Does Fire Stick Use A Lot Of WiFi?(+How To Reduce Data Usage)

Firestick makes for a great home entertainment streaming technology since it gives you the functionality to take your television with you wherever you want. Once you plug the portable device into your compatible TV set, you get complete access to all your favorite programs and videos without using a lot of internet data.

Does Fire Stick use a lot of WiFi? The actual amount of Gigabytes (GB) varies from one person to another. To give you an idea, Netflix- Best Quality content -consumes about 3 GB per hour. By default, Amazon Fire Stick is set to stream videos at the best quality, you can adjust that in the settings.

Most Fire Sticks come with built-in Wi-Fi to ensure you can do more than use the installed apps. Keep reading for ways to reduce the data usage, all you require to get the best quality content, and more. Check out the best streaming sticks on Amazon that won’t let you down!

Does Fire Stick Use a Lot of Wi-Fi?

Many people use Wi-Fi since Fire Sticks use a lot of data to stream content. However, the actual amount of Gigabytes (GB) varies from one person to another.

For example, individuals who spend most of their time watching videos and TV shows use more Wi-Fi than others who love listening to music.

The number of hours you spend per day using your Fire Stick also directly determines the amount of Wi-Fi the device uses. What’s more, your Fire Stick can also consume a lot of Wi-Fi when it is not in use.

We found plenty of evidence during the research that this happens when it is not streaming content but could not find confirmed reports of the exact amount.

However, users who know how to control how their Fire Sticks use data can get better results.

How Many Gigabytes Does a Fire Stick Use?

Streaming content, app auto-updates, and video autoplay are some of the critical activities that determine how much data you use.

Your needs and the type of Fire Stick you use also have a significant impact on data consumption. Here are examples of Fire Sticks and the approximated amount of Gigabytes that you use:

  • Netflix- Best Quality content -consumes about 3 GB per hour
  • Amazon Prime- Best Quality-consumes as much as 1.4 GB per hour
  • Fire TV Stick- 4K Ultra HD content- as high as 7 GB

How to Stop Amazon Fire Stick from Using Data

We have seen that streaming sticks consume a lot of data. The Amazon Fire Stick is not exempted. So, if your Wi-Fi service provider has data caps, it might be best to monitor your data usage closely.

Even though Fire Sticks can use data when they are not in use, many people still plug the device into their TVs’ HDMI port and then forget about it likely since they don’t know this fact.

Others also lose a lot of data by leaving their TV on standby mode or the home screen. For that matter, the perfect way to ensure no data is used is to do the following:

  • Completely turn off the TV set at the wall when not using it
  • Unplug the fire stick from the HDMI port and store the device safely when not using it

How to Reduce Fire Stick Data Usage

Here are the most important ways to reduce fire stick data usage:

  • Adjust Video Quality

As we have mentioned, your video’s quality partly determines the amount of data that your Fire Stick requires. High-quality content consumes more data than low quality, and the opposite is also true.

By default, your Fire Stick is designed to steam the best quality videos.

The steps for adjusting video quality differ slightly depending on the type of Fire Stick you use. If you want to reduce the data usage for your Amazon Fire Stick, follow these steps:

  1. Select Preferences on the settings menu
  2. Select Data Monitoring
  3. Tap Data Monitoring the second time to see the available Data Monitoring options
  4. Choose ‘Set Video Quality’
  5. Choose a lower video quality of your choice

In some cases, you may be required to follow these alternative steps:

  1. Menu
  2. Display and Sounds
  3. Video Resolution
  4. Select a lower resolution

In short, irrespective of your fire stick type, you can significantly reduce data consumption by reducing the video resolution or quality.

  • Disable Featured Content’s Video Autoplay

Featured content helps you to get previews of various shows or movies but consumes a lot of bandwidth. You can prevent that by following the steps below:

  1. Go to Menu and select Preferences
  2. Select Featured Content
  3. Disable ‘Allow Audio Autoplay” and ‘Allow Video Autoplay’
  • Disable Interest-Based Ads

Sometimes you may notice some ads neatly fused with featured content on the homepage. They consume your data too. You can stop them from using your data by following these steps:

  1. Go to Menu and then select Preferences
  2. Select Privacy Settings
  3. Tap interest-based Ads to change the status to OFF
  • Disable Automatic Updates

Fire Sticks are configured by default to install newly available apps automatically. Some of them may not serve your needs. So, you can update manually. To disable automatic updates, you should do the following:

  1. Go to Menu Settings and choose Applications
  2. Opt for Appstore
  3. Tap Automatic Updates to disable them

How Much Internet Do You Need for Amazon Fire Stick?

For Amazon Fire Stick, you need the following quantity of internet.

  • If you set the movie quality set to ‘Good’, the Fire Stick will use approximately 900MB of data per hour.
  • If you set it to the ‘Best Quality’, it will consume close to 3.5GB per hour
  • If you are playing 4K videos, the device will consume approximately 6 GB of data per hour.

Is 100 Mbps Fast Enough for Fire Stick

Video streaming can be taxing on your internet connection, particularly if many devices are connected simultaneously. However, for HD video streaming, you don’t have to have a 100 Mbps connection speed.

If you have 4K TV and want to watch 4K content, you need 25 Mbps. While it is a great idea to test your internet speed, you should not stress yourself to hit the 100Mbps mark even when you want to run HD content.

What is the Minimum Internet Speed Required for Amazon Fire Stick to Run HD Content? A connection of at least 3 Mbps is suitable for standard definition streaming. For HD video, a minimum of 5 Mbps will serve you well.

Why Does the Amazon Fire Stick Use so Much Data?

Amazon Fire Stick uses so much data since it is created by default to produce the best quality content. So, unless you change the settings, you are assured of getting HD content but at a cost.

The device displays featured content and interest-based ads. It also allows automatic updates, and all these can increase data consumption.

Can You Leave the Fire Stick Plugged in All the Time?

Yes, you can leave the Fire Stick plugged in all the time if you want. Nonetheless, you can plug the device into your TV’s powerful USB port if you want to shut it down.

By doing that, the device will start up whenever you turn on the television and shut down whenever you turn it off.

Does Fire Stick Use Data When TV is Off?

Yes, if the TV is off but the fire stick is on, it can still use some data. The best way out is to ensure that no power is getting into the device. Check out the best streaming sticks on Amazon that won’t let you down!

Conclusion

Fire Stick is an amazing component of your home entertainment system. Nonetheless, if you have never owned it before, you may think it always uses a lot of Wi-Fi.

That is not the case since you can use the methods we have shared above to reduce or stop data usage. If applicable, you can also use the Ethernet port or create a hotspot to access quality content via your fire stick.