Aug 26
26
Moving house involves enough jobs without discovering on your first evening that the TV has no signal, the satellite dish points at the wrong service or the Wi-Fi barely reaches the bedroom.
TV, aerial, satellite and broadband connections are easily overlooked because they are usually already working in your old home. In a new property, however, you don’t necessarily know what equipment has been installed, where the cables lead or whether anything has been tested recently.
A little preparation can save considerable frustration.
This moving-house checklist covers what to check before leaving your old property, what to look for when you get the keys to your new home and how to get your Freeview, satellite TV, smart TV and Wi-Fi working properly.
Before You Move: Check What You’re Taking With You
Before packing everything into boxes, make a list of the television and internet equipment that belongs to you.
Depending on your setup, this could include:
- Smart TVs
- Freeview recorders and set-top boxes
- Freesat boxes
- Sky equipment
- Streaming sticks
- Apple TV or other streaming devices
- Broadband routers
- Mesh Wi-Fi units
- Ethernet switches
- HDMI cables
- Coaxial aerial leads
- Satellite cables
- Remote controls
- Power supplies
Keeping the correct cables and power adapters with each device makes setting everything up at your new home much easier.
Take photographs of complicated connections before unplugging them. A quick picture of the back of your TV, router or entertainment system can be very useful when you need to reconnect everything several days later.
Don’t Remove the Existing TV Aerial Without Checking
A rooftop or loft aerial will normally be considered part of the property rather than something you take when moving home.
The same may apply to installed coaxial cabling, aerial sockets, amplifiers and distribution systems.
Unless you have specifically agreed otherwise with the buyer, landlord or letting agent, it is generally best to leave permanently installed television equipment in place.
Your televisions, Freeview boxes and removable indoor equipment can obviously move with you.
What About Your Satellite Dish?
The situation with satellite equipment can be slightly different.
If you use Sky, Freesat or another satellite television service, the dish itself is normally fixed permanently to the building.
Rather than attempting to remove it yourself, check the arrangements with your television provider or speak to an independent satellite installer.
Removing a satellite dish requires working at height and the dish will need to be correctly aligned again at the new property.
You may find that your new house already has a compatible satellite dish installed.
Tell Your Broadband Provider You’re Moving
Broadband should be one of the first services you organise because installation or activation isn’t always immediate.
Contact your broadband provider before your moving date and tell them your new address.
They should be able to confirm:
- Whether they provide service at the new property.
- What broadband technology is available.
- The estimated speeds.
- Whether an engineer visit is required.
- Whether you should take your existing router.
- Whether new equipment will be supplied.
- When the new connection can be activated.
Don’t assume that your current broadband package will simply transfer unchanged.
Two streets in the same town can sometimes have different broadband infrastructure.
Move Your TV Licence
Your TV Licence does not automatically transfer to your new address.
TV Licensing currently allows you to update your address up to three months before moving. Your existing licence can normally be transferred rather than cancelled and replaced.
It is worth dealing with this before moving day so it doesn’t become another forgotten administrative job.
When You Arrive: Don’t Assume Every TV Socket Works
One of the most common mistakes when moving into a new property is assuming that every aerial socket on the wall is connected to a working TV aerial.
It might not be.
Previous owners may have:
- Removed the aerial.
- Disconnected an amplifier.
- Changed from Freeview to satellite TV.
- Installed additional sockets themselves.
- Left old cables that are no longer connected.
- Used a loft distribution system that has been unplugged.
- Connected some rooms but not others.
Plugging your television into an aerial socket and seeing “No Signal” doesn’t automatically mean the TV is faulty.
The socket may simply not be connected to anything.
Check the TV Aerial
If the property has a TV aerial, have a look from ground level.
You are looking for obvious problems such as:
- Aerial elements that are bent or missing.
- An aerial hanging at an unusual angle.
- Loose external cables.
- Damaged brackets or masts.
- Multiple old aerials pointing in different directions.
- Cables hanging from the roof.
- An aerial that looks badly corroded.
Don’t climb onto the roof yourself to inspect it.
A professional aerial installer can check the aerial safely and measure the actual signal arriving at the property.
New-Build Homes Can Be Particularly Confusing
Moving into a brand-new home doesn’t necessarily mean that a television aerial has already been installed.
Some new-build properties have aerial sockets fitted in the rooms and coaxial cables run back into the loft, but no aerial connected to them.
WeFitAerials regularly encounters this type of setup.
You can therefore plug a brand-new television into a brand-new wall socket and receive absolutely nothing.
