If you’ve found yourself wondering how to set up Firestick without a remote, then this article is the ultimate guide you need. The way we get access to our favorite TV shows has changed in recent years; many people are moving away from cable to streaming services like Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Hulu, to name a few.
The creation of Smart TVs has dramatically helped the boom of these streaming services since you no longer need to limit your streaming experience to a 5.5-inch smartphone screen.
People who have an older TV and cannot afford to switch to a Smart TV also have the option of using an Amazon Fire TV Stick, known simply as Firestick. A Firestick connected to your older TV gives you all the functionality you would usually get from a Smart TV for way less than the price of getting a new TV.
All brand new Firesticks come with a remote in the box; however, there could be situations where you want to set up Firestick without a remote; there are ways to get that done with old and Firestick.
Steps to Set Up Firestick Without Remote For First Time Use
The procedure outlined below would show you how to set up your brand new Firestick without a remote; if you have a Firestick that you’re already using, I’ll show you the directions beneath this.
Step #1
The first step to set up Firestick without a remote is to connect the Firestick to the TV correctly. To connect the device to your TV, do the following:
- Plug your Firestick into the HDMI Extender that comes in the box.
- Connect the HDMI Extender carrying the Firestick into an HDMI port on your TV; on a TV with multiple HDMI ports, note how that port is labeled.
- Plug one end of the USB cable into the power adapter and plug that into a power source. The USB cable is usually not too long, so try to make sure it’s conveniently positioned in a way that it can reach the Firestick from the power source.
- Plug the micro-USB end into the charging port located on the side of the Firestick.
- Using your TV remote, switch the TV’s input source to the HDMI port into which you plugged your Firestick.
Step #2
One thing you’d quickly observe about a Firestick is that the device has no controls on its body since it’s a portable dongle. If you want to carry out any controls on the device, you’d therefore need a remote, even for the initial setup.
For this step, you need a TV that supports HDMI-CEC technology. To check if your TV does, go to Settings on the TV, open the HMDI-CEC Control Setup (it might say something different on your TV), and enable it. You could also locate HDMI-CEC settings in the Display, Sound, or General options in your TV settings, so fiddle around with it or check the TV user manual to find out how to enable it.
Step #3
You would observe that you can use your TV remote to control your Firestick easily. Note that there might be some limitations to what you can do because your remote is most likely not optimized to control a Firestick.
Related: 3 Ways to Use Firestick on A Non-Smart TV
Steps to Set Up Old Firestick Without Remote
If you have a Firestick that you’ve been using before now and want to set it up without a remote, the steps are as follows:
Step #1
Correctly connect your Firestick hardware to the TV as explained above.
Step #2
A Firestick is a streaming device, and that means it needs to be connected to the internet for you to enjoy its services.
If you’re using an old Firestick, you’ve probably connected the device to the internet via Wi-Fi; the next step is to make sure the Firestick you’re trying to set up without a remote is within range of a Wi-Fi you’ve used before.
Once the device detects the Wi-Fi signal, it would automatically connect to the network.
However, you may be in a new location, and you’re not around your wireless router; in such a scenario, follow these steps:
- Create a hotspot connection using an Android phone around you.
- Rename the hotspot connection to be EXACTLY as the Wi-Fi you regularly connect your Firestick to, check that there are no differences in cases, spaces, or punctuation marks.
- If the Wi-Fi you regularly use has a password, set the password on the Android device to be the same also.
- Unplug your Firestick and turn it back on; the device should automatically connect to this new Wi-Fi connection.
Step #3
The next step is to download the Amazon Fire TV app on another smartphone; it is available on Play Store and the App Store– the app is FREE!
Step #4
Turn on the second smartphone’s Wi-Fi and connect it to the hotspot you just created.
Step #5
Open the Amazon Fire TV app; it would automatically detect available devices connected to the same Wi-Fi network as the phone; select your device from the list shown.
Step #6
You would be able to control your Firestick as you want using your smartphone.
