Sky is planning to launch a new Sky+HD box this September that comes with built-in WiFi.
This is great news for customers who don’t fancy connecting their Sky TV box to their broadband router with Ethernet cable if they want to enjoy BBC, Channel 4 and Sky content from the Sky On Demand library.
Tucked away in Sky’s latest quarterly figures is a mention of the new device as well as Sky’s plans for existing customers: “We will step up the roll-out of connected boxes across our base by offering a low-cost wireless connector to customers that have a Sky+HD box but haven’t yet connected it to broadband.
“We will also launch a new WiFi enabled Sky+HD box as standard from September, rolling it out to targeted groups of customers who don’t yet have Sky+HD boxes.
“This acceleration of our connected Sky+HD platform will open up access to the full range of On Demand services, increasing the value we deliver to customers and providing an important platform from which to grow new revenue streams.”
Delivering content over WiFi generally isn’t as reliable as wireless signals are susceptible to interference, particularly on the 2.8GHz bands. Dual band routers mitigate this problem to an extent but Ethernet connections are generally more reliable. That said, running meters of Ethernet all over your house or flat isn’t always viable and can look messy.
Currently, you can buy a Wireless Connector from Sky that acts as a bridge between your Sky+HD box and your home broadband router. This costs £21.95. It’s not yet known if Sky will be cutting the price of this come September.
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