How to Turn Your Amazon Fire TV Stick Into a Fire TV Box



How to Turn Your Amazon Fire TV Stick Into a Fire TV Box



How to Turn Your Amazon Fire TV Stick Into a Fire TV

Your Amazon Fire TV Stick is a great device, isn’t it? Ideal for watching Amazon Instant Video, Netflix, or installing Kodi! Then there’s apps like Plex for streaming video from a PC to your TV.

But this HDMI TV stick isn’t so good for other things. For instance, you’re limited only to wireless networking. Also, there is no way to connect a USB drive and view your own video files. Contrast this with the more expensive Amazon Fire TV, and you’ll see you’re missing more than just the 4K video streaming.Amazon Fire TV 2017 Review: The Little Box That Thought It CouldAmazon Fire TV 2017 Review: The Little Box That Thought It CouldThe new Fire TV is the latest device vying to be plugged into your HDMI port. It's an obvious choice if you're a Prime member or already invested in the Echo line.READ MORE

Fortunately, there’s an answer. With a few cables you might have laying around, and a suitable case, you can easily turn your AmazonFire TV Stick into a Fire TV box. Here’s how!

What You’ll Need

To turn your Amazon Fire TV Stick into a Fire TV, you’ll need to find (or buy) a few cables and adaptors. This is what you need:

OTG cable M/F: $7 (make sure it is capable of supplying power and data)Non-powered 4-port USB hub: $13 (powered is fine, but they tend to be bulkier, and need an extra cable)USB SD card reader: $7USB-to-Ethernet adapter: $14 (optional, if you need Ethernet)M-to-F HDMI cable: $7

You’ll also need a case: several different, suitable cases in the TV box form factor are available. Our own choice was a WesternDigital case from wdlabs.wd.com, which is designed to house a Raspberry Pi and a 3.5 inch HDD. When available (stocks are low), this costs under $10. It just so happens to be ideal for housing a USB hub and Amazon Fire Stick!



That’s a total of $48, and you might even be able to get it all for under $40. Compare that to the price of an Amazon Fire TV and you’re on to a real winner.

Even if you don’t already own an Amazon Fire TV Stick, you’ll be able to get one for under $40. Get your timing right, and it might even be less! This build is therefore cheaper than theAmazon Fire TV. All you’re missing out on is 4K. Obviously if that’s a deal breaker for you, you’ll already be prepared to spend the extra.

Your First Generation Amazon Fire Stick Won’t Work

It’s worth noting at this stage that not allAmazon Fire TV Sticks are suitable for this. Specifically, if you have a first generation stick, you’ll be unable to enjoy the benefits of the USB hub.

First-gen Amazon Fire TV Sticks don’t have USB OTG. The USB connector is purely for powering the device. I have taken the time to confirm this, using my OTG cable, a known-to-work USB memory stick, and the Amazon Fire version of VLC Player.What Is USB OTG? 5 Cool Ways to Use It on AndroidWhat Is USB OTG? 5 Cool Ways to Use It on AndroidUSB OTG allows you to connect any USB device to your Android smartphone or tablet. There are so many possibilities!READ MORE

Fortunately, this shortcoming has been dealt with in the subsequent models. As such, I’m building this Fire TV box using the latestAmazon Fire TV Stick.

Get Started: Hook It Up and Test

We’re assuming you’ve already set up your Amazon Fire TV Stick and have it connected to your network. You’ll need to unplug it from your TV and the mains to begin this project, and hook it up to the cables and adaptors you’ve bought.How to Set Up and Use Your Amazon Fire TV StickHow to Set Up and Use Your Amazon Fire TV StickThe Amazon Fire TV Stick is an excellent and affordable streaming device for first-timers. This guide will help you set up and start using your Amazon Fire Stick without any stress.READ MORE

Begin with the OTG cable, connecting it to the power input on your Fire Stick. Next, attach the USB hub to the OTG cable, then a USB storage device or the card reader, with a card inserted. You should then connect the HDMI cablebetween the Fire Stick and the back of your TV. Finally, connect the power cable to the female connector on the OTG cable.



Your Amazon Fire Stick should boot up as normal, but now you’ll be able to browse the additional storage! With everything correctly connected, your device has essentially been upgraded to a Fire TV box.

Now it’s time to fit it all together.

Squeeze It Into Your Case

Leaving everything behind your TV like this will look really untidy, not to mention confusing. It is for this reason that we suggest some sort of case for the project. It only needs to be big enough to store a Fire Stick and your chosen USB hub, plus a couple of cables. Everything else you’ve bought will be plugged in as needed.



Various cases could be employed, from an unwanted Apple TV to a standard project box. As noted, I’ve selected a Raspberry Pi case from Western Digital’s WDLabs, which is big enough to also store a 3.5-inch HDD. This gives me the option to add a HDD later on. Your own project box might be much smaller.

