Do you have to have internet for a firestick

Many users wonder if they’ll be able to keep using their Amazon Fire TV Stick if the internet runs out. So, really, do you need the internet for Fire Stick? That we’ll find out in this guide.

For instance, we’ll explore the importance of having the internet for using your Fire Stick. Plus, we’ll look into what you can do on your Fire TV when the internet is unavailable.

With that said, let’s dive in.

Table of Contents

• 1 Do You Need Internet for Fire Stick?
• 2 How to Use Fire TV Stick Without Internet?
  • 2.1 Play Offline Media on Kodi Player
  • 2.2 Access Other Apps Through the Fire TV Stick’s Settings
  • 2.3 Use Your Phone’s Hotspot on Your Fire Stick
  • 2.4 Play Offline Games
  • 2.5 Cast Devices to Your Fire Stick TV
    • 2.5.1 How to Cast to a Fire TV Stick on Windows 10
• 3 Final Words

If you’re looking to stream live TV shows, movies, videos, and music on your Fire TV, then you certainly need a stable internet connection. If your internet fluctuates or shuts off, you won’t be able to play such live media on your Fire TV.

Anyhow, the apps installed on your Fire TV will still work. So, if you have saved offline data in your Fire Stick apps, you’ll be able to play that. For instance, if you have many Netflix movies downloaded on your Fire Stick, you can play them even when you don’t have the internet. But as many apps like Netflix require the internet to work, you can access minimal controls on your Fire TV Stick without the internet.

How to Use Fire TV Stick Without Internet?

Below are the top ways to use your Fire TV Stick when the internet is unavailable:

Play Offline Media on Kodi Player

Kodi is a widely used multimedia player for streaming movies, TV shows, videos, music, and more on smart TVs and Fire TV Stick. As Kodi isn’t installed on Fire TV Stick by default, you can install it on your TV from the app store.

Once you do that, you’ll be able to play any downloaded multimedia file using your Kodi player. These files may be a movie, video, or music files.

This way, the Kodi media player effectively uses your Fire TV Stick when the internet is unavailable. It lets you plan and download a range of multimedia on your TV so it can be played when the internet runs out. But remember, you won’t be allowed to access online libraries without the internet.

Access Other Apps Through the Fire TV Stick’s Settings

Generally speaking, Fire Stick’s home screen fluctuates when it’s not connected to the internet, making it hard to find and open your desired offline apps. Anyhow, a good way around it is to access the needed apps via Fire Stick settings.

To do that, turn on your Fire Stick and open the Home page. On the top menu on the homepage, click Settings, select Applications, and select Manage Installed Applications. Your TV will lay down the list of installed apps on the screen.

From here, select your desired offline app and click Launch Application. As you do that, your favourite app will be opened so you can pass your bad-internet time effectively.

Use Your Phone’s Hotspot on Your Fire Stick

If getting internet on your Fire TV Stick is a must, then you can set up a hotspot from your smartphone. If you don’t already know, it’s similar to creating new Wifi signals from your phone.

But to enable the internet on your Fire TV Stick, you must ensure your phone has a cellular package. As you subscribe to an internet package on your phone, open the Settings App.

Look for an option called “Network and Devices” and select hotspot. Now, toggle the hotspot switch on. Be sure to adjust the hotspot settings and set up an easy password that you can quickly type on your Fire Stick TV. That’s it; your phone is currently working as a Wi-Fi router.

Now, switch on your Fire TV Stick and select Wifi. Look for a Wifi with your phone name and input the password you set up on your phone. As you do that, your Fire TV Stick will be connected to the internet via your phone’s hotspot. But this connection will only be strong if you keep your phone near the Fire Stick.

Play Offline Games

As a versatile streaming service, Fire Stick lets you play Android games on your TV. But as a rule of thumb, you can’t run online games on your TV if the internet is unavailable. Anyhow, you can still play offline games to wait the internet outage out.

To download Android games on your Fire Stick, head to the Play Store and install any compatible games you like. That’s it – if the internet runs out, you’ll still be able to play games on your Fire Stick.

Cast Devices to Your Fire Stick TV

If you don’t have the internet, it doesn’t mean your TV screen is useless until it starts working. In fact, you can cast the screen of your smartphone, laptop, computer, or other devices on your TV and enjoy a cinematic playback experience.

But projecting your devices on the Fire TV Stick requires connecting both devices to a LAN (local area network). Simply put, you may connect these to the same Wifi network. If you can’t do that, you can connect them using an ethernet cable.

How to Cast to a Fire TV Stick on Windows 10

Here we’ll see how you can easily project your computer screen to your Fire Stick TV. First, open the Action Center from the bottom right corner of the Windows 10 interface. Next, click Expand on the left bottom side of the prompt that comes up. Now, click Project from the available options and select the Connect to a Wireless Display option. From here, select your Fire TV Stick. On your Fire TV Stick, you’ll get a message indicating that mirroring is enabled. That’s it; your Windows 10 screen will be projected on your Fire TV Stick. If display mirroring isn’t enabled on your Fire TV Stick by default, switch it on from Settings first.

Final Words

If you don’t have active internet, it doesn’t mean you can’t use your Fire TV Stick. Yes, most of its functionalities will be disabled as they rely on the internet, but many will still be accessible. In this guide, we explored five top ways to use your Fire TV Stick without the internet. The top ones include:

• Using an offline media player like Kodi.
• Installing offline games on your TV.
• Setting up a hotspot on your phone.