The latest Tablo news along with tips to maximize your free TV experience. 

How to Avoid Getting Scammed When Buying a TV Antenna

AVOID GETTING SCAMMED OTA ANTENNA TV

Over the past 8 years, the number of households watching TV with an Over-the-Air (OTA) antenna has increased by almost 50%. While this surging interest in antenna TV has resulted in innovative new technology aimed at consumers looking for alternatives to expensive cable subscriptions, it’s also bringing out scammers looking to make a quick buck. If you wish to watch free live local Over-the-Air TV, here’s how to avoid getting scammed when buying a tv antenna.

How To Avoid Getting Scammed When Buying A TV Antenna for Cord Cutting

Modern TV Antenna Technology:

ota tv spectrum

The range of signals (aka spectrum) that Over-the-Air TV occupies has changed in recent years.

Most channels have moved to the UHF spectrum, while some remain on VHF. Frequencies that were formerly used for higher numbered UHF channels have been auctioned off and allocated to LTE cellular traffic.

Modern, quality antennas are designed to focus on today’s broadcast TV spectrum and limit interference from adjacent frequencies.

Older or lower quality antennas can still capture signals but may be less effective, so try to deal with reputable companies that specialize in TV antenna technology like Mohu, Antennas Direct, Winegard and Antop.

Questionable TV Antenna Marketing:

bogus antenna marketing

The more mainstream cord cutting gets the more TV antennas we’ve seen with wacky and even all-out false claims on their packaging or in their marketing materials which can potentially lead consumers astray.

Avoid TV antennas with the following bogus claims…

  • 4K Capable
    Today’s OTA TV is all digital and broadcast mostly in 720p or 1080i HD quality, therefore ALL TV antennas are ‘HD’ capable. But you may see TV antennas touting 4K or UHD. Aside from a small handful of special ATSC 3.0 test broadcasts NO channels are distributed in 4K or ‘ultra-HD’ quality today. As ATSC 3.0 becomes more prevalent, any OTA TV antenna in range would STILL be able to capture those signals but is unlikely that 4K UHD broadcasts will be available regularly anytime soon.
  • Access to Cable-Only TV Channels
    Some TV antennas – including ones listed online as ‘Best Seller’ and ‘Amazon’s Choice’ – include packaging or marketing materials that claim they provide access to cable-only channels like ESPN or HBO. If the channel isn’t broadcast Over-the-Air, there’s no ‘special’ TV antenna that will pick it up.
  • 150+ Mile Range
    The curvature of the earth will limit the distance of OTA TV reception to approximately 70 miles from local broadcast towers, even for the best quality outdoor antenna models. TV antennas that claim otherwise are suspect.

If It Sounds Too Good to Be True….

as seen on TV antennas

If you see an ad on TV or online for an OTA TV antenna and it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

We often get asked about products like the Magic Stick, Clear TV and LiveWave antenna. These products are about effective as a paper clip and should be avoided, especially since you can purchase much better options at similar price points.

Now that you know how to spot shady antenna products, check out our Buyer’s Guide to Over-the-Air TV antennas. This guide will take you step-by-step through TV antenna styles, specs and requirements for cord cutting success.

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Updated March 10, 2022

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How to restart your phone/tablet

Sometimes, just restarting your smartphone or tablet can clear up issues with apps. The links below will provide detailed instructions on how to force close your Tablo app. 

Apple iPhone

Android smartphones 

Most Android smartphones and tablets can be restarted by holding the POWER button and then selecting RESTART or POWER OFF and RESTART from the POWER OPTIONS menu.

NOTE: Newer Samsung devices require you to hold the POWER/SIDE button and VOLUME DOWN to make the POWER OPTIONS menu appear. On the Google Pixel 6, hold the POWER and VOLUME UP buttons.

How to force close your Tablo app?

Sometimes, just restarting the app can fix things. The links below will provide detailed instructions on how to force close your Tablo app. 

Apple iPhone/iPad

Android smartphones/tablets 

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Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered.  Follow the steps in the video below for a full walkthrough of the remaining parts of the Tablo setup process.

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You can get channels for free!
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Streaming Channels
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Tablo gives you more!
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  • 50+ hours of built-in storage
  • Expandable via USB for up to 8TB of additional space.

This is an estimate only. Actual broadcast TV channels received may vary based on TV antenna location, reception, topography, and other obstructions. Streaming channels require an internet connection. View the Channel Details Report for specifics of each channel and to help determine what antenna is needed. 

Reception alert:  Based upon the location you entered, you may not get many of the major networks.  As a result, Tablo may not be the best fit for you.  Please enter your full address above for best accuracy. 

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