Are you tempted by Sky Q, but have no interest in switching from your Virgin or BT broadband?
Well, good news: Sky Q will work without Sky broadband… but there is a catch. It’s a relatively minor thing, but may still be enough to persuade you to take out a Sky broadband contract at the same time as signing up for Sky Q.
Will Sky Q work with BT or Virgin broadband?
Yes indeed. Sky Q is compatible with any broadband provider, although there are certain speed requirements for the ‘On Demand’ streaming services to function in an acceptable manner. According to Sky’s own terms, you’ll need at least 3Mbps for standard definition streaming, and 8Mbps for HD.
There’s no mention of 4K on that particular thread, but Amazon Prime recommends 15Mbps, while Netflix says 25Mbps – so probably somewhere around that ballpark.
As with all these things, the faster your broadband, the better your experience – though it’s worth remembering this is just for the streaming side of things. Regular TV watching is still handled via the satellite dish, and you can see a full list of the features available with and without an internet connection on the Sky website.
Do I miss out on anything by not using Sky Q with Sky broadband?
Not really, but there are potentially two things.
Firstly, Sky often bundles Sky Q with its broadband at a discount. You may find paying for your own provider and Sky Q separately a lot more expensive month to month than just going all in with Sky.
Secondly, one of the neat features for users who want multi-room TV is that the required Sky Q Mini boxes can function as WiFi repeater hotspots. Unfortunately, this feature is limited to Sky broadband subscribers.
It’s not exactly a huge deal – and it’s a non-issue if you don’t plan on paying an extra £14 per month for multi-room TV – but it is nonetheless a feature that you only get if you’re a Sky broadband subscriber.
Hi Alan. Can you confirm that if someone in my apartment block is currently using Sky Q, there must be FFTP (Ultrafast Fibre) broadband from Sky or another supplier, already into block?
I have Sky Q with a very slow basic internet connection in my house as we are very rural – speeds are around 1 on a good day.we can’t have anything faster. It works fine, mini boxes act as boosters around the house, we have very thick solid granite walls. We can’t have Sky Glass though as that needs streaming standard speeds.