How do I set up a streaming device?

A streaming device turns any television with an HDMI port into a smart one, usually with a faster and better-supported interface than the television's own. Setting one up is fifteen minutes; the rest is the handful of settings that decide whether it is pleasant to use.

Safety

Step by step

1. Check what your television and internet can actually do.There is no point buying a 4K device for a 1080p television, or for a broadband connection that cannot sustain 4K. Match the device to the weakest link rather than the best case.
2. Pick the platform by what you already use.All the major sticks and boxes carry the main services. The differences are the interface, the assistant, and how well they integrate with the phone and accounts you already have. That is the deciding factor rather than specifications.
3. Use the supplied power adaptor.Not the television's USB port. It usually cannot supply enough current, and the result is random restarts and stuttering that get blamed on the wifi. This is the single most common setup problem.
4. Plug into an HDMI port that supports what you need.On many televisions only one or two ports support 4K, HDR or eARC. They are usually labelled. Using the wrong one silently limits the device.
5. Use the HDMI extender if one is supplied.The short cable in the box exists because a stick pushed directly into a recessed port sits inside a metal shroud, which blocks its wifi antenna. People throw it away and then complain about buffering.
6. Connect to the 5GHz network.Faster and less congested than 2.4GHz over the short distances involved. If the router presents both under one name, that is usually fine; if separate, choose 5GHz for anything in the same room.
7. Sign in with an account you control.With two-factor enabled. The device stores signed-in sessions for every service, which is why signing out matters when it changes hands.
8. Install only the apps you use.A home screen with thirty apps is slower to navigate and slower to update. Remove the pre-installed ones you will not open.
9. Rearrange the home screen.Move your actual services to the front row. Most platforms allow it and most people never do, then navigate past promoted content every evening.
10. Turn down the promotional features.Autoplaying video previews on the home screen, sponsored recommendations, and usage-based suggestions can usually be reduced in settings. It makes the device quieter and faster.
11. Set up profiles for the household.Within each streaming service rather than on the device. It keeps recommendations useful and stops everyone scrolling past each other's half-watched programmes.
12. Enable HDMI-CEC so one remote works.It lets the device turn the television on and control volume. Each manufacturer calls it something different — look for the brand name in the television's settings rather than 'CEC'.
13. Set parental controls if children use it.A PIN on purchases and on mature content, set at the device level as well as within each service.
14. Check for updates before judging it.A device that has been in a box for months is several versions behind, and early impressions of sluggishness are often just that.

Tips

• If it buffers, check the power supply before the wifi. Underpowered sticks produce symptoms that look exactly like a network problem.
• An ethernet adapter is available for most sticks and is worth it for a device that never moves. Wired beats any wifi improvement.
• Downloading content for offline viewing is a phone and tablet feature, not a streaming device one — those need a connection.

Common mistakes

• Powering it from the television's USB port — It usually cannot supply enough current, causing restarts and stuttering that get misdiagnosed as a network problem. Use the supplied mains adaptor.
• Discarding the HDMI extender cable — It exists to get the stick out of the metal shroud around a recessed port, which otherwise blocks its wifi antenna.

If it doesn't work

Questions people ask