Free TV Key Review: Free HD Television?
• Clear television picture
• No wires or mounted antenna
• Doesn't receive cable channels
• Clearance may be problematic on some wall-mounted TV's.
• Can't be moved to get optimal picture
Free TV Key is the next-gen TV antenna from the makers of Clear TV. While it functions the same as a pair of cheap rabbit ears, the lack of wires and mounted antenna may be aesthetically superior. Clearance on wall-mounted TV's could be a problem for some consumers.
Free TV Key
Free TV Key is a second-generation television antenna from the makers of Clear TV.
Note: This review refers to “Free TV Key” which is usually marketed in the US as “Clear TV Key.” It is still marketed in some areas as Free TV Key. They are the same product, other than the words “free” and “clear” being substituted.
Claims & Features
- Receive free HD broadcast television programming
- Reduce cable and satellite bills
- Plugs into any TV – no antenna
- Clear picture
- No wires
- Just plug it in
Cost & Availability
Free TV Key costs $19.99 + $7.99 shipping for a total cost of $27.98. A second product can be added for an additional $7.99, which totals $35.97. Unlike some As Seen on TV products, the second unit is not mandatory.
You will probably have better luck buying Clear TV Key on Amazon, where the cost varies from about $13 – $20.
The current product website is cleartvkey.com. The original website used in advertising was freetvkey.com, which now redirects to cleartvkey.com.
Free TV Key is brought to you by TriStar Products, one of the major players in the As Seen on TV industry. The company currently holds an A rating with the BBB, although there have been a number of (resolved) complaints regarding advertising or problems with the product or service. See the full BBB listing for more info, which also details legal action taken against the company in 2016.
Free TV Key Commercial
The TV commercial below was posted to the Clear TV YouTube channel in August 2015.
Transcript of the television commercial above:
Are you tired of paying expensive cable or satellite bills month after month? Now you see ’em. Now you don’t! You don’t need expensive cable or satellite anymore. All you need is the Free TV Key from ClearTV. Now you can watch your favorite broadcast network shows for free! That’s right. Forget about paying hundreds of dollars a year for satellite or cable-only channels.
The Free TV Key hides behind your TV, and is easy! Just plug it into your TV’s cable input – no wires, no unsightly antennas! Your television will instantly receive top-rated network shows, local news, and weather, sporting events, and more! All for free in vivid HD and digital signal.
If we’re just off the coast here in the Gulf of Mexico receiving free network broadcasts, HD TV, imagine all the free channels the TV Key can unlock for you!
Thanks to federal government mandate, all broadcasters are required to broadcast a digital TV signal through the airwaves. Cable and satellite services can cost you up to $80 a month. That’s $960 a year, and almost $10,000 over a ten-year period. With the Free TV Key, there’s no contracts, no monthly fees, and no unexpected rate increases. Watch again! Just plug it in and get free TV. Call or go online now to get your Free TV Key HD Digital Antenna for just $19.99!
“I took my Free TV Key out of the box, plugged it in to the cable input, and now I get to watch all my favorite broadcast channels for free!”
This compact design is perfect for an apartment, ideal for college dorm room or boat, or on your RV. And forget about paying monthly fees for extra receivers. Order right now and you can add a second Free TV Key, just pay separate processing and handling. That’s two Free TV Keys! A $40 value all for only $19.99! Not available in stores. Order now!
Free TV Key Reviews
Free TV Key could be described as the second-generation product by Clear TV, which has advertised almost constantly over the past 2+ years. Although Free TV Key doesn’t seem to offer any new functionality over its predecessor, it does present one design upgrade: the elimination of wires and a mounted antenna. That advantage, as we’ll discuss later, could also be one of its biggest disadvantages.
Free TV Key plugs into the back of a television and will receive local over-the-air broadcasts. Where Free TV Key (and any TV antenna) shines is that the signals it picks up tend to be (slightly) superior to that of cable, which compresses video signals. Free TV Key does not compress signals. The lack of wires and a mounted antenna are nice additions to this product which Clear TV did not have.
