Launched in early 2016, Sky Q is now being enjoyed by millions of people in UK homes.
Sky’s new interface brings us crystal clear visuals with its UHD content and allows us to view our favourite movies, shows and sporting events like never before.
Sky Q brings tonnes of unique key features and technology including a new style of remote control which is both compact and responsive.
The new model is sleek and elegant, so let’s take a look at the lights on the Sky Q box – What do they do? And what do they mean?
Heres our guide to Sky Q box and internet hub lights as well as an explanation on what the remote control buttons do.
Sky Q – TV box lights explained
Sky’s ‘Q’ box won Product of the Year in the 2019 What Hi-Fi Awards. You can store up to 500 hours of content on the Sky Q box and the remote control even boasts Voice Control!
Incredible home entertainment really is at our fingertips with this offering from Sky. However, when it comes to the lights displayed on the Sky Q box, customers can often get confused.
Sky Q TV box flashing amber light
If your Sky Q box is showing a flashing amber light this can mean that a software update is about to take place.
According to the Sky website, when completing the recovery procedure on your main Sky Q box you need to “Keep the standby button held down until you see alternating red and amber lights on the front of the box. This will start a software update.”
Stable red light and flashing blue Q light on Sky box
A permanent red light accompanied by a flashing blue light on the front of your Sky Q box can signify that there is a hardware issue. Resetting your internet and box may resolve this issue, similarly, you could try ‘forgetting’ and then re-adding your Wi-Fi network.
Blue light on Sky Q box at night
If you’re seeing a blue light on your Sky Q box in the middle of the night, this most likely suggests that the box is going through some software updates. Your box could also be set to ‘Eco mode’ which you can change via the box settings.
Sky box: Green or red light
The green or red lights on your Sky Q box are the two that most of us are familiar with. The red light means that your box is off and a quick tap of the ‘power’ button on your remote control should turn it on. This red light will then turn green meaning that your Sky Q box is on and working as it should.
What do the lights on my Sky Q internet hub mean?
On the right-hand side of the face of the Sky Q hub, you will see four lights, three of the lights are labelled ‘power’, ‘internet’ and ‘wireless’.
If all of the lights are off, this means that there is no power going to the box.
What does a red light mean on my Sky Q internet hub?
A red power light means there is power going to your hub but this is signalling an issue. This may mean that there’s a problem with your power supply.
Sky Q hub: Orange light
If the power light is flashing orange it signifies that your hub is in a recovery status. This can happen if your box has recently been upgraded and should stop flashing after a few minutes.
You can troubleshoot these issues by visiting Sky’s website here or contacting them directly on 0333 7591 018.
Sky internet light flashing amber?
The Sky hub internet light will flash amber if it is trying to make a connection. If it then turns to solid amber, this means a connection has been made but there is a problem.
If the power and wireless lights are green but the internet light is off, you most likely either have no connection with your broadband, or you may have a poor Wi-Fi connection.
All of the lights turning solid green means you are good to go, your Sky Q hub is connected.
Sky Q remote buttons explained
Starting from the top of your remote, let’s take a look at the buttons on the Sky Q remote control. Located at the top, in the middle, you will find the ‘Sky’ button. This button will open your recordings and takes you out of standby mode.
Top-left – Standby button
The top-left button on your Sky remote control contains a power symbol. Clicking this once will turn your box on and off, holding it down will also turn your television set on and off if you have set up the Sky Q remote to sync with your TV.
Top-Right – Search
Searching for your favourite shows has never been easier with the Sky Q remote. Head to the top-right key (symbolised by a magnifying glass) for the search function, between these two buttons you will find the Sky Q microphone – this is where to aim your voice for commands.
Fast forward
Want to skip to the next part of the show? No problem, just press the fast forward button.
Rewind
If you want to watch a scene again, simply press the rewind button – tapping multiple times will speed the rewind up.
Pause and Play
Fancy a quick break? Press the pause and play button. Press play again to resume your show.
Navigation
Located on the middle of your Sky Q remote you will find the navigation buttons. You can click ‘right’ whilst watching a programme to display the channel that was viewed last.
Pressing ‘up’ when viewing a recording or paused TV will show the progress bar. ‘Left’ and ‘right’ can also be used to time jump through the programme you are currently watching.
Middle navigation
Pressing the middle navigation button will take you to the highlighted selection and can be used to display the Mini Guide whilst watching live television.
Home
Below the navigation button, you will find the home button (symbol of a house). Tapping here will take you to Sky’s home screen.
Dismiss
Next to the home button, on the left, you will see the dismiss button. This will instantly halt a recording and can also be used for exciting apps. Lastly, press this button to navigate to live television when using the menu.
Sidebar
To the right of the home button is the sidebar key. Use this to open your favourite apps like Sky Cinema.
Volume and mute buttons
Just below the home key on the left, you will find the ‘up’ and ‘down’ volume buttons for your television or sound system. To the right of these sits the mute button.
Channel selection – up and down
Below the home button on the right-hand side are the ‘up’ and ‘down’ channel select buttons.
Information
The information button can be used to view more information and details on the programme you are watching. This key can be found left of the channel select button.
Record button
This red button can be pressed to record the programme you are watching, and will automatically record further episodes if you are recording a series.
Pressing the record button a second time will stop this from happening and ensure only the current episode you’re watching is recorded.
Red, green, yellow and blue buttons
The red, green, yellow and blue buttons work in sync with the options you see on your screen. Pressing ‘red’ will also select and display Sky Sports interactive and ‘green’ can be used to set up a recording for a future show.
Number keypad
Use the number keypad to instantly go to the channel you would like to watch
Input
To the bottom left of the Sky remote control, you’ll find the input button. This is for selecting the source you wish to use in order to watch Sky Q TV channels such as AV or HDMI.
Question mark
Pressing the question mark button will give you a description of the audio and display subtitle options. It can also be used in the menu of your Sky Q for information on the page you currently viewing.
