In the past few tutorials I’ve shown how you can use the wonderful program called ES File Explorer to not only install Kodi but also keep it updated to the latest version. While it will work there are drawbacks to it, one of those being that you can’t install the shortcut to Kodi on the Fire TV’s home screen. It doesn’t mean much to some but for me I like having the ability to simply click an app from the main menu and it launches. The only way to do this is through the program called ADBFire.
As I was about to post a tutorial on how to clone a Fire TV I stopped and figured I better start with showing how to install Kodi on the Fire TV first.
The other day I wrote a quick but simple tutorial on how you can add a Kodi shortcut to your Fire TV through the use of ADBFire. I was somewhat following a guide that the users who had followed my series explaining how to install Kodi through ES File Explorer but if you’re like me and need that shortcut on the home screen it makes more sense to install Kodi through the use of ADBFire on your computer or laptop.
That being said I still install ES File Explorer to install plugins in Kodi or simply just to update it to the latest version because I’d rather use that method then pulling out my laptop or using my computer all the time.
At the end of the day it’s up to you, but if you’re new to ADBFire I’ve put together a quick guide on how to install Kodi.
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How To Install Kodi with ADBFire on the FireTV
It’s not to complicated but of course you’re going to need a few tools.
- A Fire TV of course.
- You’ll need a copy of ADBFire, you can download it here.
- You’re also going to need the latest copy of Kodi. To find it simply go to the Kodi Download page and choose the “ARM” version under Android. If you’re unsure please watch the video above for a walkthrough. Be sure to save it in a place where you’ll remember.
- Finally you’re going to have to get the FireTV’s IP address. If you’ve managed to connect it to the internet (via wireless or ethernet port) then you can find it by simply navigating the FireTV menu and going to “SETTINGS”, then over to “SYSTEM”, “ABOUT” and finally scroll down to “NETWORK”. You won’t be able to click anything but you should see the network details in the pane on the right, inside here you should see IP Address and typically a 192.168.0.xxx number. Write this down for future reference.
Those things are all you’ll need to get started and finished. Make sure you install ADBFire before proceeding to the next step.
Let’s Install Kodi on the Fire TV Now
Now that we’ve got the important stuff out of the way it’s time to setup our FireTV in ADBFire. To do this the only thing we will need is the IP address which was mentioned in above.
- We need to make sure a few options on the FireTV are properly configured first and foremost. On your FireTV scroll down to the “SETTINGS” menu. Moving right we should see a “SYSTEM” option, open it and then scroll down until you find “DEVELOPER OPTIONS”. When you open developer options you’ll want to make sure both “Adb Debugging” and “Apps from Unknown Sources” is set to ON.
- Now move back to your computer and open up ADBFire. From here we need to setup our device so click the button labelled “Setup Device” (duh!).
- Inside of this popup you should be greeted with a list of options. Truth be told the only real thing to be of importance is the description and IP address. The description can be anything you want, I recommened naming it something like “FireTVLivingRoom” for example. In the IP Address enter the 192.168.1.xxx number and finally click save.
- Back on the main window of ADBFire we want to now hit the “Connect” button.
- If successful you should see in the lower right corner of ADBFire “ADB Running” and “Device Connected”. Great!
- The next step is to click the “Install APK” button.
- You should now be greeted with a popup box (like Finder or Windows Explorer) where you can browse to the Kodi APK file that you downloaded above. Simply select it and choose “Open”
- You’ll be prompted with an alert box asking if it should proceed installing Kodi, select “yes” to continue.
- You should now see a progress bar in ADBFire (on my mac it’s in the lower right corner). Once it’s complete however you’ll get a popup telling you it’s been installed.
- Click OK and PRESTO, you’ve now installed Kodi onto your FireTV with ADBFire.
The Next Steps
Now that you’ve got Kodi installed I would highly recommend following my tutorial on how to add Kodi to the Fire TV home screen. With ADBFire already open you really don’t need to do to much more and it makes if much easier launching the program moving forward.
If you choose not to you can still open Kodi (or any other APK) by simply going to your “SETTINGS” then “APPLICATIONS”, and finally finding “MANAGE INSTALLED APPLICATIONS”. If everything was successful you should see Kodi in this list, when you click it you will be given the option to “Launch Application”.
The rest is up to you, I would recommend diving into installing some addons/plugins to get the full Kodi experience. Of course if you’ve got a large media library at home you can add those. Otherwise check out the Fusion addon for Kodi to learn more and enhance your experience.
