What network protocol does the Sky Go app use for the Virtual Remote function?

[kevpatts]

I have a vLan segmented home network and my phone is on a different vLan and wifi network as the Sky Q box. Even though I have broadcast messages being replayed between the networks (which is working cause Apply AirPlay is working from my phone) the Sky Go app doesn't show the remote control icon.

Does the app use broadcast packets from the box or some kind of subnet scan to find the Sky Q box?

[lettice]

Sky Go in at home mode, talks to the Sky Q main box via a path through to the Sky Q own hidden mesh (as the Sky Q mini boxes also use to share/connect).

So you would need to be on the same wifi network.

As from when I remember when having Sky Q, that the Virtual remote control (on iPad Sky Go) only worked when within the same wifi network as the Sky Q box, for it to be available.

[kevpatts]

Unfortunately this doesn't answer the question. I'm looking to know the networking protocol that used by this service.

This answer seems to say that the phone needs to be connected to the hidden mesh network that the Sky Q box creates but the phone can only be connected to one wifi network at a time, which is my home WiFi.

Also, I connected my phone to the same WiFi network as the Sky Q box and the icon in the app still doesn't appear.

[Chodley]

Probably something proprietary, maybe even over udp

[LGW100]

@kevpatts    Seeing this thread with interest, as I am considering creating a vlan to put the skyq/mini boxes on and had the same question before I jumped in and attempted it....   Did you ever get the SkyGo app working as the wife uses it on her ipad, so if it wont/cant work, then I will need to re-think doing it ?.    Thanks

[kevpatts]

No, I didn't get it working, I never got an answer to this question and I haven't had the time to do network packet traces, etc to try to diagnose the problem. The Sky Go apps works, just the virtual remote function doesn't.

[LGW100]

@kevpatts   

Ahh, right ok, missed the point that it was jsut in relation to the remote.  So if I may ask, as this will be the first time I have played with vlans in home setup, were there any challenges in getting the Sky q boxes and sky go app working ?  Also, what are you running it over ?   

Thanks.

[PhilTheDoc]

I picked up this thread as I've just bumped into the same problem, wanting to watch F1 pre-season testing on my desktop PC - and I can't. I have several VLANs  based on Synology routers and mesh, and the Sky Q box and mini-boxes cause network meltdown. My initial problem was just getting the Sky Q box home screen to work when the box was on a VLAN - I managed it with Synology's help, but plugging a mini box into the ethernet socket of one of the satellite synology mesh boxes brough the entire network to its knees and nothing would work. I couldn't fence off the Sky hardware on a VLAN - it still interfered with network speed and the most noticable thing (apart from everything slowing down) was the impact on wi-fi calling via a mobile phone (we're in a poor signal area) - we sounded like daleks to callers. The Sky Q box would also cause a managed switch to fail. Unplug it and everything works fine.

Eventually what I had to do was have the Sky Q box and the mini on the default network in the Synology router, and put absolutely every other device in VLANs. It works, but only if the mini is connected to the Q box's wi-fi - it won't work plugged into an ethernet socket on one of the mesh devices (I was hoping it would connect through the backhaul channel, but no joy). I was planning to analyse everything with Wireshark to see what the Sky hardware was doing to be so problematic, but its working now so I can't be bothered! I just can't use Sky Go unless I connect the desktop to the same LAN as the Sky kit.

It seems that Sky's networking infrastructure is "proprietary" - from my point of view it's impenetrably problematic.

If you manage to get things working do please share - I've spent hours and hours of time on this with little success.

[kevpatts]

Thanks for this insight. To tell you the truth I gave up. Sky are not forthcoming about their networking. They just assume everyone will have a "simple" network. I'm going to submit a support ticket I think, but I'm not expecting to get anywhere.

One thing I have done in the mean time is integrate Home Assistant with Sky Q and that works well. https://github.com/RogerSelwyn/Home_Assistant_SkyQ_MediaPlayer. You can see whats playing, change channels, etc. but it wouldn't stream I don't think. This is sufficient for me currently and I haven't delved into the source code to see how it works.

[TimmyBGood]

---

@PhilTheDoc wrote:

It seems that Sky's networking infrastructure is "proprietary" - from my point of view it's impenetrably problematic.

---

As mentioned elsewhere, it's an early and proprietary 'mesh with QoS' system licensed by Sky from AirTies a decade ago, and was originally intended to include built-in Powerline networking (which was never officially activated and disappeared from later software and hardware revisions for reasons which remain unpublicised)

https://www.advanced-television.com/2016/01/26/airties-supercharges-sky-q-wi-fi-devices/ 

Given Sky under Comcast ownership appears to be planning for the end of satellite television, Q is now a dead-end as far as development is concerned.  Glass television sets and and Stream pucks are simple network client devices with no mesh functionality: all their clever stuff is server-side.

[TimmyBGood]

---

@kevpatts wrote:

Sky are not forthcoming about their networking. 

---

Which tends to be the case with licensed proprietary technology.  Realistically frontline support will have no idea how it works, and those above them who do are NDA'd.