Amazon Firestick - Fire TV Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

Hi, ive registered with this forum to ask for some information on the Amazon Firestick. I am thinking of buying a fully loaded stick from Ebay in the UK. My main question is i have a UMC 40 inch TV with a usb and Hdmi port but its not a smart tv. Will the Firestick work or do i need a smart tv. Any help would be appreciated Thanks

No SmartTV needed, only HDMI is mandatory of course. USB power can (or better should) be done with the USB power supply of the stick, so also USB must not be used from the TV and can be left free for other devices which need to be connected directly to the TV.

Calibaan said:
USB power can (or better should) be done with the USB power supply of the stick, so also USB must not be used from the TV and can be left free for other devices which need to be connected directly to the TV.
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= Plug the FireTV Stick into the wall for power, don't plug it into a USB port on your TV for power.

I use my tv's USB port for power with no ill effects. We don't use the USB port for anything else, and it means we don't have to have yet another device plugged into the wall. It does mean that the Fire TV boots up every time the TV turns on, but it boots fast enough that this has not been a distraction.

stealthdave said:
I use my tv's USB port for power with no ill effects. We don't use the USB port for anything else, and it means we don't have to have yet another device plugged into the wall. It does mean that the Fire TV boots up every time the TV turns on, but it boots fast enough that this has not been a distraction.
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It might work fine for you and other people, but in general, TV USB ports are not reliable as a power source. That might vary from brand to brand, however, it should be noted that an inconsistent power supply or one that doesn't meet the manufacturer's specifications can be bad for the unit over time.
I tried it with other devices. Its a nice way to eliminate wires but I got random reboots and freezes. Never tried it with stick but some people report it works fine.

In general it might work with regular USB power from a TV USB port but I personally had problems with WIFI. It seemed that the stick did switch down WIFI speed (and probably slows down the CPU) when the power is restricted to a TV USB port but does run on full speed with the external power supply. Also those decoding problems during video streaming which is often reported here may come from insufficient power.
A USB port is specified to deliver 0.5A at 5V so thats only 2.5W power which is guaranteed and it´s only mandatory for devices like TV sets to deliver more power. So it makes sense that Amazon did deliver an external power supply knowing the power consumption of their stick My hint would be to check first with external power supply if the stick is running fine and how is streaming working with speed and quality than it is still possible to try only with the TV USB power and it can be compared if there are no negative perfomance issues. But I bet most people will attach the external power again.

