Big-brand sticks and boxes that get updates, TVs with Saorview built in, and the cheap fixes for a wifi signal that gives up at the kitchen door. Nothing "fully loaded". Nothing that needs a lad in a car park.
By the dodgybox.ie editor. Manufacturer spec pages. How we check. Out of date? Tell us.
Five brands, all certified, all still getting updates next year. Nothing that came in a padded envelope from a fella on Facebook.
Read →Most TVs sold in Ireland already have Saorview built in. Here's how to be sure, what size to get, and the sticker words you can safely ignore.
Read →Ninety per cent of streaming misery is the wifi, not the service. Here's what to try, cheapest first.
Read →Record RTÉ off the aerial, keep every family video in one place, and play it all back on any screen in the house. Three budgets, one evening's setup.
Read →Our top pick in each category, from the guides above. The button shows today's price, so you're never looking at last month's.
Hauppauge · Home server
A USB stick with an aerial socket. Plug it into a Plex or Jellyfin server and record free-to-air telly.
Best for: Recording RTÉ, Virgin Media and TG4 to your own server for personal use.
Labgear · Aerial
A tidy log-periodic aerial for the roof or the attic. Covers the Saorview band and ignores the phone masts.
Best for: Most houses with a reasonable line to a Saorview transmitter.
Samsung · TV
A plain, honest 55-inch 4K set from a big brand. Does the news, the soaps and the match without fuss.
Best for: Normal telly in a normal sitting room, where the money is better spent on an aerial.
Western Digital · Storage
One big USB drive. The cheapest way to start a Plex library on a Shield or an old PC.
Best for: Trying Plex or Jellyfin before spending on a NAS.
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