Watching free TV in the UK is easy – Freeview has 80+ channels, and you just need a way for your TV to interpret the signal. That’s where an indoor TV aerial comes in.
But are indoor aerials (as opposed to those on your roof or in your loft) any good? You keep hearing horror stories about expensive pieces of metal and plastic that do, well, nothing.
I’ve been writing about Freeview for more than eight years now – so I know what to look out for, and the dirty little secrets some sellers won’t tell you about (here’s the big one: if reception in your area is particularly bad, the aerial won’t help – no matter how expensive it is).
So, should you get an amplified TV aerial, is 4G filtering important, and where should you even place it?
In this article, I’ll try to help you pick the right indoor aerial for your situation, and discuss the things to consider before you buy.
Cord Busters' Best Indoor Aerials 2024
Excellent performance, paper-thin and a great price.
Excellent range and performance at a higher price point.
Unique design for those who want something pretty. And it’s amplified
![High Gain Freeview TV Aerial -August DTA240 - HD Portable Indoor/Outdoor Digital HD Antenna for USB TV Tuner / DVB-T Television / DAB Radio / SD / 4K - With Magnetic Base [Black]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/31XgANzeRiS._SL160_.jpg)
Built-in signal amplification and 4G filtering, at a higher cost.
Table of Contents
Do I Need An Indoor TV Aerial For Freeview?
If you want to watch Freeview (or YouView) on your telly over the air, without paying one of the pay-TV companies (like Sky or Virgin Media) you need an aerial. Either a big one on your roof, or a small one inside your house.
The easiest way (and usually the cheapest) is to use an indoor aerial.
Freeview, first established in 2002, is the commercial name for the UK’s digital terrestrial television platform. Freeview provides access to a large number of free-to-air digital TV channels, including HD channels, as well as radio stations, without any monthly subscription costs (You do, however, need to pay the yearly TV licence fee in most cases).
YouView, the competing service (that’s slowly disappearing, I have to say), adds catch-up and on-demand programming via broadband. It also requires an aerial for its over-the-air channels.
- Read our full guide: What’s Freeview, and how to get it on your TV.
Because Freeview channels are broadcast over the air, you need an aerial that can interpret and turn those waves into pretty images on your TV.
Freeview Play, which is the on-demand side of Freeview, uses your broadband connection to stream digital TV content to your device – but only a few channels/broadcasters are part of it.
And then there’s Freely, which launched this year – the new broadband-based successor to Freeview. It aims to deliver Freeview channels via broadband – but for now, it only supports a very limited number of channels – so even for Freely, you still need an aerial if you want to get all the free channels.
Back in the day, most houses and buildings had outdoor TV aerials, either up on the roof or possibly in your attic. While outdoor aerials usually offer the best signal reception, there are two potential issues with them:
- Some houses no longer have outdoor aerials – either the old ones broke down, or new-builds where no one bothered to install one.
- Cabling needed: Connecting the outdoor aerial to your TV, means you need cables running from the aerial itself (on your roof!), to your indoor sockets (usually inside the walls) – and sometimes considerable cable length is needed. Plus, if you have an old house, the in-wall cables can sometimes malfunction. And, you need a socket in your TV room, preferably next to the TV itself.
The solution? An indoor TV aerial that simply connects to your TV and sits right next to it, without complicated roof-top installations or cables-in-the-wall.
Will An Indoor TV Aerial Work In My Area?
It depends. For an indoor aerial to be enough, you need good reception in your house. And for the best TV reception, you need a transmitter that’s close by – preferably less than 15 miles away from you.
As a first step, you can check the estimated coverage with the Freeview Postcode Checker. You put in your postcode and house number, and the site will give you some details about reception in your area – your nearest transmitter, the estimated reception near your house, and even the number of Freeview channels you should be able to watch with that kind of coverage.
