Stick not working

[Anonymous User]

Hi,

My stick isn’t working at all, the light isn’t even coming on. I’ve tried it with different plugs and different sockets, but it seems to be dead.

It’s just over 2 years old so isn’t covered by it’s guarantee anymore.

Does anyone know if there’s anything else I could try to get it working again please?

Or if not- I’m not very tech-y at all!- does anyone know if I could buy a new stick and just connect it to the nowtv account I’ve already got, so I don’t have to redo all my preferences/ passes etc, please?

TIA x

[gavs82008]

@Anonymous User 

Have you tried another USB power cable? As it could be the cable itself. 

Another suggestion would be to plug the cable into the USB port of your TV and power it that way.

You could have a nosy at this link for setting the stick back to factory settings. 

https://help.nowtv.com/article/hard-factory-reset-now-box-stick

From a personal standpoint, I would recommend against purchasing a NOW stick, if I were you, I would purchase an Amazon Fire Stick. Slightly more expensive, but gives you the option for the Ethernet adapter. 

[schnapps]

Hi @Anonymous User 

Should @gavs82008  sound advice not get the NOW Stick running again and the Stick is broken.

Also when attempting to factory reset the existing NOW Stick, hold the small reset button for about 15 seconds rather than the shorter time mentioned on the NOW Help Article and even if the white light is not showing on the Stick make sure both the Stick and television is powered on when factory resetting the old Stick.

Then to answer the last part of your question, then yes when you do decide to buy a replacement NOW playback device and when you set it up, just use your existing email address and password used on your existing NOW account.

Then any current active Memberships will be available to watch on your new NOW playback device, where you can have a maximum of up to six devices on a single NOW account.

[gavs82008]

@schnapps thanks for picking up on the last part of the question from @Anonymous User 

[Anonymous User]

That’s great, thank you both, I really appreciate it! 🙏🏼
I’ll try everything you’ve suggested once my little one’s in bed in a bit.

Why wouldn’t you suggest going for a Now TV stick? I’m not sure what an Ethernet adapter is, is that why you’d go for a Fire Stick instead? Or is it about the service?

[gavs82008]

@Anonymous User 

In my opinion I’ve found that the NOW stick is prone to over heating, which one can only assume reduces the lifespan of the device. 

Compared to Amazon fire sticks the NOW stick is sluggish and sometimes can lose Wi-fi connection for almost no reason. 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07ZZW3KJY/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_P628QZ2TEH6R3E19HTRR

As for the Ethernet adapter. Very few streaming sticks allow this, but with Amazon if you purchase the below you’ll be able to connect the stick to the router via cable. Assuming you are close to it.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01LXP5TXI/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_AG0AX5K7ASRWAVKQS6B5?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

[schnapps]

Hi @Anonymous User 

When trying a USB port on the television to power up the NOW Stick if a light does reappear on the Stick and you get a message on the television screen saying something like "insufficient power" then see if any of your USB ports are rated at 900MA or 0.9A or higher.

If the light does reappear on the Stick then there is a good chance it's not broken.

Also when you said you tried different plugs, i am assuming you have a USB charger plug rated at 5V DC 1A or higher that you find with certain mobile smartphone, tablets or other streaming devices.

If you have found the old NOW Stick working fine in the past with no issues with loss of connection, picture buffering, or need to regularly replace the batteries on the NOW remote or need to keep repairing the NOW remote then if you are happy with the NOW Stick then maybe buy a replacement Stick.

If you can stretch your budget a little further, then a Roku Player or Amazon Fire Stick would be my replacement choice over the NOW Stick (assuming you don't use the live pause TV feature on the NOW Stick ?).

[Anonymous User]

Ah I see, thank you both so much 🙏🏼 I’m not tech-y at all, so I really appreciate you helping me with this! 🙏🏼
My stick was regularly over-heating, and regularly lost connection (usually at important moments in whatever I was watching!), so that really makes sense, thank you. I’ll look into the Roku and Fire Sticks.

I tried a kid’s camera charger plug/ cable, I’ve got an iPhone so I wasn't sure if my phone charger would plug in? I’ll have a more thorough try after bedtime. I haven’t tried it plugged back into the TV yet, so I’ll give that a go too, thank you 🙏🏼 

[Anonymous User]

Thinking about the remote- I’ve replaced the batteries twice (in just over 2 years), so I’m not sure if that’s normal for this type of device, or too regular?

I actually replaced them this morning, and the stick ‘died’ about 2 or 3 minutes later- could it be connected at all?

[gavs82008]

@Anonymous User 

From memory, the NOW stick are battery drainers. That’s because the remote is “always” on, again if I’m not mistaken.

[schnapps]

Hi @Anonymous User 

Might be just a coincidence with regards to changing the batteries and the Stick then stopped working.

You can try ploughing through this trouble shooting help guide linked below.

https://help.nowtv.com/article/remote-control-troubleshooting 

Whilst at it i would be also tempted to try a reboot of your Router before carrying out the trouble shooting instructions.

Replacing the batteries twice in two years is extremely good for the NOW Stick smart remote, where i was replacing batteries every 4 weeks approx on my NOW Smart voice remote controller.

[Anonymous User]

That makes so much sense about plugging it into the TV, thank you 😊 I went through a spell of turning the stick off everytime I turned the TV off, and it didn’t overheat, but it didn’t overheat every day anyway, so I wasn’t sure if it was really making any difference.

I’ve had loads of trouble with routers, so I’ll definitely look into that, thank you 😊 

[schnapps]

Hi @Anonymous User 

Because there is no light either on or blinking on the Stick then it would normally point to one of the 3 components is at fault ie The Stick itself, the USB cable which could be broken or the supplied power adapter which is not providing power to the Stick.

Once your have eliminated the USB cable by using a replacement cable and trying the USB port if there is one on your television (where newer television should have a USB 900ma or 1A USB port on them if they have more than one USB port) or swapping out the mains plug with a suitable USB 5V DC 1A mains charger plug then the fault lies with the NOW Stick and might need replacing.

When looking at either the Fire Stick or Roku Player product range do you research on them because they are slightly different and may not have all the things that you might be used too using the NOW Stick.

[gavs82008]

@Anonymous User 

The main positive thing to note when you have the stick plugged into the TV is that it will only be powered on when the TV is on. This I found the better method of preventing the overheating. 

If you can get it working and solved the overheating via TV USB for power it might in turn help the Wi-fi connection from dropping out. 
Don’t get me wrong the NOW stick is great bargain for money, it’s knowing how to prevent the overheating and having the power on only when your planning to use the stick. Otherwise that’s when the issues arise.