If you’re one of those people who’ve given in to the trend of Android TV Boxes, then good for you! This device has a lot of cool features. This means that you’ll be able to perform a lot of functions on your television through the TV box.
Setting up an Android TV Box is simple. After you’ve done that, then you can enjoy all the functions of the device. You can play games or start streaming TV shows and movies.
The first thing to do is to hook up your device to the television. Almost all TV boxes come with an HDMI cable which connects the device to your TV. It’s important to check the manual when connecting your box to the television. Do this to ensure that all the connections are accurate and you don’t miss anything.
When you’ve successfully connected the box, power it up. Your box should include a remote control. Use that to turn it on or do it manually by pressing the power button. The interface of your box should display on your television screen. Once it does, you can start setting it up.
Connecting to the Internet
To access all the features of your Android TV Box, you must connect to the internet. Although each device has a different start-up and set up, connecting to the internet is the same. Go to the Settings and select Network to set up the WiFi connection. Doing this is easy, it’s similar to connecting your Android smartphone to the internet.
Select the WiFi network, enter the password (if needed) and connect. Once your box is online, you can start accessing the different features. You can download and install apps, tools, and games. You can even stream videos or movies, listen to music, and browse the internet.
Updating the firmware
You can think of an Android TV Box as a smaller, simpler computer. And just like your computer, you need to keep the box updated. This is because manufacturers regularly come up with new updates, features and bug fixes. One important thing to keep updated is your box’s firmware. It’s one of the first things you must do with your device.
It’s important to do this first because some firmware updates may erase all your apps and settings. This would be such a shame especially if you’ve spent a lot of time and effort customizing your box. So, install or update your firmware first when setting up your box. Then you can start downloading and installing other apps.
Download some apps
There are a lot of apps, games, and tools available for TV boxes. And just like any other Android device, these are available at the Google Play Store. From this play store, you can pick up all Google related apps, such as Google Chrome.
But if you don’t like Google, there are also a lot of apps for you to choose from. You can find these from the Amazon Android App Store. This play store offers a free app daily. It’s worth checking this out, you may want to have the free app that’s up for grabs. No matter which play store you choose from, you have a lot of options.
Setting up Kodi
Kodi is another app you should download on your TV box. It’s one of the most popular and widely-used apps for Android TV boxes. This is because it has a lot of features and it makes streaming a lot easier. In fact, some TV boxes come with Kodi already pre-installed. If not, you can find and download this app from the Google Play Store.
Kodi serves as a complete media center for your TV box. There are other options out there but this is the most popular, especially with Android users.
Kodi is useful in organizing all the media files which exist in your network. With it, you can also obtain video streams from different places on the web. After you’ve installed Kodi on your device, you may have to change your box’s settings. Do this to avoid any issues with buffering.
Stream videos
This is one of the best parts of having a TV box. You can stream videos and movies through the box and watch them on your television. To do this, you should have already downloaded Kodi or any other app which will allow you to stream live videos.
All the basic apps are available in play stores. You can also stream shows and movies from the different Android TV Box channels. To find a channel, simply go to the channels menu and search for a specific movie or movie genre. You can also do the same when you’re searching for a TV show.
Securing your Android TV box
When you’ve set up your TV box completely, it’s also essential to think about securing it. In doing this, you don’t run the risk of anyone invading your privacy through your internet connection.
A Virtual Private Network or VPN encrypts your connection to the internet. This improves your privacy as well as the online security of your TV box. When your device is online, your privacy is at risk, just like with any computer or smartphone.
If you’re not careful, you may fall victim to hackers or other nefarious individuals. They may start viewing your online activity. They may also start to collect information about your viewing habits, which is a lot worse.
Using a VPN is essential for security purposes, but it also comes with other benefits. It enhances the streaming capacity of your TV box by defeating throttling done by your ISP.
You can benefit from all the features of a TV box when it’s connected to the internet. To reduce the risk of compromising your privacy, you can secure your device with a VPN. When you have a VPN, you can enjoy a more secure and protected connection. Here are some easy steps for you to follow:
- Download a VPN for Android in the Google Play Store. You can choose VPN or any other option.
- Install the VPN on your Android TV box.
- Run it and enter your credentials.
- Then click connect and you’re done!