4 Sky boxes - Sky subscription problem - some advice please

[freedomrun]

Bloke i've done some Electrical work for has asked me to install some Sky equipment for him. He already has SKY (SD) in one room and has basic SKY package, but no movies or sports, he wants SKY (SD) in three other rooms. He wants all 4 SKY boxes to be independant of each other, so no option for MAGIC EYE (i guess ???). I have told him that i will need to upgrade the LNB and run seperate sat coax to each new screened output. Now, i need some advice on the subscription side of things - he wants the same package on the other 3 SKY boxes as the one he has already, will SKY give him another 3 cards the same as the one he has or does he have to pay SKY extra. Only other info i have is that he is taking the 'phone and internet over to sky also and does not want HD service and does not want SKY PLUS either. Is obtaining some dodgy SKY cards an option maybe - what would be involved with that option? I'm not sure if he would want to do that anyway. Thanks for any advice.

 

[topquark]

He'll need a SKY multiroom subscription (used to be £10 extra per month/per card (for card, read room)), I'm sure SKY would be willing to barter given the current climate

 

[PC Electrics]

He would not want to get 4x shy contracts when sky multiroom is only a tenner a room extra.
Be aware though that each multiroom box MUST be connected to the phone line, so phone point needed at each box as well as a sat feed.

Alternative solution: fit a quad LNB if there isn't one already and run a single line to each room then he buys a FREESAT box (or freesat recieving tv) for the extra rooms. Search online for what channels are available on freesat (loads)

 

[freedomrun]

Just been looking at the multiroom setup on the SKY site, what is the deal with the pluging each box into the 'phone line - can this be done once and then remove the connection as i know he has no 'phone lines to the rooms where the boxes are going to be placed. Or does he just put the cards in once multiroom subscription paid for and thats it? Also, does not want only freesat channels - specifically the SKY package he currently has, but on the extra boxes. I know he will not like having to have extra phone points put in next to each box - any other option?

 

[topquark]

It's the way their contracts are set up, in order to get the extra box you agree to have the sky connected to the interactive stuff, that's how they recover some of the costs of subsidising the boxes.

 

[PC Electrics]

read my lips:
"Be aware though that each multiroom box MUST be connected to the phone line, so phone point needed at each box as well as a sat feed."
It's a contractual requirement

 

[PC Electrics]

tq, it's also an anti fraud measure.

 

[topquark]

tq, it's also an anti fraud measure.

Dial in to the house number, to check the box and card are actually used at the correct address?

 

[PC Electrics]

yep, you got it

 

[alli]

read my lips:
"Be aware though that each multiroom box MUST be connected to the phone line, so phone point needed at each box as well as a sat feed."
It's a contractual requirement

PC Electrics is spot on, the box must be connected to a phone line (the same number that the first box uses). I had a customer who had an installer put a second multiroom box in, they used a phone extender that used the power circuit to transmit the phone signal. Unfortunatly they plug the reciever into the nearest phone socket which was his business telephone line and didn't match the phone number that the first box was on this resulted in the box being cut off, which was a drama to sort out with Sky.

They then moved the phone transmiter to the phone line that the Sky box was on. After 2 months or so this was cut off due to them not getting a ring back from the box, this turned out to be because the house has 3 phase supply and the 2 different parts of the house are on different phases! and the phone gizmo didn't work!

I was asked to hard wire a phone socket for the second box, and after another long hazzle with Sky to get reconnected, they've had no problems since.

 

[freedomrun]

If i get some pre-owned SKY (SD) boxes in good working order and use these as the multiroom recievers, is there any problem with them being used before at a previous address and a different phone line. If the customer goes for a multi room contract with sky and has each box plugged into the 'phone line and the boxes work ok, is there any other problem with using pre-owned boxes?

 

[topquark]

They'll need to be reinitialised and then paired with the card (I think SKY can do that OTA, but check with them first).