Sky checking the boxes via the telephone line

laoisfan

Hi

We have Sky multi-room. Each box is connected to phone line.

Do Sky check the box or does each box dial Sky to verify that it is at the address Sky have associated with the phone number? And does the box need to be turned on or in standby to perform this?

Thanks - laoisfan

laoisfan

Is it possible to get a phone line filter (surge protection during Thunderstorms) which one can plug into the phone socket and then just plug in the necessary phone lines (2 lines for the 2 Sky boxes + actual phone). Thanks.

John mac

laoisfan wrote: »

Hi

We have Sky multi-room. Each box is connected to phone line.

Do Sky check the box or does each box dial Sky to verify that it is at the address Sky have associated with the phone number? And does the box need to be turned on or in standby to perform this?

Thanks - laoisfan

I think the boxes phone home. box on standby or on.

watty

THe box is told when to call home. (free phone number)
some times the box is told to phone (by satellite command) at the same time as the other box. If that succeeds, then you fail on Multiroom (the boxes are not on same line) and you will get charged a full subscription.

If one or both boxes never succeed in phoning home, then you also fail and get charged a full sub. They are commanded by satellite on basis of viewing card.

The box is active and receiving from satellite while in standby. Sky don't really care what address the boxes are at as long as it's the same location.

laoisfan

We typically plugged both boxes out when we head to bed and during the day usually one would be plugged and in standby mode, unless of course someone is watching something.

So I guess we potentially could be missing call home slots?

maw

I have been told by SKY that if my lines are connected to the boxes on the 27th of the month i should be fine !!

steveon

When callbacks fail, there system flags it and callbacks are tried on a few occasions until a successful callback is obtained, Where it isnt SKY will write to the customer and warn them and usually fine them by pushing the second sub upto full price, they will continue to do this until the callbacks are received but in some cases will refund the customer once phoneline issues are resolved. Hopefully with WIFI technology and smart card enablements moving milestones in the last few years the use of a phoneline for multiroom will be done away with in the near future.. as sky are losing hundreds of potential customers everyday from people who dont and wont get in a phoneline.

watty

There is no foolproof way of proving multiroom boxes are at same place other than phone line.

You could have an internet connection and built in GPS in a new design of Digibox. But GPS can be spoofed.

watty

laoisfan wrote: »

We typically plugged both boxes out when we head to bed and during the day usually one would be plugged and in standby mode, unless of course someone is watching something.

So I guess we potentially could be missing call home slots?

You need to leave them on standby. Sky boxes are only meant to be unplugged during a thunderstorm or if you are away. They can miss SW upgrades and card keys if you unplug them when not watching.

Tony

Whoever told you that is misinformed I'm afraid

maw wrote: »

I have been told by SKY that if my lines are connected to the boxes on the 27th of the month i should be fine !!

Mike 1972

There is no foolproof way of proving multiroom boxes are at same place other than phone line.

There are ways of spoofing this too but Im probably not allowed to say how

John mac

Mike 1972 wrote: »

There are ways of spoofing this too but Im probably not allowed to say how

SYSTEM MESSAGE: MiKe1972 your pm inbox is full. :D:D:D

sorry for ot

watty

One of the tests is to make both boxes call at the same time,

Now there are ways you could have your own VOIP servers and make one box see the line engaged from the other when they are different locations. But if you have the resources to do that, you don't care about a Sky Sub. In terms of stopping some-one re-selling a €60 sub to someone else across town it is simple and works,

Remember Sky doesn't really care about a pair of boxes in same house in Spain, as long as the Rights holders don't know. It's extra money.

What they care about is two families only paying one sub.

bk

watty wrote: »

There is no foolproof way of proving multiroom boxes are at same place other than phone line.

You could have an internet connection and built in GPS in a new design of Digibox. But GPS can be spoofed.

Also GPS might not work well enough indoors.

But Sky have to come up with something. The number of homes with a phoneline is now down to 65% and falling rapidly. That is a lot of business to leave on the table.

Perhaps a homeplug type system would work and would have the added benefit of allowing you to network multiroom boxes for whole home DVR like AT&T's U-verse service.

craichoe

watty wrote: »

One of the tests is to make both boxes call at the same time,

Now there are ways you could have your own VOIP servers and make one box see the line engaged from the other when they are different locations. But if you have the resources to do that, you don't care about a Sky Sub. In terms of stopping some-one re-selling a €60 sub to someone else across town it is simple and works,

Remember Sky doesn't really care about a pair of boxes in same house in Spain, as long as the Rights holders don't know. It's extra money.

What they care about is two families only paying one sub.

Couldn't they just use caller ID ?

I have managed to get a Sky Box to dial home with a Linksys PAP2

Mike 1972

One of the tests is to make both boxes call at the same time,

How can they do this if there is only one line ?

Tony

Mike 1972 wrote: »

How can they do this if there is only one line ?

They cannot thats the whole idea, if both boxes call successfully at the same time then obviously they are not on the same phone line.

watty

Caller ID is easily faked.

Log-on

any of you guys got voip working for sky mulit room callback?

aersat

Sky Terms and Conditions do not state that you must leave your boxes on standby 24/7 to facilitate call backs(nor could they make you),only that the boxes are connected to the same fixed telephone line.

You could of course disconnect the phone line from the boxes and when Sky contact you,politely tell them you are entitled to turn off the boxes which in turn is causing the failed callbacks.

They have no way of knowing when your box is switched on.

If as a result,they try to increase the sub for the second box,they are in breach of contract.

Aersat.

user1842

bk wrote: »

Also GPS might not work well enough indoors.

But Sky have to come up with something. The number of homes with a phoneline is now down to 65% and falling rapidly. That is a lot of business to leave on the table.

Perhaps a homeplug type system would work and would have the added benefit of allowing you to network multiroom boxes for whole home DVR like AT&T's U-verse service.

Dont see why GPS would not work. Ideal solution I think.

Mount the GPS receiver on the dish, connect to one of the 12v sat cable. Design it in such a way that the GPS is encrypted like the sky signal and maybe have a new GPS channel that the STB can verify with the viewing card.

That would mean that you would not have to change STB's, a firmware update would do it.

Good solution no?

@Watty, you say a GPS signal can be spoofed? how easy is that? Is it easier or harder than spoofing a phone number?

mickko

steveon wrote: »

sky are losing hundreds of potential customers everyday from people who dont and wont get in a phoneline.

Even if Sky used an alternative method, or even abolished the phone line requirement, they'd still be charging €15 (or some amount) a month extra per each point on top of your original sub.

This would hardly result in a surge of customer numbers.

fat-tony

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