Do you have an Amazon Fire TV Stick, and now you are curious whether or not it is the first generation Fire Stick, or maybe a 2nd generation Fire Stick? Why might this be important to find out?
The Amazon Fire TV Stick is a brilliant tool made by Amazon that makes streaming content earlier easier. It is capable of transforming your TV into a fantastic smart-TV with endless opportunities, applications, games, and tools waiting for you. But, did you know that there are quite a lot of limitations if you have an old version of Amazon Fire TV Stick?
I bought an Amazon Fire TV Stick just after they entered the market, and I had a great time using it. I enjoyed the remote (compared to using my telephone as a remote on my Chromecast), and I used it a lot. But, then I felt like it got slower and slower and I stopped using it after a while. But, recently I discovered that lots of VPN providers have developed VPN applications for the Amazon Fire TV (Sticks) and also Android TV’s and more, and thus, I wanted to give it all a try to see if I could unblock American Netflix on my Amazon Fire TV Stick, to stream CBS All Access, FuboTV, NBC, Hulu, and more using a VPN directly on the Fire Stick.
But, before I continue the story – let me show you a way to easily discover if you have a 1st generation Amazon Fire TV Stick or not.
Which generation is my Amazon Fire TV Stick?
Take a look at the picture above, and you will find out.
Amazon Fire TV Stick Generation 1:
This is the original Fire TV Stick which was released in 2014. It has the codename Montoya, and if this is the one you have, you will not be able to use VPN applications (for example) on your Amazon Fire TV Stick.
Amazon Fire TV Stick Generation 2:
This was released in 2016, and the difference between the first two generations can be seen on the Alexa Voice Remote button. It is a faster version than the first Amazon Fire TV Stick, and this has support for VPN applications and more. The codename for this Fire TV Stick is tank.
Amazon Fire TV Stick Generation 3:
This is the newest version of the Fire TV Stick on the market at the moment. This is the first remote to include volume buttons, and it also has an on/off button for your TV. There is also a more expensive version of this Fire TV Stick available with support for 4K. This is the fastest of the different sticks so far, and it has turned way more useful than the earlier models due to the volume buttons on the controller.
By now, I guess you should know which Amazon Fire TV stick you have in your own home. If you want to know more about how you can use the Amazon Fire TV Stick abroad, click the link and follow the instructions in the article for information about the best VPN providers for Fire TV Stick and so much more.
The VPN error if you have a 1st generation Fire TV Stick
As I downloaded different VPN applications to my Fire TV Stick, I was first of all annoyed, because the Fire TV Stick was incredibly slow, and everything went in snail speed.
When I finally managed to install the applications and enter my credentials, I connected to VPN servers in the USA and thought everything would be fine at once. But, I was wrong! I opened the Hulu application on my Fire TV Stick, but I still got the error message about me being outside the USA. I thought maybe the VPN was wrong, so I tried with another provider, only to discover that I still got the error message.
The tricky thing was that it looked like if the VPN connection was working, because in the VPN application I could see that a connection was made and that I was online. But, it didn’t, and that is the fate of those with a Gen 1 Fire TV Stick. An easy way to check this is by connecting to a VPN server and then check your IP address afterward. You will, most likely see, that your IP address hasn’t changed, and that is because the first generation of Fire TV Sticks doesn’s support the VPN applications.
If you want to use a VPN with the 1st gen Amazon Fire TV Stick
Are you really eager to use a VPN with your old Fire TV Stick, even if the VPN applications doesn’t work directly on the Fire TV Stick? There is one solution, but it will often require a lot of time, and it might also force you to buy a new router… If the answer is yes, you could configure a VPN connection directly on your router. In that case, you do not need to run the VPN on your Amazon Fire TV Stick, but you can instead choose the WiFi connection that is running with a VPN default directly on the router.
As I said, this is a bit harder to get working, but it can be done. If this is your desire, sign up for the VPN services of ExpressVPN and follow their instructions on how to configure their VPN services directly on your router.
ExpressVPN can be tested for 30-days with no risk (considering how they have a 30-day money back guarantee), so feel free to give it a try. They have great customer service, always available to help you out if you have any trouble.
If you later decide to buy a newer Fire TV Stick instead, ExpressVPN has one of the best applications available for Fire TV Sticks, so it is a nice investment to do, no matter what.
I hope these instructions will help you out. If you have any comments or questions related to using a VPN on your Amazon Fire TV Stick, or maybe related to which version of the Fire TV Stick you have in your own home, please write a comment and I will do my best to help you out!
Just got my Fire Stick today (May 24, 2019). The box it came is says is a Gen 2 device, but it does have a volume control/mute. It does NOT have that little blue light that is shown in your article. Is it a “Gen 2.5” – sort of an “in-between” version?
John J