Sky puck freezing or failing to load

[Chelgibbins85]

Hi all our sky puck seems to keep freezing or failing to load programmes/films very regular. It's not all channels though which is strange. We've restarted it and turned off and on numerous times but it's still happening. Its now frozen and the remote isn't functioning so we have to turn it off and on again but then when we try to put the film back on it keeps saying trying to load and does it all over again. For the amount we pay this is very frustrating. Any ideas? Thanks

[skyfan]

same for me just joined Sky Stream a few days ago everyday i have to restart it due to it freezing and failing to load  its a very buggy system and sky really need to fix this.

[lettice]

Having a good local network broadband reach is key to Sky Stream.
Not just broadband speed to your house and router, but for your local network supply via wifi or ethernet, that can be affected in a busy household.

Best way to test is via a network speed test on each of your Pucks.
Launch Netflix on your pucks (you do not need to be logged into it, if you do not use netflix) and scroll down the left menu to Get help.
Choose Check Network.
Would suggest running the test a few times, over say a half hour period during tests.
What is your speed for each puck?

Going out in the latest QS036 software is now a new wifi reporting option.

The QS036 is being rolled out over a month or so period, so you may not have it yet.

You can find this new feature upfront in Settings>Network

It will report a number of differing messages, based on your current wifi connection

Also, it may be suffering from 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, smart meter in home displays, microwaves and the like.
You should be 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 if connected via ethernet.
Set Network standby mode to ON and Overnight power saving toOFF.

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

[Chelgibbins85]

Thanks but I don't think it's down to the wifi as Netflix will work for example but if we want to watch a film on sky cinema or a sky channel it then freezes etc or won't load. I could understand if it was not working for everything but only seems to be hit and miss for sky channels 

[skyfan]

its not down to my network as i have 33MB connection speed i did a test with the netflix app  on sky stream so it is not an issue with that only fix i have found is a restart annoying but nothing else we can do.

[lettice]

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@skyfan wrote:

its not down to my network as i have 33MB connection speed i did a test with the netflix app  on sky stream so it is not an issue with that only fix i have found is a restart annoying but nothing else we can do.

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You are very close to the recommended limit with your speed at your puck.

If it stays at that speed constantly, you may be ok.

But any other internet activity or interference as I've mentioned above within your household may cause issues at times.

[MarkGoldsmith]

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@skyfan wrote:

its not down to my network as i have 33MB connection speed i did a test with the netflix app  on sky stream so it is not an issue with that only fix i have found is a restart annoying but nothing else we can do.

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Actually that may be proving it's the network connection. As the puck has a minimum recommended speed of 25 MB/s ( and 30 for UHD content). What will happen if the speed the puck is getting fails below the minimum is that the puck will likely have issues, even if it fails below the threshold for just a short period.  ( which is why a reboot of the puck solves it - until the internet connection to the puck drops again). 

IF connected by WiFi, local environmental factors will affect WiFi signals and when it weakens or drops the internet speed the puck gets will drop. The key thing about the Sky streaming platform isn't just the internet speed you get to your property but also the strength and stability of that connection between your router and the sky puck.

[lettice]

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@Chelgibbins85 wrote:

Thanks but I don't think it's down to the wifi as Netflix will work for example but if we want to watch a film on sky cinema or a sky channel it then freezes etc or won't load. I could understand if it was not working for everything but only seems to be hit and miss for sky channels 

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Live TV or On demand is what needs the recommended speeds and will be more problematic in its need for a reliable and interference free connection than any of the apps.

The apps do have a lower speed threshold and will generally work and cause less issues.

[GD1]

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@skyfan wrote:

its not down to my network as i have 33MB connection speed i did a test with the netflix app  on sky stream so it is not an issue with that only fix i have found is a restart annoying but nothing else we can do.

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I would disagree your low speed is almost certainly a factor here, 33 mbps is simply borderline for HD on stream, if you also using your broadband for other uses this will further reduce any available bandwidth, this is why you're struggling with the puck.

Sky Stream works over broadband, so there’s no need for an engineer visit or a Sky dish.

Minimum recommended broadband speeds apply and might change depending on your package. We’ll recommend these before you place your order.

You may need faster speeds to get the best experience. Especially when watching in UHD or streaming on more devices at the same time with the Whole Home pack. For more info, see Broadband speeds explained. We also recommend a fibre broadband connection.

If you’re with another broadband provider, we recommend you check your broadband speeds with them.

Recommended minimum broadband speed of 25Mbps. Or 30Mbps if you add an extra Sky Stream puck or to watch in UHD.

[Gio8]

Same happening to us. We only ordered Sly Stream yesterday and its very irritating. It hasn't let us watch any tv, when we try to click into a channel it freezes and then turns off prompting us to do a hard reset where we have to re input all our details and reconnect to WiFi and connect the puc to our account etc. Something doesn't add up. Our WiFi is with BT and speed is 76 mbps. Is this enough?

[Chelgibbins85]

We have full fibre and speed is 280mbps so don't think it's down to speed for us

[MarkGoldsmith]

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@Chelgibbins85 wrote:

We have full fibre and speed is 280mbps so don't think it's down to speed for us

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It still could be if you are connected via WiFi and have network interference.

[skyfan]

i have taken the plonge and got Sky Fibire 500 installed  and i don't regreat it it is brillient and really fast.

[lettice]

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@skyfan wrote:

i have taken the plonge and got Sky Fibire 500 installed  and i don't regreat it it is brillient and really fast.

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Good to hear

Enjoy!

[Chelgibbins85]

We have the full fibre and speeds of over 200 and we've also no connected the puck through an ethernet cable and it still happens so must be the puck as there is no issues with the connection as we can watch everything fine when not watching through the puck. So frustrating