Help re installing SKY+HD box

[Terry Pinnell]

A friend (OAP, zero tech savvy) phoned me seeking help. He had a SKY+
box delivered, replacing his old SKY box. He says it "works fine but
does not connect to the internet, so can't use catchup".

I'll get over there asap, of course, but I want to phone him back with a
few basic questions first. Then I can do a bit of research - otherwise
blind leading blind. I have SKY+HD myself but I remember little about
its installation a few years ago. Pretty sure it was by a SKY engineer,
who also added a second dish cable. My friend's new box simply arrived
by postal delivery, no engineer.

I'd much appreciate suggestions for such questions please, couched as
non technically as possible. My opening three are:

1. Does your router have a Button marked 'WPS'?

2. Does your SKY+ box have a Button marked 'WPS'?

[I'm hoping both, as the installation steps then seem relatively simple
from a glance at the green 2015 booklet I've found, "Install: your new
Sky+HD box in 6 simple steps".]

3.How many cables from the satellite dish are connected to the back of
the SKY box?

[If it's one, I'm assuming I should tell him he will still be able to
record only one channel, as he can at present? Are 'two cables' not part
of the SKY+HD upgrade?]

And one question of my own, probably a daft one: does his smart TV play
no part at all in the installation process? IOW, do I need to research
his Panasonic TV network settings too?

Terry, East Grinstead, UK

[JNugent]

There is only one cable connecting the dual-LNB of the dish to my Sky+HD
box.

Has your friend had the upgrade from single to dual-LNB? If he hasn't,
he won't be able to receive more than one Sky channel at a time. The
whole idea of Sky+ (let alone Sky+HD) is that you can watch one channel
and record another, or record two at once.

The cable, BTW, contains more than one signal path and a Sky+HD box will
tune and record two channels at once. However, watch out for
difficulties at on-the-hour programme junctions if there is a chance
that the machine will try to record from three channels for a minute or
so. It might try, but it won't succeed.

There's no essential need to do anything to the TV. Assuming you use a
HDMI input, selecting that will be the only step necessary for watching
TV via the Sky box.

But of course, you might as well have the Freview tuner of the TV set-up
for reception.

And if it's a modern smart TV, connecting it to the router (whether by
ethernet or wi-fi) will enable use of the BBC iPlayer (and maybe ITV
Hub, All4 and My5) independently of the Sky box, which is a bit like
being able to record (or at least, replay) an extra channel in additioin
to the two on the Sky box.

[NY]

"JNugent" <jnu...@mail.com> wrote in message
news:fsr4jf...@mid.individual.net...

> On 06/08/2018 15:19, Terry Pinnell wrote:
>> A friend (OAP, zero tech savvy) phoned me seeking help. He had a SKY+
>> box delivered, replacing his old SKY box. He says it "works fine but
>> does not connect to the internet, so can't use catchup".

Leaving aside the number of satellite cables and whether he has dual LNB,
let's concentrate on the network connection issue.

If he connects the Sky box to the router by Ethernet, does the Network tab
on the Sky menu (which I think is under Settings) report an IP address,
subnet mask and gateway address, of the form 192.168.1.30, 255.255.255.0 and
192.168.1.1 respectively? As opposed to those fields being blank or the IP
being 169.x.x.x (for some value x)?

If he connects by wifi, does he see his network name (SSID) in the list of
available networks. Does he get a "connected" message (or an error message)
when he types in his WPA Key (the SSID and WPA are often printed on a
sticker and/or removable tab on the router? Assuming he gets a Connected
message, does he get an IP, Subnet and Gateway as for Ethernet?

I presume his internet is working for all other devices connected by
Ethernet and wifi - worth checking...


Separately from this, there is the side issue of one or two satellite
cables, and single/dual LNB dish, but that won't affect whether or not he
can do catchup - only whether he can simultaneously record two different
channels at once or watch one and record another. Strictly speaking, I
presume a Sky or Freesat can record multiple channels even with a single
cable/LNB as long as they are all on the same multiplex - or whatever the
equivalent of a Freeview multiplex is for satellite - in the same way that a
Freeview box or PC with Freeview adaptor and software can record multiple
channels as long as they are on the same mux.

[Woody]

"Terry Pinnell" <t.pi...@btinternet.com> wrote in message
news:ahlgmdtonj2033va0...@4ax.com...

WPS is only used for wi-fi connection which a Sky+ (and Sky+HD) box
does not have - it can only be connected by ethernet cable to the
router.

If your friend is on subscription then he will be able to record which
will need two cables from the two ports of the LNB to the two F-type
connectors on the back of the Sky+ box. If he is not on subscription
(i.e. is effectively using Freesat-from-Sky) then unless he pays £10pm
to Sky he will not be able record and one cable will suffice.

If your friend has a smart TV then it is capable of getting catchup
and a few other things in its own right and he will not need an
ethernet to the Sky box. However if he has Sky subscription he will
have access to the Sky library (boxed sets etc) so the box will need
an Ethernet connection for him to access them. The TV may have wi-fi
capability or need a wi-fi dongle plugged in, but all smart TVs have
an Ethernet cable connection which is always the better option.


--
Woody

harrogate3 at ntlworld dot com

[NY]

"Woody" <harro...@ntlworld.com> wrote in message
news:pk9q3l$m3j$1...@dont-email.me...

> WPS is only used for wi-fi connection which a Sky+ (and Sky+HD) box does
> not have - it can only be connected by ethernet cable to the router.

I must admit I never investigated wifi on our Sky box, because I laid on an
Ethernet feed (using the dreaded powerline adaptors...). And we don't have a
dish at the house I'm temporarily living in at the moment, so the Sky box is
packed up in a crate and I can't connect it to a TV to look. But I'm
surprised that it doesn't have wifi. I thought most network-connectable
equipment these days would give you the option of both (apart from small
devices like phones and tablets where you *only* get wifi).

[Terry Pinnell]

Many thanks for all three replies so far. However, as I'm having trouble
understanding some of their content myself, I'm afraid my friend would
have no chance!

Some specifics:

"And if it's a modern smart TV, connecting it to the router (whether by
ethernet or wi-fi) will enable use of the BBC iPlayer (and maybe ITV
Hub, All4 and My5) independently of the Sky box, which is a bit like
being able to record (or at least, replay) an extra channel in additioin
to the two on the Sky box."

That's a revelation, thanks, never tried that. I'll experiment on my
Panasonic.

--------------------

"I presume his internet is working for all other devices connected by
Ethernet and wifi - worth checking..."

Yes, his wife's laptop and iPad both have wifi internet access via the
router.

--------------------

"WPS is only used for wi-fi connection which a Sky+ (and Sky+HD) box
does not have - it can only be connected by ethernet cable to the
router."

?? Mine has a WPS button and is connected wirelessly. The instructions
in the booklet I mentioned give the steps to do so.

--------------------

Terry, East Grinstead, UK

[Woody]

"Terry Pinnell" <t.pi...@btinternet.com> wrote in message

news:fmugmdl7gg1o58ei8...@4ax.com...

Ah, but are you using a Sky+ box or the later Sky+HD neither of which
had built-in wi-fi originally - unless Sky have changed it of course?

[Terry Pinnell]

"I have SKY+HD ..."

"...its installation a few years ago."

[Peter Crosland]

On 06/08/2018 15:19, Terry Pinnell wrote:

It might sound blindingly obvious but why does he no ask the SKy help
line? I have found them ost helpful.


--
Peter Crosland

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