If you’re finally going to replace the old TV aerial that’s been hindering you and your family from enjoying your favorite TV shows and movies, you might have started thinking about installing it on your own, instead of calling a professional aerial installation company that’ll do it instead of you. However, you should know that there are both pros and cons to doing so.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of a DIY TV aerial installation? Can you really mess things up so bad that the entire process will cost you more in the end? Luckily for all individuals that are thinking about doing the same thing, the article below can help. Here are the top 5 pros and 5 cons of installing your new aerial on your own:
1. Pro: You’ll Save Money
Source: startupguys.net
One of the first advantages of installing your new aerial on your own is that you’ll, of course, save money, mostly because you won’t have to pay for an expert that’ll come to your home and do it instead of you. Now, even though these services don’t cost a lot, you still might have cashed out a lot of money for the new antenna, thus, installing it on your own might end up being a better option for you. However, you might not have the right tools, which leads us to our next point…
2. Con: You Might Not Have The Right Tools + Equipment
If you’re like me, it’s highly possible that the only tools you have in your home are a screwdriver and a hammer – both of which aren’t enough for installing an aerial. Additionally, you’ll also require ladders that’ll allow you to climb on your roof, pliers, gloves, old clothes, a helmet, gloves, protective goggles, and so on. These things will cost some money, hence, in the end, it might be cheaper if you opted for hiring an expert that’ll help you.
3. Pro: You Can Opt For High-Quality Cables
Source: cnet.com
In most situations, a professional installer will use the cables and wires that arrive with the aerial, however, if you choose to install it on your own, you could choose to purchase high-quality cables that’ll last longer and that’ll be able to provide you with a better signal. Naturally, you could buy these cables and give them to the installer you hire, but again, if you want to save money, this won’t be an option for you.
4. Con: You Might Get Confused By The Cables
Although most homeowners don’t realize it, there are a lot of cables and wires that’ll have to be properly connected to the aerial in order for it to function in the right way. These cables are often quite confusing, and no matter if you have the tutorial and user’s manual with you, you might still end up being confused. To prevent issues and damage to the new aerial, it might be best if you opted for working with an organization such as tvaerialinstaller.co.uk that’ll know exactly what they’re doing.
5. Pro: You’ll Feel Fulfilled
If it’s your first time attempting to install an aerial on your roof, it’ll be incredibly fulfilling if you manage to do it properly and without any hindrances. After all, no matter what DIY project you’re working on, it’ll bring your joy when you’re finally done and, of course, successful. Thus, if you want to see whether or not you can do it, a DIY installation might be suitable for you. But, you should know, it’ll also be more time-consuming.
6. Con: It’ll Be More Time-Consuming
Source: thoughtco.com
If you hire a company that has been working in the industry for a long time, the people working for the organization have probably installed hundreds if not thousands of satellite dishes and aerials before. Because of this, they’ll be capable of installing your aerial relatively quickly. On the other hand, if you’ve never gone through this process, it’ll take you a really long time to complete the project – something that a lot of people don’t have nowadays.
7. Pro: You Can Choose The Best Position
Firstly, you should know that this will entirely depend on the organization you might choose to hire, however, not all experts will do their best when installing an aerial. This means that they might simply want to complete the task as fast as they can, meaning that they might not want to waste time on determining the best location for the antenna. When you’re doing it on your own, you’ll be able to do just that, thus, you’ll end up placing it properly for the best results.
8. Con: You Might Not Point it in The Right Direction
You might not realize this, but, you must, I repeat, must point the aerial in the direction of the local broadcasting towers. If you don’t it’s highly possible that your signals will be weak, which means that you won’t have a high-quality picture, instead, you might experience lags, pixelation, or no signal at all. When working with an expert, they’ll know where the broadcasting towers are, thus, they’ll be able to point it in the right direction.
9. Pro: Ask Your Family Members For Help
Source: instructables.com
Another interesting benefit of a DIY installation is that you can spend some quality time with your family. For instance, you could ask your kids to help you by handing you over the tools and equipment you need, and by doing so, you could bond, talk, and have fun with them. Naturally, your kids might be small which is why they cannot climb the roof with you, however, it’ll still be fun and awarding for them to help you with your DIY project.
10. Con: It Can Be Dangerous
Last on our list is the fact that installing an aerial will mean that you’ll have to get on your roof, which is, of course, quite dangerous. Hence, if you’re afraid of heights or if you’re simply worried that you might end up falling from the roof, choosing to hire a professional installation organization might be better for you. Safety must be your number one priority, so, if you aren’t comfortable with heights, call an expert.
Conclusion
As you were able to learn, there are both pros and cons of installing an aerial on your own. Of course, whether you’ll choose to do it by yourself or call a professional that’ll help will entirely depend on you, as well as the budget you have, nonetheless, ensure that you take some time to determine which option is more suitable for you.
Since you now know where you can go wrong – and what you can do right – you really shouldn’t waste any more time. Instead, you should go through our list one more time, determine which option is better for you, and from there, install a new aerial that’ll provide you with a better signal, thus a better viewing experience.