Related

best usb hub for fire tv

hello all,
i want to purchase a usb hub, but with user opinions on the device.
what is the best usb hub to use with the fire tv? something incredibly fast and affordable(not over 70$)
you can provide links for me to check them out
There are USB hubs that cost $70?! Are they made by Monster?
I bought the Amazon Basics USB 3.0 hub for like 15 bucks and it has been quick and rock solid.
laidbackcloud said:
you can provide links for me to check them out
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I'm using this one for $7: http://www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-4-Port-USB-2-0-Ultra-Mini/dp/B003M0NURK to support a Flirc and a Logitech Unifying receiver.
jpeg42 is referring to this one (I think): http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DQFGH80
IMO, depending on your usage, both are overkill. I also tested two others, from the extremely cheap ($0.99 at the checkout register of Walgreens) and a 10-port glitz-n-bling. They all work. I would suggest that if you're going to use more than four device get the one jpeg42 is using because it's powered externally. Some people have reported troubles with other self-powered hubs.
And I agree, for $70, it better be a really good one.
wellersl said:
I'm using this one for $7: http://www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-4-Port-USB-2-0-Ultra-Mini/dp/B003M0NURK to support a Flirc and a Logitech Unifying receiver.
jpeg42 is referring to this one (I think): http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DQFGH80
IMO, depending on your usage, both are overkill. I also tested two others, from the extremely cheap ($0.99 at the checkout register of Walgreens) and a 10-port glitz-n-bling. They all work. I would suggest that if you're going to use more than four device get the one jpeg42 is using because it's powered externally. Some people have reported troubles with other self-powered hubs.
And I agree, for $70, it better be a really good one.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I got the playstation USB 3.0 hub that walmart sells, so far its working for my development testing.
jpeg42 said:
There are USB hubs that cost $70?! Are they made by Monster?
I bought the Amazon Basics USB 3.0 hub for like 15 bucks and it has been quick and rock solid.
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Click to collapse
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DQFGH80
Can you reboot with this USB hub? I have a cheap powered usb 3.0 hub and I cant reboot firetv with it plugged in.
Remember the USB on the AFTV is only USB 2.0, I know...hard to believe huh!?!
Anyway, getting a USB 3.0 hub is just going to cost more and have no performance improvement.
HeXDeMoN said:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DQFGH80
Can you reboot with this USB hub? I have a cheap powered usb 3.0 hub and I cant reboot firetv with it plugged in.
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Click to collapse
You mean like reboot with Play and Select button? I believe it works, but to be honest, I don't think I have rebooted the firetv more than once or twice.
I went for 3.0 only for other future purposes (as stated above, Firetv is only 2.0 but that is outdated) and for the power just in case I needed it for external HD + flirc + mouse/keyboard dongle.
jpeg42 said:
You mean like reboot with Play and Select button? I believe it works, but to be honest, I don't think I have rebooted the firetv more than once or twice.
I went for 3.0 only for other future purposes (as stated above, Firetv is only 2.0 but that is outdated) and for the power just in case I needed it for external HD + flirc + mouse/keyboard dongle.
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Click to collapse
I still think it's a waste of money.
The AFTV itself is very future proof. The only thing not future proof on it is the 8GB storage. However, that's still enough to store thumbs, fan art, etc for about 5,000 videos. So, by the time your AFTV needs to be upgraded (3-4yrs?), USB 3.0 hubs will come down in price by a lot. And when you upgrade to an Amazon Fire TV 4 (which will have USB 3.0) you can just buy a USB 3.0 hub and daisy chain your old USB 2.0 hub to it...and use the USB 2.0 hub to connect peripherals, not hard drives.
jpeg42 said:
You mean like reboot with Play and Select button? I believe it works, but to be honest, I don't think I have rebooted the firetv more than once or twice.
I went for 3.0 only for other future purposes (as stated above, Firetv is only 2.0 but that is outdated) and for the power just in case I needed it for external HD + flirc + mouse/keyboard dongle.
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Click to collapse
Yea with play+select button *or any other method* with my el-cheapo hub with power connected it will reboot but then hang on bootup .. if I try to reboot without the power plugged in then it never reboots and just hangs on the "please wait while fire tv powers off" or whatever it says when you hold the buttons.
So for me to reboot I need to unplug the hub .. annoying to say the least and impossible to get into the recovery with a keyboard+hdd ... wanted to install a mount script .. and was very confused when I couldn't reboot.....
As for the price difference.. I'm not going to miss $10 dollars but sometime down the road I'm sure I'll be mad I don't have a usb 3.0 powered hub ..
soo moral of story dont buy cheap hubs from aliexpress
Neo3D said:
Remember the USB on the AFTV is only USB 2.0, I know...hard to believe huh!?!
Anyway, getting a USB 3.0 hub is just going to cost more and have no performance improvement.
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Haven't checked the pins but i know for certain load times using 3.0 adapters and usb drives on this device are a little over twice as fast. As for reboot, that's probably hub enumeration in kernel.
Sent from my LG-VM670 using XDA Free mobile app
HeXDeMoN said:
Yea with play+select button *or any other method* with my el-cheapo hub with power connected it will reboot but then hang on bootup .. if I try to reboot without the power plugged in then it never reboots and just hangs on the "please wait while fire tv powers off" or whatever it says when you hold the buttons.
So for me to reboot I need to unplug the hub .. annoying to say the least and impossible to get into the recovery with a keyboard+hdd ... wanted to install a mount script .. and was very confused when I couldn't reboot.....
As for the price difference.. I'm not going to miss $10 dollars but sometime down the road I'm sure I'll be mad I don't have a usb 3.0 powered hub ..
soo moral of story dont buy cheap hubs from aliexpress
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have the same issue with reboot and using hub. did you find the fix for this issue?
thanks
mrhoque said:
I have the same issue with reboot and using hub. did you find the fix for this issue?
thanks
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Click to collapse
There isn't exactly a fix. I'm guessing your hub is powered. I was reading that when you reboot the AFTV with a powered hub plugged in, it recognizes the power and thinks it is connected to a computer, causing it to go into fastboot mode. Unfortunately, you'll have to keep unplugging every reboot.
With the Latest firmware I am now able to reboot with hdd connected. Although haven't tried with power connected
Sent from my Nexus 5 using XDA Free mobile app

Power FireTV stick via TV?

