When our internet is down, the rest of our internet goes down too, and we are in a world of constant distraction. A constant buzz from our phone, the TV, or the radio is a constant reminder of how we are far away from our loved ones and our jobs and how disconnected we feel. While social media and other sources of distraction can be good, they can also leave us vulnerable to the things we don’t realize are stressing us out.
Amazon Fire Stick is an electric-powered wireless speaker that delivers internet to your device. It can connect to your WiFi and uses a built-in battery to last up to two hours. You can use it as a speakerphone, a speaker, or even a headphone jack. There are several models, each one with unique features and functionalities. The one we tested works with the WiFi standard of 802.11a/b/g/n/ac.
The Amazon Fire Stick offers several internet speeds as well: 10Mbps, 13.6Mbps, and 50Mbps. We tried the 10Mbps model and it worked just fine. However, for the 13.6Mbps model, we were able to download some of our favorite YouTube videos, but couldn’t actually stream them to our device and also couldn’t use the built-in microphone.
The 10Mbps model we tested worked just fine with the built-in WiFi, but only one of the models had its microphone working. The other two models either either didn’t work or had issues with the microphone.
Amazon released a new Firestick in 2018, but the one we tested was a little different. It used the same processor and storage, plus they repackaged it for Amazon’s $199 Fire Stick, which is the same hardware, but with a different interface, and it actually has a microphone. So that’s what we tested.
Although it seems like the one we tested in 2018 has an audio chip different to the one in the other two models, all the other models also have the same Wi-Fi and Bluetooth functionality so it should work.
One of the cool features of Amazons Firestick is the microphone, which is hidden inside the device itself. The mic works with a simple click of a button, so we were able to hear what was going on with our friend who was using the Firestick without any interference from the phone. This is a nice little feature for a simple device, but it has other uses.
Amazon has a habit of letting us down. At least with the Firestick, the mic was working, but the phone was not, preventing us from talking to one of our friends in a very frustrating manner. So we’ve decided to go with the Firestick’s microUSB port, which is the same as the one on the other models, and it will work as advertised. If it doesn’t work out of the box, we’ll see what we can find on our own.
The Amazon Firestick is a great device, but I have to say that I actually prefer the Amazon Fire TV stick. It has the two other major advantages that are the best of both worlds: It has no wires and the microphone works.
Amazon Firestick is a great device, but we all have to start somewhere. This being an unofficial review, I would suggest you start by searching Amazon.com or the Amazon App Store. The Firestick will work just as advertised, and if you can find a seller in the US, you can get it over there.
