Using Amazon Fire TV Stick in Thailand - your experience?

[miCRoSCoPiCeaRthLinG]

Hi,

   Has anyone used the Amazon Fire TV Stick with Alexa Voice Remote in Thailand?

 

1. How was your experience in terms of the content available?
2. This Amazon page says that the Fire TV stick is only supported in a handful of countries and you can use something called a Fire TV Stick Basic Edition in Thailand. However, a large number of sellers on Lazada, Pricezaa etc. are selling the Fire TV Stick (full edition). So I'm assuming it must work the same here. Any comments on that?

 

Thank you.

Edited August 28, 2018 by miCRoSCoPiCeaRthLinG

[Jeffrey346]

I think you're throwing your money away as you will not get any of the expanded content that the Stick provides.

Amazon will only ship the basic version to Thailand. Once you set it up your locked into this region. If you change country Prime will no longer work. Plus with 1G ram and 8G storage there is little you can do.

 

From Amazon:

• When you change the country settings for your Amazon account, you'll no longer be able to access any of your Prime Video purchases or rentals. Your purchases will still be available if you change back to your original country settings, but any rentals will no longer be available.
• Some apps and games may not work in your new country. If you have questions about app compatibility, contact the app developer.

 

IMO you are better off with a good TV Box,

Edited August 29, 2018 by Jeffrey346

[phkauf]

I bought a Stick in the US and tried to use Prime with it, but was unable to get it working since it was not "allowed" for Thailand. I could still get it through the browser but content was nothing great so I dropped it.

I do use it to access Netflix, for which it is pretty good. Also have installed Kodi and "special" programs to get access to a lot of content. The Stick works pretty well with that. Lots of YouTube videos on how to do that (Dr. Venture is a good place).

Have not tried other things with it, but I would imagine someone with more tech skills than me has some good advice.

[miCRoSCoPiCeaRthLinG]

@Jeffrey346 & @phkauf: Thank you very much for your feedback (and helping me make up my mind)...

 

@Jeffrey346: Any good 4K box suggestions? 

[allen303]

You will need to get a router with VPN Firmware installed. Pick a location in the US (LA is what I use). Sling and all other programs allows me to download and use for now. Be careful with the FW and router, one mistake and its dead. I have expressVPN and purchased a router from there site with preinstalled FW. Top of the line router that you can't get here. Paid 360 VAT to the Fedx man when it arrived at my door.

[Jeffrey346]

1 hour ago, allen303 said:

You will need to get a router with VPN Firmware installed. Pick a location in the US (LA is what I use). Sling and all other programs allows me to download and use for now. Be careful with the FW and router, one mistake and its dead. I have expressVPN and purchased a router from there site with preinstalled FW. Top of the line router that you can't get here. Paid 360 VAT to the Fedx man when it arrived at my door.

What brand is the router, and what was the price.

[Tambs2020]

Google chrome cast is what we use. Just watch on our phone or ipad and stream to the tv via wifi to the chromecast! 

 

Or are you talking about something different?

[Jeffrey346]

1 hour ago, miCRoSCoPiCeaRthLinG said:

 

 

@Jeffrey346: Any good 4K box suggestions? 

Most boxes claim they can play 4K but can't play Netflix in HD. From what I have been told, there are reasons why but the primary reason is they are not DRM certified boxes. The Chinese manufactures just don't like to pay the required fees.

 

Some people believe it better to buy the cheapest box at B2000 or so, and when it dies they just buy another. 

I believe you get what you pay for. I want a TV box that works. I don't want to spend hours trying to figure out how to make it work. 

That's why I have a Nvidia Shield and a SkyStream Two. Nvidia has the reputation of being the best streaming box. IMO it is and it works right out of the box.

There is always a down side. The Nvidia runs The Real Android TV OS and Google restricts the Apps you can install on it. Only Apps on the Android TV Play Store install easily. Yes, you can get around it but that requires time and know how every time you want to install a new App or APK. Nvidia has customer support via email.

The second downside is the price.  $225 delivered from Amazon. 

The SkyStream Two is awesome box as well. Designed  in the US and the specs are up there with the Nvidia.

The difference is SkyStream comes loaded with 90% of the streaming Apps you will ever need. SkyStream updates the Apps when links go bad and replaces them with new working links. All at no charge. It's truly a lazy man's TV Box. 

SkySteam is also totally open and allows you to install anything you want. They have email and telephone support.

 

If you want to compare the the quality of the two, they are about the same. That includes picture quality and build quality. These two boxes are designed properly and do not run hot to the touch. 

I forgot to mention, if you are into gaming, Nvidia is the way to go. Gaming is their thing.

 

The price of the SkyStream is the same as the Nvidia. My timing was good and bought the SkyStream 2 weeks ago on sale at Amazon for $202. delivered.

 

If you are in this price range, you will be happy with either of those TV Boxes. If not, this box   MAGICSEE IRON+ 3GB/32GB is available on Lazada for B2990 and has the same specs as the 2 above. It may be worth the time to check it out. If it doesn't meet your needs you can return it within 7 days.

If you have any other questions, let me know. Good luck..

[Jeffrey346]

43 minutes ago, Tambs2020 said:

Google chrome cast is what we use. Just watch on our phone or ipad and stream to the tv via wifi to the chromecast! 

 

Or are you talking about something different?

There are 3 Chromecast models. The only one that casts 4K is the Ultra. The cost is B2990 and all you can do is cast from another device. IMO not worth it. 

[allen303]

5 hours ago, Jeffrey346 said:

What brand is the router, and what was the price.

I ordered a linksys 3200  with FW installed. I get my VPN from expressVPN. They have a site on there to also order the router. There Tech support will work with you online to get it up and running. mail me for more information.

[allen303]

You can get a linksys 1200 for $150 or so with FW installed. The 1200 will probably do well, depending on the range you need. I chose Linksys because that is what I used before most of the time. never had a problem with them. They sale several different brands to work with their VPN FW. I you go on and look, leave yore email address, don't buy. They  will send you a $20 gift off of a purchase. I was worried what the VAT was going to be. The Fedex guy said 360, check and they had the value of the router at $86. The link for the routers is right there on the site. Going to have to get up early to watch some collage football this weekend.

[Medicine Man]

The firestick is perfect to use in Thailand. There is a VPN client you can install from the Amazon store 'IP vanish' that lets you use any country for content. I'm also using IPTV via an emulator plus I've installed Kodi. It's very portable too to take on your travels when in a hotel room.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

5 minutes ago, Medicine Man said:

The firestick is perfect to use in Thailand. There is a VPN client you can install from the Amazon store 'IP vanish' that lets you use any country for content. I'm also using IPTV via an emulator plus I've installed Kodi. It's very portable too to take on your travels when in a hotel room.

 

The Fire Stick is fine to use in Thailand, provided you deal with the network IP/country issues with Amazon and other content.

 

But as to the hardware differences, the Fire Stick Basic Edition is the non-Alexa voice control version Amazon sells for general international use. You can set it up and use it with a Thai internet address, and download and install various apps including the international version of Amazon Prime Video (but typically not the U.S. content ones). And no Alexa voice control.

 

Or, the regular current Fire Stick version with Alexa that's meant for countries like the U.S., UK, and others where customers can have country-specific Amazon Prime accounts. To use the regular stick to its best, you need to set up an Amazon account in one of those countries and register the Fire Stick to that country. And then to use it here properly, use a VPN service or DNS redirect service to make the Fire device think you and your device are located in that country.

 

The VPN can operate in the settings of your wifi router, if your particular router brand has a built-in client for VPN protocols like OpenVPN or PPTP, or, as noted above, there now are several different commercial (paid) VPN services that have apps you can install and use on the Fire Stick itself that will give you the proper IP/internet address and pave the way for the streaming content you want.

 

As long as you're using a current (2nd gen) Fire Stick configured to operate via an Amazon supported country, the device itself works very well as a streaming device. And because the Fire platform is basically just a forked version of Android, you can sideload many many regular Android apps to use on the Fire Stick. The current 2nd gen Fire Stick is quite responsive and works fine for general home use.

 

 

[Medicine Man]

Keep it simple, you do not need to buy a special router to install a VPN. The op asked about the firestick with Alexa (ie Generation 2). This version can run a VPN directly. Just install IP vanish from the app store and enter your username and password. You will need to buy an IP vanish subscription but it's not that expensive.   

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

My ASUS wifi router has a built-in VPN client that makes it easy to run a VPN service thru the router.

 

But, for someone whose router doesn't support that or simply prefers to run a VPN on their Fire Stick directly, there are several different commercial VPN services now that have Amazon store apps for the Fire TV devices:

--IPVanish

--Express VPN

--Strong VPN

--Pure VPN

and several other apps for VPN services I've never heard of and wouldn't necessarily recommend.

Edited August 29, 2018 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[miCRoSCoPiCeaRthLinG]

20 hours ago, Tambs2020 said:

Google chrome cast is what we use. Just watch on our phone or ipad and stream to the tv via wifi to the chromecast! 

 

Or are you talking about something different?

Thanks for your suggestion. I have Chromecast as well - but I'm looking for something that's not dependent on the phone and can be operated independently, with the possibility of enhancing functionality with downloadable apps. 

[miCRoSCoPiCeaRthLinG]

20 hours ago, Jeffrey346 said:

Most boxes claim they can play 4K but can't play Netflix in HD. From what I have been told, there are reasons why but the primary reason is they are not DRM certified boxes. The Chinese manufactures just don't like to pay the required fees.

 

Some people believe it better to buy the cheapest box at B2000 or so, and when it dies they just buy another. 

I believe you get what you pay for. I want a TV box that works. I don't want to spend hours trying to figure out how to make it work. 

That's why I have a Nvidia Shield and a SkyStream Two. Nvidia has the reputation of being the best streaming box. IMO it is and it works right out of the box.

There is always a down side. The Nvidia runs The Real Android TV OS and Google restricts the Apps you can install on it. Only Apps on the Android TV Play Store install easily. Yes, you can get around it but that requires time and know how every time you want to install a new App or APK. Nvidia has customer support via email.

The second downside is the price.  $225 delivered from Amazon. 

The SkyStream Two is awesome box as well. Designed  in the US and the specs are up there with the Nvidia.

The difference is SkyStream comes loaded with 90% of the streaming Apps you will ever need. SkyStream updates the Apps when links go bad and replaces them with new working links. All at no charge. It's truly a lazy man's TV Box. 

SkySteam is also totally open and allows you to install anything you want. They have email and telephone support.

 

If you want to compare the the quality of the two, they are about the same. That includes picture quality and build quality. These two boxes are designed properly and do not run hot to the touch. 

I forgot to mention, if you are into gaming, Nvidia is the way to go. Gaming is their thing.

 

The price of the SkyStream is the same as the Nvidia. My timing was good and bought the SkyStream 2 weeks ago on sale at Amazon for $202. delivered.

 

If you are in this price range, you will be happy with either of those TV Boxes. If not, this box   MAGICSEE IRON+ 3GB/32GB is available on Lazada for B2990 and has the same specs as the 2 above. It may be worth the time to check it out. If it doesn't meet your needs you can return it within 7 days.

If you have any other questions, let me know. Good luck..

Awesome. Thanks for your super helpful reviews. I did some research myself and shortlisted the very same ones you've mentioned here. Like you said... you get what you pay for ?

[miCRoSCoPiCeaRthLinG]

15 hours ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

 

The Fire Stick is fine to use in Thailand, provided you deal with the network IP/country issues with Amazon and other content.

 

But as to the hardware differences, the Fire Stick Basic Edition is the non-Alexa voice control version Amazon sells for general international use. You can set it up and use it with a Thai internet address, and download and install various apps including the international version of Amazon Prime Video (but typically not the U.S. content ones). And no Alexa voice control.

 

Or, the regular current Fire Stick version with Alexa that's meant for countries like the U.S., UK, and others where customers can have country-specific Amazon Prime accounts. To use the regular stick to its best, you need to set up an Amazon account in one of those countries and register the Fire Stick to that country. And then to use it here properly, use a VPN service or DNS redirect service to make the Fire device think you and your device are located in that country.

 

The VPN can operate in the settings of your wifi router, if your particular router brand has a built-in client for VPN protocols like OpenVPN or PPTP, or, as noted above, there now are several different commercial (paid) VPN services that have apps you can install and use on the Fire Stick itself that will give you the proper IP/internet address and pave the way for the streaming content you want.

 

As long as you're using a current (2nd gen) Fire Stick configured to operate via an Amazon supported country, the device itself works very well as a streaming device. And because the Fire platform is basically just a forked version of Android, you can sideload many many regular Android apps to use on the Fire Stick. The current 2nd gen Fire Stick is quite responsive and works fine for general home use.

 

 

Thank you. This is super helpful.

 

Do you require VPN connectivity while registering the stick? The reason I'm asking is ... I've been using my dad's Amazon account, which is registered against an address back home and I'm (surprisingly) able to view Prime content not available in Thailand. If I register the stick against this account, does that do the trick or I've got to explicitly have my IP located in the same country. 

[Jeffrey346]

2 minutes ago, miCRoSCoPiCeaRthLinG said:

Awesome. Thanks for your super helpful reviews. I did some research myself and shortlisted the very same ones you've mentioned here. Like you said... you get what you pay for ?

FYI

If you do buy either, do not get them from eBay. eBay Global Shipping uses DHL and tho eBay guarantees delivery it will never arrive due to Thailand's ban on TV Boxes. 

I ordered the SkyStream from eBay. It took 2 weeks to get to BKK and Customs confiscated it and sent it back to eBay. eBay did promptly refund me in full.

I then ordered it from Amazon. It took 5 days via UPS to arrive, in and out of customs in 15 minutes and delivered to me the next day.

Looking at Amazon's shipping label, it has a code exempting the product from customs. I guess some kind of deal with Thailand.

[Jeffrey346]

17 minutes ago, miCRoSCoPiCeaRthLinG said:

Thank you. This is super helpful.

 

Do you require VPN connectivity while registering the stick? The reason I'm asking is ... I've been using my dad's Amazon account, which is registered against an address back home and I'm (surprisingly) able to view Prime content not available in Thailand. If I register the stick against this account, does that do the trick or I've got to explicitly have my IP located in the same country. 

I believe they look at the IP. If you hide the IP via a VPN, you should be ok.