One issue which is sometimes misunderstood by consumers is that Free TV Key does not receive cable channels, but only those which broadcast over the airwaves in your area. This typically includes major networks and PBS. Sports and news channels do not broadcast over the airwaves and would not be picked up by Free TV Key. One interesting note in the commercial above is that it briefly shows the cable channel HLN, which would not be picked up by Free TV Key.
A potential concern with Free TV Key that was not an issue with Clear TV is that of mounting. While the reduction of wires is a nice feature, Free TV Key appears to need an inch or more of clearance in the back of the television, as can be seen in the commercial above. TV’s mounted to the wall may or may not have that much clearance. How your TV is mounted may affect whether or not Free TV Key will have enough room to be properly installed.
Additionally, the placement of Free TV Key can’t be adjusted to achieve an optimal picture in the manner that standard TV antennas can. Most users familiar with placing rabbit ears know that it can be a trial and error process when placing an antenna in the best spot. This is not possible with Free TV Key, as it is attached to the TV and cannot be moved. If you live in an area where local channels may be far away or otherwise weak for some reason, Free TV Key may not be a good fit.
If the wireless feature isn’t important to you, the original Clear TV can still be found on As Seen on TV shelves for less than Free TV Key, when shipping is factored into the equation.
Similar Products
Free TV Key functions the same as its predecessor, Clear TV. Both products are essentially modern rabbit ears which can still be purchased at stores such as Radio Shack for under $10. While the function is the same as standard antennas, Clear TV and Free TV Key do offer a more sleek appearance.
There are a number of other options, including plug-in TV antennas of varying sizes and shapes, which you may want to consider before making your final purchase.
Epic Conclusion
Free TV Key is the next-gen TV antenna from the makers of Clear TV. While it functions the same as a pair of cheap rabbit ears, the lack of wires and mounted antenna may be aesthetically superior. Clearance on wall-mounted TV’s could be a problem for some consumers.
If you’ve used Free TV Key, please give it a star rating and comment below.
Updated April 2017.
I have been looking for reviews on the free TV key and can’t seem to find any. Does this thing work? I live in the DFW area and want to know if I’m just wasting my money or is this legit? Someone tell me something please
you can go to your local Walmart and purchase a digital antenna that is the exact same! The problem with the clear TV antenna is you can’t move it around to get a better signal and you actually get less channels and not more like your square digital antenna or rabbit ear antennas. it’s a scam you don’t get hundreds of channels like they claim you only get your local broadcast channels like CBS, NBC, Fox and your PBS channels… ABC does not come in at all.
It is NOT a scam, but every area picks up different channels. Depending on your location and the terrain, it may pick up only a few channels. If you have a highrise or a mountain obstructing your window, you will get precious little, maybe one or two channels. If you are on the top floor with unobstructed clear view to the broadcast tower, you may get plenty of channels.
Yeah. I have a digital antenna already, was trying to find reviews for if it works better than what I already have. As it is, I only get one channel really channel 13. If I move the antenna, I get some religious channels but never ABC, NBC, or pbs, no matter what I do. I don’t live in a good location for free TV. So I will stick with what I have, even though the wireless thing would have been good because I have young kids….
Don’t know but I DO KNOW Winegard FL5500A works great. It is designed for both uhf and VHF. Austin, TX has both. I get like 35 channels but many are not English, infomercial, religious.
This is a fraud, don’t buy that crap. It is only a piece of wire enclosed in plastic enclosure. This kind of gizmo won’t receive more than a few channels the same way if you hook up any other indoor antenna. They advertise like it would replace regular cable service but this is not the case. Don’t fall into this trap.
From what I read on the website you have to live within 25miles of a transmitting tower for the best results.
