Thailand has it all, from the sandy beaches of Hua Hin to the cool mountains of Chiang Mai. What it doesn’t have officially, however, is the Amazon Fire TV Stick.
You’ve probably already started researching how you can watch TV from home in Thailand but in this guide, I’ll be showing you how easy it is on an Amazon Fire TV or Fire TV Stick specifically.
The beauty of Thailand is why over 1 million British tourists and more than 20 million from across the world visit each year. Making it the most popular country for tourism in the world.
While Thailand clearly does tourism, beaches, nature, elephants, temples and Chang beer well it certainly doesn’t do TV well, at least not if you’re a tourist or expat.
If you’ve spent any length of time in Thailand then you’ll know there’s very little access to TV from your home country and this is why an Amazon Fire TV Stick can come in very useful. But you’ll need this little extra app to make it function.
Can I use a Fire TV Stick in Thailand?
Although you can’t buy an Amazon Fire TV Stick in Thailand (after all Amazon doesn’t exist in Thailand – except as a service station coffee shop) you can take one with you.
It works like it does in any other country, simply plug it into the TV. The only issue is you’ll find nearly all the apps don’t work.
I’ve got a British Fire TV Stick and services like BBC iPlayer, ITV Hub and TV Player just don’t work.
If you want to watch some TV from home on a desktop or tablet you’ll want to check out our 5 ridiculously easy steps to watch BBC iPlayer abroad, but the Fire TV and Fire Stick are a different story.
You can also watch the Netflix app in Thailand but it’s limited to the Thai selection which is massively reduced in comparison to the UK and US offering.
A VPN app will unlock your Fire TV Stick in Thailand
There’s an app called a ‘VPN‘ that will unlock your Fire TV Stick in Thailand or in fact any other country. So if you’re travelling to Laos, Myanmar, Cambodia or Vietnam it’ll work there too.
A VPN will let you access BBC iPlayer, ITV Hub and more. Although I’ve got a British Fire TV Stick it doesn’t matter what country you’re from.
If you’ve got an American Fire TV Stick for example then you’ll be able to unblock all your home apps such as NBC Sports and others.
It also doesn’t matter if you’ve got a Fire TV or a Fire TV Stick.
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Where can I get a VPN app for my Fire TV Stick
While there are something like 500 different providers of VPN apps most don’t work with the Fire TV Stick.
There are however a couple of good services which I’ve tested that work well.
Without a doubt my recommended VPN app for use with a Fire TV Stick in Thailand is ExpressVPN. They work well with all the Fire TV Stick apps and will let you unblock and access Netflix so you’re not stuck with the limited selection Thai Netflix catalogue.
There are a few other providers that are offering a good Fire TV Stick VPN app and 3 I recommend you check out are:
- ExpressVPN – Recommended, 30-day money back guarantee.
- CyberGhost VPN – Very simple app, great for beginners.
- NordVPN – Works with many different services.
How to install a VPN on your Fire TV Stick
You can install a VPN app from ExpressVPN or one of the other providers either when you’re in Thailand or before you leave your home country.
So there’s no rush to install before you leave and if you’re already sunning yourself in Phuket, Krabi or Pattaya there’s no need to panic.
You’ll of course first need an Amazon Fire TV or Fire TV Stick and if you haven’t got one yet then UK users can order one here. If you’re from another country then just search your respective Amazon store for ‘Fire TV’.
On your Amazon Fire TV Stick use the search function and type ‘ExpressVPN’.
Then click to install the discovered app.
Search for ‘ExpressVPN’.
Once it’s installed open the app and connect to your home country.
In my case, I connected to the United Kingdom.
Connect to your home country.
Once the app has connected you’re free to open any of your regular Fire TV Stick apps.
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What Fire TV apps can I now watch in Thailand?
For example, you’ll now be able to open TV Player or ITV Hub and watch it in Thailand.
If you want to watch BBC iPlayer then you’ll need to watch it via the Fire TV Stick web-browser Silk Browser or install FireFox and visit the BBC iPlayer website directly as it won’t work through the app.
If you’re from another country then you can watch all your home apps. For example US users can watch services like NBC Sports.
It’s also worth checking out the Netflix app because no matter where you’re from you’ll be able to access the American Netflix catalogue. It has more movies and TV shows than most regions and definitely more than the Thailand Netflix catalogue.
Summary
If you want to use your Amazon Fire TV or Fire TV Stick from the cool mountains of Chiang Mai or the beaches of Koh Chang then you’re going to need a VPN app.
I recommend ExpressVPN for this as they’re really easy to use and have a 30-day money back guarantee.
You can get their service 49% cheaper by taking their 12-month package which is definitely worth checking out.
Once you’ve signed up download their app directly from your Amazon Fire TV or Fire TV Stick by searching ‘ExpressVPN’. Then connect to your home country.
You can now watch all your favourite apps in Thailand.
Ready to get a VPN? Try our recommended VPN service provider
- Unblock Fire TV apps in Thailand
- Easy to set-up and use
- 30-day money back guarantee
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Hi, can the Fire Stick 4K version actually receive 4K/UHD quality Amazon Prime?
Hi Graham,
Do you mean when using a VPN or in general?
Hi. I was using my firestick in England and I am now in Thailand with not much to do now apart from stay in and watch bad TV haha. I have plugged my firestick into the HDMI on the TV and when I select the HDMI output from the TV remote (Samsung) it just shows a black screen. There is only 1 HDMI socket for the TV so there aren’t any more options I can think of. Im not sure if I used a password when I set it up as my son helped me. Hope you can help
Hi Wayne,
Lucky you! MonoTV has dual language but the films are often old, better than nothing.
In terms of the Firestick. Are you in a hotel? Sometimes they disable the HDMI port. Although I’m suspecting there’s only a slim chance of that.
Also just checking you have tried plugging in the power cable too?
This will cost about $50 for the set-up, but this WILL work on ANY tv. Buy a HDMI to RCA converter. Then, buy a RCA (RF) to COAXIAL converter. Unless your TV is more than 40 years old (unlikely), then it should have a coaxial input jack on the back. Connect the two devices together (with RCA cables normally included). plug your firestick into the HDMI to RCA converter. Then connect everything to the TV using a coaxial cable. Turn the TV on channel 3 (or 4) and there you go!!! If you have issues, go to YouTube. There is a video there to walk you through the set-up.
Thanks Spencer, that’s a great solution for TVs that don’t have a HDMI socket. Much appreciated you taking the time to post.
The link you’ve left is for a Firestick that is only delivered within the UK.
Hi Stephanie,
Unfortunately the Firestick is only available in a handful of countries. Ideally buying one in your home country and taking it with you or having a friend/relative buy one and send it to you would be the best solution.
There are some online reseller sites like UBuy that claim to send to Thailand but they’re from the US so would come pre-loaded with US apps. So it would depend what country you’re originally from.
Alternatively you could try some of the markets / tech malls like Pantip, but I don’t know if you would find them there as they would have to be imports.
Im in USA and wondering if I buy fire stick and express vpn, will i be able to watch Thai tv and thai netflix from US without paying extra ? Thanks
Hi Fred,
TV Thai is only accessible via websites and they don’t have apps for the fire stick. You may be able to watch them via the built in browser though.
Unfortunately while Thai Netflix did work in the past it’s very difficult to access these days and most VPN providers are blocked.