Xiaomi’s modern Smart TVs are often seen as platforms for online cinemas and YouTube. However, the basic feature of receiving terrestrial or cable TV remains critical for many owners. Connecting via antenna cable allows you to watch news channels and sports broadcasts without the delays typical of Internet traffic. This is especially true with unstable Wi-Fi connections or a desire to save traffic.
The frequency scanning process on an Android TV or Google TV operating system installed on Mi TV devices has its own features. The interface may differ depending on the regional firmware, but the logic of the work remains the same. You will need a properly connected coaxial cable and access to the receiver settings menu. In this article, we will discuss in detail all the steps, from physical connection to manual frequency input, if automatic search does not yield results.
The quality of the image and the stability of the signal are directly dependent on the correctness of the actions performed. The wrong choice of region or type of antenna can lead to the TV showing no signal, even if the cable is correct. So it is important to carefully follow the algorithm described below and take into account the technical nuances of your Xiaomi model.
Preparation of equipment and physical connection
The first step is always to physically connect the signal source to the TV. On the back or side of the Xiaomi device, you need to find a connector signed as ANT IN or Cable/Antenna. It has a circular shape with a thread or spring mechanism inside. Unlike older models, modern TVs do not always have a built-in satellite tuner module, so connecting a satellite dish directly without the console is impossible.
To connect, you will need a standard coaxial cable with a resistance of 75 Ohms. If you use a room antenna, make sure that it is active (has its own power supply), since passive room antennas in urban environments often do not provide confident reception of the DVB-T2 digital signal. The cable must be tightly screwed into the connector to the end, but without excessive effort to not break the thread.
⚠️ Warning: Never connect an antenna cable to a TV connector during a thunderstorm.Static electricity or a lightning strike into an antenna can instantly disable the tuner module and the device's motherboard.
After you're physically connected, switch the signal source. On the remote, press the button with the input source icon (often designated as an arrow square or Input). In the menu that appears, select TV or Live TV. If you see a message "No signal", this is normal until the scan is set up.
☑️ Checking before setting up
Navigating the TV settings menu
The PatchWall shell or pure Android TV interface can hide the necessary items in the depth of the menu. To find channel settings, go to the main menu by clicking the Home button. In the upper right corner of the screen, find the gear icon, which is the entrance to the Settings section. Depending on the firmware version, you need to choose Channels, TV Broadcast or All Settings → Channels & Inputs.
Within the channel management section, you'll find a few options. The key parameters here are the choice of country and antenna type. The region determines the frequency grid that the search will go through. If the wrong country is selected, the TV can skip the available multiplexes. The type of antenna you choose depends on your connection: the antenna for the air signal or the cable for the provider signal.
Some users experience a situation where the Channels item is missing or inactive. This often happens if the settings of the system initially selected a country where the digital broadcasting is operated by different standards, or if the TV is in Store mode. → Region) your real country of residence.
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If your country is not listed, choose a neighboring country with a similar broadcast standard (e.g. Finland for the Northwest of Russia or Poland for the Western regions), this often helps to start a search.
Automatic search and setting of parameters
The easiest way to set up channels is to use automatic mode. After choosing the type of antenna (Antenna or Cable), the system will prompt you to start searching, in this mode, the Xiaomi TV will independently scan the entire frequency range, save the digital and analog signals found, and also try to determine the names of channels.
The scanning process can take from 2 to 10 minutes depending on the number of frequencies available and the signal power, at which time the progress scale and the current frequency are displayed on the screen, and it is not recommended to interrupt the process, as this may lead to an incomplete list of channels or desynchronization of the frequency database.
An important parameter in automatic mode is the choice of scan type. Usually available options: All, Digital or Analog. Since analog broadcasting is disabled in many countries, it makes sense to immediately choose to search only digital channels (DVB-T/T2) to speed up the process and avoid filling the list with noisy channels.
