This guide walks you through setting up an Android TV or streaming stick with the BetterSTR TV launcher. You’ll enable developer mode on the device, run the BetterSTR TV Setup tool on your computer, scan your network, provision the device, and pair it to one of your properties.
🧩 Requirements
Before you begin, make sure you have:
An Android TV or Google TV device (smart TV, or a stick such as the Google TV Streamer or Xiaomi TV Stick)
A Mac or Windows computer on the same network as the TV
The BetterSTR TV Setup tool (download link below)
A BetterSTR account with at least one property set up
🔧 Step 1: Put the Device into Developer Mode
The setup tool talks to the TV over ADB, which is only available once developer mode is on. On the TV:
Open Settings.
Go to System → About.
Scroll to Android TV OS build (or Build) and click it 7 times until you see “You are now a developer”.
Go back to Settings → System → Developer options.
Turn on USB debugging. On a stick with no USB port, turn on Wireless debugging instead.
Make sure the TV is connected to the same Wi–Fi network as your computer.
If the device doesn’t appear later
The exact menu names vary slightly by brand, but the path is always About → tap Build 7× → Developer options → enable debugging. If your TV doesn’t show up when you scan in Step 4, developer mode or debugging isn’t enabled yet — revisit this step.
💾 Step 2: Download and Run BetterSTR TV Setup
Download — macOS: BetterSTR-TV-Setup-macOS.zip
Download — Windows: BetterSTR-TV-Setup-Windows.zip
Extract the ZIP file.
macOS: hold ⌘ Command and right-click the app, then choose “Open” (required the first time).
Windows: open the extracted BetterSTR-TV-Setup folder and run BetterSTR-TV-Setup.exe. If a blue “Windows protected your PC” box appears, click More info → Run anyway (it’s an unsigned in-house tool).
The tool opens to a device list with a Scan Network button.
🔍 Step 3: Click “Scan Network”
Click Scan Network. The tool searches your local network for Android devices with ADB enabled and lists each one’s name, model, IP address, Android version and the currently installed app version.
📺 Step 4: Choose the Android Device
Select your TV from the list.
Device not listed?
If your TV doesn’t appear, developer mode / ADB is not enabled — go back to Step 1. The first time you connect, the TV may show an “Allow debugging?” prompt — accept it (tick Always allow) and scan again.
⚙️ Step 5: Click “Provision Selected Device”
With your device selected, click Provision selected device. The tool installs the BetterSTR TV app and configures it automatically — you’ll see each step tick off in the log, finishing with the home screen launching on the TV.
🔗 Step 6: Pair the TV to a Property
On the TV, the BetterSTR TV home screen shows a QR code. On your phone:
Scan the QR code — it opens the device’s setup page in BetterSTR.
Select the property this TV belongs to.
The TV will pick up the property’s guidebook, Wi–Fi details and branding on its next refresh.
✅ You’re all set!
Your Android TV is now running the BetterSTR TV launcher and paired to your property. Future app updates are delivered automatically over the air.
🔒 Advanced: Device Owner mode (full feature set)
Setting the device up as a Device Owner unlocks our most powerful features:
- Silent over-the-air updates — new versions install automatically, with no prompts
- Locked Home screen — guests always land on your branded screen, and it survives app updates
- Guest reset at checkout — automatically sign guests out of Netflix, Disney+ and other apps after they leave
Device Owner can only be set on a device that has no Google account yet — so the order matters. Use a brand-new device, or factory reset an existing one, then follow these steps in order:
Factory reset the device (Settings → System → Reset / Reset to factory defaults) — or start with one fresh out of the box. This gives you the best, full suite of features.
During first-time setup, skip the Wi–Fi / network step. With no internet, the device lets you continue without signing into a Google account — this is the key.
Do not sign in to Google yet. Get all the way to the home screen with no account added.
Enable Developer options (Settings → System → About → click Build 7×), then turn on Wireless debugging.
Now connect Wi–Fi.
