Upgrading To Sky + and Multiroom

[carlingman]

Hi all,

To cut a long story short, have a problem with TV aerial upstairs so rather than pay for a new aerial etc thought it maybe cheaper to move and upgrade to sky + with multi room but have a few questions.

1. Currently house has one phone point downstairs which has a double splitter - one is feeding cordless phone and other is extension feeding uptairs running my adsl connection via an adsl filter.

Question is as my existing box does not need to be connected to a phone line as it has been installed since year dot and only had to be connected for first 12 months will i need additional splitters if upgrading to multiroom etc and will there be any problems with these additional spltters on my adsl connection.

2. When they install sky + website says they move existing box to new location and put sky + where the old box was - do they split it from the old box location or run a new cable in from the dish location to feed the new box.

3. From their web site it says Sky+ is now just £99 with FREE standard installation (worth £60) when you take a £10 a month Multiroom subscription.

And the Sky+ subscription is free if you have two Sky Premium channels (otherwise £10 per month). A Multiroom subscription is great value at only £10 per month.

Does this mean two premium channels per box or as i am currently on the full package it means two premium channels inclusive i.e. all i would pay is £99 installation and keep my existing subscription and have all the channels on both boxes for a one off fee of £99.


Thanks for any advice in advance.

:D

[Tezcatlipoca]

1. Currently house has one phone point downstairs which has a double splitter - one is feeding cordless phone and other is extension feeding uptairs running my adsl connection via an adsl filter.

Question is as my existing box does not need to be connected to a phone line as it has been installed since year dot and only had to be connected for first 12 months will i need additional splitters if upgrading to multiroom etc and will there be any problems with these additional spltters on my adsl connection.


The new Sky+ box will need to be connected to the phoneline.

The existing Sky box will still need to be connected to the phoneline - although you're well out of the 12 month IDC (Interactive Discount Contract), any box used for Multiroom must still be connected to a phoneline AFAIK.


You will need a microfilter for every single phone socket which is in use. The ADSL modem, the cordless phone, the Sky+ box, the normal Sky box... all must be connected to a microfilter.


Yes, it can affect your ADSL when sharing the wiring with so many other things.


Have you thought about getting a filtered faceplate for your master socket?

Filtered faceplates are used to replace the normal faceplate on a BT NTE5 Master. They have the microfilter built-in, & give you two sockets on the front instead of one - a socket for the phone (like normal, but filtered), but also an RJ11 ADSL socket (unfiltered). They also filter the extension connections on the back (so any hardwired extensions would become filtered at the source). You can get modified filtered faceplates (such as this one (http://www.clarity.it/xcart/product.php?productid=16134&cat=262&page=1) from Clarity (http://www.clarity.it/)), which have an extra bit on the IDC connector at the back, giving the option to run a hardwired unfiltered extension (for ADSL) from the back, as well as a filtered phone extension. Using a filtered faceplate, & having the router connected to the ADSL socket (or unfiltered rear connectors), is the best way to connect.


2. When they install sky + website says they move existing box to new location and put sky + where the old box was - do they split it from the old box location or run a new cable in from the dish location to feed the new box.


They'd need to run new cable for both boxes. The Sky+ box will require two feeds from the LNB on the dish, requiring two cables (although I've read sometimes they use a single multicore cable?), while the existing box would need a cable run from the LNB to its new location.


3. From their web site it says Sky+ is now just £99 with FREE standard installation (worth £60) when you take a £10 a month Multiroom subscription.

And the Sky+ subscription is free if you have two Sky Premium channels (otherwise £10 per month). A Multiroom subscription is great value at only £10 per month.

Does this mean two premium channels per box or as i am currently on the full package it means two premium channels inclusive i.e. all i would pay is £99 installation and keep my existing subscription and have all the channels on both boxes for a one off fee of £99.


Multiroom gives you an exact copy of your sub on another box, for £10/month.

If you have at least 2 Premium channels, then you don't pay the £10/month Sky+ fee.


So if you pay £99 for the Sky+ box & £10/month multiroom, you'll get all your channels on both boxes & get the Sky+ service for free.

---------- Post added at 01:02 ---------- Previous post was at 00:51 ----------

http://www.sky.com/portal/site/skycom/products/equipment/article?contentid=10836203

Various snippets...


Sky+ subscription is free when you subscribe to one or more of Sky Premium mixes i.e. Sky Sports mix, Sky Movies mix, otherwise £10 per month.

