Anycast vs Firestick

You stream your favorite shows on your laptop and sometimes on your TV by using a HDMI cable. You have grown tired of using your laptop as a streaming device and you want to have a seamless experience. Since you don’t have the budget to get a smart TV, you decide to convert your LED TV into a smart TV. You’re torn between the anycast and fire stick. You ask yourself, what’s the difference between the two?

So what’s the difference between Anycast and a fire stick? Fire Stick comes with a remote for control while Anycast comes without. While this may seem like a minor difference, it may be the difference between an average user experience and a great user experience.

This doesn’t necessarily mean that Anycast is inferior to the Fire Stick. Besides remote control, keep in mind features, performance, and price.

What Are The Differences Between Anycast and Fire Stick? 

	Anycast	Fire Stick
Control	No Remote. Uses smartphone instead	Comes with a remote which includes a voice command
Setup	Phone-based	TV-based
Compatibility	Laptop compatible	Incompatible
	Check Price	Check Price

Anycast vs Fire Stick – How Do They Compare?

• Remote Control

The main difference is in the remote controller as stated earlier. Fire Stick comes with a remote controller and helps you navigate, select and flip through channels, and control your streaming device. With Anycast, you can turn your smartphone into a remote controller. This works best in a room where you’re seated away from your TV and want to be able to control your TV as you always would.

• Voice Command Capability

The Amazon Fire Stick comes with Alexa for voice command remote to help you find your favorite TV shows using your own voice. You can tell your Firestick to search for your favorite movie, director, actor, and even genre. You can even command it to fast forward a movie by 2 minutes.

On Anycast, you have to select a movie or TV show on your phone using a media app like VLC player or web page and display the content by casting it on the TV. To access Netflix, you’ll have to either download the Netflix app on your phone or go to your phone browser and still access Netflix by visiting its address. It’s also compatible with a tablet or iPad.

• Setup Method

 You directly set up the Firestick on your TV by following on-screen instructions and prompts such as Wi-Fi and account log in. With Anycast, you’ll perform the setup via your smartphone. For instance, connecting to a wireless network. The Fire Stick will display the available networks on your TV screen while Anycast will require you to connect to the Wi-Fi on your phone the same you would do on your phone.

• PC Compatibility

Anycast can work via a Windows laptop. You can display content to your TV from your laptop using MiraCast. This will require a USB HDMI converter. With Fire Stick, the content is purely provided via the Fire Stick streaming device.

It’s worth noting that even though the Firestick comes with a remote controller with a voice command, it doesn’t necessarily mean better performance. Anycast on the other hand offers you an experience you are already familiar with. You already own and operate a smartphone, so setting up and using Anycast will most likely be familiar and faster.

It is also important to compare the price and what you’re getting in terms of quality. Since Anycast doesn’t come with a remote controller, it’s significantly cheaper but requires a further investment in an Android or iOS phone.

Anycast vs Fire Stick – A Comparison Overview

Anycast Overview

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Streaming services devices are all designed with the user in mind and intent on giving the user a seamless viewing experience in one place. It will give you access to free videos such as Facebook and YouTube. With the likes of Netflix, Hulu etcit will work the right workaround giving you the same experience as on a Smart TV is what it’s all about.

Anycast is based on casting content from anywhere (hence the name).

How does it work?

It streams content like video and songs from your smartphone to your TV via the Anycast dongle that is plugged into the TV through an HDMI port. It requires a Wi-Fi connection to stream online content from service providers such as Netflix, Hulu, etc. Your mobile phone serves as a remote controller.

Pros

• Faster and simple setup
• Cheaper

Cons 

• Lacks a remote
• Relies on a smartphone

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Fire Stick Overview

A Fire Stick is able to stream content over a Wi-Fi connection through a Fire Stick dongle that looks like your usual flash disk and is plugged into the TV via an HDMI port.

Pros 

• Comes with a remote for standalone control
• Has a voice command search capability

Cons 

• It is relatively expensive

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Conclusion

Anycast and Fire Stick both offer an alternative to smart TVs to provide you with seamless content streaming at the comfort of your home. They both make use of a dongle, Wi-Fi, and a control device.

Verdict: Which Is Better? Anycast or Fire Stick?

The major difference between these two streaming devices is how to control the TV. Anycast uses a smartphone, tablet, or iPad and Fire Stick uses its own remote controller with voice search capabilities. Fire Stick proves to be more convenient and reliable. Their remote control uses batteries that don’t require frequent charging and are specifically meant for control. You can also make use of the voice command capability if your hands are full.

FAQs

Is Anycast only compatible with Android phones?

Anycast is compatible with most smartphones. Although it’s more popular and common with Android phones, it is also compatible with an iPhone and tablet. With the right configuration it runs on Windows 7, 8, and 10 laptops.

Can I watch Netflix on Anycast?

Unfortunately, protected videos like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video can’t be directly casted due to DRM protocol protection. For now it can only support free video such as YouTube. On your iOS devices, you can download these videos to your phone and mirror to your TV using AirPlay. On your Android device, you can use Miracast to display if your phone supports HDCP.