Where to put the set-top box, and how the cable gets there
3 min read · Updated 31 July 2026
The box needs three things: a clear line to where you sit so the remote works, air around it so it does not overheat, and a mains socket within reach. The cable from the dish comes in through an existing conduit or a small sealed hole, then runs to wherever the television is. Deciding the position before the technician arrives is worth more than any adjustment afterwards.
The remote needs to see the box
Standard remotes work by infrared, which needs an unobstructed path to the front of the box. Inside a closed cabinet, behind a plant, or tucked behind the television, that path is broken and the remote appears faulty when it is not.
If the box has to go inside a cabinet, a glass door usually still works while a solid one will not. The Binge+ voice remote also uses Bluetooth, which is less fussy about line of sight — but its basic functions still fall back to infrared.
Heat matters more than people expect
Set-top boxes run warm and shed that heat through vents in the case. Stacked under a router, wrapped in a cloth, or shut in an unventilated cupboard, they run hot, and heat is the most common cause of a box that freezes or restarts by itself after a year or two.
Leave a few centimetres of clear space around it, and never put anything on top of it.
How the cable gets in
The cable from the dish has to reach the box. Where a building already has a route — an air-conditioner conduit, an old cable-TV entry, a gap in a window frame — that gets used and no drilling is needed.
Otherwise a small hole is drilled and sealed. Inside, the cable is usually run along the skirting or the top of the wall. If you would prefer a longer route that keeps it out of sight, say so at the start; rerouting a clipped cable afterwards means taking it all down.
Decide these before the visit
A few minutes of thought here saves rework later.
- 1Choose which wall the television will be on, and whether it will be wall-mounted or on a unit.
- 2Check there is a spare mains socket within reach of that position.
- 3Decide whether the box will sit in the open or in a cabinet, and if a cabinet, whether the door is glass.
- 4Think about whether a second room might ever need a connection, so cable can be run for both at once.
Questions people ask
Can the box go inside a closed cabinet?
It can if the door is glass and there is ventilation, but a solid door blocks the infrared remote and traps heat. If the cabinet is solid, plan on the box sitting in the open instead.
How far can the box be from the dish?
Well beyond the length of a normal flat. Signal does weaken over very long cable runs, so an unusually long route is worth mentioning when you book, but ordinary household distances are not a problem.
Can I move the box to another room later?
If there is already a cable point in that room, yes — unplug it and move it. If there is not, the cable has to be run, which is a technician visit. That is why it is worth thinking about a second room at installation time.
My box restarts by itself. Is it the placement?
It often is. A box that has been running hot in an enclosed space will freeze or reboot. Give it clear air on all sides for a few days and see whether it settles before assuming the box has failed.