Coaxial Cables Price Comparison
Compare 372 coaxial cables from kenable, DeLOCK, AudioQuest and more — find the best price across top UK retailers, from aerial leads to pro SDI runs.
Coaxial Cables price comparison UK
Coaxial cables occupy a peculiar corner of the cable market: most people only think about them when something stops working. The aerial lead behind the TV, the CCTV run across the loft, the SDI cable on a broadcast rig — they're invisible until they fail. Our catalogue covers 372 products, with prices ranging from 0 £ for a short WLAN extension up to 0 £ for specialist professional-grade runs, which tells you just how wide this category really is.
The dominant force here is kenable, with 88 products at a remarkably low average price — they've cornered the budget aerial and RF market, and for straightforward domestic installs, they're perfectly adequate. At the other end, AudioQuest and DeLOCK serve very different masters: AudioQuest targets audiophiles and home cinema enthusiasts willing to pay a premium for low-attenuation, high-shielding construction, while DeLOCK's range skews towards IT and networking professionals who need precise impedance matching and certified connectors. Goobay and Hama sit comfortably in the middle ground, offering solid everyday performance without the price premium.
What catches our eye in the data is the sharp jump between the median price and the third quartile — from 0 £ to 0 £. That gap reflects the real divide in this category: consumer aerial cables versus semi-professional and bulk installation cable. If you're wiring a CCTV system with BNC connectors, running SDI for a video production setup, or laying 100m+ of cable through wall cavities, the specification differences between a budget reel and a proper low-loss cable genuinely matter. Attenuation, shielding effectiveness, and connector quality all degrade over long runs in ways that a 2m TV lead simply never reveals.
For domestic use — connecting a Freeview box, extending a satellite feed, or boosting a router antenna — the choice is largely about length and connector type (IEC, F-type, or SMA). For professional or semi-pro applications, you'll want to pay close attention to impedance (75Ω for video, 50Ω for RF), shielding construction, and whether the cable carries the relevant EN 50117 or IEC 61196 certification. You can also explore our signal cables range for related options, or check cable splitters and combiners if you need to distribute a single coaxial feed to multiple points. For structured cabling projects, our networking cables section covers the complementary data side of any installation.
How to Choose the Right Coaxial Cable
The single biggest mistake buyers make is treating all coaxial cables as interchangeable. A 75Ω aerial lead and a 50Ω RF cable look almost identical — plug one into the wrong device and you'll introduce signal reflections that no amount of signal boosting will fix. Here's what actually matters, depending on what you're trying to do.
Impedance matching for your application
Get this wrong and nothing else matters. Coaxial cables come in two main impedance values for consumer and professional use: 75Ω for TV aerials, satellite, CCTV, and broadcast video (including SDI), and 50Ω for RF transmitters, Wi-Fi antenna extensions, and amateur radio. Mixing them causes signal reflections — measurable as poor return loss — that degrade picture quality or data integrity. Check your equipment's specification before buying. The connector type is often a clue: F-type and IEC connectors are almost always 75Ω; SMA and N-type connectors are typically 50Ω.
Shielding construction — especially for long or exposed runs
For a 1.5m TV lead in a living room, a single-braid shield is perfectly adequate. For runs through loft spaces, along exterior walls, or anywhere near electrical wiring, you want at minimum a foil + braid combination. Quad-shield cables (two foil, two braid layers) are the gold standard for professional installs and environments with high EMI — near power cables, motors, or broadcast equipment. Shielding effectiveness is measured in dB; anything above 85 dB is solid for domestic use, while professional applications benefit from 100 dB+. Goobay and KabelDirekt offer decent mid-range shielding; DeLOCK's professional lines step up significantly.
Attenuation over your intended cable length
Signal loss (attenuation) is cumulative — it compounds with every metre of cable. For short runs under 10m, almost any cable will perform adequately. Beyond 20–30m, the difference between a low-loss cable (under 2 dB per 100m at your target frequency) and a standard cable (5+ dB per 100m) becomes very real. The Kathrein LCD 111 A+ 100m reel and Preisner SK2000/250plus bulk cable are designed with low attenuation in mind for exactly this reason. If you're running 50m+ for CCTV or a satellite distribution system, check the cable's attenuation spec at the highest frequency you'll be using — not just at DC.
