Sky, phone lines and magic little boxes

campers

Sky say their digibox must be connected to an active phone line for 12 months... *yawn*

... yet I know several people who've had it installed without any phone line?:rolleyes:

Do the install guys have the ability/discretion to bypass the phone line s1ht?

I also heard of local Sky installer guys selling an additional piece of kit (described to me as a "little box"!) to people without phone lines. What is that?? Does it just mimic a dial tone or something?

VroomVroom

I've had Sky Digital (not Sky +) for over a year, I've changed subscriptions directly with Sky in that time. I have never had a phone line in the house.

I told the installation company this when I was first enquiring about Sky. Instead of free installation, I had to pay €55 to the installer to 'make up' for not having a phone line. I have no idea if that money went to Sky or went into the installers pocket but it works without any phone line.

Someone else might clarify if Sky+ or SkyHD actuall need a phone line for you.

Ruu_Old

Our sky installer tried to connect it to the phone but I had too many plugs going in there so he said he would just leave it and it wasnt a big deal, that was some time ago now though.

Mr E

You can elect to install it without a phone line for a once off charge of €37.50.
It says so in the latest brochure if you have one.

Cabaal

I guess we're lucky, in the UK customers get charged if they disconnect their sky digi box's for too long, seems to phone home every few days so they can verify your connected to a phoneline.

magnumlady

We bought our digibox when they first came out direct from a shop in NI. As we paid the full price we didn't need to have a phone line connected.

_Kaiser_

A phoneline is required for the first 12 months of the contract (applies to both regular digital or Sky+) unless you pay that extra €37.50 someone mentioned, or you bought the box yourself at full price/from ebay etc.

If you have Multiroom however, it's required indefinitely so they can verify you haven't given the box to a friend/relative for cheap Sky.

Our man in Havana

I has multiroom and the phone has been out of the 2nd box for 6 months with no ill effects or letters from sky.

Sparky

campers wrote:

I also heard of local Sky installer guys selling an additional piece of kit (described to me as a "little box"!) to people without phone lines. What is that?? Does it just mimic a dial tone or something?

All this is, is a 9v battery connected to a standard RJ11 termination to fool the digibox into thinking there is a dialtone.
The theory is that you can use your box office for free.
This is not the case as your card has a limit as to how much movies you can purchase.
Also the fact that he is doing this is breaking skys contract and thus your contract as you have to have a box connected to a phone line for the first 12 months.

The Doktor

Bond-007 wrote:

I has multiroom and the phone has been out of the 2nd box for 6 months with no ill effects or letters from sky.

Ive had mine 7 months, and got a letter 2 weeks ago, moanin that we hadnt got the box plugged in

JohnnieM

campers wrote:

Sky say their digibox must be connected to an active phone line for 12 months... *yawn*

... yet I know several people who've had it installed without any phone line?:rolleyes:

Do the install guys have the ability/discretion to bypass the phone line s1ht?

I also heard of local Sky installer guys selling an additional piece of kit (described to me as a "little box"!) to people without phone lines. What is that?? Does it just mimic a dial tone or something?

You have to have a phone line connected for multi room.. Sky dialin periodically to check the box is still there... the installer will not connect multi room without a line being there... when he goes to activate it he makes the box doa d ial up.....the little box you refer to is a great little item it will give you a phone point uing your electrical system in the house .Plug one in to a esb socket close to your exixting phone point (plug your phone in to it)and then plug the other one in beside your sky box..Voilla phone point no wires... same technology as a powerline lan adaptor..