This guide assumes you've purchased a Tablo Total System bundle which includes a 35-mile range indoor TV antenna. This antenna should work well for consumers in urban locations, however, we recommend reading this article or completing our product chooser quiz before purchase to ensure you don't need a more powerful antenna.
While this guide contains useful tips and tricks for installing all TV antennas, we recommend getting outdoor TV antennas professionally installed. If you are comfortable setting one up yourself, we ask that you please take all necessary safety precautions.
New to over-the-air TV? Nervous about setting up an indoor TV antenna? Don't be. Our 4th Generation Tablo iOS App has you covered.
The following is simply a walk-through of what the app covers when it comes to TV antenna setup, feel free to follow along.
Account Setup
To access the indoor TV antenna setup tutorial, you'll need to create a new Tablo account. This is not a paid subscription service such as the legacy TV Guide Data Service or Premium Service subscriptions. If you had a legacy Tablo subscription account in the past, you'll need to set up a new 4th Generation Tablo account. It's free and only for registration purposes.
The first thing your app does is help you set it up.
The first screen you'll run into is the Welcome to Tablo screen. Select I'm New to Tablo.
When registering an account, you'll be brought to a screen where you can fill in your account information. You must fill in all fields (First Name, Last Name, Email Address, Password and Confirm Password). Make sure to note down what password you choose in case you need to log in to your Tablo account again.
After registering, you'll be brought to a window that mentions you'll be sent a verification code. Select Next.
Monitor your email, you should receive a verification code. If you don't receive it after a minute or two, check your spam folder, if it's not there, select Resend Verification Code. Once you have the code, enter it in the text box and select Submit.
Upon submitting a valid verification code, you'll be thanked for registering, select Next.
TV Antenna Setup Walkthrough
You'll first be asked if you wish to set up your indoor TV antenna. If so, select Yes, set up my antenna. If you already have an antenna set up select No, Skip to the Next Step and you'll be brought to the internet connection part of the guide.
If you're continuing with the indoor TV antenna setup, the app will outline how long each Tablo setup stage will take. Setting up your indoor TV antenna should take between 10-20 minutes. Select Next.
The app will ask you to verify you have everything you need. You should have: your Tablo, your indoor TV antenna and a Wi-Fi router. Once you've verified this, select Next.
You'll be brought to an outline of how you can set up your Tablo and TV antenna anywhere in your house, thanks to Tablo's Wi-Fi connection. Select Next.
You'll be instructed to connect your indoor TV antenna to your Tablo. Connect the end of the coaxial cable on your antenna to the antenna port on the far right of the back of your Tablo device. Finger-tighten only as using excessive force could damage the cable or the port.
The next few screens hold tips and tricks. You can skip or read through them. They are as follows:
- High ground and clear line of sight will help improve signal quality.
- Indoor antennas work best when placed on windows.
- Indoor antennas work on drywall too but avoid concrete or metal walls.
This assumes you're using the indoor TV antenna that comes with one of our Tablo Total System bundles. It's the type that you can stick on a wall or window. A tabletop indoor TV antenna will work just as well, just make sure concrete or metal walls aren't between it and your local broadcast towers.
Next, the app will throw up a prompt asking for your location. It's safe to accept this because we need it to set up your TV Guide data.
Hitting Next will bring you to a compass screen. If the direction text is green, you're already facing your local broadcast towers. If it's red you can physically turn yourself till it's green to find the direction of your local broadcast towers.
Select Find Where to Point Antenna. This will bring up a map that will show the broadcast towers in your area. It will also show the direction you're facing. Select Done after you've double-checked the direction your indoor TV antenna should be facing.
The last step will be to physically mount your Antenna. This means sticking it to a window or wall or placing it near one.
If you've successfully set up your TV antenna, select Yes, start next step. If you want to go back through these tips & tricks, select No, restart antenna setup.
If you selected, Yes, start the next step, the 4th Generation Tablo iOS app will show you what stages are remaining in your setup journey.
If you want a similar guide to Internet Setup, you can find it here.