TV Antenna reception awful since switching to Xfinity Wifi

RalphVa · May 23, 2020

Ever since we switched to Xfinity Wifi the reception on my TV antenna here in the basement is awful.

Bought another antenna, a Mohu, recommended as best online. No improvement.

Now connected both it and the RCA antenna up together. Still no better.

Check online and it says Wifi cannot interfer with TV.

Anyone experience this and solved it?

Ralph

Jchonline · May 23, 2020

Eliminate the obvious. Go to tvfool.com make sure you know which direction the signal is coming from (who knows maybe they changed it). Take TV upstairs to a window on that side of house. With antenna plugged in point in direction and see if it works well.

If it does, then you know it isnt the signal coming to the house. Next, try turning the xfinity WiFi OFF and see if the signal improves. It should happen in a few seconds if so. If it doesnt, then you know it isnt WiFi.

After you do that stuff report back and we can go from there. PM me if you need a direct answer.

RalphVa · May 23, 2020

TV reception is fine in the main floor TV room. Wifi signal is too low up there for the Roku on that TV to work. Haven't actually tried the TV in upstairs bedroom since switching to Xfinity.

Before Xfinity, TV reception to this basement TV from RCA antenna lying on books horizontal in the adjacent window was fine except for ABC. Had to move the RCA slightly to the north to the edge of the window glass instead of about in the middle for everything else.

All channels but NBC skip on both audio and video. This morning, the main NBC channel skipped but the adjacent one from NBC did not.

Ralph

MossRoad · May 23, 2020

Simple test would be to put all the antenna stuff back the way it was, then unplug all the Xfinity stuff from AC power. Then check your TVs. If everything is fine, then start plugging the Xfinity stuff back in and see if your reception deteriorates. Do it a couple times to confirm that it is, in fact, the Xfinity stuff that's causing the problem.

B7510HSD · May 23, 2020

confused he's talking about antenna and also Roku which would run on WiFi so is WiFi signal low or ???

cqaigy2 · May 23, 2020

Not an answer to your question, but i found Antenna Man, on youtube and his website has a bunch oh info on antennas and OTA reception. So it sounds like he's talking of two different things, but the main being OTA reception as the issue. Most of the time, i've found that, once i got that antenna pointed in the right direction, the coax cable connecting antenna to TV is the culprit. Don't skimp, a slight lose to signal can make all the difference in digital signal, as it's more like on, off. Unlike the good ole days where it was more like, snowy less snowy.

RalphVa · May 23, 2020

I rescanned the basement (where Wifi is) TV with modem turned off. Slightly better. Pulled cellular shades down over the back of the 2 antennas in the windows and turned on modem. More or less the same.

Checked upstairs TV in top master bedroom. Sketchy on NBC channels like family room one sometimes gets. Weak on PBS channels; wouldn't come in. Rest were more or less okay.

Think this could have started with the weird overcast weather we had 3 days ago, not long after the Xfinity was installed. Now bright and clear weather but TV reception seemingly lacking some.

Ralph

Fuddy1952 · May 23, 2020

My business was TV repair years ago and installed antennas. Wave propagation can be strange.
Years ago (80s) here I got the largest combination UHF/VHF antenna with rotor mounted on a 10ft mast one one chimney and got over 60 channels. That was before satellite, but many repeat channels, same affiliate. I could pick up 200 mile radius with booster no problem.
Now we have dish and UHF antenna on chimney. Signal degrades this time of year although I'm on hilltop we have trees leafing out.
Sounds like you need a better antenna probably change location. We just have one TV (Lg) but it has a signal strength meter in menu which is helpful.
The more elements antenna has, directors in front, reflectors in back the farther it reaches out but the field becomes long and skinny. Problematic when you're trying to get stations scattered around.

/pine · May 23, 2020

Have you checked the signal input source in the TV settings?...may have gotten changed from ext. Antenna to something else (network, cable etc...)

RalphVa · May 23, 2020

Have rescanned 3 or 4 times. Always select antenna. Don't think it would get anything if I selected cable.

Tried putting the Mohu antenna in the window right in front of me on the more northern wall. The ABC, CBS, PBS carrier station moved out of town a few months back and is more NE of us instead of SE towards town where the NBC station is. Was worse, with the Mohu vertical or horizontal.

Back to Mohu in more easterly window here on a long coax cable to the adjacent TV room with the Mohu flat as the better location.

Everything worked fine until the overcast weather we had just after the Xfinity install. Everything except ABC worked great on just the RCA antenna lying flat in the window of the TV room facing same direction as the one the Mohu is here. I just had to move the RCA a couple inches north to the edge of the window to get ABC.

Weather is bright and clear now.

TV in family room on main floor works pretty well off an antenna in the attic of the garage that is actually pointing SE towards town. Got rabbit ears teed into the coax line in the southerly facing window near the TV. It skips a bit on NBC, which is strange because it is in town SE. The other channels come from the transmitter NE of us.

Ralph