However, you should take these results with a grain of salt. Reception can vary greatly, even between houses that sit right next to each other – it depends on your walls, your insulation, what’s on your roof, and even the trees or other buildings right in front of your house…
So, how can you be sure whether an indoor aerial is good enough for Freeview in your house?
Unfortunately, there’s only one surefire way: buy an aerial and test it out. The good news? They’re pretty cheap.
And here’s another little secret: most basic indoor aerials are almost identical. The major difference is whether they’re amplified or not (see below), but among the non-amplified ones, the differences are more about design (and price!) than actual functionality.
At the end of the day, the single most important question is whether reception in your area is good enough.
The key thing, especially if you have weak or low signals, is to get a working indoor TV aerial, preferably one with good reviews, so that you know it’s going to function properly – other than that, there’s usually no reason to pay higher prices.
Amplified Indoor TV Aerials VS Non-Amplified Aerials
Amplified indoor aerials connect not only to your TV, but also to the electrical socket, and contain an internal signal booster. In theory, amplified aerials are supposed to boost low signals, but in practice, especially with the lower-cost aerials, this doesn’t always help.
In fact, in some cases, amplified aerials might actually WORSEN your reception, either from causing electrical interference, or by boosting the BAD signals (which they can certainly do – the amplifier boosts both good and bad signals, and if you have a bad signal in your house, it might get boosted and you will get a distorted image on your TV).
So my recommendation, in most cases, would be to try a non-amplified aerial first. If you don’t get the best indoor TV signal, you can give an amplified aerial a try – they cost a bit more, but are still pretty cheap, compared to an installation of an outdoor aerial. (Some antennas already include a detachable amplifier – so it’s optional).
Another option is to get a stand-alone aerial signal booster – see my recommendations here.
Where Should I Place My Indoor Aerial?
First, you connect the aerial to the back of your TV (via the coaxial cable that, in most cases, will come with your aerial – but remember to note the cable length). If it’s an amplified model, you also connect it to the power socket.
Depending on the shape of your aerial, you should place it as close to a window as possible.
If your aerial has a base, which the aerial stands on, you don’t have a lot of placement options, unless you get an extension lead, and pull the aerial all the way to a window with a large enough ledge.
If you have a flat indoor aerial (like the one that got our Editor’s Choice), you have more options – you can hang it on the wall, or even better – on a window.
Try to place the aerial at head height, and as close to a window as possible.
Electronic devices (other than your TV), such as a microwave or even your washing machine, might interfere with the reception of the TV signal, so try to place your aerial away from those.
Occasionally, 4G Cellular signals can also interfere with your reception – so some aerials and boosters offer 4G filtering.
Once the aerial is placed, re-scan the channels via your TV’s settings (or scan them for the first time, if your TV/aerial is new).
If you manage to see the channels, but the quality is not very good, stay on a single channel (BBC One, for example), and move your aerial around until you get the best TV signal.
Note that if you move the aerial around, other channels might disappear, and you will have to do a full re-scan.
Once you see the best picture quality, make sure your aerial stays in place (without you having to stand there holding it forever, hopefully) – some models even come with their own Velcro tapes or other adhesive measures.
All that being said – sometimes reception can feel totally random. I’ve had many instances when a Freeview retune was needed, and after I scanned for channels, only half were discovered – even though my aerial was at the exact same spot. Sometimes, even the weather is at fault…
Do I Need A Special Aerial For Ultra HD (4K)?
4k (or Ultra High Definition) content is becoming more and more popular, especially on streaming services such as Netflix and Amazon’s Prime Video. You get better picture quality (at a higher resolution than normal Full HD), and it all looks bright and crisp.
Unfortunately, there’s no 4K content available on Freeview. In 2018, the BBC started running a trial with some 4K content on iPlayer – namely a few sports matches, Blue Planet II and Dynasties.
Since then, the number of 4K programmes on the BBC has been growing.
Remember, however, that at the moment, 4K content is only available on demand (on BBC iPlayer, via broadband) and not live via the airwaves – so your TV’s aerial isn’t even needed for it.
