Extra box.

[CharJ7]

Hi, 

Does BT allow you to have 2 recordable boxes? 

Thank you. 

[stereohaven · Accepted solution]

Hi @CharJ7 

Not currently, mostly to protect the quality of your broadband service and keep it useful as most of us still don't have FTTP.

However, if you understand that, then you can buy the Extra Box service to activate the ability to have two boxes on your line, then acquire a recordable Pro Box from eBay or CeX. 

Use that box in place of the Extra Box supplied by BT.

Caveat Emptor:

• Boxes are supposed to be returned to BT, you shouldn't really be able to buy a Pro Box second hand
• There is nothing to say BT wouldn't block the Pro Box if they felt like it, but they don't appear to currently
• You need to be comfortable you have enough headroom in your broadband connection to have multiple boxes running and be able to do other web based stuff
• If you only want to use the second box to record channels using an aerial, you don't need 'Extra Box' just buy one as per above and you can access NOW and BT Sport content through apps

[Thistle1]

Thanks for the information. Is it possible to watch programmes recorded on the main pro box on a second TV in another room?

[stereohaven]

Nope.

BT decided it wasn’t needed with the volume of catch up services available.

They are wrong, and so is anyone on their test panel who said it wasn’t needed. 🤣

Replicating Sky Q mini functionality would be a key benefit for driving sales of Extra Box IMHO, without it, unless you really need the additional channels delivered over WiFi in another room via an EPG, you can replicate it for very low cost with no monthly charge using apps in many cases.

I still hope that the functionality is in the box/software but just hasn’t been activated, bit like voice search/control.

[Thistle1]

Thanks once again for your answer. I need to be able to record on an Extra Box and if I cannot do that I'm afraid BT and I will be parting company. Having been with Virgin for many years I assumed that all additional boxes could record live TV and the fact that they can't was never mentioned by BT sales 

[welshgit]

i have extra box but only one box from bt i have an old humax 2000 works fine (due to age it does not have amazon on it ) i also have a 2100 box i got from ebay and that records bttv ok 

[MadJim]

Has anyone actually tried this? And/or tried using 3 boxes?

[MadJim]

So you use your own tv box and it works? Did they send you a non reccord able box to? If so can you see if 3 boxes work?  

[stereohaven]

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@MadJimwrote:

...can you see if 3 boxes work?  

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Currently you can use a maximum of two boxes on a BT line, which makes sense if you are on 60 Mbps FTTC like me, but is puzzling to someone lucky enough to have 150 Mbps+ FTTP/H. 

This of course may well all change as we all know now that BT TV is becoming EE TV on the 6th December and that free Extra Box/Multiroom is part of the new offering.

What we don't know are any finer details at this point. They may well let you have numerous multiroom boxes in future if you have the right amount of bandwidth/subscriptions. 

[MadJim]

So if for example i have multiroom and get a second bt pro tv box as long as it is not blocked in theory it will still work… we dont need all caveats etc. just black and white… will another box work, non recordable box is not an option, in theory is there any reason why 3 or 4 boxes will work? If paid for second box subscription and have fibre 900 etc etc