Fabulous Firestick

TV streaming devices are a dime a dozen these days, but the Amazon Firestick is probably the best one out there. Here’s why

Always Updated

The biggest pet peeve consumers have with smart TVs is that they almost never get updates. This means that over time, you are running the same Netflix app you ran three years ago, but now it is slow and messed up. Imagine no updates on your smartphone: do you think it would still be usable? On the other hand, a Firestick always has updated apps. They have the latest features, don’t slow down, and always up-to-date. If you have a TV with a good enough panel, don’t bother buying a new one just because Netflix is not supported anymore: get a Firestick instead.

Value for money

For what it is, the Firestick is cheap. It’s a streaming device, a smart assistant, and a smart TV OS. It starts at R2,999 compared to an Apple TV 4K, which costs Rs 14,900. The equivalent Firestick device, the Firestick 4K Max, costs just R6,499. Chromecast isn’t even officially available. You may argue that plenty of Android TV boxes could be bought for much cheaper, but if you have ever bought one, you will know that, like the Smart TVs, those things rarely get any software upgrades and stop supporting the latest version of your favourite streaming apps.

Expandable storage

That’s right, you can attach a USB stick or even a hard drive directly to your Firestick using an OTG kit. They are pretty easily available on, you guessed it, Amazon. In fact, you can also buy a power adapter that amplifies the USB power from your TV to power not only the Firestick but also the hard drive. This could combine with a Kodi setup very well, where you can have your movies and music stored on the drive and accessed via Kodi.

VPN

While there are ways to get a VPN on most other devices, the process is almost never straightforward. With the Firestick, it is effortless because ExpressVPN makes a native app for the device. Why would you want a VPN? Well, having your device pretend to be from another country might give you access to entertainment that is not licensed for your region. Of course, you will have to pay for the service if you want to use it. That said, any VPN that doesn’t charge you to use their service generally doesn’t have your privacy  in mind. So, as a general rule, always pay for your VPN and avoid the free ones.

Bluetooth Support

It seems like a no-brainer, but several Smart TVs don’t support Bluetooth for some reason, which means you can’t connect game controllers, Bluetooth speakers or headphones. Firestick has Bluetooth by default, which means you can connect whatever you need to it without much fuss.

Stream video games

There are several options to stream games to your Kodi. You can sideload Steam Link and run games off your PC Steam library directly on your TV. Or you can install Moonlight and run games that use Nvidia to stream. The third option is streaming from your Xbox, an app called XbPlay can connect to your Xbox account and either stream from the cloud or your console. The problem is that most Wi-Fi connections will be pretty underpowered, so you might want to get the OTG kit and attach a direct LAN connect.

Alexa

Alexa doesn’t get a lot of publicity, but it is a pretty good assistant, and Amazon has hundreds of devices that can run just with a voice command on Alexa. Not to mention Alexa does all the usual smart assistant things like times, reminders, alarms, weather and a lot more. It can also buy stuff off of Amazon, which, depending on if you have or don’t have kids, may be a disadvantage or
an advantage.

Easy Screenshare

Sometimes, you may want to watch some videos from your phone on your TV. This feature may or may not be available depending on how much you spent on your TV. With the Firestick you can easily stream any video and even project your mobile screen live to your TV. It is a great way to teach seniors how to use their phone.

Kodi

Support for sideloading means that you can actually load Kodi onto your Firestick. Kodi can give you access to shares from your computer or any other device on the network. You can also organise and use your entire library. Of course, Kodi also brings along pirate streams through add-ons, but you should never do that because it is illegal. Kodi can also play retro games, stream music and access services like Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu and more. That is useful if you don’t already run them through your Firestick.

Sideload apps

Apart from Apple TV and even Chromecast, to a certain extent, it is a long and tedious process to sideload apps on any TV device. With Firestick, it is relatively simple. Activate developer mode by going into the About section on the Settings menu.  In the About menu, select your device and click the button seven times. Once developer mode is activated, download the aptly named Downloader app, and you can use it to pretty much install anything you want to the Firestick, as long as it is compatible.

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