In these cases, an aerial can usually be installed and connected to the existing pre-wired system.
Retune Your TV for Your New Address
Even if your television worked perfectly at your old property, you may need to retune it after moving.
Freeview services are transmitted from different transmitters around the country, and your new home may receive television from a completely different transmitter.
Your old channel information may therefore no longer be correct.
Go into the television’s settings and look for an option such as:
- Auto Tuning
- Channel Scan
- Digital Retune
- First-Time Installation
- Automatic Channel Search
Allow the scan to finish before checking your channels.
Check That You Have the Correct Regional News
Moving home can also change the regional television services you receive.
BBC One and ITV1 provide different regional programmes depending on the transmitter and location.
If your new property can receive signals from more than one transmitter, your television could automatically select a neighbouring region.
Check BBC One and ITV1 after retuning.
If you are receiving the wrong regional news, a manual retune or aerial adjustment may be required.
Don’t Keep Retuning If Channels Are Missing
If a retune doesn’t find the expected channels, repeatedly scanning the television is unlikely to solve an aerial problem.
Missing channels can be caused by:
- Weak signal strength.
- Poor aerial alignment.
- Damaged coaxial cable.
- An old or damaged aerial.
- A faulty amplifier.
- Loose connections.
- Your TV tuning to the wrong transmitter.
- Local transmitter engineering work.
The best approach is to establish whether the expected signal is actually reaching the television.
An aerial engineer can measure this properly rather than relying on the signal-strength indicator built into the TV.
Check How Many Rooms Need Television
Moving house is a good opportunity to think about where you actually want TVs.
You might want Freeview in:
- The living room.
- Bedrooms.
- A kitchen.
- A home office.
- A conservatory.
- A games room.
One aerial can normally supply several television points when the system has been designed correctly.
Simply using multiple cheap splitters can reduce signal strength, particularly if the incoming signal isn’t especially strong to begin with.
A properly installed distribution system can provide a much more reliable result.
WeFitAerials installs single aerial points as well as multi-room TV aerial systems.
Check the Satellite Dish Before Ordering New Equipment
If there is already a satellite dish at your new home, don’t assume that you automatically need another one.
First establish:
- What type of dish it is.
- Which satellite it points towards.
- What type of LNB is fitted.
- How many satellite feeds enter the house.
- Where those cables terminate.
- Whether the dish is still securely mounted.
A previous homeowner may have used Sky, Freesat or another satellite service.
The existing equipment might be reusable, although compatibility depends on the service and equipment you intend to use.
Sky and Freesat Are Not the Same as Freeview
These services are often confused when people move home.
Freeview uses a television aerial.
Freesat uses a satellite dish.
Sky traditionally uses a satellite dish, although newer Sky services can also deliver television over broadband.
You cannot normally plug a satellite cable directly into a standard Freeview aerial connection and expect it to work.
Likewise, connecting a Freeview television to an unused satellite socket won’t provide terrestrial Freeview channels.
If you’re unsure what the connections in your new property actually do, identifying them before rearranging furniture can save a lot of time.
Decide Where the TV Will Go Before Mounting It
Moving into a new home often means deciding where the main television should be positioned.
Don’t choose the wall based purely on where the previous owner placed theirs.
Consider:
- Viewing distance.
- Window reflections.
- Natural light.
- Seating position.
- Available power sockets.
- Aerial or satellite connections.
- Ethernet connections.
- Wi-Fi signal strength.
- HDMI devices.
- Soundbars and speakers.
- Cable routes.
If you’re wall mounting the TV, also make sure the wall and bracket are suitable for the television’s weight and size.
WeFitAerials provides TV wall mounting alongside television tuning and aerial or satellite connections.
Don’t Forget About Your Smart TV
A modern smart TV may need considerably more than an aerial connection.
Once your broadband is active, you’ll probably need to reconnect services such as:
- BBC iPlayer
- ITVX
- Channel 4
- 5
- Netflix
- Amazon Prime Video
- Disney+
- YouTube
- NOW
- TNT Sports
- Other streaming applications
You may need to sign into your accounts again after connecting to a new Wi-Fi network.
It’s also worth checking for software and app updates once the television is connected.
Where Should You Put the Wi-Fi Router?
Router placement can have a major effect on wireless performance.
The easiest place to put the router isn’t always the best place for Wi-Fi.
Ofcom recommends positioning a router in an open, reasonably central location and keeping it off the floor where possible. Wi-Fi signals can be weakened by obstacles and materials including thick walls, metal, water and other objects around the home.
