TV antenna

[Beap52 1,701]

I've got a question for you electronic wizards.   Mom is in assisted living. She doesn't care for the dish-type tv that is offered there.   I purchased a TV antenna, ran a cord outside (because reception inside is sketchy at best) and all was well--well until the administrator saw we had a coax cable running outside and that's a violation of extension cord tripping/fire hazard.  So I purchased the best flat plastic sheet type antenna in our town and hung it on the wall behind her TV.  It works ok but reception is not very reliable.  She has a smart TV but it's too complicated for her to find her favorite channels and internet is slow.  She spends most of her time on her laptop computer. 

 

QUESTION: Is there a wireless TV antenna that I could place outside on her patio even if it was battery operated sender?  

 

Thanks in advance for the unnumerable responses.

[rmaynard 16,652]

I have seen wireless outdoor antennas. They are wireless in the sense that there is no wire from the antenna to the TV. However, the outside antenna does need to be powered. Have not seen any that are battery powered. 

[ebinmaine 75,078]

A#1 let's be crystal clear that I'm NOT an electronics wizard. 

 

As I've stated elsewhere we live on the southern side of the southernmost White Mountains of Maine. 

We also have a ridge that totally blocks 🚫 any of the multiple free TV station's signals. 

We've tried several multipliers, amplifiers etc to no avail. 

 

My mom and my sister have residences in three very different places in MA. 

 

They all use Cable TV for a reason. Poor signal quality.  

 

 

22 minutes ago, Beap52 said:

internet is slow.  She spends most of her time on her laptop computer

 

You may want to verify that the SIGNAL is slow. Not your laptop. 

 

 

 

23 minutes ago, Beap52 said:

She has a smart TV but it's too complicated for her to find her favorite channels...

 

Mom is in assisted living...

 

Trina's Momma lives here in our basement apartment. She's not in need of any type of assistance but Trina wants to give her mom an easier life while keeping half an eye out. The Momma has had to learn smart TV and smart phones. Resistance? YES.  But once she saw how easy it actually was we were all good.  

 

If your Mom is there for mental/memory reasons that's understandable. 

If she's there for physical health issues then IMHO she may be better off to learn to operate the Smart TV like every other thing she's ever had to learn. 

 

 

 

3 minutes ago, rmaynard said:

I have seen wireless outdoor antennas. They are wireless in the sense that there is no wire from the antenna to the TV. However, the outside antenna does need to be powered. Have not seen any that are battery powered. 

 

 

30 minutes ago, Beap52 said:

QUESTION: Is there a wireless TV antenna that I could place outside on her patio even if it was battery operated sender? 

 

 

Bob states the same that I'm aware of. 

 

Whatever you do is most likely going to need a cord... somewhere.  

Because of that you'll need to consult the Living Center.  

 

Any commercial use of a semi permanently installed cord is an OSHA issue. Obviously in an assisted residential area they'd be even more stringent. 

[cafoose 3,499]

I have one of these and I love it. 

https://vseebox.com/v5pro/

Gets all these channels

https://www.vseebox.net/pages/channel-list

Also has video on demand with most all movies and TV shows ever aired from the 1950's to current. It also gets most every sports game including all NFL games from every region. It's takes a little to figure out how to navigate it but well worth it. Best part is, it's a one time purchase price of $299 on sale from Walmart.com, regularly $339. No monthly fees. Everything free after initial purchase.

If your internet providers are not good enough I suggest getting Starlink which gives you decent internet anywhere.

https://starlink.com/

I just have broadband fiber internet, firestick, and Vseebox and have all the TV I need for just the monthly fee of the internet.

[rmaynard 16,652]

10 minutes ago, cafoose said:

I have one of these and I love it. 

https://vseebox.com/v5pro/

 

I tried one, but unless you pay for a subscription to the movie channels such as Netflix, Paramount, Apple+, Hulu, etc. you are forced to watch with ads and commercials. Some folks have found ways to "jailbreak" them and get stuff commercial-free, but that's not legal.

I have settled on Now Internet from Xfinity for $30/month, and a subscription to Hulu + LiveTV and get everything I need.

[cafoose 3,499]

2 minutes ago, rmaynard said:

you are forced to watch with ads and commercials.

I grew up watching ads and commercials so I don't mind it. I just love the fact that I can get just about anything I want to see with no subscriptions.

[ri702bill 10,349]

Take what you had and make it look loke a planter with flowers!! 

[Handy Don 14,898]

I don’t think you’ll find an antenna that can retransmit TV signals operating solely on battery power. Just too much energy needed.

 

One technology-phobic friend that I helped had a similar issue with controlling her sorta-smart television. In the end I was able to get and program a universal remote that did what we needed: on/off, favorite channels, channel up/down (favs only), volume up/down, and reset everything!

 

If I were doing it again, I’d consider an Apple TV box using the “remote” iPhone app and create a bunch of shortcuts activated via Siri. This would require good internet access and at least one subscription to a source for streaming local channels so there is a real cost. Additional subscriptions are possible, of course. 

 

I’m in the midst of helping another (kamikaze tapper, swiper, button presser) friend migrate from a cheapie Android to an iPhone and do the things she needs using only voice commands. Unlearning decades of futzing with phones has been very hard for her but me having to visit to sort out her muted, locked, shut down, asleep, deleted contact, mis-edited contact, etc. phone two or three times a week has reached its limits for me. Other issues: a) getting her to speak the number responses to automated voice response systems (press or say One to ...) instead of trying to move the phone from ear to keypad viewable and back, b) activate speaker phone when she is alone at home, instead of death-gripping the phone, for long conversations. 

Edited 3 hours ago by Handy Don

[SylvanLakeWH 29,578]

Is the issue with management the coax "outside" the unit? If so, perhaps mounting it inside would do the trick?

 

I have a tv antenna in the attic that picks up a remarkable number of stations. When I got it I hooked it up just in the living room to see what it would pick up. Excellent reception... Have you thought about that approach?

 

[wh500special 2,356]

I live in a metropolitan area pretty close to St Louis and since over the air TV broadcasts went digital we have a hard time pulling in TV stations regardless of the type of antenna we’ve tried.  We pretty much leave our TV on one station since we have to re-aim it if we want to change.   Fortunately, we aren’t really TV watchers so it’s not a frequent inconvenience. 

 

I’m impressed you get anything in Bolivar with a wall panel mount antenna.  I assume all your TV comes from Springfield.  Maybe her room is on the southeast side of the building 🙂‍↕️
 

Digital is sort of an “all or nothing” proposition.  
 

I can’t offer suggestions on an antenna that would satisfy your need, but I do suggest you look at this website to at least help you aim whatever you get. 
 

https://www.antennaweb.org

 

good luck!

Steve

[lynnmor 8,154]

You might want search antennaman on youtube, there is a lot of information there and perhaps a properly located indoor antenna that he tested will be enough to do the job.