Standard installation is £60 for Sky digital subscribers (£120 for non-subscribers).

Multiroom subscription: £10 a month. Provides the same Sky digital channels as your main Sky digital subscription on a second box in another room. You must be a Sky digital subscriber at all times during your Multiroom subscription.

Boxes that receive your first and Multiroom subscription(s) must all be connected to the same fixed telephone line at all times.

Standard installation of your free Sky Box or your Sky+/HD box is free for new and existing customers taking a Multiroom subscription.

General: Your Sky+ box must be connected to a fixed telephone line for 12 months.

[carlingman]

The new Sky+ box will need to be connected to the phoneline.

The existing Sky box will still need to be connected to the phoneline - although you're well out of the 12 month IDC (Interactive Discount Contract), any box used for Multiroom must still be connected to a phoneline AFAIK.


You will need a microfilter for every single phone socket which is in use. The ADSL modem, the cordless phone, the Sky+ box, the normal Sky box... all must be connected to a microfilter.


Yes, it can affect your ADSL when sharing the wiring with so many other things.


Have you thought about getting a filtered faceplate for your master socket?

Filtered faceplates are used to replace the normal faceplate on a BT NTE5 Master. They have the microfilter built-in, & give you two sockets on the front instead of one - a socket for the phone (like normal, but filtered), but also an RJ11 ADSL socket (unfiltered). They also filter the extension connections on the back (so any hardwired extensions would become filtered at the source). You can get modified filtered faceplates (such as this one (http://www.clarity.it/xcart/product.php?productid=16134&cat=262&page=1) from Clarity (http://www.clarity.it/)), which have an extra bit on the IDC connector at the back, giving the option to run a hardwired unfiltered extension (for ADSL) from the back, as well as a filtered phone extension. Using a filtered faceplate, & having the router connected to the ADSL socket (or unfiltered rear connectors), is the best way to connect.





They'd need to run new cable for both boxes. The Sky+ box will require two feeds from the LNB on the dish, requiring two cables (although I've read sometimes they use a single multicore cable?), while the existing box would need a cable run from the LNB to its new location.





Multiroom gives you an exact copy of your sub on another box, for £10/month.

If you have at least 2 Premium channels, then you don't pay the £10/month Sky+ fee.


So if you pay £99 for the Sky+ box & £10/month multiroom, you'll get all your channels on both boxes & get the Sky+ service for free.

---------- Post added at 01:02 ---------- Previous post was at 00:51 ----------

http://www.sky.com/portal/site/skycom/products/equipment/article?contentid=10836203

Various snippets...

:tu: Cheers for that.

Great news on the payment front to sky but not so good news on the face plates and sockets and filters for me.

Face plate looks like a nice idea but guessing BT wont be too happy if i fit them myself ???

Back to the drawing board then although seriously considering sky for all now, phne, adsl and tv and ditching pipex and should save some cash even if i have to go for another line.

:tu:

[Tezcatlipoca]

:tu: Cheers for that.

Great news on the payment front to sky but not so good news on the face plates and sockets and filters for me.

Face plate looks like a nice idea but guessing BT wont be too happy if i fit them myself ???

Back to the drawing board then although seriously considering sky for all now, phne, adsl and tv and ditching pipex and should save some cash even if i have to go for another line.

:tu:



No problem :)


A filtered faceplate is fine to fit yourself - it's part of the "customer side" of the BT installation.

The actual rear part of the BT Master socket is BT's property, & illegal to tamper with.

However, it's OK to re-wire, or even replace, the faceplate.



When I got my Sky Broadband activated, I had noise issues, causing my "up to" 16mbps line to only sync at around 4-5mbps. After disconnecting the ring wire (orange wire, white stripes, terminal 3 on the IDC block on the back of the faceplate), my noise margin went up, & my router was able to sync at around 8-9mbps (can't get any higher due to my line length). [suggestion courtesy of Chrysalis]

I've since fitted a filtered faceplate, & am in the process of re-doing the extension wiring.

[Paul K]

You can do the faceplates yourself but if it goes wrong then you will be subject to an engineer call out charge if BT have to put it right again. As Matt says it's on the Customer Side of the line so it's yours to do with as you please. DO NOT if possible tamper with the main socket/ test socket, this should be the first socket on the line as it enters the house, this socket is extremely important for diagnosing faults and if you tamper with it you will most likely face a call out fee from BT.