Need Some Gaps? Use a File or Dremel

It’s unlikely that you’ll find a box that is designed for the purpose, unless you manufactured one with your own 3D printer model. As such, you’ll probably need some holes.Beginner's Guide to OpenSCAD: Programming 3D Printed ModelsBeginner's Guide to OpenSCAD: Programming 3D Printed Models3D modelling software can be difficult to use if you're not artistic. OpenSCAD provides a way for you to design models specifically for 3D printing, using nothing but code.READ MORE

Employing some basic tools will come in handy here. A drill and a file can help if you need to make a hole for a cable, for instance. On the other hand, you might need to remove a section of the case to access the USB ports. I ran into this problem, and solved it by employing my Dremel. After a portion from the front of the case was removed, I glued the USB hub into place.



Holding It All in Place

How you arrange the components in your case is your own choice. If there are no useful compartments to hold the Fire Stick and USB hub in place, I would recommend a hot glue gun. If you don’t want to glue your Fire Stick, find some suitable material to hold it in place (perhaps Sugru), and glue that instead if it isn’t already adhesive.



For my own project, I opted to dab glue around the Amazon Fire TV Stick. This was mainly to keep it in place while I organized the cabling, rather than to secure it long term. Need to remove hot glue? Use a sharp knife! It’s tricky to remove by hand, but a small blade will make light work of it.

Keep Your DIY Amazon Fire TV Box Where You Can See It

My own Amazon Fire TV Stick is now secured in a box, sitting below my living room TV. I’ve installed Kodi, a few useful apps, and a couple of games.

Meanwhile, I have set up a VPN and Kodi is also installed (with legal add-ons), along with Plex, and VLC. Capable of playing back videos from locations on our home network. With access to YouTube, BBC iPlayer, Amazon Instant Video, Netflix and all of the other packaged services, along with the various legal add-ons in Kodi — not to mention audio content — thisAmazon Fire TV Stick is now a superb media box!How to Set Up a VPN on an Amazon Fire TV StickHow to Set Up a VPN on an Amazon Fire TV StickUsing a VPN on your Fire TV can have a lot of benefits.READ MORE

Although I’ve yet to connect a HDD, I have a high capacity USB stick connected, and use a wired data connection via the USB to Ethernet adaptor. Everything is fast, and if I need to enter text, rather than use the Fire Stick’s remote control, I can either use the dedicated mobile app or a Bluetooth keyboard. Or just plug in a USB keyboard.



The end result is a Fire TV box, made by my own hand! Seriously, this was ridiculously simple, with the toughest stage being cutting the section from the case. Thanks to USB OTG, everything else works effortlessly!



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Best Apps and Add-Ons to Improve Your Writing

Image
The Best Apps and Add-Ons to Improve  Your Writing  Applications. Regardless of whether you compose for business or delight or both, you need your exposition to be at any rate understandable and free from grammatical mistakes and obviously, there are apps for that. These are a portion of the best devices we've run over for keeping your writing as flawless, as clean, and as impactful as could be expected under the circumstances. Grammarly  What we like about Grammarly is that it connects to regardless of where you compose  on the web , on Windows , or your telephone. So whether you're creating an email in Gmail or taking a shot at an exposition in Word, it has your back spotting spelling and punctuation botches. It goes past the standard hailing that any old spelling and syntax checker will offer, and really comprehends the setting of what you're composing and makes recommendations in like manner and when there are strict principles about accentuation and
Read more

Best Free Online HTML Editors to Test Your Code

Image
5 Best Free Online HTML Editors to Test Your Code  5 Best Free Online HTML Editors to Test Your Code. HTML runs the cutting edge world. Genuine, in the event that you ask anyone what it takes to be a web engineer, they'll disclose to all of you about JavaScript web frameworks, Python web frameworks, web programming rehearses, and so forth. However underneath the greater part of that, HTML is the thing that holds everything together. There is no web without HTML, and you have to know how to alter it on the off chance that you need to do anykind of web work. Be that as it may, setting up a vigorous HTML altering work process in Sublime Text or Visual Studio Code may be needless excess in the event that you aren't chipping away at an out and out undertaking. For times when you simply need to fiddle around with a little bit of HTML so you can change it to your loving, an online HTML editor will serve you better. Why Use an Online HTML Editor? The best thing about
Read more

New update in I phone " X "

Image
For some, the biggest change in Apple's new iPhone X isn't the larger screen, weird notch, or identity-verifying Face ID tech. It's the disappearance of the Home button, the iconic piece of hardware present on every iOS device since the iPhone's 2007 debut. With the button gone, Apple's using the extra real estate to change how you interact with the iPhone, altering the gestures with which you've become familiar. Some changes are for the better, while some seem pretty poorly implemented. Here's how to navigate your new device with the right swipes, taps, and gestures. Your Divided Display Think of your iPhone X's 5.8-inch display as being divided into four sections. The bottom section, where your four pinned apps are; the middle section, where you can search and access widgets; the top left section, where you can find your notifications; and the top right section, where you can find the Control Center. GIF Swipe down from the middle of your d
Read more