// SKY ROUTER PRINTER FIX
Printer won’t connect to your Sky router
A new printer that won’t see your Sky wifi — or an old favourite that dropped off after an engineer swapped your hub — is nearly always a band or security mismatch, not a broken printer. Here’s exactly what to change on a Sky Broadband Hub or a Sky Max Hub to get it printing again, in plain English. Rated 4.9 on Google.
- ● Usually same-day remote help
- ● No fix, no fee
- ● Rated 4.9 on Google
/01 — THE QUICK ANSWER
Why your printer can’t reach the Sky wifi
If your wireless printer won’t connect to your Sky router, the usual culprit is the wifi band. Most home printers only talk on the slower 2.4GHz band, and every Sky hub broadcasts its 2.4GHz and 5GHz signals under a single network name, letting the hub decide which band each device uses — so your printer can end up aimed at a 5GHz signal it simply can’t join.
The reliable fix is to make sure the printer reaches the 2.4GHz band, and on the newer white Sky Max Hub to drop the wifi security from WPA3 down to WPA2 so an older printer will accept the password. Exactly how you do that depends on which hub Sky gave you, so the sections below split it by hub — the black Sky Broadband Hub and the white Sky Max Hub — while our printer setup guide covers the printer side.
Different setup? If you’re on another provider or situation, we have matching guides for a BT Smart Hub, an EE Smart Hub, a printer that stopped working after moving house, or one that vanished after a Windows update.
At a glance
| Most common cause | A band mismatch — most home printers are 2.4GHz-only, while Sky hubs put both bands under one name and pick the band for you. |
|---|---|
| Black Sky Broadband Hub fix | Split the bands at 192.168.0.1 (untick ‘Synchronise 2.4GHz and 5GHz settings’), then join the printer to the 2.4GHz name. |
| White Sky Max Hub fix | You can’t split the bands — drop the security from WPA3 to WPA2 in the My Sky app, or temporarily turn off 5GHz. |
| Just had Sky installed? | Nothing is broken — the printer still has the old wifi details, so re-enter the new name and password from the hub’s sticker. |
| Can it be fixed remotely? | Yes — usually the same day, and most problems on this page are fixed in one short remote session while you watch. |
| When to call us | If you’d rather not touch hub settings, or the printer has a hardware fault — it’s no fix, no fee on 01202 775566. |
// NEED THIS FIXED RIGHT NOW?
Skip the DIY — call 01202 775566 and we can be looking at your screen within minutes. You watch everything we do, and most problems on this page are fixed in one short remote session. (Mon–Fri, 9am–5pm.)
/02 — WHY SKY HUBS TRIP PRINTERS UP
Sky hub models and the single-name band trap
Sky has shipped several hubs over the years — the older Sky Hub and Sky Q Hub, the black Sky Broadband Hub, and the newer white Sky Max Hub (sometimes called Sky WiFi Max). They all share one habit that trips printers up: a single wifi name covering both bands, with the hub ‘steering’ each gadget onto whichever band it thinks is best.
Your phone and laptop happily hop between bands, but a printer often can’t. Many home printers — especially older HP, Canon, Epson and Brother models — have 2.4GHz-only wifi, so if the hub tries to hand it the 5GHz signal, the printer either can’t see the network or fails on the password. The 2.4GHz band also reaches further through walls, which matters if the printer sits in a back room or study.
The white Sky Max Hub adds one more wrinkle: it was Sky’s first hub to turn on WPA3 security by default. WPA3 is good news for safety, but a fair few older printers only understand the earlier WPA2 standard and quietly refuse to join. That single detail is behind a lot of ‘my printer worked, now it won’t’ posts on the wifi help forums.
/03 — FIX IT ON A BLACK SKY BROADBAND HUB
Splitting the bands on a black Sky Broadband Hub
The black Sky Broadband Hub lets you separate the two bands, which is the cleanest fix. Type 192.168.0.1 into a web browser on a computer or phone connected to the hub, then sign in to the settings page — the username is admin and the password is your hub’s default wifi password (both printed on the sticker on the hub).
Choose Wireless, then untick ‘Synchronise 2.4GHz and 5GHz settings’ and apply the change. When the page reloads, open the 5GHz settings and add something obvious to that network’s name — for example popping 5G on the end — so the two bands now show up as separate names. Leave the 2.4GHz name exactly as it is.
Now, on the printer, run its wifi setup again and pick the 2.4GHz network (the one without 5G on the end), entering the password carefully. Helpfully, the black Sky Broadband Hub only uses WPA2 security in the first place, so — unlike the newer white hub — there’s no WPA3 setting here to trip an older printer up. Once it prints, you can leave the bands split for good — it often makes smart plugs and cameras behave too. If the menus look unfamiliar, our home network setup help walks through it.
/04 — FIX IT ON A WHITE SKY MAX HUB
Getting a printer onto a white Sky Max Hub
The white Sky Max Hub is managed through the My Sky app rather than a settings web page, and it deliberately won’t let you split the bands or rename them — so the black-hub trick above doesn’t apply. Instead, you have two reliable levers.
First, in the My Sky app open your hub’s settings and, under the advanced wifi options, find the WiFi security level. It ships on a WPA3 mode (Sky labels it WPA3-T); change it down to WPA2, save, and try the printer again — this alone fixes a large share of Max Hub printer problems. Second, if it still won’t join, use the same screen to temporarily turn off the 5GHz band. With only 2.4GHz broadcasting, the printer has nowhere else to go; connect it, then switch the 5GHz band back on afterwards.
