x
Breaking News
More () »

Try It Before You Buy It: HD Antennas

Can low-cost inside antennas help you cut the cord? We try them out.

Looking to cut the cord? Sick of all the subscriptions?

Then the Mohu and Amazqi HDTV antennas might be for you. They promise free over-the-air signals for your home tv. But do they work? Let's try them.

Both devices are relatively simple and are almost identical. The Amaziqi has an attached cable, while the Mohu needs one plugged in. When comparing them the Mohu is bigger by a few inches.

Hooking up was easy. You plug the coax cable into the port on your tv, ensuring it's tight. Then you plug the USB cable into the tv for power. Finally, you hook the antenna up to the box.

First up, we tried a tv in the back of the house on the main floor. We hooked the Mohu up and scanned for channels. This tv is a Roku tv, so after scanning, it also suggested free streaming channels from Roku.

As for local signals, we got half of the local stations but no 13 on your side. We tried it on the wall and a window. No difference. We swapped out to the Amazqi antenna, and the results were not as good. One thing we discovered is there are a lot of channels you might know exist locally.

Next up, we moved to a different tv in the basement. We hooked up the Mohu antenna and got similar results as the tv on the main floor. We tried it on the wall and the window, and both had the same amount of channels. Again the smaller Amazqi antenna results were not as good.

Finally, we moved the antenna party upstairs. Being on the second floor seemed to help get a few more channels in. We did get a few glimpses of a signal on 13 on your side, but nothing stable. And the smaller Amazqi antenna didn't get as many channels.

Overall, we might not cut any cords in this house after testing these antennas

Results:

The positives

  • We did get some free channels
  • Both antennas were Small

The negatives

  • We couldn't get all of the channels in our area, including two major networks
  • The placement of the antenna could be visually unappealing

If you can't get cable and can't afford the monthly cost of subscription-based tv, then you might be better off with a rooftop antenna. These will get you a few channels, but you're limited to the room and location it's in. So we rate these as an "Avoid it."

Make it easy to keep up to date with more stories like this. Download the 13 ON YOUR SIDE app now.

Have a news tip? Email news@13onyourside.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter. Subscribe to our YouTube channel.

Before You Leave, Check This Out