Connector type and termination quality
The connector is where most failures actually occur. IEC (Belling-Lee) is the standard UK TV aerial plug; F-type is used for satellite and some cable TV; BNC is the professional standard for CCTV and SDI video; SMA and RP-SMA are used for Wi-Fi antennas and RF equipment. Gold-plated contacts resist corrosion and maintain conductivity over time — worth paying for on permanent installations. Pre-terminated cables from brands like Roland (for SDI) and Belkin save time and guarantee a clean termination; bulk cable from kenable or Preisner requires proper tooling and skill to terminate well.
Cable length and whether you need a reel or a pre-made lead
Pre-made leads (typically 1–10m) are the right choice for most domestic and AV applications — they're terminated, tested, and ready to use. Bulk cable on a reel (50m, 100m, 250m) makes sense for installations where you're running cable through walls or conduit and terminating on-site. The price-per-metre on bulk cable is significantly lower, but factor in the cost of connectors and the time to terminate them properly. Kenable's 20m RF cable sits in an interesting middle ground — long enough for a loft aerial run, short enough to handle without specialist tools.
Outdoor and environmental rating
Standard PVC-jacketed coaxial cable is rated for indoor use only. For outdoor runs — satellite dish feeds, CCTV cameras on exterior walls, or any cable exposed to UV — you need a cable with a UV-stabilised jacket, typically rated to at least -20°C to +60°C. Underground burial requires an additional moisture-resistant layer or conduit. This is an area where cutting corners genuinely causes failures within 2–3 years: UV degrades standard PVC, which then cracks and allows moisture ingress, destroying the dielectric and causing intermittent or total signal loss.
- Budget aerial and patch leads (From 0 £ to 0 £) : Short pre-made leads for domestic TV, satellite, and Wi-Fi antenna use. Kenable and Goobay dominate here. Performance is adequate for runs under 5m in low-interference environments. Don't expect premium shielding or certified connectors at this price — but for a simple aerial extension or router antenna lead, they do the job.
- The sweet spot for most buyers (From 0 £ to 0 £) : Where Hama, Nedis, Belkin, and KabelDirekt compete. You get better shielding, more reliable connectors, and a wider choice of lengths. The Belkin F3Y057BT5M and Swann CCTV cable both sit here — solid performers for home AV and basic CCTV installs. This is the right range for the majority of domestic and small-office applications.
- Semi-professional and longer runs (From 0 £ to 0 £) : Bulk reels, longer pre-made runs, and cables with proper low-loss specifications. Roland's SDI cables, Microconnect, and Cablenet feature here. If you're running cable for a CCTV system, a multi-room aerial distribution setup, or a small broadcast environment, this is where the specification genuinely matters and the investment pays off.
- Professional and specialist (Over 0 £) : DeLOCK's professional RF lines, AudioQuest's high-end video cables, and large-reel bulk cable (Kathrein 100m, Preisner 250m) occupy this tier. Justified for broadcast installations, professional AV integrators, and anyone running very long distances where attenuation and shielding specs are non-negotiable. AudioQuest's pricing reflects audiophile positioning — genuinely better engineering, but diminishing returns for most users.
Top products
- Goobay WLAN Antenna Extension Cable, 1m (Goobay) : The most widely available option in this catalogue and genuinely useful for extending a router or access point antenna. At this price it's a no-brainer for short Wi-Fi antenna runs — just don't expect it to perform over longer distances where attenuation will bite.
- Belkin F3Y057BT5M coaxial cable 5 m Black (Belkin) : A solid, reliable 5m aerial lead from a brand with a strong track record in UK retail. Well-terminated, decent shielding for a domestic install, and widely stocked at Currys and Amazon. Not the cheapest, but you're paying for consistent quality and easy returns if something's wrong.
- Swann SWPRO-30ULCBL coaxial cable 30 m BNC White (Swann) : Purpose-built for CCTV installs with BNC connectors already fitted — a genuine time-saver for a 30m camera run. Swann's CCTV ecosystem is well-established in the UK home security market. The white jacket suits surface-mounted runs along soffits or fascias. Not suitable for SDI or broadcast use.
