[Fire TV General] TakeTheActive:
I personally went through this 'exercise' last week with a 'Brand-New-in-the-Box' Firestick 'Tank' (i.e. FOS5). I already knew, in my mind - DO NOT ALLOW IT TO UPDATE!!! - so my first step was to determine its MAC ID, assign it a STATIC IP, then BLOCK that Static IP from WAN access (while still allowing LAN access so that I could 'play around' and side-load apps from my NAS onto my device. [Contrary to ALL the videos explaining tools like Downloader on YouTube, I DO NOT delete any apks I've downloaded to my devices (i.e. Firesticks, Tablets, etc...) but I first COPY them to my NAS. Back in my early computer days, we spent HOURS downloading programs with 300 baud acoustic modems so you didn't DELETE, you SAVED - in case you needed to re-install at a later date. Folks today seem to just 'assume' that the internet, and the programs on it today, will be there tomorrow. All the Linux packages that I read about seem to work the same way - 'apt get' / 'apt update' / 'apt install'. Anyways, I'm 'drifting' off-topic... :oops: ]

Initially, I found my MAC ID on my Pi-Hole DHCP Router but later I discovered, on the Firestick 'Pick a WiFi Network' screen (not the RIGHT name, but you know what I mean) to the FAR RIGHT, voila - MAC ID :redface: . Next problem is a New Firestick WILL NOT do anything without being Registered and it WILL NOT get to Registration without WAN access - BUT - with WAN access, the first thing it wants to do is UPDATE so 'Catch 22' :mad: . It's a 'fine line' dance that you have to participate in, and, while nervously watching the UPDATE progress line grow longer and longer, I pulled the power cord out of my new Firestick 'Tank' at least 5 or 6 times until I reached the 'Block the Six DNS Addresses on my Pi-Hole DHCP Server' method.

I started with the ADB 'pm disable' method for the following two items on my virgin 'Tank':

That didn't work for me (the shell returned some errors that I didn't write down).

Then, I tried 'Block the Six DNS Addresses on my Router' method - nada again. [This must be the 'HTTP vs HTTPS Router Problem' that I read about.] If I was more alert, and folks didn't use '

here

' as the TEXT for IMPORTANT URLs, I might have used it earlier and not have allowed the UPDATE progress line grow so long :rolleyes:. [i.e. leave your Firestick UNPLUGGED and use the '

here

' URL to test your 'Blocking Methods' - when the '

here

' URL file FAILS to download, you're safe.]

But, now Firestick Updates are blocked across my entire LAN and I can safely plug in my second Firestick 4K 'Mantis' (FOS6) and 'play around' with @SweenWolf 's Launch Manager and Wolf Launcher :cool:. I also noticed that, unceremoniously, @SweenWolf posted LAUNCHER MANAGER (1.0.7) (FOS5) in Post #1 (Thanks! (y) ):

There's also FTVLaunchX (recommended to me by @Finnzz ), LauncherHijack, and ATV Launcher, IIRC, that I can look into for my 'Tank' (currently BLOCKED from Updating and running FOS 5.2.4.2) if FOS5 LM 1.07 doesn't work out :cool: .

This method, from AFTVNews in 2014, is EXACTLY the method that WORKED PERFECTLY for my virgin 'Tank' a few days ago (where I mentioned up-thread about the PITA timing between allowing WAN access, getting the 'Connection Successful' message and then IMMEDIATELY denying WAN access to prevent UPDATES. When you get the timing 'just right', you'll move onto the Registration process, where you can then safely unblock WAN access as long as your DHCP Server is HTTPS BLOCKING the six DNS addresses mentioned elsewhere on AFTVNews). If you get the timing WRONG, your Firestick will just 'loop back' to 'Scan for WiFi Network' screen (and force you to re-select your SSID and re-enter your Password) OR it will continue downloading the UPDATE until you pull out the power plug. :eek:

I had originally intended to wait until I 'tried this out' on my virgin Firestick 4K 'Mantis' and verified the steps, but, I take so long to get around to things nowadays and the forum is pretty much discussing the topic NOW, so I at least wanted to post my recent experience as a 'Data Point'.

P.S. If someone reading this Firestick thread knows, offhand, the DNS addresses to block to prevent Amazon Fire Tablet updates, that is another item on my ToDo List, when I get a 'Round Tuit' ;) . I have ~6 'Brand-New-in-the-Box' Amazon Fire Tablets (2015, 2016 and 2017) that I plan to use as Smart Home Display Devices (along with a 'Brand-New-in-the-Box' Creality 3D Printer to make the holders, from Thingiverse plans, to attach the tablets to various walls and my refrigerator). TIA :)