domestic version will be White?)

[JPR007]

@Fibre+Man The Sky Q mesh is rather antiquated these days given the foundations for it were laid almost a decade ago.

What also doesn't help is if you have any Q boxes connected via Ethernet.
The mini boxes only have 10/100 Ethernet ports, not gigabit (which is only on the latest V3 main boxes), so if the mesh is utilising a cabled link to transmit data (how the Sky Q mesh routes data is one of those mysteries of the universe), it's effectively throttled to no more than about 90Mb of throughput. 

This is rearing its head more and more as the uptake of FTTP grows. 

[Fibre+Man]

@JPR007 yes, I agree that the Sky Q mesh system is now somewhat dated (scary how time flies, 'Sky Q' and its Mesh capability sounded cutting edge back in 2016, which does not feel that long ago to me!).  I think it is the fact that Sky Q is now  starting to its age (& limitations) that is prompting me to consider ditching SkyQ and moving over to Sky Stream (I suspect that Sky Q will gradually be phased out over the remainder of this decade in favour of Stream)

But the conundrum is that Stream is not yet the product which it will hopefully become in the future.  Reports I have read indicate that the hardware is underpowered.  Will we see a 'higher spec' Stream Puck (better processor, more memory?)  anytime soon?  If only Stream was available on H/W of similar spec to the latest Apple TV...or better still, an App on Apple TV

FYI - none of my Sky devices are connected via Ethernet

[Chrisee]

@Fibre+Man as someone who made the step from Q to Stream/Glass early on I can report that with proper setup the system is now stable and works well. There is a lot of ill informed comment on hardware but having used Amazon, Roku and Apple's equivelant kit while the Stream units are not up to the standard of a Apple TV 4k box which cost 5 to 8 times, the picture quality and operation are equivelant to the other competition and to the native apps on my main LG OLED. The chance Sky will launch an Apple TV equivelant is zero. 

My 3 Stream units and Glass TV are networked using wifi and need rebooting less frequently than the Q boxes they replaced My wifi uses 3 Deco units operating in access point mode I decided I did not need wifi 6 so stuck with wifi 5. This setup gives me the full 500Mb/s in my main living area dropping to 200Mb/s at the most distant point. The maximum bandwidth UHD video streaming can use is around 30Mb/s. 

Sky's Entertainment OS is a work in progress but they have made considerable progress but is definitely is a bit of a shock coming from a system like Q. I tell people forget recording as a concept as in the most part you access programming from the huge on-demand library held by the channel catch up apps or from Sky's own channels which are searchable using voice. There were issues with content, especially sport. not appearing rapidly after broadcast but that seems to be being solved. There are a few other gotchas like some of the smaller niche channels being missing including the shopping channels (yipee) so do check before you buy.

[TimmyBGood]

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@Fibre+Man wrote:

 (pretty sure I read somewhere that the domestic version will be White?)

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Probably not: that would break the Sky convention that Hubs are black and their matching boosters are white.

[Fibre+Man]

@TimmyBGood I hope it is Black.  Only reason for thinking it may be White is a reference to the WiFi6 Router in the comments section of an article published over at ISPReview on 4th March.  The article is about Sky starting to sell the 900mb service again.  In the comments section of the article, as part of a longer comment, someone mentions:

'A friend who works for Sky is testing a White Wi-Fi 6 hub (looks like the existing Hub 4, just in white) and my iPhone 14 on 160MHz gets 800mbps+ at their house'

https://www.ispreview.co.uk/index.php/2023/03/sky-broadband-uk-start-selling-900mbps-gigafast-plan-a... 

Obviously, it. could just be someone posting rubbish, but it caught my eye, as I am patiently awaiting the release of the WiFi6 Router & assumed it would be black (White is not going to look good with my decor/set up 😂).   Hoping it is nonsense & it will turn out to be Black