Anonymous Over-the-Air TV
At Incognito Cat, we love sharing stories about how television used to be. Back then, a TV was a big deal for most families. It often came in a heavy, elegant wooden cabinet. Many models included a built-in stereo and a mini-bar. These sets served as stunning pieces of furniture as well as entertainment. They became the centerpiece and showpiece of living rooms or family rooms.
Most TVs displayed everything in black-and-white. A few lucky households could afford color. Every set shared one key limit: just a handful of local channels broadcast over the air. You needed an antenna, sometimes decorated with foil, to pick them up.
That simplicity came with real privacy. No one outside your home knew what you were watching. Only people in the room could see the screen or hear it, depending on the volume. Even rating companies struggled to track viewers. They relied on clunky equipment and paper diaries to guess at audience habits.
For most Americans, the lineup was straightforward. You had the three major networks (ABC, CBS, NBC), a public television station, and sometimes an independent local channel on UHF. A few UHF stations became legends, like the ones that launched Elvira, Mistress of the Dark. Still, choices stayed limited. Many stations even signed off after the nightly broadcast ended.
Then cable arrived and changed everything. Over time, providers added tracking features. They collected detailed data on what people watched. Smart TVs made it worse. They started gathering information directly from the screen, as explained in this Techlicious article: "Your TV Is Watching You Back – And Selling What It Learns".
To stop smart TVs from sharing data, we put ours on a separate virtual LAN. We isolate them completely and block all internet access. Some people simply never connect smart devices to the network at all.
Unfortunately, many over-the-air solutions we tested still collected and sent data somewhere. That changed when Santa Cat surprised us with a great holiday gift: the HDHomeRun FLEX QUATRO.
Cutting the Cord
We have tried many solutions over the years to keep access to local channels after cutting the cord. Aside from the last "dumb" TV in the house, they all collected a ton of metrics and sent them to some anonymous data service. To say that is not ideal is an understatement. But when you need local information, like severe weather information, only local news will do.
Over-the-air (OTA) television really shines here. Cable and satellite solutions often fail during storms. This is especially true when the power goes out at home.
We developed a basic set of requirements for any solution:
- Ability to record OTA programs for time-shifted viewing.
- Run for extended periods on a battery backup.
- Support all available channels in the area.
- Offer alternative viewing options, such as apps or web browsers on battery-powered portable devices.
Several options met these basics. Many came at the cost of privacy. Until the HDHomeRun arrived.
HDHomeRun
Our previous OTA solution was starting to fail. It could no longer handle basic tasks. It also tracked our activities far more than we liked. So a family member took pity on us and gifted the HDHomeRun FLEX QUATRO. Not only does it meet our requirements. It does so with strong privacy in mind.
The HDHomeRun comes in various configurations. These support multiple tuners, broadcast standards, and countries. The FLEX QUATRO is a four-tuner model for ATSC 1.0 (the unencrypted legacy standard). It can record to an attached USB hard drive. It also works seamlessly with network attached storage (NAS), like a Synology DiskStation.
A $35 USD per year subscription provides guide data to enable scheduled recording in the official app. But the best part? Everything stays local on your network. With or without recording enabled, the HDHomeRun offers a wide range of clients across platforms to view live TV or recordings. We've even kept up with local news using VLC Media Player on our Linux desktops via Universal Plug and Play (UPnP).
Easy Setup
This is by far the easiest setup we've ever enjoyed. The basic process takes just four simple steps:
- Step 1: Connect the antenna.
- Step 2: Connect to the network using the included Ethernet cable.
- Step 3: Connect the power adapter.
- Step 4: Scan for channels using the app or web interface at http://hdhomerun.local/lineup.html.
We barely needed Step 4. The scan finished by the time we reached the web interface. It flagged a required firmware update, which was just a quick click to install.
We were not expecting so many channels to be available. Using an inexpensive old powered antenna, dozens of channels appeared instantly!
Of course, we tested all the clients we expected to use. They all worked perfectly right away.
Digital Video Recorder (DVR)
We wanted to test recording for time-shifted viewing. It's no longer the '70s or '80s when everyone had to watch shows at the exact same time!
We subscribed to the channel guide service using an alias email from SimpleLogin and a merchant-locked, amount-limited virtual debit card from Privacy.com. Privacy first, always.
The first storage option we tried was a 32GB thumb drive. We plugged it in, the HDHomeRun formatted it with a simple click, and we were recording in minutes. We tested a few shows to gauge storage needs. It came out to about 2GB per 30-minute HD program. Once we understood that, we swapped the thumb drive for a Western Digital WD 1TB Elements Portable External Hard Drive. That gives us plenty of room for dozens of hours of viewing.
Also, the power requirements are so minimal, the unit keeps running for extended periods on a repurposed desktop battery backup. No more media blackouts during storms.
Wrap Up
In a world full of entertainment options, very few prioritize privacy the way the HDHomeRun FLEX QUATRO does. This compact device brings back the joy of free over-the-air TV and local news. It does so without tracking your viewing habits or sending data anywhere. Setup is effortless, recording is flexible (USB or NAS), and everything runs locally on your network.
Whether you want live viewing on multiple devices, time-shifted shows, or reliable access during power outages, it delivers. The optional $35/year guide subscription is the only recurring cost beyond the antenna and storage. For privacy-minded cord-cutters, it's a smart, low-profile solution that echoes the anonymous simplicity of old-school TV.
If you're tired of smart TV spying or cable tracking, give the HDHomeRun a try. Your viewing stays yours. Welcome back to television on your terms.
Remember: We may not have anything to hide, but everything to protect.
