7 Common Fire TV Stick Mistakes and How to Fix Them

Have you bought the new Fire TV Stick 4K? I clicked “buy” last month too, and opened the box with excitement the day it arrived. But you know what, I messed up a few things in the first week. Actually, my friends around me have been making similar mistakes too. So this time, based on my own experience, I’ve put together the points that people who’ve just started using a Fire TV Stick tend to get caught on.

1. Underestimating the Wi-Fi signal, so playback stops

This one really is common. You plug the Fire TV Stick into the HDMI port on the back of the TV, right? The back of a TV is surprisingly weak for Wi-Fi signal. At first I was also worried, thinking “it’s 4K, but it isn’t smooth at all…”, and it turned out it was just too far from the router.

For a quiet night in after work, Big IPTV Sports brings thousands of channels to your laptop or smart TV.

The fix is easy. Use an HDMI extender cable to move the stick a little away from the back of the TV. That alone can make a dramatic improvement. And don’t forget to connect to your router’s 5GHz band.

2. Forgetting to pair the remote and panicking

New remotes are sometimes not paired when they arrive. I broke out in a cold sweat too: “huh, it doesn’t respond when I press the buttons!”. But don’t worry, it’s easy. Just put in the batteries and hold down the home button. Once the pairing screen appears on the TV, you’re home free.

By the way, when the remote doesn’t work, suspect dead batteries too. The included batteries can run out surprisingly quickly.

3. Having a 4K TV but not setting it to 4K

This was quietly shocking. I’d gone to the trouble of buying a 4K-capable Fire TV Stick, but the setting had stayed at FHD. Open “Display settings” from the settings menu and check that the resolution is set to automatic. On the TV side too, it’s pointless unless you plug it into a 4K-capable HDMI input.

The HDMI cable’s specification also matters. Old cables sometimes can’t carry a 4K signal.

4. Installing too many apps until it gets sluggish

At first you want to install this and that, but internal storage is limited. Before I knew it, my storage was maxed out too and it was stuttering. Boldly delete apps you don’t use, or make use of external storage.

I recommend tidying up regularly via “Settings” → “Applications” → “Manage installed applications”.

5. Not noticing how convenient the voice remote is

This is less a mistake than a waste. Just press the voice remote’s button and say “search for ○○”, and you get to the content you want in no time. At first I ignored that button too and painstakingly typed things in letter by letter. Once you get used to it, you can’t do without it.

6. Not turning the sleep setting back on

The Fire TV Stick goes to sleep after a certain time without input, and this is surprisingly convenient. But depending on the TV, it may not turn off along with it. If you’ve set it to “don’t let the device sleep”, watch out, because it wastes electricity. I left mine on all night because of this.

7. Putting off updates until problems appear

Regular updates are important for security and bug fixes. I also left them, thinking “later is fine”, and one day an app suddenly stopped launching. It’s safest to check “System software update” in the settings and turn on automatic updates.

All of these can be prevented with a little effort. Since you’ve got a Fire TV Stick, you want to use it comfortably, right? I’d be happy if this helps.