Most Sky hubs also have a WPS button on the side (a small, easily-missed button marked with the WPS arrows). Start WPS on the printer, then press and hold the hub’s WPS button until the light on the hub flashes, and give it a couple of minutes to pair. WPS is handy, but not every printer offers it, so treat it as a fallback rather than the first thing to try.
/05 — JUST HAD SKY INSTALLED?
New Sky install and the printer went offline
If your printer stopped working the day a Sky engineer visited, nothing is broken — your network name and password have simply changed. A new hub comes with its own wifi details, but the printer is still trying to log in with the old ones, so it drops offline while every phone and laptop you re-entered the password on carries on fine.
The cure is to point the printer at the new network. Find the new wifi name (SSID) and password printed on the sticker on the back or base of the hub — or on the little ‘connect’ card in the box — then run the printer’s wifi setup and enter them exactly, watching for capital letters and the difference between a letter O and a zero.
If the printer still won’t take the new details, it’s almost always the band or WPA3 issue above, so work through the section that matches your hub. A printer that keeps joining and then dropping off again is a slightly different story — our guide on why a printer keeps disconnecting covers that pattern.
/06 — PREFER SOMEONE TO JUST SORT IT?
When to let us do it for you
If you’d rather not poke around in hub settings, this is a very ordinary job for us and we can usually do the whole thing remotely, the same day. With your permission we connect to your Windows computer, get the printer onto the right band on your Sky Broadband Hub or Sky Max Hub, re-enter the password for you, and print a test page while you watch — no need for anyone to visit.
We’re 365 Techies, a family-run team that has been fixing this sort of thing since 1995, based at Kinson Community Centre in Bournemouth and rated 4.9 on Google. We work remotely across the UK and, if the printer turns out to have a physical fault, we offer home visits and collection across Bournemouth, Poole, Christchurch and the wider Dorset area. Everything is no fix, no fee, so if we can’t get it printing you don’t pay.
Give us a ring on 01202 775566, text 07520 615332, or book remote support and we’ll get your printer back online. We’re Windows and Android specialists, so we’re equally at home connecting a printer from a laptop or from your Android phone.
FAMILY-RUN SINCE 1995 · ★ 4.9 ON GOOGLE · 200+ COMPUTERS UNDER OUR CARE · NO FIX, NO FEE · SAME-DAY REMOTE SUPPORT
// GOOD QUESTIONS
Frequently asked
Why won’t my printer connect to my Sky router?
Nine times out of ten it’s the wifi band. Most home printers only use the 2.4GHz band, while Sky hubs broadcast 2.4GHz and 5GHz under one name and choose the band for you — so the printer can be pointed at a 5GHz signal it can’t join. Getting it onto 2.4GHz, and dropping WPA3 to WPA2 on a Sky Max Hub, fixes the vast majority of cases.
How do I know if my printer is 2.4GHz only?
Check the printer’s wifi or network specification in its manual or on the maker’s website — many home HP, Canon, Epson and Brother models list ‘2.4GHz’ only. A quick tell-tale: if the printer simply can’t see your Sky network at all, or sees it but rejects a password you know is right, it’s almost certainly hunting for a 2.4GHz band it can’t reach.
How do I split the 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands on a Sky hub?
On the black Sky Broadband Hub you can: go to 192.168.0.1, open Wireless, untick ‘Synchronise 2.4GHz and 5GHz settings’, apply, then rename the 5GHz network (say, add 5G). Connect the printer to the 2.4GHz name. The white Sky Max Hub deliberately won’t let you split the bands — there you turn off 5GHz temporarily or lower the security instead.
My Sky Max Hub won’t let me separate the bands — what now?
That’s normal; the white Max Hub is managed in the My Sky app and doesn’t allow band splitting. In the app’s advanced wifi settings, change the WiFi security level to WPA2 (its default is a WPA3 mode) and retry the printer. If it still won’t join, temporarily switch off the 5GHz band in the same place, connect the printer, then turn 5GHz back on. One of those two nearly always does it.
Should I use the WPS button on my Sky hub?
You can — find the WPS button on the side of the hub, start WPS on the printer, then hold the hub’s WPS button until the light on the hub flashes and wait a couple of minutes. It’s a quick option, but not every printer supports WPS and it’s a little less secure than entering the password, so we treat it as a fallback rather than the first move.
I’ve just had Sky installed and now nothing prints. Why?
Your new hub has a new network name and password, and the printer is still trying the old ones. Re-enter the new wifi details (printed on the sticker on the back or base of the hub) into the printer’s wifi setup. If it still won’t take them, it’s the 2.4GHz band or WPA3 issue, so follow the section for your hub above.
Can you just set the printer up for me?
Yes — gladly. It’s a common, quick job and we can usually do it remotely the same day: with your permission we connect to your Windows PC, get the printer onto your Sky wifi, and print a test page while you watch. It’s no fix, no fee, so if we can’t get it working you pay nothing. Call 01202 775566 or text 07520 615332.
Is there anything you can’t fix remotely?
Honestly, yes. We can nearly always sort a wifi or password problem remotely, but if the printer has a hardware fault — a failed wifi card, a paper-feed or print-head issue — that may need a proper look, and we’d arrange a home visit or collection across Bournemouth, Poole, Christchurch and Dorset. We’re also Windows and Android specialists, so we set printers up from Windows computers and Android phones.
Printer still refusing to see your Sky wifi?
We’ll connect remotely, get it onto the right band and print a test page while you watch — usually the same day, and no fix, no fee. Family-run in Kinson, Bournemouth since 1995.
01202 775566 · help@365techies.co.uk · MON–FRI 9AM–5PM