Possibly a very stupid question, but is it possible to watch live Freeview channels via a router (wifi or ethernet) or do the units need to be plugged into an aerial or satellite dish? Struggling to find the answer online!

Edit: I would need a Freesat box to view via a satellite dish wouldn’t I?

Thank you

Freeview only comes through the aerial AFAIA.

iPlayer, etc for watching live.

Yes, Freesat box for freesat

Can you give more information on what you want to watch?

Could you use a Firestick and install the relevant channel app?

We are leaving Virgin and are going broadband only so we want to be able to record, pause etc live TV – we generally watch stuff on channel apps (and have Netflix, Amazon Prime and Disney+) but don’t want to lose the ability to just channel surf through the free to air channels which we often do on an evening when it’s just too late to put something on to watch (so just put on the news or something like that).

You will need an aerial to have the ability to just flick through channels on freeview. You can get many (all?) of the channels online but through individual apps.

Freesat – you need a dish.

Freeview – you need a compatible aerial.

Neither are very expensive to have installed.

We have a Freesat box (after leaving Sky) as like you I just like to channel hop and not have to open app after app.

Freeview is easier to pipe round the house. You just need the aeriel installer you put a cable to each room you have a TV. And unless you are using some ancient CRT tv it should have a Freeview tuner built in.

Freeview is easier to pipe round the house.

Not bothered about that – we have a TV in the bedroom that hasn’t been switched on in about 5 years and I only ever switch the TV on in the kitchen when there is football/rugby/F1/athletics/netball on (and I just use a Firestick for those occasions).

So I just need to hope that the very old satellite cables/dish/LNB are still working – very glad I didn’t rip them out as I nearly did last summer!

Assuming they are still working, you’ll need some form of active viewing card.  You can’t just switch on an old Sky box and go “hey, free channels!”

Recording / pausing live TV, for me at least, was as simple as adding a USB HDD to the telly.  Obviously your TV would need to support such shenanigans.

Yes you can watch all BBC channels live via iPlayer. Similar apps available for the other terrestrial broadcasters but not all support live TV. Devices like Google Chromecast can update an old TV (with HDMI input) to support streaming apps. This will work over WiFi with a broadband connection. You will need a reasonable broadband speeds (better than 10Mbps) to support HD quality and higher for Ultra 4K HDR. Freeview is nothing special mainly marketing to bring terrestrial TV together.

So in theory no tv aerial or satellite dish required in practice if you want to watch more live TV (not many do now) than streaming/catch-up you’ll need one.

Probably hope this helps

So I just need to hope that the very old satellite cables/dish/LNB are still working – very glad I didn’t rip them out as I nearly did last summer!

If old dish and cabling make sure whatever Freesat box you buy works with old tech – a lot on new ones are designed to work with SkyQ type standards (twin RF inputs into back).

I have a homerunHD from https://www.silicondust.com/ it sits under the stairs in the cabinet, an Ariel coaxial cable is run to it, then using the app on the tv etc i can watch freeview without needing it in every room.

I have a quad tuner so 4 people can watch independent things

Assuming they are still working, you’ll need some form of active viewing card.  You can’t just switch on an old Sky box and go “hey, free channels!”

I thought Freesat boxes didn’t need a card? (I don’t have an old Sky box, just the plumbing for satellite)

If old dish and cabling make sure whatever Freesat box you buy works with old tech – a lot on new ones are designed to work with SkyQ type standards (twin RF inputs into back).

Not sure how old it is (I think around 9 years) but it does have a QuadLNB and two cables coming into the house (to plug into twin RF)

I thought Freesat boxes didn’t need a card?

You’re right they don’t unless you want to pause or record. I’ve never missed the ability to paise or record, anything worth recording will be on catch up.

on Apple TV there’s an App (TV Launcher) that lets you watch UK free-to-air channels, displays an EPG like you are used to and (this is the clever part) utilises the new features in tvOS to integrate the live channels with the main interface (so as well as showing you the next episode of Breaking Bad or whatever you’re halfway through binging, it shows you what’s currently “on” your favourite live channels)

I will have a play about with it later as my parents, despite being pretty au fait with phones, iPads, laptops etc and happy to watch YouTube vides on these, like a lot of elderly people they just cannot get their heads around watching whatever they like on an actual telly and need the crutch of live channels/EPG. Therefore they’ve resisted getting an ATV so far despite Freeview reception being pretty crappy in their area.

I have a homerunHD from https://www.silicondust.com/ it sits under the stairs in the cabinet, an Ariel coaxial cable is run to it, then using the app on the tv etc i can watch freeview without needing it in every room.

I was looking for something like this a few years ago but couldn’t find anything that would do it.

My problem was that the aerial is the opposite side of the room to the TV, and the OH didn’t want a cable, and I didn’t want to go into the crawl space.

we have multiple firesticks, so decided to just brwse the freeview app on our phones to see what’s on and watch live TV if we see anything via the iplayer/ITVx/STVplayer app. seems to work ok, but I do miss channel hopping (but not £160 worth ;-))

I thought Freesat boxes didn’t need a card? (I don’t have an old Sky box, just the plumbing for satellite)

Possibly, I’ve no idea, but old Sky boxes do.

Not sure how old it is (I think around 9 years) but it does have a QuadLNB and two cables coming into the house (to plug into twin RF)

On a point of pedantry,

An “RF connector” is what comes from a traditional aerial. The twin screw-on connectors from a dish are F-connectors.

An “RF connector” is what comes from a traditional aerial. The twin screw-on connectors from a dish are F-connectors.

They call them RF on the back of the box 😛

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I have a homerunHD from https://www.silicondust.com/ it sits under the stairs in the cabinet, an Ariel coaxial cable is run to it, then using the app on the tv etc i can watch freeview without needing it in every room.

I was looking for something like this a few years ago but couldn’t find anything that would do it.

My problem was that the aerial is the opposite side of the room to the TV, and the OH didn’t want a cable, and I didn’t want to go into the crawl space.

we have multiple firesticks, so decided to just brwse the freeview app on our phones to see what’s on and watch live TV if we see anything via the iplayer/ITVx/STVplayer app. seems to work ok, but I do miss channel hopping (but not £160 worth ;-))

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There’s also a great DVR app called Channels that integrates with the HDHomeRun and gives you full multi-room recording functionality via an Apple TV, Fire stick or Android player app. The downside is that you need to provide the hardware for it to run on and the storage for it to record to (i.e. some kind of home server) so it isn’t for everyone.