Launched recently in July 2023, Sky have upgraded their Broadband Boost add-on, boosting guaranteed wireless speeds from 3Mbps to up to 25Mbps.
Sky WiFi Max also includes the provider's latest router, the Sky Max Hub, which supports the latest WiFi 6 protocol.
Customers who don't get the minimum wireless speeds can claim one month's broadband subscription back, but there are drawbacks to the new add-on.
At a glance
| Monthly price | £7.50/mth for 18 months |
|---|---|
| Available with | Superfast 35, Superfast, Ultrafast, Ultrafast Plus, Gigafast |
| Minimum term | 18 months |
| Guaranteed speed in every room | 10Mbps - 25Mbps |
| Router required | Sky Max Hub (included) |
| Equipment provided | Up to 3 Max Pods |
| Guarantee | One month's broadband subscription |
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| One of the fastest guarantees available | 18-month minimum term can't be cancelled |
| Includes the latest WiFi 6 router | Superfast plans only promised 10Mbps |
| Updated network-level security | Doesn't support Sky Q boxes |
| Free Sky Mobile data for outages |
What does Sky WiFi Max offer?
Sky WiFi Max is a boosted whole home WiFi guarantee bundled with an upgraded router and a range of other service extras for broadband customers.
The new add-on was launched in July 2023, replacing the previous Sky Broadband Boost service. It can be added to any Sky broadband package and costs £7.50 per month for the first 18 months, and then £10 a month thereafter.
Sky broadband customers on Superfast 35 or Superfast packages are promised minimum download speeds over wireless in every room of their home of at least 10Mbps.
For Sky broadband customers on Ultrafast, Ultrafast Plus, or Gigafast packages, they'll receive a wireless speed promise of 25Mbps.
Sky WiFi Max ensures customers get these speeds by sending out up to 3 Max Pods, small WiFi booster devices that can be located around a home to boost coverage.
The add-on also includes:
- An engineer visit to ensure WiFi coverage in the home (if needed)
- Free off-peak engineer visits (if needed)
- 2GB of Sky Mobile data for each broadband outage of 30 minutes or longer
- MySky app updates, with advanced security and additional parental controls
Sky Max Hub
Unlike most WiFi guarantees, which make use of the customer's existing router and only supply WiFi boosters, Sky WiFi Max also includes an upgraded router.
The Sky Max Hub, or Sky SR213, offers several improvements over the Sky Broadband Hub.
The main update is to the WiFi protocol, with the Sky Max Hub supporting the latest WiFi 6, or 802.11ax, where the Sky Broadband Hub only supports WiFi 5, or 802.11ac.
It's an important upgrade for customers within Sky's ecosystem, as both the new Sky Stream Puck box and Sky Glass TV set support WiFi 6.
The Sky Max Hub also upgrades the security from WPA2 to WPA3 and introduces advanced security with real-time monitoring via updates to the MySky app. Parents also get more control with individual device control and total breaks from WiFi via MySky.
Here is the Sky Max Hub side-by-side with the Sky Broadband Hub:
| Sky Max Hub | Sky Broadband Hub | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £7.50/mth | Included free |
| WiFi Protocol | WiFi 6 (802.11ax) | WiFi 5 (802.11ac) |
| Mesh WiFi Pods | Yes (up to 3) | Yes (up to 3) Sky Q customers only |
| WiFi Guarantee | 10Mbps - 25Mbps | 3Mbps |
| Ethernet | 4 x 1Gb ports | 4 x 1Gb ports |
| Security | WPA3 Advanced real-time monitoring |
WPA2 |
| Model Number | Sky SR213 | Sky SR203 |
| Released | 2023 | 2019 |
Whole home WiFi guarantee
Alongside the new router, Sky WiFi Max's main selling point is the whole home WiFi guarantee.
The 'Enhanced Wall to Wall WiFi Guarantee' is a serious improvement over the previous Sky Broadband Boost, which only promised minimum wireless download speeds of 3Mbps.
Sky broadband customers on Ultrafast, Ultrafast Plus, and Gigafast packages will be guaranteed minimum download speeds of 25Mbps in every room, while Superfast plans are promised at least 10Mbps.
If customers aren't getting those speeds in every room they can request up to three Max Pods, and Sky may also arrange an engineer's visit.
Sky Max Pods are actually the same Plume WiFi Pods used by Virgin Media's WiFi Max add-on, which now promises minimum speeds of 30Mbps in every room.
WiFi Pods, or Max Pods, use intelligent mesh and work with the Sky Max Hub router to extend the wireless network seamlessly around a home. This means unlike with some older WiFi boosters or extenders no extra WiFi networks are created.
Sky Max Pods can be placed in areas of weak wireless coverage, simply by plugging them into a power socket, to boost signal in that area and ideally reach further rooms too.
However, when Sky say 'every room', they're clear to specify that doesn't include gardens, any external rooms, such as sheds or garden offices. Converted lofts and basements however seem to be included.
If customers still aren't getting the minimum download speeds, they can claim one month's broadband subscription with WiFi Max as a refund.
However, be aware - the WiFi Max add-on has an 18-month minimum term and can't be cancelled. That's unlike quite a few other whole home WiFi guarantees, including Virgin Media's WiFi Max, that do allow customers to cancel it if it doesn't work out.
How do I get Sky WiFi Max?
