Freeview works in some rooms but not others

Thanks to Dave H for the following question:

“I have TV sockets in every room and a box in the roof that splits the aerial into these rooms. Each TV has Freeview, but the 2 back rooms have trouble getting certain channels, as the signal strength is low. How do I get around this issue? For instance, I get film 4 in one room, but not in another.”

We also had this question from Linda Brown:

“My daughter purchased a new Sony TV at the weekend. She found the TV is working in every room perfectly, except the living room which is where it is supposed to be. Why does the TV not work in the living room?”

Problem Freeview in multiple rooms

If you have some TV sets that get a good signal, that would indicate that you’re in a Freeview coverage area, and your TV aerial is good enough. So why is the signal better on some TV sets than others? There are a few possible reasons:

• Cable length: The most likely cause is your home aerial cabling. A long run of co-ax cable creates ‘loss’, so signal is reduced over the long run to your TV. Also, in the home environment, TV aerials often run close to sources of interference, commonly mains wiring
• Cable quality: Ideally, you need well-shielded co-ax aerial cable. Thin, cheap co-ax aerial cable is not that good at screening out interference, and if some TV sets aren’t getting a good picture, it could be that the cable quality is poor
• Connectors: In many homes, TV aerial wiring goes through various connectors, splitters and adapters. The again can result in “loss”. Also, it could be that the aerial sockets connecting the wire to the booster or the TV are damaged or not making a solid connection
• Booster: Check that the booster is working OK and all of the aerial connections are in firmly.
• Receiver: Less likely, but still possible – Some Freeview receivers are better than others at pulling in a weak signal

Improving Signal

Without knowing the exact cause of the signal loss, there’s no easy way to advice you on the best course of action. Things to try include:

• Improving the quality of the cable from the booster to the TV. Well-screened TV aerial co-ax that’s not running close to mains cabling will cure a lot of cable loss problems
• Check the connectors at the booster and TV end to make sure they are or a decent quality and not broken or damaged
• Check every point where cables are joined – any splitters, extension leads, etc
• You can check if the problem is with the Freeview receiver or the aerial point, by moving a good TV to a poor aerial point and seeing if the problem is the same
• You could consider a more powerful booster. Try the Boosters at Maplin and look for a booster that has a high ‘gain’. The gain is measured in dB, and the higher the better