Hi,
Got my FireTV stick yesterday,
Seems to power fine via the USB port of my Sony Bravia TV.
Even games play quite fluently.
Sometimes the menus are a bit sluggish compared to the regular FireTV, but I guess this is normal due to the relatively slow CPU.
Was wondering if it somehow could still be underpowered and if I would miss out on performance. Is there any way to tell if it is getting enough power?
Check the specs of your TV to see how many miliamps its USB ports have, as long as its equal or more to the requirements of the fire TV you should be ok... it is possible that it can run at lower amperage, but is not good for the hardware, and you should use a proper power source.
I got mine yesterday as well and ignored the advice to use the supplied power supply.
I just used the 1,0 Ah USB port of my Samsung TV. Seems ok, only a warning at start so far.
Without a separate power unit this little stick is really a hidden addon for the TV
It can be powered via just the usb and the tv?
Pony1 said:
It can be powered via just the usb and the tv?
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Click to collapse
Yeah works for me too, just powered thru the USB port of my Philips TV.
Work fine for usb power from tv as well.
Some old tv have low power usb port then give unstable performance. But with newer tv then it is fine

TV power or socket?

Will connecting the fire TV stick to the socket boost performance? What advantages does it have
Sent from my Nexus 5
If your tv has enough power to supply to the stick (most don't), there's no advantage other than not using a separate dongle
ldeveraux said:
If your tv has enough power to supply to the stick (most don't), there's no advantage other than not using a separate dongle
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Click to collapse
Mines doesn't
Sent from my Nexus 5
It seems that also if the stick does run only powered by the TV USB it still may run slower if the USB power is sufficient for starting it but still limited. Personally I had some WIFI problems when not using the external power supply. Without power supply my WIFI networks haven´t been found but with it WIFI did directly connect. Menues did on my stick navigate faster when external power has been attached.
So probably there are some power saving mechanics in the stick similiar to those of a mobile phone with lowering the clock etc.

Amazon fire stick no longer working

Have the family over wanted to watch some shows and with my luck the stick doesn't want to work it shows the amazon screen then shuts off.... Any help on getting this to work
Had the device since November worked perfect up in till today.
First thing comes to mind for me is power supply. Id contact amazon. By any chance are you plugging it into your TV instead of using the include wall adapter?
KLit75 said:
First thing comes to mind for me is power supply. Id contact amazon. By any chance are you plugging it into your TV instead of using the include wall adapter?
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I had it plugged with the tv's usb hub and worked up in till today so I switched to the power supply outlet and still get the same thing... Even tried different tv and hdmi port. Was there a update for it or anything that bricked it?
ROADKING17 said:
I had it plugged with the tv's usb hub and worked up in till today so I switched to the power supply outlet and still get the same thing... Even tried different tv and hdmi port. Was there a update for it or anything that bricked it?
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Click to collapse
This actually just came up the other day on another site. Its highly unlikely an update caused your issue but TV USB ports don't usually provide stable power and you can potentially damage the device over time. But of course I can't say for certain that's your issue. I'd contact amazon. Its not likely anyone here can help because I don't think your issue is software related.
Ok thank you

Firestick power

Not sure if this is a question for this forum but feel there will be a fair few experts on here who may know the answer.
Will a 4K firestick work by plugging it directly into a 2.1a 5v wall socket outlet with USB port?
Looking to buy a LAP 1-Gang SP 13A Switched Socket + 2.1A 2-Outlet USB From Screwfix
From what I’ve read, people have been powering their firesticks on TV USB ports with some success. Some have reported that less than 1 amp power on older or smaller TV’s would under power it. My concern with the wall socket may be too much power?
Pecoville said:
Not sure if this is a question for this forum but feel there will be a fair few experts on here who may know the answer.
Will a 4K firestick work by plugging it directly into a 2.1a 5v wall socket outlet with USB port?
Looking to buy a LAP 1-Gang SP 13A Switched Socket + 2.1A 2-Outlet USB From Screwfix
From what I’ve read, people have been powering their firesticks on TV USB ports with some success. Some have reported that less than 1 amp power on older or smaller TV’s would under power it. My concern with the wall socket may be too much power?
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Click to collapse
you will be fine using that. The amp rating is for the load it can handle. for example if you put a hub on it, you could power 4 devices that require .5 amps each. I believe the firestick 4k requires 1.5 amps (it may work on less but could cause issues)
Great. I was concerned the socket would be too much for it and perhaps overheat it or something and I plan on not using the plug Firestick plug (brick) which is fused
All Fire TV Sticks have a power adapter capable of delivering 1 amp of electricity. Of course, that doesn't imply a Fire TV Stick needs that much power to function, but it can theoretically draw that much power from the supplied power adapter.
So you may take advantage of that. Because if you put a hub on it, you can power four devices that each require 0.5 amp. In addition, this firestick needs a 1.5 amp power supply.

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