In addition, if you want to watch 4k content, you would need a special Freeview Box that supports 4K – such as the Manhattan T4-R, or a 4K streaming device.
However, it’s important to keep in mind that ALL indoor aerials support both Full HD and 4K.
Some aerials boast in their marketing about 4K reception – it’s true, they have it – but so do all other aerials from recent years, even if they don’t spell it out.
The bottom line? As mentioned, no 4K content is currently transmitted over the air, so you can safely ignore that aspect of indoor aerial marketing, at least for now.
Best Indoor TV Aerial UK 2024
Best Overall
Excellent performance, flat form factor, and a very affordable price.
Pros
- Great reception
- Flat – mount on the wall or place on your TV cabinet
- Long cable
- Excellent price
Cons
- So thin it feels it might break easily
- Doesn't come with a stand
Easing Ultra Thin Review
This aerial is my overall Editor’s Choice, because it ticks most boxes: The price is very reasonable, it’s probably one of the thinnest aerials I ever reviewed, and it even comes with a small adhesive patch so you can stick it on your TV cabinet, a window, or the back of your TV.
As with all indoor aerials, reception really depends on your coverage (promising 50 miles is a bit… much), and you might have to move it around your room a bit until you find the perfect spot (and unfortunately if your coverage is particularly bad – you’re still likely to get no channels at all).
My Manhattan Freeview box did manage to find 182 channels with the Easing aerial on a particularly clear day – but as always, your mileage may vary.
Build quality is not overly impressive, but for the price, and for something you stick on your wall/TV and just leave it there, you get excellent value for money.
With thousands of additional positive reviews from other buyers, it’s hard to go wrong – and sometimes, it’s a good idea to stick with the model that just works well.
Excellent performance but slightly higher priced.
Pros
- Excellent reception
- 4G Filter
- Flat and easy to mount
- Excellent cable length (4.5m)
Cons
- A bit pricey
- Not very pretty
RGTech Monarch 50 Review
This aerial promises a lot – a 50 miles range (from the transmitter), technology developed by a NASA scientist, Ultra Wide Band radio technology, 4G Filtering… it all sounds very impressive – but does it work?
The short answer is Yes – this aerial works great, with a more-than-average number of users who got good reception with it. But it won’t do miracles – as always, if the reception is bad in your house, and you’re far from the transmitter (don’t count on 50 miles) – you won’t get all the channels – just like it is with other aerials.
Still, the RGTech Monarch 50 ticks all the boxes and has an excellent chance of giving you a large number of channels with good picture quality, and it’s flat and easy to place, with a long cable (4.5m) included. There’s also a stand included, if you prefer to place it next to your TV.
This is a first-rate aerial that will give you excellent performance and build quality – the main reason it’s in 2nd place, is that it’s a bit more expensive.
A long-range aerial for those who want something that looks nice
Pros
- Unique design
- Good reception
- Magnetic base
- Amplifier included
Cons
- The amplifier needs a USB power adapter
- Won't help in a bad coverage area
Wainhefu 4K Bird Indoor Aerial Review
Let’s face it – more indoor aerials are flat and ugly. This is good if you just want to stick them on a window – but if you want something that doesn’t look horrendous in your living room – this one adds a nice touch… it’s shaped like a bird.
The base also has a magnet – so it’s easy to find places to place this aerial without having to use glue or sticky papers.
It supports HDTV and 4K signals (as do all modern aerials), and the built-in (into the cable) signal booster will help with reception in SOME areas.
All in all, this aerial works just as well as most other decent aerials – but it has the added bonus of the cute shape – if you’re willing to pay a bit more for that.
Compact and very portable with a magnetic base.
Pros
- Magnetic base is very useful
- Excellent price
- Extra long cable
Cons
- Can't place on a window
- Limited range
August High Gain Aerial Review
Most of the low-cost indoor aerials these days are paper-flat, so they blend in well – but that form factor isn’t always the most practical or useful.
