Sky Q communal system issues

Amcevoy

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Hi,

I’m just after some technical advice for communal MDU systems.
I’ve had Sky Q installed by a sky approved ASHA on the 25th of August but I’m having problems with my satellite signal constantly cutting out. I’ve seen the plug in adaptor that I’m connected to and it looks like the plug in adaptor has no power supply connected. I believe that someone has had Sky Q installed previously and they have basically powered the plug in adaptor via a residents flat using a power inserter. I’m clearly on the same plug in adaptor.
It seems they are constantly turning their power inserter off (?).
I’ve had a sky engineer out who didn’t look at the box where the equipment is but he did try and fit a splitter and power inserter inside my flat. This didn’t work and he said something about it overpowering the box or the adaptor…does that sound right?
I’ve been looking online and I’ve spoken to someone on the sky forums who seems very knowledgeable on the subject and sent me some information on the way it should be set up….

“Alas, you appear to have had a Sky engineer who does not understand how to remotely power a Unitron dCSS-422 from each individual subscriber's flat in order to ensure that no Sky Q subscriber is relying upon another Sky subscriber to supply power to the Unitron dCSS-422 adaptor.

As you have two IRS coaxial cables my previous diagram clearly showed how the Unitron dCSS-422 adaptor could have been powered, with the 'splitter' being used as a power combiner, installed next to the Unitron dCSS-422 adaptor at the 'headend' and not in any individual subscriber's flat.


1632585363626.png

The statement claiming that it is basically overpowered suggests to me that this Sky engineer does not understand how the numerous methods of remotely powering Unitron dCSS-422 adaptors actually work.

Any Sky Multiple Development Unit (MDU) trained engineer should have been able to quickly analyse and then resolve your problem, if I was you I would write a formal complaint and ask for a different MDU engineer to be tasked with resolving this issue without further delay.”

I’ve spoken with sky but they don’t seem very technical minded. Originally I read the above out and they agreed with it and said they would send another engineer but a different one. They sent the same engineer who basically wanted to have an argument down the phone with me.
So I’m trying to find out if the problem can be resolved. Or if it’s not fixable. Would anyone have any knowledge on this? If it’s been powered within a subscribers flat can mine be powered somehow separately so my signal isn’t reliant on another subscriber?

Thanks in advance for any help,

Andrew McEvoy
 

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Do you know what is up at the dish end and in the cabinet ?

How many flats/apartments are running from the headend ?

Does your signal go off at a specific time or when the neighbour goes out/to bed ?

Has anyone else in the block got a similar issue ?
 

Amcevoy

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In the cabinet….yeh I have some pics. They have equipment spread through the building so for example my next door neighbour has Q but is on an adaptor in a different part of the building. Don’t really know what is meant by ‘headend - is that the cabinet or the where the dish is’….but the box/cabinet my cables go to has two plug in adaptors (back to back on a bit of board) floating. Not the greatest install tbh and there’s no local power supply or not that I saw. In terms of when it goes off….it’s pretty random but the last two weekends have been times it’s been ‘off’. In terms of other neighbours with the issue….I can’t be sure. There’s just shy of 200 flats. I know of two on my floor that have sky Q one is next door who has no issues but as I say is off another plug in adaptor and has power at the adaptor I believe. The other person I know with sky Q is fed from the same equipment cabinet but I don’t know if they are on the same adaptor as nothing is marked up (cable wise). Infact only their cable is marked but I have no idea which cable would be mine.
 

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Who commissioned that ?
 

Amcevoy

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Your guess is as good as mine. I presume that when someone wants sky they send a third party engineer and they just Chuck it in without a care as they know they won’t be back as such and that they don’t have to maintain it. Doesn’t even look like both plug in adaptors were earthed either
 

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Amcevoy

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Again, I’ve mentioned how poor it is to sky but they don’t seem bothered or interested in the slightest. I’ve had an engineer sent out twice (the same person both times) and I don’t feel I’m any closer to getting my issue resolved. I’m paying a lot of money for a service that comes and goes at any time and I’ve no way of knowing when it’ll be working or not working. Im just trying to find out what information I can (specifically if the issue can be fixed by powering the equipment in a different way) because it seems Sky technical have exactly zero knowledge of communal systems. The more I know the more I can pass on so Sky allocate this to the correct engineer - be it there own or one the ASHA’s that they use
 

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The original installation looks as you would expect but once plug in adaptors and other bits we’re added etc….well that seems to be where they decided to just ‘float’ stuff and chuck it in
 

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The original installation looks as you would expect but once plug in adaptors and other bits we’re added etc….well that seems to be where they decided to just ‘float’ stuff and chuck it in
Unless there is other devices buried at the back of the cabinet, you appear to have the only DSCR switch.

How has the power supply been connected when it has been working as I cannot see any cable running to the fifth F-plug.
 

Amcevoy

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No, there’s two of the dCSS-422 adaptors. The board it is fixed to has another on the back - there’s two pics of the adaptor (one is the 2nd adaptor). In terms of how it’s powered…I can only assume they have powered it via a splitter and power inserter in another subscribers flat….I can’t be sure though. What I’ve been told previously though is that shouldn’t matter as they should be able to power mine from the dCSS-422 adaptor using a splitter there.
 

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I don’t have a power inserter or anything in my flat. I’ve been connected to the adaptor as if it’s been powered by it’s own power supply which is obviously where the problem comes in. There’s no power where the adaptors are so they should have fitted a splitter by the adaptors (as shown above) but it seems they have these things within another subscribers flat meaning My signal is reliant on them.
 

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I'm not familiar with these setups so please don't take this as being correct.

It looks like as neither of the dCSS-422 units have a power supply connected to the 5th F-connector, the other flat has a 14v (?) power inserter connected to the cable that goes to their Sky Q, whereas your Q is connected without a power inserter.

