If you’ve ever considered buying a Fire TV streamer, now might be the best time. I’d still steer most people towards an Apple TV 4K if they can afford one, or maybe the Google TV Streamer, but Amazon is releasing a major overhaul of Fire OS to solve long-standing issues with the software. That includes speed, which should hopefully make Fire TV devices more competitive with their rivals.
One thing you may be considering before taking the plunge is whether it’s safe to leave a Fire TV add-on plugged in all the time. The short version is that it shouldn’t be a problem, although you’ll probably want to power it down periodically for a couple of reasons. In fact, most of the time, shutting it down entirely is going to be counterproductive.
What happens when you leave a Fire TV device plugged in
Mostly positives, a couple of negatives
Whether you’ve got a Stick, a Cube, or a full-fledged Fire TV, any Fire OS device will automatically switch into Low Power Mode after a set period of inactivity, or when you deliberately put it to sleep. You can press the Select button on the remote to wake your device back up. I should note here that if you’re powering a Stick via your TV’s USB port, it’s going to shut off whenever your TV does. That’s why it’s best to use a wall adapter, unless you don’t mind waiting for your streamer to…