Sky Q Minibox Connectivity Issues

[ChrisR99]

I have a strange setup at home, I have my main box in one house and then my sky Q mini box in a bungalow in garden.  The distance between the two is too far to set up using the connection button and I have my broadband through BT.

i cannot get the minibox to connect via wifi even though I've got a network cable that links both houses so i have full strength wifi (same mesh network provided through ubiquiti) in both house and bungalow.  I think this is because it's not sky broadband and the mini box doesn't like a 3rd party ISP.  So what I have done is :-

- got a TP link wifi repeater with an Ethernet port and then just wired that repeater into the minibox via Ethernet 

- gone into special menu to disable the minibox 2.4ghz and 5ghz connections so it's not trying to override the Ethernet with the mesh it wants to create

Despite this the connectivity on it is awful, it constantly judders, like when you have awful connection speed.  I cannot watch even recorded programmes as it just jumps in blocks of seconds and won't play smoothly at all.  On the connection section on the menu the "internet connection" just toggles from a tick to a cross constantly, like it thinks the connection is constantly dropping out but it isn't, I've got a 250mb connection in the room but my sky minibox just cannot accept the connection it's got through the Ethernet. 

its so frustrating, so hoping someone else has this issue and figured out a work around, I've looked for ages for similar issues but can't find anyone with the same.

[ChrisR99]

To distill this down a bit has anyone else got the same issue :-

1.  Main and mini too far to link together 

2.  Not on Sky ISP

3.  Able to use the same wifi mesh network for both boxes but unable to use as an option due to the way the sky boxes try to communicate/function

4.  Noticing on the minibox the network name it's saying it's connected to starts with a "sky" prefix even though you're not actually asking it to connect to any form of sky network but instead proving the connection via an Ethernet connected to a WiFi repeater NOT directly to the main sky box 

[Alison151]

I have almost the same problem except that my two tvs and boxs are in the same house. Sky di help me to do a reset and it lasted for about 3 hours and then started being erratic. 

It s so frustrating and I agree I am paymh for a service I am not getting, and it seems that I am not alone.

[ThePope27]

Could you run an Ethernet down to the bungalow ? Which will solve all your issues,

If that's not possible try a Sky q booster (Sky will send you one FOC) you will have to put it halfway between the main q box and the mini box in the bungalow

In regards to the wireless network showing on the mini boxes being a "sky" network, that's because sky q Mini boxes won't connect via your non sky internet, so it uses the internet from the main box via the mesh the box creates which is why you can see the sky network.

[bemak187]

@ChrisR99SInce you already have ethernet ran to the bungalow forgot about WiFi on the Sky q.  Connect your boxes to the network via ethernet and swich off wifi on them.  If you only have one cable doing down tot he bungalow which is connecting to a wireless access point get a switch and connect the wap to one port and the mini to the other.

[ChrisR99]

Unfortunately I cannot do this, as the ethernet that runs between main house and bunglaow comes out in a little cupboard in bedroom which is in a totally different room to the TV/Sky Q mini box and there is approximately 5 metres distance between the two.  This is why I went with the idea of having the TP Link repeater to wirelessly pick up the WIFI and then run ethernet from that into the sky q mini box, I already disabled both 2.4 and 5ghz wifi on the sky q minibox, so it 'should' just be getting the internet via the ethernet and is essence it is doing the same job.

[ftballman · Accepted solution]

I know I've said it a lot recently with mini box problems, but could you try powerline.

First try would be to just connect bungalow ethernet cable to 1 as the input and the output of the pair would be at the sky box.

I know not everyone will have the same success with powerlines and it brings home wiring into the mix as a variable but I'm not sure what else.

I suppose before any outlay if possible could you try temporarily hooking up the mini to the ethernet cable? But I know this creates its own headaches.

@Alison151 maybe start a new thread with some specifics and some of us may be able to make some suggestions.

[ftballman]

1 thing I didn't notice mentioned either. Is the main q box wired back to the router?

[bemak187]

@ChrisR99  To garden rooms/outdoor buidings anything but ethernet is a bodge to be honest.  I would take the hit and get either another cable ran or move the one you have.  As the post above mentioned you could get some very long patch leads and try the ethernet connection before installing anything perm.  Another option is move to sky stream as that gets rid of the Q mesh rubbish with the pucks connecting directly to the intetnet and not each other but it doesnt have the same featues as Q if recording is important to you.

[ThePope27]

Or if you had Sky+HD in there back in the day you could use that old coax cable for Ethernet over coax.

[ChrisR99]

I don't know who you are but I love you so so much!  Internet over powerline WORKED!  Big win!  From the moment I connected them up I could tell it was better, I can pause and rewind seamlessly, on the network screen the network connection doesn't just toggle on and off, it's just a permanent on.  Cannot explain how much this has driven me mad over the last 2 years!

Thank you a million times 

[ChrisR99]

Hey Alison!  If you also want to try the Internet over powerline as reccomended to me above, the ones i brought were from Amazon :-

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B01G5Q9E0O?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title

they are super easy to set up and they even have 2 Ethernet cables in the pack so you don't need to worry about getting them either!

good luck, if you hadn't have sparked this thread back into life I might not have ever got the help I did over last 24hrs, so thank you as well!