Sky hub with wifi 6

[kermitthefrogg]

I was reading that sky has a new hub for business customers , Router Specs
– Model Number: BR440
– Manufactured by Arcadyan
– Ethernet Ports: 4 X 1Gbps Ports
– Voice Ports: 4 X Analogue Telephone Ports
– USB: 1 X USB 3.0 Type-A Port
– Wi-Fi: Concurrent dual band Wi-Fi 6 (5GHz and 2.4GHz (802.11ax)) with WPA2-PSK encryption
– External 12V, 3A, 36W AC-DC power supply

is it available for ordinary customer like me ?

[svander1]

Not at this time.  Business accounts only.

[TimmyBGood]

---

@kermitthefrogg wrote:

– Voice Ports: 4 X Analogue Telephone Ports

---

That's the clue it's a business product: this facilitates the option to have four different DDI numbers on BusinessConnect.

https://businessconnect.sky.com/products-and-services/voice/ 

I suspect if a domestic version emerges it won't have this feature.

[Chimpishuk]

I'm thinking of moving to the sky business product.  A sales rep is calling me on Monday to discuss the options.  I'm an IT consultant working 99% remotely and I am very dependent on internet reliability, uptime, 4g backup and a quicker response time in the event of line issues.  I'm an FTTP Gigafast customer (residental) at present.  I'm unsure if there is a migration path from a Sky residential circuit to a business line.  Sky business have said they cannot provide two fibre lines to the same address. Anyone have any experience with this? 

[TimmyBGood]

---

@Chimpishuk wrote:

 reliability, uptime, 4g backup and a quicker response time in the event of line issues.  

---

Worth noting that reliability will be the same as domestic FTTP and Openreach response time no better: realistically that pricing is much too low for anything else.  The main advantage is the 4G failover and the WiFi 6 Hub: 'leased line' business features such as guaranteed 12 or 24 hour and weekend response  would cost at least five times as much.

[Chimpishuk]

I really wish Sky would hurry up with the roll-out of a WiFi 6 router for residential customers.  I'm getting a fairly consistent 900mbps when using ethernet.  

Alternatively, I suppose I could opt for a mesh system as I have cat6 datapoints in a few rooms.  

And yes, I'm aware of the tardiness of openreach (and their subcontractors) but I would've thought the response time SLA's/OLA's would be better as a business customer. 

In my view Sky should've really offered a variant of the BR440 (ideally with support for 4g backup) to residential customers signing up to gigafast.

Guess we're going to be left dangling until the end of Q3 2023 for further info.  I keep looking out for a BR440 review on YouTube but I haven't come across anything yet.  

[TimmyBGood]

---

@Chimpishuk wrote:

I would've thought the response time SLA's/OLA's would be better as a business customer. 

---

If it were, Sky would be headlining it, but as the pricing is essentially the same as their domestic products they just can't afford to pay Openreach for a higher service tier.  

[Chimpishuk]

@TimmyBGood 

Sky business haven't actually confirmed the price of upgrading any of the business packages to 1GB. So it's unclear on the cost compared to residential Gigafast.  If it is a similar price I will upgrade to get the Wifi6 router and the 4g backup. 

If it's an obscenely priced upgrade I'll wait until Q3/Q4 for the residential router.  I just hope it's a free upgrade for Gigafast customers.

[TimmyBGood]

@Chimpishuk 

https://business.sky.com/deals/ 

suggests £45 pcm for 900Mbs, but note it's a longer minimum term than the domestic product, presumably to cover the cost of the 'better' hardware. 

For contrast, our BT Business FTTP 300/30 leased line with a guaranteed 12 hour response is north of £180pcm.

[Chimpishuk]

@TimmyBGood 

Thanks for the link.  That price is not bad at all.  The next hurdle is can I actually convert from residential to business. 

Sky business sales are calling me on Monday morning.  The rep I spoke to via the business chat seemed to indicate it's possible. 

[TimmyBGood]

@Chimpishuk 

Sky Business Broadband is a bit of a weird one, because, as I said, it's essentially the domestic broadband products but with different hardware and some Comcast services such as virtual PBX telephony as options.

You might want to check the T&C's though, because originally they appeared to rule out 'normal' domestic use and were clearly intended for business premises rather than working from home.

[Chrisee]

@Chimpishuk I doubt there is a formal migration route from Sky's domestic operation and Sky business as the two operate pretty much independently therefore unless Sky release you from contract you may have cancellation charges if you are still in the minimum 18 month contract period.

Sky have never allowed a second broadband contract at one residential address so people needing a second line buy from a different isp which is often a safer option if needing continuity. 

[Chimpishuk]

@TimmyBGood 

The business sales rep I chatted with said the following after I confirmed my postcode and address:

1.  Sky can supply business broadband to my address. 

2.  The business line would replace the residential line.  As it's FTTP, it would be a self install.  They would send out the router and  4G dongle.  (I think there is a one off cost of £12 for the delivery)

3.  When I confirmed that I was a consultant, it did not matter that I didn't supply a business name. 

I just had a scan over the T&C's and I don't see anything about the type of building causing an issue. The T&C's do mention an extra cost for a static IP which I'd opt in for.  

[Chimpishuk]

@Chrisee I definitely wouldn't want want two lines.  Although technically I do have better options than most as I have:

1.  Openreach FTTP.

2.  Virgin Cable to the prem.

I don't like Virgin, I've had terrible customer service in the past along with notoriously underpowered hardware (mediatek CPU's) they overheat easily.  Their packet shaping is some of the worst I've seen.  

If there isn't an official upgrade path from Sky residential to Sky Business I'm guessing I'll have to pay the exit fee.  I don't know what that would actually cost (hopefully it's not the monthly cost x remaining contract months) 

I'll keep this thread updated with the progress.  If I do manage to order I will do a YouTube video review on the hardware - assuming that isn't a breach of T&C's.

[TimmyBGood]

---

@Chimpishuk wrote:

I don't know what that would actually cost (hopefully it's not the monthly cost x remaining contract months) 

---

Pretty much that, but with a couple of reductions.

We take the monthly charge for products you have, then deduct:

The business costs we save because we’re no longer providing you with your service(s), and;

A discount for accelerated receipt – a discount reflecting the fact that we receive one lump sum payment, rather than a staggered payment made over the length of your subscription period.

If you have a discount on your monthly subscription, we’ll deduct this amount from the ETC rate, then multiply your revised figure by the remaining days and months of your minimum term to work out your final early termination charge.

https://www.sky.com/help/articles/charges-for-ending-your-sky-contract-early