diff --git a/tangostationcontrol/tangostationcontrol/integration_test/default/statistics_writer/test_statistics_writer_sst.py b/tangostationcontrol/tangostationcontrol/integration_test/default/statistics_writer/test_statistics_writer_sst.py
index fea84464ecb0aa0a4de0fef8423200a619da9cbb..f7f9c913c6ca6ba49a486a2afb4066be082ec7ca 100644
--- a/tangostationcontrol/tangostationcontrol/integration_test/default/statistics_writer/test_statistics_writer_sst.py
+++ b/tangostationcontrol/tangostationcontrol/integration_test/default/statistics_writer/test_statistics_writer_sst.py
@@ -68,10 +68,10 @@ class TestStatisticsWriterSST(BaseIntegrationTestCase):
                 stat = stat_parser.get_statistic('2021-09-20T12:17:40.000+00:00') # same as stat_parser.statistics[0] 
                 self.assertIsNotNone(stat)
                 self.assertEqual(121, stat.data_id_signal_input_index)
-                # Test RECV attributes               
-                self.assertListEqual(stat.rcu_attenuator_dB.tolist(), [0] * 96)
-                self.assertListEqual(stat.rcu_band_select.tolist(), [0] * 96)
-                self.assertListEqual(stat.rcu_dth_on.tolist(), [False] * 96)
+                # RECV attributes are not present since the stats-writer is not connecting to any host              
+                self.assertEqual(stat.rcu_attenuator_dB.tolist(), None)
+                self.assertEqual(stat.rcu_band_select.tolist(), None)
+                self.assertEqual(stat.rcu_dth_on.tolist(), None) 
         
     def test_no_tango_SST_statistics(self):
 
diff --git a/tangostationcontrol/tangostationcontrol/statistics_writer/statistics_writer.py b/tangostationcontrol/tangostationcontrol/statistics_writer/statistics_writer.py
index 806dd6303e12fdc5dedf017bd67b8d04ae573ef2..49add415ca7905446488d56416c5437b994acf9e 100644
--- a/tangostationcontrol/tangostationcontrol/statistics_writer/statistics_writer.py
+++ b/tangostationcontrol/tangostationcontrol/statistics_writer/statistics_writer.py
@@ -139,11 +139,11 @@ def main():
         logger.debug("Setting loglevel to DEBUG")
     
     # sets the Tango connection in order to retrieve attribute values 
-    if tango_disabled:
+    if tango_disabled or not host:
         logger.warning("Tango connection is DISABLED")
         device = None 
     else:     
-        device = DeviceProxy(args.device) if mode=='SST' else None
+        device = DeviceProxy(f"tango://{host}:10000/{args.device}".lower()) if mode=='SST' else None
 
     # creates the TCP receiver that is given to the writer
     receiver = _create_receiver(filename, host, port)