I live way out in the country and was only getting 1 or 2 channels. I found a antenna booster at walmart and and can get 12 to 15 channels now. Its a little box that you hook up to the TV and plug the antenna into and it has a power cord to plug into the wall. If I unplug it from the wall then I only get 2 channels again.
The only reason anyone should buy this product is if they do not own the digital broadcast box and have an old school analog t.v (ex.the huge one with the wood around it in grandmas living room) honestly invest in something that has a better chance to reward you like a scratch ticket.
I’ve had the CearTv HDTV Antenna for over a year now and get all kinds of Channels from NBC, CBS, CW, FOX, ION just to name a few and also get a bunch of no nonsense channels also, however the 1 channel I’ve been trying for ABC just doesn’t work at all, which really doesn’t matter all that much but for the price. I gotta say its much better than paying those cable or satellite prices that also go up on you from month to month.
Not worth it. Buy one from a store where it’s easy to return if it does not work for you.
I’ve had clear tv square antenna for a long time and it’s not a scam. You don’t get hundreds of channels, but it’s still so much better than paying for cable IMO. I just moved on the other side of town, but at my old place I got ABC, FOX, PBS, ION, THIS, The CW, GritTV, and several others. But now since moving I only get FOX and a couple boring channels. Sometimes ABC. I do have to adjust my antenna sometimes. But it’s lasted almost 2 years now and I’m overall satisfied. I will probably stick with the one I have and not get the Clear TV Key because I don’t think it would be any better.
Leave the TV off, grab a good book and READ!!!!
Reading is not a suitable replacement for television . . . . and vice versa.
I got mine at a grocery store in as seen on tv section $10. Works for me and I am home all day.
This antenna is a scam. It picks up very few channels and most are unknown. They charge you $15.98 for shipping for every order of two whether it is one small package or two. In my case it was one package that weighed less than 4 oz. and they charged $31.98. When I returned them on the 60 moneyback guarantee they only wanted to refund me $30. I was told that he charge for the shipping and handling is actually the commissions they pay the telephone operators for making the sale. IT IS AN ENTIRE SCAM. I saw the advertisement on TV and it sounded great . I have a free atenna purchased at BestBuy that is stronger and has never failed with over 60 channels. I only paid $15 for it. I learned my lesson. I wanted four more because I have 5 TVs and thought it would save me more money. DON’T GET SCAMMED.
What antenna did you get at Best Buy?
You don’t get any of the good stuff like History Channel, Scifi, HGTV, DID etc. You have to be satisfied with nothing but local news, 20 yr old reruns of mindless tv like Columbo and the like.
Just go to radio shack or Walmart and buy a digital converter/ antennae. I purchased one from Walmart for 30 bucks that had a 120 mile range. (We were in the middle of switching cable companies) we did receive 32 channels such as ion, this, decades, grit, bounce, fox, cbs, nbc, cw, as another commenter posted I tried without success to get abc. You get all the clear channel network stations.
It won’t replace cable or satellite. It is only for local tv broadcasts. So you do need either cable or satellite for other channels. Not any better than other antennas.
This devise is terrible they charged me $16.94 for something that does not work! I initially paid $38.13 and since it does not work I paid $3.21 to return the device you they deducted $16.94 from my account for shipping and processing? The rep insist that it is my area and I can tell you I have used “Clear TV” for years and works perfect! This devise is substandard and they should not be advertising it as they do! To all consumers buy the Clear TV instead do NOT buy this is a rip off!
It’s a waste of money
This is a scam. I bought two free tv keys for family members and they could not get one channel on them. I called to return them and get my money back ad their guarantee says and i was on hold forever. When they finally answered all they wanted to do is give me 15 dollats back and told me to give tbem to a friend. I daid no i just eant all my money back like their guarantee says. I payed 57.00 for 2 and it cost me another 7.75 to send them back..after days of waiting they only refunded me 39.00…its a scam…beware
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