This article will address some commons questions around security for Amazon Fire Stick.
Physical Security:
This is a part that's very easily get overlooked, but it's the easiest for things to go wrong with your devices.
1. Securing your TV & Fire Stick:
Many TV mount has security lock feature to prevent someone just walking off with your TV. Please refer to your TV mount manual for more detail
For FireStick, if you want to secure it as well, you can use a standard adhesive anchors, anti theft hardware cable like this one.
You can also buy protection box to cover the whole TV. Especially if you going to use it outdoor. More information here.
2. Protect access to your Fire Stick Remote:
Put your remote somewhere safe, if you have many Fire Stick, it's a good practice to label them so you know which one is for which TV later.
For convenience, you can always use the mobile app for Fire OS Remote to control the Fire Stick from your iPhone or Android Phone. More information here.
Cyber/Network Security:
This is the part about security for software, network to your Fire Sticks.
1. Enable Parental Lock/Control for Fire Stick
This help to prevent someone who get access to your Fire Stick Remote to use the Fire Stick.You can set lock so that it can not launch any other app except OptiSigns.
- On the Fire TV homepage, go to Settings.
- Within Settings, go to the menu item Preferences.
- Select Parental Controls.
- To enable parental controls, enter your PIN.
2. Use a different Amazon account for your digital signs
You can create a new free amazon account to register and log in the Fire Stick, you don't even need credit card associated with this. You can use this account exclusively for your Fire Sticks that are Digital Signage Player. This help to prevent issue in case someone gained access to the Fire Stick.
One Amazon account can be used for as many Fire Stick as you'd like. So you only need to set it up once.
3. Use a different/guest WiFi network for your Fire Stick
If you concern about your main WiFi network, or if your organization has some very restrictive Firewall set up and make using Fire Stick on the organization network not possible. You can set up a guest WiFi network for your Fire Stick. It's common for organization to have guest network with less restriction, and most of the modern WiFi routers, systems support it now. Speed is not a major concern for Digital Signage application, and OptiSigns only need a simple access to internet to work.
4. Using Ethernet Cable for your network
A even more secured way is to connect your FireStick to Ethernet cable for network. This will disable WiFi on the FireStick automatically. You will need a Ethernet Adapter for $14.99.
5. Make sure your Fire Stick OS software is up to date:
Amazon regularly release security fixes, patches for Fire OS.It's automatically pushed to your devices. But you can manually check by:
- Select Settings > My Fire TV > Device from the Fire OS setting menu.
- Go to Software Version section to view the software version currently installed on your Fire TV.
- Select Check for System Update to see if a software update is available for your device.
6. Don't download other apps to the Fire Stick
If the Fire Stick is used for Digital Signage, you don't need to download other apps to the devices. It will help you to save space, improve performance.
If you need to download other app, it's best to stick with official apps on the Amazon App Store only.
That's it, these are the common security considerations if you want to more securely deploy your Fire Stick as digital signage player.
Need more advanced, enterprise level security?
You may want to look at:
Raspberry Pi: fully support Linux, you can run the distribution of your choosing that fit your organization security requirements.
Or ChromeOS devices, ChromeOS is known for its enterprise support, from hardened hardware to Google Cloud Enterprise Device Management that allow you to remote manage devices, apply patches and more.
Feel free to reach out to us at info@optisigns.com for a free consultation call regard this topic.
