HDHomeRun Flex 4K: A Cheap and Easy Way to Get NextGenTV

This tiny device streams broadcast TV, including ATSC 3.0 channels, to every device on your home network.

- By Martyn Williams

The HDHomeRun Flex 4K from SiliconDust is a clever little box T that will stream broadcast TV signals to televisions, smartphones and tablets across your home network. It's a great addition to any cord-cutting household, and it's also among the cheapest ways to receive ATSC 3.0 (NextGen TV) broadcasts that might be on the air where you live (fave.co/3JenESY).

I've been testing the HDHomeRun Flex 4K for the last month and I've been surprised at its usefulness and simplicity, as well as impressed with the quality of its TV reception.

The device itself is a lot smaller than I was expecting it to be. Because it streams TV across your network, it doesn't need to be located anywhere near your TV. It has just four connections: a power socket, wired ethernet, a USB-A port, and a TV antenna plug. You can situate the unit anywhere you have those connectors, even in your basement or shut away inside a closet.

Since you control everything on the HDHomeRun Flex 4K through apps or a web interface, there's no remote control or front panel display, and there's not even an HDMI output. This isn't a conventional set-top box.

INSTALLATION

Getting the unit up and running was simple. I made the three connections to the unit, waited a few moments for it to register on my home network, and then accessed it via a web interface. This brings up a basic Ul that allows for channel tuning, along with a status page and a system menu. You can also scan channels through the app, but I found the web interface to be easier and faster.