If there’s one thing that stops me from using my Fire TV Stick as my primary entertainment device, it’s the shoddy Wi-Fi connectivity.
I own a third-generation Fire TV Stick, which, as you would expect, has started to show its age. I did recently breathe new life into my old Fire TV Stick with some simple settings changes. However, those only helped make it “less” clunky to use and navigate. The settings didn’t help with my biggest gripe with the device: network stability.
I tried almost everything, from manually configuring the DNS to bringing my entertainment center closer to the router. However, none of these methods helped me as much as a $5 Ethernet adapter.
Setting up the Ethernet adapter is extremely easy
No manual internet configuration required
One of the biggest challenges with setting up any additional peripheral on the Fire TV Stick is, well, its size. My third-gen Fire TV Stick has only one USB port, which it uses for power. As such, plugging an Ethernet adapter directly into the Fire TV Stick is out of the question. Thankfully, there’s a simple, inexpensive solution: a micro USB OTG cable. Surprisingly, the Fire TV Stick consumes very little power, so connecting it via the OTG cable works just like normal.
The idea here is to connect the LAN cable to the Ethernet adapter. Then, use the OTG cable as an intermediary between both the Ethernet adapter and the power adapter.
The OTG cable costs around $10–$12 depending on the brand. Or, you might just have one lying around in your house, which, as long as it has a micro USB port and also a female USB-A port, should work perfectly fine. Once you have all the peripherals connected, you’re all set to test out the connection on your Fire TV Stick.
Initially, the Fire TV might not recognize the connected Ethernet adapter. This happened to me, which was quite confusing, as the device seemed to be connecting to the internet like normal.
A wired connection improved my streaming experience on the Fire TV Stick, but with some caveats.
Turns out, there’s a very easy fix. You essentially need to forget your existing Wi-Fi SSID on your Fire TV Stick. Having the Wi-Fi SSID saved causes a conflict between the wired Ethernet connection and wireless. By default, the Fire TV Stick always tries to connect to the Wi-Fi SSID. However, removing the SSID on the device resolves this issue.
Once that’s done, you’re all set to use your brand new wired connection on your Fire TV. Based on my limited testing, the wired connection (unsurprisingly) is way more stable than connecting my old Fire TV Stick using Wi-Fi.
There are fewer streaming hitches, and my Fire TV no longer disconnects from the internet on a whim. However, there are some caveats to using a third-party Ethernet adapter with your Fire TV Stick.
Cable management becomes a concern
Nothing that a few zip ties can’t solve
Now, with the OTG cable and USB rerouting, my biggest concern was cable management. Also, running an Ethernet cable from my office to the living room adds extra wiring I need to account for in my entertainment center. Thankfully, zip ties help keep all the wires managed and in one place. I bundled the USB wires from the Fire TV Stick with two zip ties. As for the LAN cable, I just slid it behind the media cabinet.
That said, I recommend using the HDMI extension for the Fire TV Stick and keeping the entire unit behind the TV. With all the added weight of the adapter cables, USB OTG, and the Ethernet cable, you don’t want to keep the Fire TV Stick hanging from the HDMI port of your TV.
Lastly, if you don’t want to mess with cable management, the best option is to shell out $20 for the official Fire TV Stick Ethernet Adapter. It includes both a LAN port and a free USB port for power. Alternatively, you can save a few bucks with a third-party adapter, like the UGREEN Ethernet Adapter for Fire TV Sticks for $17.
A wired connection is more stable, but I still prefer Wi-Fi
In most cases, a wired internet connection is always better. I usually prefer to keep most of my devices, be it the PS5 or the Nintendo Switch 2, hardwired to my router. Fire TV also benefits from a wired internet connection. However, based on my testing, the benefits are very limited. Furthermore, rerouting the internet through multiple micro USB connections significantly hampers bandwidth, which defeats the purpose of using a wired connection.
I would’ve liked it if the Fire TV Stick had a built-in LAN port. However, rerouting Ethernet through an adapter and then connecting it to the Fire TV with a micro USB OTG adapter significantly impacts network speed.
Yes, it offers a more stable connection than Wi-Fi. But it reduces speed, which can increase buffering and lag. Hence, my recommendation here is to simply use your existing Wi-Fi connection, preferably on the 5GHz band, with manual DNS configuration.
But if your old Fire TV Stick is having trouble connecting to Wi-Fi, and you aren’t concerned with streaming at 4K, then perhaps using a wired Ethernet connection can help save you the trouble of replacing your Fire TV Stick.