Welcome to my updated step-by-step guide: “How to connect Firestick to a non-smart TV!”
These days, anyone with a Smart TV probably isn’t that interested in a Firestick since their TV is already set up to do all the same things. Firestick and other Android TV devices are more for those without a Smart TV who want to be able to connect to the internet to stream their content. But can you even connect a Firestick to a non-smart TV?
Of course, you can! That is what they were designed for in the first place. But the area where there is still some confusion is whether you can connect a Firestick to an older TV, specifically a TV without an HDMI input. While the Firestick isn’t designed for these older TVs, with a bit of extra work, you actually can connect and get streaming on these older screens.
In this article, we will go through exactly what you need and how to connect a Firestick to an older TV. But bear in mind: Just because you get the latest Firestick 4K Max doesn’t mean you’ll be enjoying 4K pictures and Dolby sound. The quality of what you see on your TV is only as good as the weakest link in your set-up, so you’ll still be getting the old-fashioned quality of your older TV.
How To Connect A Firestick To A Non-Smart TV
If you have a TV that is less than 15 years old but isn’t a Smart TV, it is easy to connect your Firestick via its HDMI port. In fact, these are the TVs that Firesticks were designed to smartify. Basically, once you have your Firestick (and batteries for your remote), you are ready to get started.
Plug your Firestick into a power source to give it some juice using the power cord provided. Next, plug your Firestick into one of the available HDMI slots on your TV.
Use your TV remote to select the input for the HDMI port that has your Firestick. Remember that most TVs have more than one HDMI input. Once you find the right input, the Firestick menu should appear on your screen. At this point, it will probably ask you to sign into your Wi-Fi. Follow the onscreen instructions to do exactly that.
Once you are connected to the Wi-Fi, your Firestick will be able to speak to Amazon, and you will be asked to sign into your Amazon account. You do need an Amazon account to use the device, but you only need a free Amazon account; you don’t need a Prime account. If you don’t already have an account, you will need to go online and create one on your computer or smartphone.
Once you are set up, you will be able to navigate around the Fire TV environment, but you may or may not be able to control things like your TV volume and turn your TV on and off. Whether you will be able to reprogram your Fire TV remote to do these things as well will depend on your TV.
Read our complete guide to reprogramming your Fire TV remote here.
What If Your TV Doesn’t Have An HDMI Input?
If you speak to most people, they will tell you that you need a HDMI input on your TV to use Firestick since it is designed to work with HDMI. But if you have an older TV without HDMI, all is not lost.
You can buy a converter that will turn your Firestick HDMI input into either component or composite output to be compatible with your older TV.
Components are the small red, green, blue, and white plugs, and composite outputs are the three small yellow, red, and white plugs that are familiar to older TVs. If you have a choice between the two, go with the component as it gives better sound and picture quality.
Once you have this adapter, connecting your Firestick to your TV is the same process as above, just with the adapter as the middleman between plugging in your Firestick and connecting to your TV. But you certainly won’t be able to control other aspects of your TV, such as your volume, with your Fire TV remote.
Find HDMI-To-Component Converters On Amazon
You can expect to pay between $18-25 for an HDMI-to-component converter on Amazon.
- EASYCEL HDMI to Component Converter (4.5 stars, 291 reviews)
- Portta Component to HDMI Converter (4 stars, 1,640 reviews)
- Dingsun HDMI to YPbPr (Component) Converter (4 stars, 1,590 reviews)
- LiNKFOR 1080P HDMI to Component Converter (4 stars, 1,537 reviews)
- NEWCARE Component to HDMI Adapter (4 stars, 1,365 reviews)
Find HDMI-To-Composite Converters On Amazon
You can expect to pay between $10-15 for an HDMI-to-component converter on Amazon.
- ABLEWE RCA to HDMI Converter (4.5 stars, 33,092 reviews)
- Tengchi RCA to HDMI Converter (4.5 stars, 12,807 reviews)
- LVY HDMI to RCA (Composite) Converter (4.5 stars, 5,110 reviews)
- UPGROW RCA to HDMI Converter (4.5 stars, 3,012 reviews)
- TaiHuai HDMI to RCA TV Adapter (4.5 stars, 809 reviews)
Will I Get 4K On My TV With A Firestick 4K?
No. You can buy the latest and most expensive Firestick with 4K and Dolby Audio, but you won’t be able to enjoy any of this on an older TV.
Your home entertainment set-up will always only be as good as its “weakest link.” If you don’t have a 4K TV, your screen won’t be able to deliver 4K picture quality even if your Firestick can deliver it. If you have an old HD Firestick, you won’t get 4K on your fancy TV.
For this reason, if you have an older TV (and you aren’t thinking of upgrading in the near future), it probably isn’t worth it to get the latest Firestick as you will get the same results with a more affordable model.
You can read our review of all the Firesticks and our recommendations for which you should use with different home entertainments set-ups here.
FAQs
Can I use Firestick on a non-smart TV?
Yes, you can use Firestick on a non-smart TV. Plug it into the HDMI port on your TV to “smartify” it and start streaming content. If you have an older TV without an HDMI input port, you will need to buy an HDMI-to-composite or HDMI-to-component adapter.
Are some TVs too old for Firestick?
You can technically connect your Firestick to any TV as long as you have a converter to allow it to accept HDMI, but you won’t have the full functionality of the Firestick. The Fire TV remote won’t be able to control things like volume and power on your older TV. Also, a Firestick won’t upgrade the picture or sound quality of your existing TV.
How do I connect my non-smart TV to Wi-Fi?
TVs are basically considered non-smart because they don’t connect to the internet. To get your non-smart TV online, you will need to input a device such as a Firestick or an Android TV box. These devices connect to your Wi-Fi but display their output on your screen.
How do I connect my phone to a non-smart TV?
If you have a non-smart TV that does not connect to Wi-Fi, the only way to sync it up to your phone for mirroring or other activities is to plug a smart device, such as a Firestick or Android TV Box, into your TV. You will then connect your phone to this device, which will display your output on your screen. But you can download most of the apps that you have on your phone directly on these devices, so you can complete the same tasks without having to use your phone at all.
The Verdict
Yes, you can use a Firestick with a non-smart TV. In fact, the device is specifically designed to “smartify” non-Smart TVs that don’t already have the functionality to stream great entertainment content.
But many people will also tell you that you can’t use a Firestick with a TV that doesn’t have an HDMI port as it needs to plug into that port. While that is true, you can buy an adapter that will convert HDMI to the component or composite input that your older TV has.
Of course, if you do this, you will be limited. You will be restricted to the picture and sound quality that your TV is capable of delivering, and you won’t be able to control things like the volume of your TV using the Firestick remote.
But if you want to stream some of the most popular shows on your older TV that aren’t available elsewhere, there is a way to do it with Firestick.
Do you have any helpful Firestick hacks? Share them with the community in the comments section below.
