Fire TV Stick optimisation

The basics

The Fire TV Stick is the most popular streaming device for IPTV. It's cheap, capable, and runs Android apps. But out of the box it's not optimised for streaming - Amazon's default settings prioritise their own services and tracking over your performance.

Power it properly

If your Stick reboots randomly or feels sluggish, check how it's powered. TV USB ports often supply less than 1 amp - not enough. Always use the included power adapter plugged into a wall socket.

Clear cache regularly

1. 1Go to Settings > Applications > Manage Installed Applications.
2. 2Select your IPTV or streaming app.
3. 3Tap Clear Cache (this doesn't remove your login - that's Clear Data).
4. 4Do this for any app that feels slow or is buffering.

Change DNS

1. 1Go to Settings > Network.
2. 2Select your Wi-Fi network, press the menu button, select Advanced.
3. 3Note down your current IP address, Gateway, and Subnet Mask.
4. 4Select "Forget this network", then reconnect.
5. 5When prompted, choose Advanced and set IP to Static.
6. 6Re-enter your IP, Gateway, and Subnet Mask.
7. 7Set DNS 1 to 8.8.8.8 and DNS 2 to 8.8.4.4 (Google) or 1.1.1.1 and 1.0.0.1 (Cloudflare).

Use 5 GHz Wi-Fi (or Ethernet)

Connect to the 5 GHz band rather than 2.4 GHz - it's faster and less congested. If your router supports Wi-Fi 6 and your Stick is a 4K Max, the 6 GHz band is even better.

For the most reliable connection, use an Amazon Ethernet Adapter (USB to Ethernet). This eliminates Wi-Fi interference entirely and is the single best thing you can do for buffering.

Disable tracking and background services

1. 1Settings > Preferences > Privacy Settings: turn off Device Usage Data and Collect App Usage Data.
2. 2Settings > Preferences > Data Monitoring: turn off Data Monitoring.
3. 3Settings > Preferences > Notification Settings: turn off Do Not Interrupt and App Notifications you don't need.
4. 4Settings > Display & Sounds > turn off "Autoplay" for previews on the home screen.

These won't dramatically change performance, but they reduce background data usage and stop the Stick from doing things you don't need while you're trying to stream.

Use the phone app for typing

The Amazon Fire TV app on your phone turns it into a remote with a full keyboard. Dramatically easier than pecking at the on-screen keyboard with the remote - especially when entering URLs and credentials.