Designed to be an incredibly compact streaming device, the Fire TV Stick connects to your TV’s HDMI port and gives you access to favorite apps including Netflix, Prime Video, Hulu, Disney+, and more on almost any TV.
But why add a Fire TV Stick to a smart TV? After all, most smart TVs already offer access to streaming apps. That might be true, but many smart TVs only offer a relatively small selection of streaming apps. With a Fire TV Stick, you have access to more than 1 million shows and movies, Amazon’s Luna cloud gaming service, and control over smart home technology. Fire TV is built for discovery, using the power of Alexa voice control to help you quickly find the shows, movies, and games that are right for you. With Fire TV, you can stop scrolling and start streaming.
Fire TV Sticks also use built-in processors to power the streaming experience, offloading this streaming from your TV, and often making TVs—especially older ones—run faster and more smoothly.
So if you want an easy, affordable way to upgrade your smart TV, you can add a Fire TV Stick, for as little as $29.
Here is what you need to know about setting it up.
How to connect your Fire TV Stick to a smart TV
Inside your Fire TV Stick box, you’ll find the Fire TV Stick itself, as well as the power adapter and Alexa Voice Remote.
Step 1: Plug the Fire TV Stick into one of your TV’s available HDMI ports, and take note of the label on that port—either HDMI 1, HDMI 2, or HDMI 3. You can usually find these ports around the back of your TV, pointing down. This will be your Fire TV Stick’s “source."
Step 2: Connect the USB power cord to the Fire TV Stick, and then plug the USB into the included power adapter. From there, you’ll want to plug into an outlet for optimized performance.
Step 3: Now turn on the TV.Use the TV’s remote (not the Fire TV Stick remote) to select the source where the stick is connected.
Step 4: Insert batteries into the Fire TV Stick’s Alexa Voice Remote and press any button to wake up the Fire TV Stick.
Step 5: Next you just need to complete the on-screen setup. Within a few moments you should see the Fire TV startup screen, so simply use the Fire TV Stick’s Alexa Voice Remote to follow the instructions to complete the setup. You’ll need to connect the Fire TV Stick to your home’s Wi-Fi network, for example, and then sign in to your Amazon account.
After that, you can choose which video streaming apps you want to use, like Netflix, Prime Video, HBO Max, Paramount+, and others. If you’re an Amazon Prime member, Prime Video is included as a Prime membership benefit, giving you access to thousands of popular movies and TV shows, including award-winning Amazon Originals.
Once you’ve connected your Amazon Fire TV Stick and set your TV to the correct source, it should generally default to the Fire TV Stick whenever you turn on the TV, which makes it easy to always use Fire TV for streaming.
Now that you know how to connect your Fire TV Stick to your smart TV, learn everything you need to know about Prime Video.
