Mohu Vibe: Two-Minute Review
The Mohu Vibe indoor antenna actually looks good, unlike most other TV antennas. When it comes to the best indoor antennas, only three things really matter: Does it receive the channels you want in your location? Does the size and style suit your room? Is the price-performance ratio within your budget?
Mohu’s new Vibe has a 50-mile range, a living room-friendly shape (about the size and shape of a supermarket sushi platter) and a subtle, tweed-style gray finish. With a list price of $50—it normally sells for half that—it fits many budgets.
Setup couldn’t be simpler: You can hang the Vibe from a picture hook or screw (Mohu supplies the latter, as well as a sheetrock anchor), or do as I did and attach double-sided tape (not included) to a windowpane or smooth wall. A permanently attached 12-foot cable runs from the antenna to the “Jolt” amplifier module—about the size of a box of TicTacs—but the coaxial cable from the amplifier is only six inches long, so unless you bring your own, longer coaxial extension cable, you’ll have to set up the antenna within two arms’ lengths of your TV. A second cable connects the amplifier to a USB port for power, which is much longer in case the TV doesn’t have a spare USB port (you’ll have to bring your own USB charger).
Visually, the Vibe is as unobtrusive as an antenna can be: it could be a motion detector or, if only it could be, an artisanal decoration. As for performance, first our usual disclaimer, and it’s very important to understand and accept it: the actual reception of a TV antenna depends enormously on two factors: its height and what obstacles (natural or artificial) are between it and the transmitter masts of the desired signals. So, as always, our results represent only one location, and a fairly idealized one at that: a semi-rural spot about 213m above sea level, in a second-floor window with a clear view to the southeast, from which a variety of signals are broadcast from the east, south and southwest at distances ranging from 27 to over 120km.
In this setup, the Mohu Vibe picked up 27 stations (9 main channels, like 5.1, and 18 secondary channels like 27.2, 56.4, etc.). That’s about 25% less than we got with Mohu’s slightly larger and bulkier Arc model—but note that results vary from day to day and from time to time, depending on atmospheric conditions. (In fact, antenna technology hasn’t changed much since the Eisenhower years.) Only the weakest station (a lower-powered station slightly north of east, and thus far from the Vibe’s aiming axis) suffered from occasional picture blocking with moderate signal strength; the others were all rock-solid.
The Vibe should work well in typical suburban and urban areas and – at a certain altitude and without obstructions – even in more rural/remote areas like our test site.
Mohu Vibe: Price and Release Date
- First available: September 2023
- Price: $49.99
The Mohu Vibe’s $50 list price is reasonable, given its slightly more attractive shape and finish. (A seemingly endless 20% discount brings the price down to around $40, and we’ve seen it for as little as $25.) However, there are countless competing antenna designs in a dizzying variety of shapes, sizes, and finishes that are likely to offer similar performance and cost anywhere from a little less to a lot more.
Should you buy the Mohu Vibe?
| Characteristics | Notes | Reviews |
| Features | Very compact, attractive shape; included RF amplifier with power supply via USB | 4.5 / 5 |
| Performance | Impressive pulling power for a small size should extend up to 20-40 miles in typical locations, or considerably more from elevated, unobstructed locations. | 4.5 / 5 |
| design | Small, attractive grey tweed wall wraps should fit easily into most rooms | 5 / 5 |
| Value | Very competitive | 4.5 / 5 |
Buy it if…
Don’t buy it if…
Mohu Vibe review: Also to consider
This is how I tested the Mohu Vibe
- Tested at a semi-rural location
- Compared to the powerful “reference” antenna
I test indoor antennas in a semi-rural, hilltop location with good elevation and a nearly 360-degree clear line of sight to TV stations approximately 15 to 70 miles away. This test environment gives me the opportunity to evaluate models that cover the full spectrum of indoor antenna requirements.
For the testing process, I first place the antenna high up in a south-facing window and perform the tuning process on a television with an ATSC 3.0 “Next-Gen TV” tuner. I then record the number of carriers tuned along with the total number of subchannels. A high-powered attic antenna in the same location is also used as a reference for comparison.
Read more about how we test
First reviewed in August 2024