Sky WiFi Max costs £7.50 per month for the first 18 months, and then £10 a month thereafter.
It can be added to any of the following Sky broadband plans:
| Package | Broadband | Monthly price | Upfront price | Contract term | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
Superfast 35 Broadband | 36Mb average | £38 | £5 | 18 months |
 Offer: WiFi Max just £6.50/mth + (£5 refundable setup fee for new customers if applicable) | |||||
|
Superfast Broadband | 61Mb average | £27 | £5 | 18 months |
| Offer: WiFi Max just £3/mth + (£5 refundable setup fee for new customers if applicable) | |||||
|
Ultrafast Broadband | 145Mb average | £28 | £5 | 18 months |
| Offer: WiFi Max just £3/mth + (£5 refundable setup fee for new customers if applicable) | |||||
|
Ultrafast Plus Broadband | 500Mb average | £33 | £5 | 18 months |
| Offer: WiFi Max just £3/mth + (£5 refundable setup fee for new customers if applicable) | |||||
|
Gigafast Broadband | 900Mb average | £41 | £5 | 18 months |
| Offer: WiFi Max just £3/mth + (£5 refundable setup fee for new customers if applicable) | |||||
As mentioned, while all packages come with the same features, only Ultrafast, Ultrafast Plus, and Gigafast get the full speed guarantee of 25Mbps. While those taking Superfast 35 or Superfast are guaranteed 10Mbps.
It's also worth bearing in mind Sky WiFi Max comes with its own 18-month minimum term, and can't be cancelled early without incurring penalty charges.
While Sky's early termination charges document has yet to be updated, the 2023 early cancellation fee for Sky Broadband Boost, which cost £6 per month, is £4.97 for each remaining month on the contract.
So, we can expect the cancellation charge of Sky WiFi Max to be similar, and priced slightly below the £7.50 initial subscription fee.
This is a drawback; however, customers should remember the upgraded router and three Sky Max Pods, will offer tangible improvement to wireless coverage even if they don't manage the full guarantee.
How does Sky WiFi Max compare?
The majority of broadband providers now offer whole home WiFi guarantees, usually as add-ons to existing broadband services, and they tend to cost a similar amount to Sky WiFi Max.
Generally speaking, the benefits and features of each WiFi guarantee vary between providers, with some offering substantially more than others.
Sky's WiFi Max is one of the better guarantees, although they don't quite match up to Virgin Media in terms of guaranteed speed or the money-back offer if it doesn't live up to those promises.
| Monthly price | Minimum speed | Guarantee | Minimum term | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Virgin Media | £8 (free with Gig1 or Volt) | 30Mb | £100 bill credit | 30 days |
| Sky | £7.50 | Up to 25Mb | 1 month's subscription refunded | 18 months |
| BT | £12 | 'Strong' signal on My BT app | £100 bill credit | 24 months |
| Vodafone | £12 | 10Mb | Leave contract early | 24 months |
The major difference for Sky in their guarantee is the addition of an upgraded router for all customers who take the plan. That's an arguable benefit especially considering people on cheaper packages generally don't get access to the latest routers at all.
However, Virgin Media for example, include their latest WiFi 6 router and the whole home WiFi guarantee for free for customers on their fastest Gig1 plan.
In contrast, Sky Gigafast customers have to pay extra for both the latest router and the WiFi guarantee, which is somewhat surprising, especially when you consider Sky Stream Puck boxes and Sky Glass both support WiFi 6.
What happened to Sky Broadband Boost?
Sky WiFi Max replaces Sky Broadband Boost for the majority of new and existing Sky customers.
However, customers who also subscribe to Sky Q, or who add it to their basket when they join Sky broadband, will still be offered the Sky Broadband Boost add-on.
This is because the new Sky Max Hub router doesn't work with Sky Q as yet, and so customers bundling the older satellite-based TV service are limited to the Sky Broadband Hub router.
Sky Broadband Boost was first launched in September 2019, it costs £6 per month and offers a whole home WiFi guarantee of 3Mbps in every room. That's going to be pretty slow for most people, and doesn't offer much over the free Wall to Wall WiFi guarantee included as standard.
However, Sky Broadband Boost does offer customers intelligent mesh based WiFi boosters that will work with the Sky Broadband Hub, as well as other benefits including free off-peak engineer visits and 2GB Sky Mobile data in the event the fixed-line broadband goes down.
Verdict: Is Sky WiFi Max worth it?
Sky WiFi Max is a major upgrade on the previous Sky Broadband Boost and is now one of the best whole home WiFi guarantees on the market.
While WiFi 6 is a fairly new protocol and not all devices will support it yet, it's worth knowing both Sky Stream and Sky Glass do, and customers with those devices will benefit from the upgrade.
However, there are some niggles or drawbacks to the new Sky WiFi Max add-on.
The inclusion of the latest router is a plus point for those on cheaper packages, but for those already paying £40+ for Ultrafast Plus or Gigafast, we'd expect the latest router to be included for those customers as standard.
The inability to cancel the add-on if it doesn't live up to promises is also a bit of a drawback. While this is the same for add-ons from BT, other providers including Virgin Media, Community Fibre, TalkTalk and Vodafone all allow customers to exit the add-on penalty free.
Overall, Sky's new WiFi Max add-on offers good value for money, providing access to the latest router tech, while promising some of the fastest wireless speeds of all providers.
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