Manual frequency adjustment and problem solving
Automatic search is not always effective, especially in areas of uncertain reception or when using cable networks of providers that broadcast at non-standard frequencies. In such cases, manual adjustment is necessary. To do this, select Manual setting or Manual Tuning from the channel menu. Here you will need to enter specific parameters: frequency (in MHz) and bandwidth (usually 8 MHz for DVB-T2).
You can find out the frequencies you need for your region on a carrier or on specialized resources such as a digital TV coverage map. In manual mode, you can observe the signal quality and signal level scales in real time. By turning an antenna or adjusting a cable, you can achieve maximum values before starting a scan at a specific frequency.
A common problem is the absence of one of the multiplexes (e.g., 10 channels are caught, and there should be 20), this is solved by repeated manual search at the frequency of the missing packet. If the signal is weak, try manually disabling the Auto Update option in the settings, as background search can interrupt the viewing or slow down the system.
⚠️ Note: When manually configuring cable TV from the provider, be sure to check whether it is required CAM-If the provider uses encryption, without the access card and module, no channel will open, even at the right frequencies.
Work with the list of channels and sorting
Once you've done a successful scan, you'll have a long list of channels that can be chaotic in order. Android TV allows you to edit that list. Go to Channel List or click OK while you're watching to call the edit menu, where you can delete unnecessary duplicates, rename the channels and change the order.
The sorting feature is especially useful if you want to bring your favorite news or sports channels to the top of the list. Some Xiaomi models support the creation of Favorites, which allows you to switch only between selected stations. This makes navigation easier for children or older people who find it difficult to navigate in hundreds of positions.
It's important to note that when you reset your TV to Factory Reset, the entire list of channels and their order will be deleted. You'll have to reset the setup process, so if you've spent a lot of time sorting, it makes sense to take screenshots of the list or memorize the order to quickly restore it.
Why can channels disappear after a reboot?
Table of signal types and requirements
To better understand the differences between connectivity types, consider the main characteristics of signals supported by Xiaomi TVs. Understanding these differences will help you choose the right setup strategy and avoid mistakes when choosing equipment.
| Signal type | Standard | Equipment required | Quality. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Etheric digital | DVB-T2 | Antenna (room/street) | HD / Full HD |
| Digital cable | DVB-C | Provider cable | HD / Full HD / 4K |
| Satellite. | DVB-S2 | Receiver (prefix) | Full HD / 4K HDR |
| Analog | DVB-T | antenna | SD (low) |
As you can see from the table, the built-in Xiaomi tuner does a great job with the first two types of signals. However, for satellite television (DVB-S2), embedded tuners are rare and mostly in flagship models. In most cases, the “plate” will require a separate console connected via HDMI.
Digital image quality (DVB-T2/C) is far superior to its counterpart, but it's worth remembering that when the signal is weak, the digital image doesn't just become snowy like the analogue, but completely falls into squares or disappears, so the signal level must be consistently above 50-60% for comfortable viewing.
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The built-in tuner DVB-T2/C is the standard for all modern Xiaomi TVs, making the connection of an additional console for terrestrial TV unnecessary.
Frequent mistakes and ways to solve them
Even if you follow all the instructions, you can run into problems, and one of the most common is the message "No signal" after scanning, most often it indicates a problem with the antenna cable (break, poor contact) or the wrong choice of region. Check the integrity of the cable and try to reconnect it to another connector if there are more than one.
Another common problem is desynchronization of sound and image or periodic fading of the picture. This can be caused by overheating of the tuner or software failure in the Android TV module. In this case, a complete reboot of the TV with an outlet shut down for 1-2 minutes helps. It is also worth checking for system updates in the Settings menu → About TV → System Update.
If the TV finds the channels, but they show a black screen with an encoding message, then the channels are encoded by the provider. Only open multiplexes are available for free. To view the encoded channels, you need to purchase an access card from the operator and, possibly, you need to purchase an access card from the operator, CAM-Module of the appropriate format (most often) CI+).
⚠️ Note: Use of cheap Chinese antennas with amplifier powered by USB-If you've got noises on other channels after you've connected the antenna, try powering the amplifier from a separate source.