Device guide
IPTV Firestick Canada: setup guide for Fire TV
The Firestick is a small stick that goes into the back of your television and installs apps much as an Android phone does. That makes it one of the simplest ways to watch Smartiflix on a big screen, and this guide takes you from the box to your first channel.
- Where apps come from
- Amazon Appstore or Downloader
- Extra apps allowed
- Yes, once you turn the option on
- Login
- Xtream Codes or M3U
- Best connection
- Wired adapter or 5 GHz Wi-Fi
How IPTV on Fire TV works
Three things are involved, and it helps to keep them apart. The Firestick is the device. On it you install a player, which is an app that knows how to open a playlist and show it as channels, movies and series. The player is empty until you give it your service: the M3U playlist or the Xtream Codes login that Smartiflix sends you once your order is confirmed.
Smartiflix does not supply the player. You choose one, install it and type your access details into it. The same details work in any player made for M3U playlists or for Xtream Codes, so you can change app later without changing anything about your plan.
Everything here applies to the whole Fire TV family: the Firestick in its HD and 4K versions, the Fire TV Cube and televisions that have Fire TV built in. The menus are the same on all of them.
What you need before you start
- A Firestick, a Fire TV Cube or a TV with Fire TV built in, signed in to an Amazon account and updated.
- An HDMI input free on your television and a wall socket nearby. Plug the stick into its own power adapter: fed from the USB socket of the TV it may not get enough power, and it can switch itself off and on.
- A stable internet connection at home. Wi-Fi works, and the tips further down make it steadier.
- Your Smartiflix access details. They come in two forms, a playlist in M3U format and a login for Xtream Codes (server address, username, password), and both arrive by WhatsApp or email after your order is confirmed.
Not a customer yet? A free trial lets you follow this whole guide on your own Firestick before you choose a plan.
IPTV players for Firestick
Most IPTV players are not listed in the Amazon Appstore, which is why this guide installs one with the Downloader app. The players below are among those our order form lets you choose; each one takes either your Xtream Codes login or your M3U playlist.
| Player | What it is like | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| TiviMate | A channel guide laid out like a cable box, made for a TV remote | Some of its features need a paid licence from its developer |
| IPTV Smarters Pro | Separate sections for live TV, movies and series | A friendly first choice if this is new to you |
| XCIPTV | A light, quick player with a clean layout | Handles both Xtream Codes and M3U |
| Kodi | A media centre that can also open playlists | More to set up; for people who already use it |
Any fee or licence an app asks for is paid to the developer of that app. It is separate from your Smartiflix plan, and we have no part in it.
Firestick setup, step by step
On current versions of Fire OS, the option that allows apps from outside the Appstore is hidden until you reveal it. That is the first step.
Turn on Developer Options
- Open Settings, then My Fire TV, then About.
- Move to the first line, the one with the name of your device, and press Select seven times in a row. A message on screen tells you the developer menu is unlocked.
- Press Back once: My Fire TV now lists Developer Options.
Add Downloader from the Appstore
- On the home screen, choose Find and look up Downloader. It is a free app in the Amazon Appstore: install it.
- Next, go to Developer Options (Settings, then My Fire TV) and choose Install unknown apps.
- Find Downloader in that list and turn its switch on.
Install your player
- Start Downloader. The first time, it asks for permission to use storage: accept.
- Type the download address of the player you chose. Use the address published on the app developer's own website.
- Once the file has arrived, Downloader offers to install it: accept. When the app is installed, let Downloader delete the file, which is worth doing on a stick with little storage.
Enter your Smartiflix details
- Open the player and choose to add a playlist or a user (the wording changes from app to app).
- Choose Xtream Codes and enter the server address, username and password we sent you. If the app only accepts a playlist, choose M3U and enter the playlist address instead.
- Type everything exactly as written: capital letters matter, and a stray space at the end is enough to make the login fail.
- Give the app a few minutes to load the channel list and the TV guide, then open a channel.
Long addresses are tedious to enter with a remote. With the Fire TV app installed, your phone keyboard does the typing, and the microphone button finds apps by name.
Getting a steady picture
When a Firestick stutters, the cause is nearly always the connection and seldom the stick. Its Wi-Fi antenna is small and sits behind the TV, so distance and walls count for a lot.
- The box includes a short HDMI extension cable. Fitting it leaves a gap between the stick and the metal back of the television, so the Wi-Fi signal reaches it more easily.
- Connect to the 5 GHz band of your router if it has one, and keep the stick as close to the router as the room allows.
- Nothing beats a cable: an Ethernet adapter made for Fire TV connects the stick straight to the router.
- A faster connection helps if you watch in 4K or if several screens are streaming at the same time.
Common problems on Firestick
| What you see | What to do |
|---|---|
| The app will not install | Download it again from the developer's website and check that Downloader is switched on under Install unknown apps |
| The login is refused | Re-enter the server address, username and password exactly as we sent them, watching capitals and spaces |
| Channels load, then stop and start | Move to 5 GHz Wi-Fi or a wired adapter, and use the HDMI extender |
| The TV guide is empty | Give it a few minutes after the first login, then refresh the guide in the settings of the player |
| The stick restarts by itself | Power it from the wall adapter, not from the USB port of the TV |
| The app has vanished from the home screen | Open Your Apps and Channels, find the player and move it to the front |
If none of that helps, write to support by WhatsApp or email and say which Fire TV model and which player you use. Support is available 24/7.
Limits to know about
- There is little room for apps on a Firestick, so clear out installation files and anything you have stopped using.
- A 4K picture needs a 4K Fire TV model, a 4K television and a channel that is broadcast in 4K.
- An app written for touch screens can be awkward with a remote. The players in the table above are built for one.
- Each Firestick that plays at the same time counts as one device on your plan. A plan has between 1 and 4 of those places.
What to check during a free trial
A trial is the moment to test the stick you will really use, in the room where it will really sit.
- Watch at the time you normally watch, evenings included, since that is when a home network is busiest.
- Open the channels you care about most, not only the first ones on the list.
- Look at the TV guide for the next few hours and check that it matches what is on.
- Start a movie and a series from the on demand library and try moving forward and back.