DON’T DO THIS: Mount the antenna behind the TV

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Folks, I get a lot of equipment to test from my friends at Solid Signal. Add to that the many things I buy myself just because I’m a gadget hound like you. It all adds up to a lot of electronic doodads in my house and they’re not always welcome. Finding ways to integrate my obsession with electronics into my family’s life isn’t always easy.

So, like you, I find compromises. I hide stuff when I can. I use RF remotes and IP remotes so that the equipment’s not easily seen. Not only that I build cable channels behind furniture so that wires aren’t seen. But, there’s one thing I don’t ever do: I don’t ever hide the TV antenna behind the TV. You shouldn’t either, and I’m about to tell you why.

Biggest problem: it won’t work

Putting an antenna behind the TV isn’t likely to work. There’s a possibility, based on where you put the TV, that the antenna could actually be pointing toward the towers when you do that. But, it’s probably not. What’s probably going to happen is that the metal and the LCD screen will block antenna signals very effectively. The antenna won’t do anything for you back there. You’ll be frustrated and you won’t get the benefit of all those free channels.

Even if by random chance the antenna’s where it needs to be, there could be enough RF interference behind the TV that it messes things up. Or, the antenna signals could be blocked by wires in the walls. It’s not worth trying. Trust me on this.

It probably will also force you to mount the antenna the wrong way

In order to work well, antennas need to be pointed at the towers. Yet, if you take an antenna like our Dinova Boss Mix, you’re going to be tempted to put it so the front of the antenna is pointing down. This way it can fit nicely back there. The problem there is, it won’t work. That is, unless your TV stations are coming from the pit of hell. I think we can all agree, that’s unlikely.

Even if you’re using a fairly flat antenna like our HDB4X, you’re likely to mangle the delicate hardware so it fits nice and flush. Again, this is going to cause bad reception. It’s going to mean your investment is worthless. Why go that direction?

If you choose an indoor antenna…

Whether you use an indoor-specific antenna or an indoor/outdoor antenna like our Antop line, find a place for it that it has the clearest possible view of the towers. That may mean putting it in a corner or up a little higher. Don’t be afraid to test different locations to see what works best. You may be surprised to find that putting the antenna near a window is about the worst thing you can do. That’s not always true but if you have energy efficient windows, then pointing the antenna through a wall will generally give you better results. Energy-efficient windows are surprisingly good at blocking antenna signals.

Get the antenna you need from Solid Signal

If you haven’t bought that indoor antenna yet, check out the great selection at Solid Signal! We have antennas for every budget and every room. If you don’t know what you need, why not call the experts? Free tech support is available before, during, and after the sale. We’re here for you during East Coast business hours at 888-233-7563. It’s time to start on the road to free television reception… just don’t hide the antenna behind the TV.

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.