Satellite TV receiver in second home
Discussion
We are looking to purchase all the necessaries to enable us to watch digital satellite TV at our holiday home. We have Sky+ at home so have a Sky viewing card we could take when we go.
Anyone else done this? From reading on the net there appear to be literally hundreds of ways to do this, so it's all a bit confusing for a non-techy like me
I know we need a dish, but it's the plethora of receivers that confuse me. Will any receiver do that has a card slot, or does it have to specifically be a Sky receiver? If we let friends stay who do not have a Sky card, will any receiver (Sky or other) continue to show the free-to-air and freeview programs? Are there any receivers out there that will take any type of satellite TV card (if friends have non-Sky cards for example)?
Recomendations welcomed!
Anyone else done this? From reading on the net there appear to be literally hundreds of ways to do this, so it's all a bit confusing for a non-techy like me
I know we need a dish, but it's the plethora of receivers that confuse me. Will any receiver do that has a card slot, or does it have to specifically be a Sky receiver? If we let friends stay who do not have a Sky card, will any receiver (Sky or other) continue to show the free-to-air and freeview programs? Are there any receivers out there that will take any type of satellite TV card (if friends have non-Sky cards for example)?
Recomendations welcomed!
I'd have thought this must be possible - and may well be a breach of the terms but, hey, if it works...
You could buy an old box on eBay, contact a local installer and get the job done...
Alternatively you could consider just getting Freeview - if that works in your holiday home's location. Less channels but then when you get home your Sky+ will be chock-full of your favourite shows...
You could buy an old box on eBay, contact a local installer and get the job done...
Alternatively you could consider just getting Freeview - if that works in your holiday home's location. Less channels but then when you get home your Sky+ will be chock-full of your favourite shows...
We will only use it to watch the TV programs we are already paying for! Understand tht it might be in breach, but without using any interactive services then it wont try to dial out anyway. We had a problem a year back where the phone socket behind the TV went on the blink so the Sky box had no connectivity to a phone for about 3 months (couldn't be arsed to fix it). All that happened was that we couldn't order pay-movies using the remote control.
Any views on what receiver to get Matt?
Any views on what receiver to get Matt?
Goodlife. Yes, the place we stay in Spain happens to get Sky 
Just take your box and viewing card to the holiday home, then get a local company to install a compatible dish and LNB. Sky will know the box is missing if they interogate by phone. If they find the box is missing they will invoice you twice for the monthly fee. This is the price you may have to pay unfortunately. Use at a 2nd address (even within the UK) is prohibited under the terms of your SKY contract.
www.thedigiboxshop.com/scripts/prodList.asp?idCategory=111
Just take your box and viewing card to the holiday home, then get a local company to install a compatible dish and LNB. Sky will know the box is missing if they interogate by phone. If they find the box is missing they will invoice you twice for the monthly fee. This is the price you may have to pay unfortunately. Use at a 2nd address (even within the UK) is prohibited under the terms of your SKY contract.
www.thedigiboxshop.com/scripts/prodList.asp?idCategory=111
stuh said:
Sky will know the box is missing if they interogate by phone. If they find the box is missing they will invoice you twice for the monthly fee.
Do they actually do that? I've regularly had my box disconnected (after the 1 year deal) and they've NEVER tried to bill me twice. There again - I've never once tried to move the box, either...
goodlife said:
Or are the card serial number and the box serial number linked in some sense?
The digibox makes a copy of the card serial number and will only work with that card.
i.e. So you can't take your card round a mates when you have sky movies and they don't.
Don said:
Sky will know the box is missing if they interogate by phone. If they find the box is missing they will invoice you twice for the monthly fee.
Do they actually do that? I've regularly had my box disconnected (after the 1 year deal) and they've NEVER tried to bill me twice. There again - I've never once tried to move the box, either...
Sadly they do. OK with one box, but as soon as you go multi-room they will check via the phone line periodically. They know full well that lot's of the 2nd boxes end up abroad hence the double charge.
Don said:
Sky will know the box is missing if they interogate by phone. If they find the box is missing they will invoice you twice for the monthly fee.
Do they actually do that? I've regularly had my box disconnected (after the 1 year deal) and they've NEVER tried to bill me twice. There again - I've never once tried to move the box, either...
Over here in Ireland, we've got a Sky+ box and a second ordinary box in the bedroom all part of the same package.
We never got the phone socket in the bedroom linked into the main house line, we got several letter fro mSAky claiming the were unable to contact our second box (we did the original activation down stairs using a working phone line and then took the box back up stairs again).
Eventually these letters got so threatening that I had to do rooting through te loft space to get the upstairs line connected.
Also, we had a few weeks wher the downstairs box seemed t obe introducing loads of noise into the phone line, so one day I unplugged it, sure enough about 14 days later a letter landed on the mat asking why one of our Sky boxes was not connected to a telephone line.
It is in the contract you sign, the box must remain connected to a working phone socket for Sky subscriptions. I have no idea if this is the case for free view stuff.
Thanks for all the replies 
Here's what we ended up doing.
1) Bought a 'brand new and boxed' Sky digibox on eBay for £40 (Pace DS430N if you are interested).
2) Bought a 60cm Dish with fitting kit mail order from Satellite Center
3) Phoned Sky (0870 240 5651) and paid £20 for a 'freesat from sky' card (Info Here). If you have your own kit then they sell you the card only. Big tip here: If you are already a Sky subscription customer, don't tell them this else they will want you to plug the new digibox into a phone socket (*). Use a mates name and address who doesn't have sky.
Next project will be setting up and aligning the dish. Plenty of very helpful sites found on google for this exercise.
(*) The freesat from Sky service is a subscription-free service where you get all Free-to-air and free-to-view channels available (about 200 or so, including all the BBC's plus ITV, C4, C5 etc). You are not required to plug your digibox into a phoneline. It's a one-off payment and guarantees up to 3 years viewing of the channels for just the initial £20 outlay.
>> Edited by goodlife on Saturday 17th December 18:00
Here's what we ended up doing.
1) Bought a 'brand new and boxed' Sky digibox on eBay for £40 (Pace DS430N if you are interested).
2) Bought a 60cm Dish with fitting kit mail order from Satellite Center
3) Phoned Sky (0870 240 5651) and paid £20 for a 'freesat from sky' card (Info Here). If you have your own kit then they sell you the card only. Big tip here: If you are already a Sky subscription customer, don't tell them this else they will want you to plug the new digibox into a phone socket (*). Use a mates name and address who doesn't have sky.
Next project will be setting up and aligning the dish. Plenty of very helpful sites found on google for this exercise.
(*) The freesat from Sky service is a subscription-free service where you get all Free-to-air and free-to-view channels available (about 200 or so, including all the BBC's plus ITV, C4, C5 etc). You are not required to plug your digibox into a phoneline. It's a one-off payment and guarantees up to 3 years viewing of the channels for just the initial £20 outlay.
>> Edited by goodlife on Saturday 17th December 18:00
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