Try to avoid hiding the router:
- Behind the television.
- Inside a cupboard.
- Behind large furniture.
- Next to a radiator.
- Near a fish tank.
- In a far corner of the house.
Also avoid placing it unnecessarily close to devices that may interfere with wireless signals, such as microwave ovens and some cordless equipment.
Test Wi-Fi in Every Important Room
Don’t assume that good broadband speed beside the router means the whole house has good Wi-Fi.
Walk around the property and test connectivity where you actually intend to use it.
Pay particular attention to:
- Bedrooms.
- Home offices.
- Smart TVs.
- Games consoles.
- Garden rooms.
- Garages.
- Converted lofts.
- Extensions.
- CCTV cameras.
- Video doorbells.
Large houses, thick walls and unusual layouts can create Wi-Fi dead spots.
Testing these areas soon after moving means you can plan the network properly rather than adding random boosters later.
Use Ethernet Where It Makes Sense
Wi-Fi is convenient, but a wired Ethernet connection can often provide a more stable connection for equipment that doesn’t move.
Ofcom notes that Ethernet is normally faster and more reliable than Wi-Fi where a wired connection is practical.
Devices worth considering for Ethernet include:
- Smart TVs.
- Games consoles.
- Desktop computers.
- Streaming boxes.
- Home offices.
- Network storage.
If you are decorating or renovating the new home, it may be worth thinking about network cabling before the walls and floors are finished.
Consider a Mesh Wi-Fi System for Larger Homes
If one router can’t provide reliable coverage throughout the property, a mesh Wi-Fi system may be more suitable.
Mesh systems use several access points around the home to provide wider wireless coverage.
This can be particularly useful in:
- Larger detached homes.
- Three-storey houses.
- Properties with extensions.
- Older houses with thick internal walls.
- Homes with garden offices or outbuildings.
The important point is to address the reason for poor Wi-Fi rather than simply installing an extender wherever the signal disappears.
What If Broadband Options Are Poor at the New Property?
Not every home has access to the same broadband services.
Rural locations can sometimes have particularly limited fixed-line options.
Alternative technologies may include mobile broadband, fixed wireless services or satellite internet.
WeFitAerials also has experience with Starlink installations, which can provide another broadband option for suitable properties where conventional connectivity is poor.
The best solution depends on the property, available services and how you use the internet.
Your Moving-Day TV, Aerial, Satellite and Wi-Fi Checklist
Use this quick checklist once you have the keys.
TV and Freeview
- Check the existing aerial sockets.
- Inspect the aerial visually from ground level.
- Connect the TV using a good-quality coaxial lead.
- Retune the television for the new location.
- Check BBC One and ITV1 regional services.
- Confirm that all expected Freeview channels are available.
- Test television points in other rooms.
- Arrange an aerial inspection if channels are missing or breaking up.
Satellite TV
- Check whether a satellite dish is already installed.
- Identify where the satellite cables enter the house.
- Check how many feeds are available.
- Confirm whether the existing dish is compatible with your service.
- Arrange realignment or replacement if required.
- Set up Sky, Freesat or other satellite equipment.
Smart TV
- Connect the television to broadband.
- Install available software updates.
- Sign into streaming applications.
- Check BBC iPlayer, ITVX and other catch-up services.
- Connect streaming boxes and HDMI equipment.
- Check that the remote controls and power supplies survived the move.
Wi-Fi and Broadband
- Arrange broadband activation before moving where possible.
- Position the router centrally and in the open.
- Test Wi-Fi throughout the property.
- Check the connection at each smart TV.
- Test home-office areas.
- Consider Ethernet for fixed devices.
- Investigate mesh Wi-Fi if there are dead spots.
- Consider alternative broadband options if fixed-line service is poor.
Administration
- Transfer your TV Licence to the new address.
- Inform your broadband provider.
- Update television and streaming account details where required.
- Keep provider account numbers and passwords somewhere accessible.
Get Your New Home Connected Properly
Moving house is the ideal opportunity to get your television system set up properly rather than simply making do with whatever the previous owner left behind.
If your new home has no Freeview signal, an old aerial, unused satellite cables or television points that don’t work, WeFitAerials can help.
Our services include TV aerial installation, aerial repairs, satellite dish installation, Freeview and Freesat setup, multi-room television systems and TV wall mounting.
We can test the existing equipment, identify where cables lead, measure the available signals and recommend what actually needs doing.
That means less time staring at “No Signal” messages and more time settling into your new home.
