Can you use an outdoor antenna indoors?

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Let’s say you want a powerful antenna but you can’t get up on the roof. Maybe you live in a high-rise. Maybe you just don’t feel comfortable up there. Maybe it’s just super hot up there and you don’t want to burn your hands and feet. There are a lot of reasons you would want to put an outdoor antenna inside, at least temporarily.

But can it be done?

You sure can. Outdoor antennas like this Televes Dinova Boss Mix work just fine indoors. It even has a certain geeky charm that might win you points, depending on your group of friends. You should know one thing, though. Although an outdoor antenna will work indoors, they work even better if you put them outside on the roof. They’ll lose about half of their receiving power indoors, even if pointed out the window. This is true of basically any antenna of any kind. It has to do with the building materials of your home and how radio waves travel through them.

What about a really big antenna?

There’s no limit to the size of the antenna you can put inside. Now, I’m not recommending that you put a big, 10-foot-long antenna inside. That probably wouldn’t be really popular with other members of your household. If you did do it, though, it would certainly work. I’m just not sure it’s the right move for most people.

Outdoor vs. Indoor antennas

This brings up that there really isn’t a difference between an “outdoor” and “indoor” antenna, once you get past these two points:

Indoor antennas aren’t weatherproof. They may break more quickly, possibly after the first rainstorm. If you live in a dry climate, that may not be a concern, but damage from UV rays could certainly be a problem.

Outdoor antennas can be really, really big and usually require some sort of post or stand. They are weatherproof, either because of the materials they’re made from or because there’s a waterproof covering on them.

If you’re willing to work with that, you can put up whatever kind of antenna you want. You could hang an antenna on a hook or on a short post from the ceiling, you could put an indoor antenna in a shaded, largely waterproof area, or you could find some other way to use the antenna you want in the place you want it.

So, don’t worry too much about whether the antenna is “outdoor or “indoor”… get the antenna you want from Solid Signal now and just find a way to use it indoors if need be. You’ll be amazed at what you’re missing when you start watching free live HDTV! If you have questions or don’t know which antenna you need, we’re here for you! We have a team of real antenna technicians ready to answer your questions. We’re just a phone call away at 888-233-7563. Call during East Coast business hours and you’ll be connected to a trained tech in our corporate offices. We’re all here in the good old U.S. of A. Our offices in Novi, Michigan are full of top-notch folks who are just waiting for your call.

About the Author

Stuart Sweet
Stuart Sweet is the editor-in-chief of The Solid Signal Blog and a "master plumber" at Signal Group, LLC. He is the author of over 10,000 articles and longform tutorials including many posted here. Reach him by clicking on "Contact the Editor" at the bottom of this page.