- Roland RCC-50-SDI coaxial cable 15 m BNC Black (Roland) : Roland's SDI cables are the go-to choice for live production and broadcast environments — properly rated for HD-SDI with low attenuation at high frequencies. The 15m length covers most stage and studio patch requirements. Expensive compared to generic alternatives, but the reliability in a professional context justifies the cost.
- Roland RCC-200-SDI coaxial cable 60 m BNC Black (Roland) : For long SDI runs — OB vans, large stages, or multi-camera setups — this 60m cable is one of the few pre-terminated options at this length that you can trust for 3G-SDI. The price reflects the engineering. If you're routing 60m of generic cable and hoping for the best, you'll regret it at showtime.
Related categories
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the difference between 50Ω and 75Ω coaxial cable — does it really matter?
Yes, it matters significantly. 75Ω cable is the standard for TV aerials, satellite feeds, CCTV, and broadcast video (including SDI); 50Ω is used for RF transmitters, Wi-Fi antenna extensions, and amateur radio equipment. Using the wrong impedance causes signal reflections at the mismatch point, which degrade signal quality — you'll see this as picture break-up, reduced range, or data errors. The cables look nearly identical externally, so always check the impedance rating printed on the jacket before buying.
Can I use a standard TV aerial cable for CCTV?
Technically yes for short runs, but it's not ideal. CCTV systems using analogue video typically use 75Ω coaxial cable with BNC connectors, whereas TV aerial cable uses IEC (Belling-Lee) plugs — so you'd need adapters, which introduce additional signal loss and potential failure points. More importantly, CCTV runs are often longer (20–50m+) and may pass through areas with higher EMI from power cables. A purpose-made CCTV coaxial cable with proper BNC terminations, like the Swann SWPRO-30ULCBL, is a cleaner and more reliable solution.
What connector type do I need for a UK TV aerial?
UK TV aerials use the IEC 169-2 (Belling-Lee) connector — the large, round plug with a central pin that you'll find on the back of every UK television and Freeview box. Satellite connections use F-type connectors (the screw-on type). If you're extending a Wi-Fi router antenna, you'll likely need SMA or RP-SMA. Getting the connector type wrong means the cable simply won't fit, so check both ends of your intended connection before ordering.
How much signal do I lose over a long coaxial cable run?
Signal loss (attenuation) depends on cable quality, frequency, and length — a typical standard coaxial cable loses around 3–5 dB per 100m at 100 MHz, rising sharply at higher frequencies. For a 20m domestic aerial run, this is rarely noticeable. Beyond 30–40m, or at the higher frequencies used by satellite (950–2150 MHz), attenuation becomes significant and you may need a low-loss cable or an in-line amplifier. Always check the cable's attenuation specification at your target frequency, not just at DC.
Is expensive coaxial cable worth it — or is it just marketing?
For most domestic applications, mid-range cable from brands like Hama, Goobay, or KabelDirekt is more than sufficient — spending more won't produce a visible improvement. The premium pricing of AudioQuest cables, for instance, reflects genuinely better shielding and lower attenuation, but the benefit is only measurable in long runs or professional environments with high EMI. Where you should spend more is on connector quality and outdoor-rated jackets for permanent installations — these directly affect long-term reliability in ways that are easy to verify.
What coaxial cable do I need for SDI video in a production environment?
SDI (Serial Digital Interface) requires 75Ω coaxial cable with BNC connectors, rated to at least 1.5 Gbps for HD-SDI or 3 Gbps for 3G-SDI. The cable must have low attenuation at high frequencies — look for cables rated to 1.5 GHz or higher. Roland's RCC series (RCC-16-SDI, RCC-50-SDI, RCC-200-SDI) are purpose-built for this and are a reliable choice for broadcast and live production. Avoid using generic aerial cable for SDI runs — the attenuation at SDI frequencies will cause errors and dropouts, especially beyond 10m.
What are the most common mistakes to avoid when buying coaxial cable?
The three most common errors are: buying the wrong impedance, underestimating the required length, and ignoring the outdoor rating. On impedance: always verify 50Ω vs 75Ω for your application. On length: measure the actual cable route (not straight-line distance) and add 10–15% for routing around obstacles — running short is a frustrating and avoidable problem. On outdoor rating: standard PVC jackets degrade within a few years when exposed to UV and moisture; always specify an outdoor-rated cable for any external run, even if it costs a little more upfront.