15-03-2019 22:17
Greetings all
I've just transferred my broadband package over to NOW from Sky Fibre, but I've kept my TV package. I have Sky Q and a mini box, which have been working flawessly with the Q hub since being installed over 2 years ago.
The NOW hub 2 they sent to me looks identical to the Sky Q router but I haven't set it up yet, I'm still using my Q hub which is working perfectly well with NOW broadband, and I'd like it to all stay as it is. However, Sky want me to return my Q hub
As I understand it, the Q Hub has firmware in it that basically means the Q mini box is connected to the main box using a mesh system which works really well and enables the mini box to act as a wifi hotspot.
My question is, then, will I lose that functionality if I use the NOW hub? As in, do Sky and NOW share the same firmware, as they are effectively the same hardware? I desperately don't want to mess up my Q setup, which is very sensitive to any networking issues, when it has been working so well. Has anybody else got Sky with a mini box working on the NOW hub? I need a bit of reassurance!
16-03-2019 17:51
OK well I answered my own question.. sort of. But it might help somebody else so I'll post it.
With trepidation, I decided to bite the bullet and swap the hub over to the NOW one, as I was going to have to eventually.
To give myself the best chance of success I replaced the splitter and phone cable as per instructions, even though they were identical to the ones I had with the Q hub. Lights went green and verything connected in a couple of minutes, so all good. When it came to the Q set top box, I selected the 'connect a Sky router' option and it found the NOW hub, which then enabled me to connect using the WPS button, which it did no problem. I did the same for the mini box, using the Sky router, WPS button method and that also connected first time. Everything is working as it should, first time. Result! I don't know if the mesh is working, but as long as the mini box stays connected, I'm happy.
I found the Sky Q hub to be very stable over the couple of years that I had it, and I had good wireless (67-69Mbps down, 18.5 up) on my iPhone and Macbook. Since installing the NOW hub 2, speedtests tell me I'm getting exactly the same, so I have absolutely nothing to complain about there. I just hope, as time goes by, that the network stays stable. Only time will tell.
Hope this has been useful.
11-02-2020 20:27
wow ,thankyou ,you,ve sorted my frustration ,just did exactly what you wrote ,and it worked ,now hopefully it all stays on and stable ,
26-02-2020 13:04
Does the mini box still function as a wifi hotspot?