Sky + Multiroom and Phone Line

Mumha

Hi

Just installing now.

1) Must the phone line be connected to both boxes ?

2) Do Sky check all boxes for phone line, or randomly ?

3) Or if phone line connected to the main box, will that suffice ?

Thanks

Michael Collins

1) Must the phone line be connected to both boxes ?

Yes

2) Do Sky check all boxes for phone line, or randomly ?

The call backs occur randomly as far as I know. They will get both boxes to periodically "ring home" (not at the same time obviously) and check the phone number that the call originates from. If it does not ring back, or your phone number is incorrect, or your number is private (ex. directory) you will get a letter by post saying that you need to plug both boxes in to the phone line. If you do have a number that is private it is simple to fix. Just reply and I'll tell how to sort it out.

3) Or if phone line connected to the main box, will that suffice ?

No

drogfood

they give all details about all the sky stuff ins and outs - also they let u know whats involved in switching from one tv company to another and whats available in all areas - its well worth a quick look - all stuff about Hi Def etc and they dont sell anything either

Mumha

So is this "phone always in" forever or until the 12 months is up ?

A friend of mine thinks that Sky check it for the first 12 days only....but that may be just a myth.

Unfortunately I have no phone point anywhere near our main tv, it really unsightly to have a telephone cable all along the wall.

Round Cable

It's forever if you have a multiroom sub, otherwise it's just for the 12 months.

Mumha

Round Cable wrote:

It's forever if you have a multiroom sub, otherwise it's just for the 12 months.

Very interesting, RC. I might as well suffer it for the 12 months and get rid of the phone line and extra box so. Thanks. Sky are being so stupid with this, not every house has easy access to a phone line.

watty

Michael Collins wrote:

Yes



The call backs occur randomly as far as I know. They will get both boxes to periodically "ring home" (not at the same time obviously)

Actually I suspect they ARE told to call at same time or at least the time the other box is calling. Then the box not connecting knows the line is in use. Because Sky CAN tell if boxes are on same line even without Caller ID. But using two separate POTS ports on an ISDN does not authenticate even if same number reported (without some database configuration)!


It is a neat cheap solution to catch fraud. You can't take out a top sub (65 Euro?) and sell a 2nd cut price to a friend costing you 15 Euro. Plenty of people would cheat. Thats why they have this.

You can have two full price subs without phone line

Michael Collins

watty wrote:

Actually I suspect they ARE told to call at same time or at least the time the other box is calling. Then the box not connecting knows the line is in use. Because Sky CAN tell if boxes are on same line even without Caller ID...

Oh yes I remember hearing that before, now that I think of it. I was always confused as to why they insisted they get the Caller ID when it works perfectly well this way...it would avoid a lot of people getting mysterious letters saying that they need to have both boxes plugged into a phone, when they in fact do, but just have a private number.

curryman

i also got a letter from sky saying my caller id was off and that i needed to change settings in phone settings on the digi box. do i need to do this as ive had both the norm sub for mor than 4 years and the multi room which includeds sky+ for near 2 years if not more. both boxs are connected to the same phone line

Mumha

Interesting follow-on today.

The Sky Installer couldn't get the callback working on the multiroom box, even though he was able to get make a phone call from the same connection using an ordinary phone.

Today he rang the Engineering dept, and eventually they reckoned it was a problem with the box. So rather than replace the box, they said they would put a note in the account that the box was faulty and that was that !

So I've taken out the telephone cable of the 2nd box, and I'll see if I get any warning letters. If I don't, I'll take out the 1st telephone line in 12 months as well.