Run the BetterSTR TV Setup tool and Provision the device. It installs the app and sets it as Device Owner (this succeeds because no account is present).
Only now sign in to Google (Settings → Accounts & sign-in) so the Play Store works for Netflix, Disney+, Plex, etc. Device Owner stays in place.
On the TV, scan the QR code to pair it to a property.
Why skip Wi–Fi first?
Most Android TV devices force a Google sign-in if they’re online during setup — and once an account exists, Device Owner can no longer be set without another factory reset. Skipping the network lets you finish setup account-free, provision as owner, and then add the Google account.
🛠️ Advanced setup — ADB (no desktop tool)
If you’re comfortable with ADB you can provision a TV by hand instead of using the BetterSTR TV Setup app — handy for scripting or for Linux users. First complete Step 1 above (developer mode + USB/Wireless debugging), make sure the TV is on your network, and install Android platform-tools (which provides adb) on your computer.
Then run the following (replace <TV-IP> with your TV’s IP address):
# Connect (accept the "Allow debugging?" prompt on the TV the first time)
adb connect <TV-IP>:5555
D=<TV-IP>:5555
# 1) Download + install the latest build. -i + --update-ownership make it the
# installer of record so it can update itself silently (OTA) on Android 12+.
VER=$(curl -s https://api.betterstr.com/device/firmware/android-tv/version.json | grep -o '"base_version"[^,]*' | cut -d'"' -f4)
curl -L -o betterstr-tv.apk https://api.betterstr.com/device/firmware/android-tv/$VER.apk
adb -s $D install -r --update-ownership -i nz.co.unix.iptv betterstr-tv.apk
# 2) Allow it to install future (OTA) updates, change settings, and control standby
adb -s $D shell appops set nz.co.unix.iptv REQUEST_INSTALL_PACKAGES allow
adb -s $D shell appops set nz.co.unix.iptv WRITE_SETTINGS allow
adb -s $D shell pm grant nz.co.unix.iptv android.permission.WRITE_SECURE_SETTINGS
# 3) Make our app the Home screen. set-home-activity sets it as the default Home
# (so the HOME button returns here, even without Device Owner); the accessibility
# service is the fallback on Google TV, which blocks normal launcher replacement.
adb -s $D shell cmd package set-home-activity nz.co.unix.iptv/.ChooserActivity
adb -s $D shell settings put secure enabled_accessibility_services nz.co.unix.iptv/nz.co.unix.iptv.HomeRedirectService
adb -s $D shell settings put secure accessibility_enabled 1
# 4) Set the custom BetterSTR screensaver
adb -s $D shell settings put secure screensaver_components nz.co.unix.iptv/nz.co.unix.iptv.ScreensaverDream
adb -s $D shell settings put secure screensaver_enabled 1
adb -s $D shell settings put secure screensaver_activate_on_sleep 1
adb -s $D shell settings put secure screensaver_activate_on_dock 1
# 5) (Optional) report the TV's real MAC to your dashboard
MAC=$(adb -s $D shell "cat /sys/class/net/wlan0/address 2>/dev/null || cat /sys/class/net/eth0/address 2>/dev/null" | tr -d '\r')
adb -s $D shell settings put global mybnb_mac "$MAC"
# 6) Launch the home screen
adb -s $D shell am start -n nz.co.unix.iptv/.ChooserActivityFinally, on the TV, scan the QR code and pair it to a property (Step 6 above).
Notes
- The commands above fetch the current published version automatically from version.json, so the download URL never goes out of date.
- Some Android 11+ TVs require pairing first: enable Wireless debugging, then
adb pair <TV-IP>:<port>with the 6-digit code shown, beforeadb connect. - Reinstalling the app (a signature change) clears the accessibility grant — re-run the Step 3 commands if Home stops opening our app.
- Brand-new TV only: before signing into any Google account you can make it a full kiosk with
adb -s $D shell dpm set-device-owner nz.co.unix.iptv/.DeviceAdmin(silent updates + locked Home). This fails once an account is added.