Amazon Firestick: only works with mains?!

Someone else might be able to advise on the technical reasons but here's what I've found setting some up for friends and family using the same Sony 50W807C. Powering the Fire Sticks using the USB on the TV I've always got the warning that it might be insufficient power but only those that I've came across issues (random reboots) where those with the voice remote (no clue why this seems to make any difference). Where my TV is I've no spare power sockets but using the USB power from my Nvidia Shield on those sticks that random reboot solves the issue as does moving to a different TV and using mains power.
Someone else might have the technical aspect reasons behind what I've personally observed.

On another note the 2nd Gen Firestick should be coming to the UK very shortly and I'd hold off buying one at present, quite a big spec difference and US prices seem to be at same price point as present generation stick.

I think your TV needs to Provide 5v/1A and some TV's only provide 500mAh I'm not 100% but i remember reading that the Fire Stick is 900mAh

Some TVs only power on the usb socket when you switch to USB mode to watch content from a flash drive, my sons tv is like this in his bedroom.

some tvs the usb outlet does not carry sufficent supply to power it.

same with some external usb hard drives and older usb ports years ago. if the tv is older this may be the case.

i think you can run a small cable from the fire stick to a 2nd usb port on the tv, if it has one, to boost it. youcan get these off ebay. if not, its the mains or extreme - buy a new tv.

GNKelly07

Sometimes they work, sometimes they don't - depends on TV make/model

cecilmcroberts

Someone else might be able to advise on the technical reasons but here's … Someone else might be able to advise on the technical reasons but here's what I've found setting some up for friends and family using the same Sony 50W807C. Powering the Fire Sticks using the USB on the TV I've always got the warning that it might be insufficient power but only those that I've came across issues (random reboots) where those with the voice remote (no clue why this seems to make any difference). Where my TV is I've no spare power sockets but using the USB power from my Nvidia Shield on those sticks that random reboot solves the issue as does moving to a different TV and using mains power. Someone else might have the technical aspect reasons behind what I've personally observed. On another note the 2nd Gen Firestick should be coming to the UK very shortly and I'd hold off buying one at present, quite a big spec difference and US prices seem to be at same price point as present generation stick.Read lessRead more

haritori

I think your TV needs to Provide 5v/1A and some TV's only provide 500mAh … I think your TV needs to Provide 5v/1A and some TV's only provide 500mAh I'm not 100% but i remember reading that the Fire Stick is 900mAhRead lessRead more

AStonedRaichu

Some TVs only power on the usb socket when you switch to USB mode to … Some TVs only power on the usb socket when you switch to USB mode to watch content from a flash drive, my sons tv is like this in his bedroom.Read lessRead more

wolf47wolf

some tvs the usb outlet does not carry sufficent supply to power it. same … some tvs the usb outlet does not carry sufficent supply to power it. same with some external usb hard drives and older usb ports years ago. if the tv is older this may be the case. i think you can run a small cable from the fire stick to a 2nd usb port on the tv, if it has one, to boost it. youcan get these off ebay. if not, its the mains or extreme - buy a new tv.Read lessRead more

Thanks to all for the answers folks, not being particularly techy minded I've struggled to follow some of it, like I have no idea how to tell what the power from the USB port is.

I snapped up the Sony Bravia KDL65W955BBU Smart 3D 65" LED TV from another HUKD thread last year, its an absolute beast, granted its not 4K so I have considered upgrading, but I like the TV and it's all wall mounted and stuff so just thought I would stick with it.

Being wall mounted, with all the cables, boxes and plug sockets in the cupboard to the rear of the TV wall, it's a big job job adding another power cable to it! Plus, the Firestick power cable isn't long enough, hence my eagerness to use the USB slot and I was gonna buy one of the little USB cables you can get off Amazon to make it invisible behind the TV whilst easily accessible.

I have contacted Sony to ask if they have a solution, or even if they could just confirm the power output of the USB slots, but no reply yet.

Using the Firestick with the mains has been a revelation for me (my first experience of Kodi having just upgraded to 52meg BT Infinity broadband rather than my previous 2meg Sky connection) so getting the layout and cabling right here would be ideal!

The fire stick goes into a HDMI port not a usb
As mentioned above will work on some TVs without being plugged into the mains

Bradleigh

The fire stick goes into a HDMI port not a usbAs mentioned above will … The fire stick goes into a HDMI port not a usbAs mentioned above will work on some TVs without being plugged into the mainsRead lessRead more

No, I know the Firestick itself goes into a HDMI slot, but the USB cable (from the Firestick to the mains) can technically be plugged into a spare USB port on your TV, rather than using the mains adapter.

I was trying to achieve a way to not use the mains.

UPDATE:

A friend in work asked "which USB port did I try" prompting me to think I should really have tried all of them and not just one.

Long story short, I tried the another port and boom, power on, happy as larry!

FURTHER UPDATE:

A full test shows that the power remained stable throughout a full movie, no issues at all. It appears that some of the USB ports may be USB2.0 and some USB3.0 if that means anything to anyone.

So much so, I just bought a mini USB cable so it will now be tucked neatly behind the tv with no cables on show. Perfect result for what I was trying to achieve.