Therefore you need to add a similar 14v power inserter to the cable which goes to your Q, though the image in your first post suggests it not be sufficient, so both of the flats may need their own 20v power supply connected to a second additional cable as in the image, with a splitter close to the dCSS-422.
 

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Pretty much. Neither is powered at the adaptor end. Problem is I’ve no idea who the other subscriber is - as you can see (maybe not) not much is marked up in there. Obviously with data protection nobody is going to tell me who the other person is unless I was to just go door knocking but I don’t see that ending well and my block has close to 200 flats. I can only assume they have used a power inserter inside a residents flat to power the adaptors. What you’ve said about a splitter at the adaptor end is pretty much as shown in the diagram in my original post….the problem is the engineer that has been twice hasn’t been near the cabinet and as far as he’s concerned he’s done what he can or what he’s willing to do. I’ve had the argument with him but as he told me….he knows best as he’s been doing it for ten years. I’m assuming that the resident with a power inserter in their flat is unlikely to ever be known to me or at least not anytime soon so what I’m trying to work out is how my setup can be powered so I’m no longer reliant on anyone else but without that information. Due to the cables not being marked up I presume any attending engineer is only going to be able to identify my cable….unless they fitted the others. So I don’t know where that leaves me. I don’t know what sky are willing and able to do as nobody I speak with at Sky has any real technical knowledge. I’m expecting a call back on Tuesday but not holding out much hope of a concrete solution. Hence me coming here as I believe some of you probably (definitely) have more knowledge than the people I’ve spoke with at Sky so far.
 

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I don't see why you can't add a power inserter to the cable that's connected to your Sky Q, others may be able to confirm this, see page 14:
 

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Amcevoy

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If you look at page 18 of that….this is what someone has already sent me. An engineer has already been out and tried fitting a splitter and power inserter within my flat as I mentioned in the original post but it didn’t work. The engineer said that it was overpowered and removed the splitter/inserter and basically said there was nothing else he could do.

I’ve had a sky engineer out who didn’t look at the box where the equipment is but he did try and fit a splitter and power inserter inside my flat. This didn’t work and he said something about it overpowering the box or the adaptor…does that sound right?
I’ve been looking online and I’ve spoken to someone on the sky forums who seems very knowledgeable on the subject and sent me some information on the way it should be set up….

“Alas, you appear to have had a Sky engineer who does not understand how to remotely power a Unitron dCSS-422 from each individual subscriber's flat in order to ensure that no Sky Q subscriber is relying upon another Sky subscriber to supply power to the Unitron dCSS-422 adaptor.

As you have two IRS coaxial cables my previous diagram clearly showed how the Unitron dCSS-422 adaptor could have been powered, with the 'splitter' being used as a power combiner, installed next to the Unitron dCSS-422 adaptor at the 'headend' and not in any individual subscriber's flat.
Beneath that quote was a picture of page 18 from the guide you just posted.
 

ozumo

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Was the power inserter fitted inline with the Sky Q cable or via the second unused cable? You could always ask the whoever is in charge of the building and ask them to supply power to the unit which houses the multiswitches, and then power the dCSS-422 with directly.
 

Amcevoy

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I could ask the Guinness Partnership to supply power but to be honest I’d have more chance of getting blood from a stone. Plus if it costs them money (which it would as someone would need to do the work) they probably wouldn’t even consider it.

In terms of how the power inserter was fitted….I don’t know. I couldn’t see exactly what the engineer did - I just caught a glimpse of a splitter and he passed me a power lead to plug in which I presumed was from the power inserter. I would have assumed he would have written up a report saying what he did but nobody is able to tell me so I presume he didn’t.

I’ve just been sent the following as well…

Basically, as you already have the coaxial cable that feeds your Sky Q receiver connected to one of the two Sky Q enabled output ports of one of the Unitron dCSS-422 adaptors, all your Sky MDU trained engineer would need to do is to place their coaxial cable tracer on your second coaxial cable feed in your flat and then use the tracer receiver unit to identify this coaxial cable in the communal cabinet.

Then use this second coaxial cable from your flat to supply power to the Unitron dCSS-422 device that is already supplying your SCR feed.

Whilst it would be nice to additionally identify the other Sky Q user of this Unitron adaptor your problem should be resolved immediately your own flat has a 20v power supply installed in order to power the Unitron adaptor via your second coaxial cable feeding that splitter / power combiner in the communal cabinet.

Or, they could just supply you with a Sky SP161 power inserter and divert your Sky Q signal feed through this device within your flat.

Hopefully a different MDU engineer will quickly resolve this problem by adopting one of Sky's well documented methods when power is not available next to the communal cabinet.
 

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I could ask the Guinness Partnership to supply power but to be honest I’d have more chance of getting blood from a stone. Plus if it costs them money (which it would as someone would need to do the work) they probably wouldn’t even consider it.
No harm in trying.. ask why others are receiving a superior service to yourself.
Or, they could just supply you with a Sky SP161 power inserter and divert your Sky Q signal feed through this device within your flat.
This is what I was referring to in post #14.
 

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As above, all flats will have twin cables from the TV point up to the roof as per older Sky+/HD equipment.

You will use one cable for the SkyQ services, with the receiver set to SCR mode and the other cable is fitted with a power supply that is connected to the fifth oulet on the DSCR switch.
Unless you have disconnected cables, the engineer that came out did not bother to reroute the second cable onto the Johansson/Unitron box (it will have a green LED when powered up).
Has anyone else been up on the roof to 'adjust' things ?
 

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TBH the best thing you can do is ring Sky up, cancel your SkyQ service & when asked whu tell them the truth - that you arent paying for an unreliable service. See what they offer.
 
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