What to do if you're not getting a satellite signal

What to Do If You're Not Getting a Satellite Signal — Sky Customers

Step 1: Check your Sky box lights

Look at the front of your Sky box. A green light usually means the box is powered and awake. If the light is red or orange, press the Sky button on your remote to wake it.

If the box remains unresponsive, continue to the restart instructions below.

Step 2: Check cables and connections

Loose or damaged cables are the most common cause of lost satellite signal. Check the back of your Sky box and the connection to the dish (if you can safely see it):

Step 3: Restart your Sky box and TV

A full power cycle often restores signal. Follow these steps in order:

Step 4: Consider the weather

Satellite signals can be disrupted by heavy rain, strong winds, sleet or snow. If the weather is poor, wait until it clears and check again. If there is no improvement, the dish or LNB may be misaligned.

Do not try to climb a ladder or adjust the dish yourself. That can be dangerous and may affect your Sky service agreement or warranty.

Step 5: Use the Sky Q hidden reset menu (Sky Q only)

If you have Sky Q, try resetting settings (this does not remove recordings):

Step 6: Test another device

To check whether the issue is the TV input rather than the Sky box, connect a different HDMI device (for example a DVD player, streaming stick or games console) to the same TV input. If that device shows picture and sound, the problem is likely with the Sky box.

Step 7: Check if you use a communal dish

If you live in a flat or a building with a shared satellite dish, your connection relies on the communal setup. Issues with the communal splitter or building wiring can cause signal loss. Ask your building manager or neighbours if they have the same problem.

Step 8: Check Sky service status

Sometimes the problem is outside your home — Sky may be carrying out maintenance or there may be an outage in your area. Check Sky's official service information and status pages for any reported problems.

If you prefer, use the Sky Help app or your Sky box menus to check for service messages.

Step 9: Book a Sky engineer

If none of the steps above restore the signal, book a Sky engineer. Engineers can re-align or replace your dish, fix cabling, or replace faulty equipment. Use the My Sky app, the Sky box appointment option, or Sky's help pages to arrange a visit.

Bonus: Keep your setup tidy

Small changes reduce future problems. Do not stack heavy devices on your Sky box, keep ventilation clear, and route cables so they are not pinched or exposed to pets and foot traffic.

Summary checklist

Follow these steps in order and stop when the signal returns: