You almost certainly already own the right device
Fire TV Stick, Android TV, Apple TV, iPhone, iPad, Samsung, LG, Windows, Mac and MAG boxes all work. We sell no hardware, so this page says what is actually best rather than what we would like you to buy.
| Device | Channel changes | Setup | Cost | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Android TV box | Fastest | Easy | $30 to $200 | Best overall, and the only real answer for live sport |
| NVIDIA Shield | Fastest | Easy | $199 | The best of the lot, if the price does not bother you |
| Fire TV Stick 4K | Quick | Easy | $40 to $60 | The value pick. What most of our customers use |
| Apple TV 4K | Quick | Easy | $129 | Beautiful, reliable, needs a small one-off app purchase |
| Samsung or LG Smart TV | Slower | Medium | Free, you own it | No extra box, slower interface, app availability varies |
| iPhone or iPad | Quick | Easy | Free, you own it | Fine on the move, awkward as the main screen |
| Windows or Mac | Quick | Easy | Free, you own it | Useful as a second screen and for testing |
| MAG or portal box | Quick | Medium | $70 to $120 | Only if you already own one or want a portal interface |
| Roku | n/a | Not possible | n/a | Roku does not allow these player apps in its store |
Pick yours and follow it
Each guide was written from an actual install on that device, not from a manufacturer's manual. About 10 minutes on most of them.
Fire TV Stick
The cheapest route and the one most of our customers take.
Android TV and TiviMate
The best picture and the fastest channel changes of any setup.
Samsung and LG Smart TV
No extra box, no second remote, slightly slower interface.
Apple TV, iPhone and iPad
Clean, quick and reliable, with a small one-off app charge.
Windows and Mac
Useful as a second screen, or for testing before you touch the television.
MAG and portal boxes
Old-school set-top boxes, activated with a MAC address.
If you are buying something, buy this
Most people already own a device that works and should spend nothing. If you are starting from scratch, or the television you have is too old to install apps, there are three sensible answers and one trap.
Spend $40: a Fire TV Stick 4K
The default recommendation and what the majority of our customers run. It is cheap, it is quick enough for anything short of flicking between three games, and the setup takes about twelve minutes. Buy the 4K Max rather than the base model if the choice is in front of you, because the extra memory shows up in the interface.
Spend $100: an Android TV box with an Ethernet port
The sweet spot. An Onn 4K box, a Xiaomi or a Formuler Z10 gives you TiviMate, a wired connection and channel changes under a second. For anyone who watches live sport seriously, this is a meaningfully better experience than a Firestick and it is not an expensive step up.
Spend $199: an NVIDIA Shield TV Pro
The best IPTV device sold in America. Ethernet, ample memory, proper frame rate matching so 60 Hz broadcasts are not mangled, and years of updates. Worth it if you care about the details, overkill if you do not.
The trap: Roku
Roku is the most common streaming device in American homes and it is the one device this does not work on. Roku does not allow IPTV player apps in its store and there is no way to sideload one. No provider can get around that, and anyone who says they can is lying to you. If your television is a Roku TV, put a Firestick in a spare HDMI port and use the Roku for Netflix. The Roku page covers what the workarounds really do.
Wi-Fi is the thing that actually breaks
Nine out of ten buffering complaints are a network problem, not a device problem or a server problem. Televisions have the weakest Wi-Fi radios in the house because the antenna sits behind a large metal panel. If you can run an Ethernet cable to whatever you watch on, do it, and if you cannot, a pair of powerline adapters costs about $50 and solves most of it. That is a better investment than any upgrade on this page. If something is already stuttering, the buffering page works through it in order.
About devices
What is the best device for IPTV in the US?
An Android TV box on an Ethernet cable running TiviMate. Channels change in under a second, the buffer is adjustable for live sport and the interface is far ahead of anything else. An NVIDIA Shield is the best of them; an Onn 4K box does nearly as well for a fraction of the price.
Can I use IPTV on a Roku?
No, and no provider can honestly tell you otherwise. Roku does not permit IPTV player apps in its channel store and there is no sideloading. A $40 Fire TV Stick in a spare HDMI port is the fix, and it gives you a faster interface than the Roku anyway.
Do I need to buy a special box?
No. If you own a Fire TV Stick, an Apple TV, a Samsung or LG set from the last few years, or an Android TV device, you already have everything you need. We sell no hardware and take nothing from anyone who does.
Is a Smart TV app as good as a Firestick?
The picture is identical because the stream is identical. The interface is not: Smart TV processors are built to a price and channel changes take a beat longer. If you flick between two games, a Firestick or Android box is noticeably better. If you watch one channel at a time, the television on its own is simpler.
Can I install it on more than one device?
Yes. Install it on as many devices as you like and move between them freely. Only one can stream at a time, because a subscription is one connection.
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