12 Things to Know Before Buying Firestick

Firestick has been the go-to device for many when it comes to streaming services, allowing users to access their favorite content without any problems. However, before jumping into this purchase, there are a few things one should be aware of. Here are 12 things to know before buying Firestick.

1. Cost – 

The Firestick itself is affordable, but don’t forget about the additional monthly costs associated with subscriptions to your streaming services such as Netflix and Hulu.

2. Compatibility – 

Firestick works with most smart TVs and can also be used with a MacBook or a different laptop if you purchase an HDMI adapter for your laptop, though you might need to work out how to change permissions on Mac and tinker with other settings.

3. Storage Space – 

Firestick comes with 8GB of internal storage; however, it allows you to expand that storage space up to 512GB with an external USB drive or SD card if needed.

4. Search Capabilities – 

You will want to ensure that Firestick’s search capabilities work well for your purposes; some models may not allow searching across all apps or list all available content from each app within the search results as some competitors do.

5. Voice Control – 

If you plan on using voice control on your Firestick device, then you’ll want to make sure that it supports Amazon Alexa commands (for example).

6. Video Quality – 

As with any streaming device, video quality depends upon the speed of your internet connection and the type of content being streamed; generally speaking though, 4K video playback is supported with Firestick devices using compatible television sets and routers/modems capable of supporting Ultra HD video streams at high speeds.

7. Parental Controls – 

Confirm that parental controls are enabled on the device before purchasing it so that parents can limit viewing time or restrict certain types of content from being accessed by their children on their television sets.

8. Privacy Settings – 

Be sure to double-check your privacy settings when setting up a new Firestick; this will help ensure that anyone who uses the device won’t have access to personal information stored on the device such as credit card numbers or passwords from websites/apps used on it (for example).

9. Internet Connection Speed – 

Your internet connection speed needs to be sufficient enough in order for HD video streams or downloads from apps/services like Netflix or Hulu Plus; otherwise, buffering issues will occur due to slow internet speeds causing videos not to play properly or pausing intermittently while playing back content streams live over the web (such as watching sports games).

10. Setup Process & Maintenance – 

Most Firesticks come pre-loaded with popular applications such as Netflix and YouTube and are fairly easy to set up out of the box after plugging them into a compatible TV’s HDMI port; 

However, they may require occasional maintenance such as updating software versions which must be done manually through the settings menu by downloading firmware updates whenever available to keep everything running smoothly at all times otherwise certain features may become unavailable until updated correctly (such as voice command support for Amazon Alexa).

11. Portability – 

Many people enjoy taking their Firesticks along with them when traveling whether for business trips or family vacations since they are small enough not to take up much space in luggage bags making them easily transportable around different locations where compatible TVs can be found wired up directly via HDMI ports provided in various hotel rooms for example alongside other equipment like projectors used during presentations/meetings etc., thus allowing users to take advantage of streaming services wherever they go!

12. Using mobile devices – 

It is also possible to connect mobile devices like iPhones & iPads directly via Bluetooth wireless connections rather than connecting everything through cables when dealing with multiple gadgets simultaneously while streaming media over large screens.

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