Getting the Best Reception

Using our Reception Tool

We’ve put together a handy tool to help you better understand what’s available in your neighborhood.  Enter your full address, and we’ll tell you what major TV channels you should get and give you a map of the transmitters in your area. Click “More details and channels” to see a full list of TV channels in your area (including non-English and public access channels) along with how strong the signal is where you are.

Visit http://www.boxee.tv/coverage and click “See What’s on At Your House” to get started.

Different Types of Antennas

The included Boxee Antenna is a small indoor antenna that should work for signals that are designated as strong by our reception tool. For signals marked okay, you’ll need a larger passive indoor antenna (like a Mohu leaf) or a powered antenna that will amplify the signals. For weak signals, that are within 60-70 miles of your house, we recommend getting a strong outdoor powered antenna like a ClearStream.

Please also see the links below for additional information regarding Antennas.

Review of 5 HDTV Antennas

Compare Mohu Leaf 

Positioning your antenna

While we’ve made huge advances in what antennas can pick up - you’re still going to have to do a little trial and error to get your antenna to pick up the best reception. Here’s a few things to keep in mind:

• Move it close to a window
• Make sure the antenna is extended to it’s full length
• Keep it away from large metal objects
• Look at your nearest transmitters on the map, and try to position the antenna close to that part of your room / house, so the walls of your house/building don't stand in the way of signals. 

Subscribing to Cable TV

In some cases, reception may be so poor that subscribing to the basic tier of cable channels is your best option. Please note, when choosing this option, regardless of who your service provider is we do not support clearQAM for Cloud DVR and you will not be able to use the Cloud DVR with this option.  Additionally if your service provider also uses an encrypted cable signal, you will not be able to receive any channels as well.  

Check out our Youtube guide to getting the best reception!