TV and home entertainment
TV aerials and wall-mounting in Mount Eden
For TV aerial installation in Mount Eden, or a new screen on the lounge wall with no cables showing, our electricians handle the aerial, the power point, the cabling and the bracket together, so nothing is left half done.
Aerial, dish or app?
Television has a little history in Mount Eden. The council's heritage walk notes for Dominion Road record that a building at number 274 was extended in 1962 for the Bell Radio and Television Corporation, as television was being introduced to the country. Sixty-odd years on, there are three ways to get free-to-air channels into a Mount Eden lounge.
The first is a UHF aerial on the roof, which picks up the signal over the air, uses no data and works with any TV. The second is a satellite dish. The third is the Freeview app on a smart TV, which needs no aerial at all but does need a good internet connection. As the Freeview guide to getting connected points out, recording live TV with a Freeview recorder only works through an aerial or a dish, not through the app. If you like to record, an aerial is still the simplest answer.
Streaming leans on the network, so a wired connection to the TV is often more reliable than Wi-Fi, especially through masonry walls. We can run data cabling to the TV at the same time, and if the work includes new power points or moving circuits, see how it fits with rewiring an older home.
Getting the aerial right
A good picture starts on the roof. The aerial is fixed to a solid mount, aimed at the transmitter that serves your area, and connected with good quality coaxial cable sealed against the weather where it enters the house.
Most poor reception comes from what happens after that: old cable that has cracked in the sun, a cheap splitter feeding four rooms, or connectors that have corroded. When we install or replace an aerial we look at the whole run, and add or move TV outlets in the rooms you want them.
Before any work, it is worth checking your address on Freeview's coverage map so you know what the area can expect.
Wall-mounting a TV properly
Find the structure
In a timber house the bracket goes into the studs, not just the lining. In the plastered masonry of an interwar flat it needs fixings made for masonry.
Power behind the screen
A new power point set behind the TV, so no lead hangs down the wall. That is fixed wiring, and it comes with a Certificate of Compliance.
Hide the cables
Aerial, HDMI and data cables run inside the wall cavity to a wall plate at cabinet height, where the wall allows it.
Set it up
Screen level, at a comfortable viewing height, tuned in and working before we leave.
TV and aerial questions
Do I need a set-top box?
Usually not. Freeview says that a TV bought from a New Zealand store after 2009 already has Freeview built in, so an aerial plugged straight into it is enough.
Can you mount a TV above a fireplace?
It is possible, but heat and viewing height both count against it. We will talk through the options, including the cable route, before anything is drilled.
Can the cables be hidden in a villa wall?
In most timber walls, yes, by running them inside the cavity. Where a wall is solid, a slim cover or a route through the floor or ceiling is the fallback.
Can you add TV points in other rooms?
Yes. Extra outlets can be run from the aerial with a proper splitter or amplifier, so each room gets a clean signal.
Do you do this for businesses too?
Yes. Screens in cafes, waiting rooms and offices are mounted and wired the same way. See our commercial electrician page for the rest of what we do for businesses.
Power off, breaker tripping, or planning ahead?
Call 021 156 4005 at any hour for a call-out, or send the details of the job and we will get back to you.
Other services in Mount Eden
Rewiring
Planned rewiring for villas, bungalows and interwar flats, done room by room and tested and certified when it is finished.Switchboard replacement
Old fuse boards replaced with circuit breakers and RCD protection, with the licensed inspection arranged for you when the work needs one.Emergency call-outs and fault finding
Electricians on call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for lost power, tripping circuits, hot sockets and faults that keep coming back.Heat pumps
Heat pump installation planned around big villa rooms, the wall the indoor unit needs and where the outdoor unit can sit.Lighting
LED downlights, pendants, dimmers and outdoor lighting for paths, decks and gardens.Commercial electrical
Electrical work for shops, cafes, offices and kitchens along Mt Eden Road and Dominion Road.Mount Eden enquiries
Contact us
Ring 021 156 4005 for anything urgent, day or night. For everything else, leave your details and a short description of the job below.
021 156 4005- Auckland
- Call-outs 24 hours a day, 7 days a week