Therefore, the highly popular August High Gain aerial is a blessing if you have unique placement needs: with its magnetic base, you can stick it on your fridge, or even on the back of some TVs.
Looks aside – does it work properly? Definitely, for the most part. As always, you transmitter needs to be close enough, otherwise, like all indoor aerials, this won’t work any wonders.
All in all, this aerial is similar to the other ones in how it performs, and is one of the better-priced ones. But its main attraction is the form factor, which gives you unique placement options
Built-in signal amplification and 4G filtering, at a higher cost.
Pros
- Flat and wall mountable
- Amplified for better reception in low-coverage areas
- 4G Filter for those with cellular interruptions
Cons
- Some buyers reported bad reception with this model
- Supplied plastic bolts complicate installation
- Not cheap
One For All SV9215 Review
One of the more expensive aerial in this roundup, you would expect a higher-than-average performance, but that is not always the case with this model. The flat design is nicer than others, and the aerial can either be mounted on the wall (with the flimsy plastic bolts supplied), or hidden away.
It’s an amplified aerial, meaning it also has a mains lead, so keep that in mind. The amplification doesn’t seem to cause any image disruptions, but for those in low-signal areas, it doesn’t always help much with reception either. Like most aerials, the bottom line really depends on the coverage in your area.
Dear Cord Busters,
Many thanks for the review. I am starting from scratch and have just ordered the RGT Tech indoor aerial. As we live in a chunky victorian terrace I think I will need to run more cable than comes with the aerial in order to have the best chance of a decent signal. Are there issues with extending the cable and is it straightforward to buy an appropriate extension?
Regards
Patrick Wymbs
Hi, thanks so much for Cordbusters. I absolutely love it and for people like myself with severe financial difficulties since covid this is an absolute godsend! (esp after my sky was cutoff and so all I have right now is freeview channels thru a skybox – therefore no ability to record anything – so I mostly watch free streaming such as iPlayer on my PC instead).
I just want to check that I understand things correctly to get myself back up and running with the ability to watch and record freeview and sky entertainment on my tv.
I have no outside aerial, so I’m planning to buy your recommended aerial above (plus amplifier if needed after testing, as you said).
In addition i plan to buy your recommended Firestick (knowing I may need extras with that, but I’ll try it first, as you recommended in another post)
I have high speed broadband, also as you recommended elsewhere.
I hope to get now tv for £9.99 a month, also as you recommended. May have to wait a little while for that. We shall see!
Do I also need to get a freeview box and recorder?
Or will an aerial and firestick (plus potential extras) give me access to watch and record all freeview and sky entertainment channels ?
Thanks in advance
Paul
Hi Paul,
First and foremost I suggest you do everything in stages (Freeview / Firestick / NOW TV / etc.), that way you can see whether you actually need to move to the next stage – or maybe you’re already getting “enough” TV for your needs at the moment.
Please note that the Amazon Firestick doesn’t provide Freeview – it’s only for streaming services and apps, such as Netflix, NOW TV, Prime Video, etc. – and the broadcasters that have a streaming app, like BBC iPlayer, ITV Hub, Channel 4 and Channel 5. However, you can’t connect it to an aerial and you can’t record anything with it.
As for whether you need a set-top Freeview recorder, that really depends on what it is you usually watch. An aerial connected to your TV (which most likely already has basic Freeview support), will let you watch all the Freeview channels “live” (assuming you have good reception). A recorder is only if you want to record those channels – but those catch-up apps on the Firestick, like BBC iPlayer, might be enough for you…
Thanks for that, very helpful .
Cheers
Paul
Hi, Good round-up, thanks.
I’ve been using the SV9215 for a while now, and there are some issues:
It works well on one side of the house – closest to the transmitter location – but other locations the walls completely block reception.
The power supply is a thin twin-core cable from a plug-in transformer. After a few months of use the cable developed a break just next to the transformer, making the aerial useless.
Apart from that, probably the best indoor aerial I have found, and I have had some real crap over the years.