SKY Stream hiccups

[Stoneybloke]

I've had stream for over a year now, and it is still as frustrating as ever. We might have a few stable days but then the problems start again, freezing, random stops and "wait for program to load" messages.

Have to resort to powering off and on, OK for a while, then the sequence starts again. Seriously, is it fit for purpose? I suggest not, as Sky seem incapable of fixing it to provide an acceptable level of service.

[Mark39]

I don't see any of those issues. While there's no doubt the streaming Puck was more than a bit flaky when it was launched, the updates it has received since have signficantly improved both reliability and functionality. I rarely have to restart mine now, whereas it was at least daily in the initial months. I do have reasonably fast and most importantly stable wifi, however and I suspect, if your Puck is connected over wifi, that's likely to be the cause of the issues you're seeing.

[Stoneybloke]

If it's due to WiFi issues why does it work at all? 

[MarkGoldsmith]

---

@Stoneybloke wrote:

If it's due to WiFi issues why does it work at all? 

---

Because the strength and stability of WiFi signals will fluctuate based on numerous environmental factors and the Sky streaming platform requires a strong and stable connection to the internet.

[Stoneybloke]

What are the enironmental issues?

[TimmyBGood]

@Stoneybloke 

The three main ones would be distance, building fabric and interference.

https://www.4gon.co.uk/solutions/technical_factors_affecting_wireless_performance.php 

[Stoneybloke]

It's intermittent. The building doen'tchange.

[MarkGoldsmith]

---

@Stoneybloke wrote:

It's intermittent. The building doen'tchange.

---

So interference from other electrical devices or neighbouring WiFi networks is therefore likely to be the cause.

[Stoneybloke]

How can I guard against the interference?

[lettice]

Having good broadband is key to Sky Stream.
But also positioning of the equipment.

For interference,, the puck much like a Sky Q box can for some customers suffer from this at times. More often seen as an intermittent blip.
Not always a cure, but the following may help to resolve;

Make sure you have a good 6-8 inches free on all sides of the puck.
Do not stack the puck on top of any other device.

Best not to sit it on a glass shelf. Wood is generally the best.

Make sure the puck is in the open, not tucked away in a cabinet or sat directly behind the TV.
Make sure you have no other devices that can cause interference closeby, like cordless phones, radiators, baby monitors, microwaves and the like.
Assume you are using the Sky supplied hdmi cable or a high speed equivalent one.

Plus, change both your pucks to following recommended settings set in Settings>
Turn wifi OFF under Network (f connected via ethernet).
Set Network standby mode to ON and Overnight power saving is OFF.

More information like the above on the Sky FAQ help pages like here from page three;
https://www.sky.com/help/home/sky-tv/sky-tv-stream/fixing-a-problem-sky-stream/fixing-sky-glass-sky-...

[Stoneybloke]

I will give that a try