I just got the Shield, comparing it to the Mi Box: My thoughts

by RazerHey

Coming from the xiaomi mi box set up was annoying. I was able to sign in using the google app but it wouldn't go all the way to completion. I was forced to sign in manually.

  • Then I tried testing it out the so called fluid menus and controls but my menus and remote clicks kept freezing which really suprised me. I went to the developer options and disabled all animations and then restarted the device.
  • I added a 2tb hard drive but it wouldn't mount, so the fix was pretty much restarting the box.
  • Ethernet wouldn't read but restarting the box worked.
  • I tried nvidia geforce but I couldn't log in because it froze on a web page. restarting was the only way.
  • I wanted to set up plex media server because it is pretty much the only reason that this box shines in my eyes. I had issues with set up but that was my own fault because of the way the settings need to be set up in order to access the media outside my connection.

For the king of android tv, I expected a more seamless experience. Right now it is stable but I'm not looking optimistic.

I had a dream that I could build a server using android alone, saving on power due to its build but due to the limitations of android,

I'm looking for a way to do the following:

Send files from my laptop/phone to the external hard drive on the shield wirelessly (also accounting for android storage write permissions)

The ability to seed torrents and remotely add torrents

Any other server worthy traits, any ideas?

My Shield is running android 7.0

_Stealth_

Super weird. I’ve set up multiple shields for myself and I’ve never experienced any of those issues.

The only anomalies I’ve experienced has been with Plex server and it was constantly shutting down but that was fixed with me turning off a few developer options.

Aside from that I don’t think I’ve ever needed to reset my shield. Hell, aside from when the power goes out I don’t think I’ve even turned them off.

killin1a4

If you are looking for a server, while maintaining a small form factor, why not go with something like this?

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07D9F9NPV/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_ea6lBbR787TES

Max_Roc

May be defective. Exchange it.

JimboLodisC

I don't recall any problems with setting up my Shield but I would live with it a bit longer before you dive into the settings and start disabling things. Sometimes the remote just goes into a sleep mode so you hit one button and a second later you're back to communicating with the Shield.

As far as the other stuff you mentioned, I still use a laptop as my Plex server so that machine is my Plex server, has all my external drives plugged into it, and does all my torrenting.

For copying files to the Shield, I have its internal drive mapped as a network drive on my PC. I believe it's a setting hidden in the Plex server settings to enable network access for this.

philcanaries

Sendanywhere allows you to send files up to 10g, I use it to send movies etc from the shield to my laptop

forgottenpassword778

You might be able to get some of the file sharing stuff by using the Risilio Sync app , but that seems pretty basic. Not really sure about the torrent stuff though.

Honestly, the shield is the wrong tool for the job. If you want a small form factor, low power server, something like a raspberry pi, or a Windows 10 mini PC would be a better choice.

johnmannn

I had a dream that I could build a server using android alone

I could've shattered your dream earlier. You can do what you want with a Shield but you'll be less frustrated with a separate Raspberry Pi. File server, torrent box, and VPN.

Bboy486

Use Join to send and receive files

ifndefx

I had a similar dream of only using the shield with an external hardrive. I wanted to shutdown my computer with 8tb which was my media and general server.

The reality was completely different and I couldn't do half the things I wanted to do on the shield, which is a shame.

What I did instead:

  • invested in a raspberry pi
  • moved the hard-disk being connected to the shield to the pi -added a ssd to the shield to give it more space.

I installed the following services on the pi: -tvheadend (was a bit of a pain to setup on the pi but I got there in the end). The shield just didn't pick up my USB tuner at all which was frustrating. I can now watch live tv using livechannels and have an aggregated view across other IPTV services.

  • Plex server (doesn't really get much use)
  • nextcloud for backups etc... (General cloud services for my family).
  • FTP server (ofvoyrse, its also used to take video captured by my IP cameras around the house)
  • Transmission (headless)
  • Apache
  • hass

The power consumption is much better than what I had previously with a seperate computer.

pawdog

One issue the Shield has had is the remote connection thing. So yes the Mibox remote is better. I don't ever remember the Google sign up thing ever working on any non phone device going back to the Nexus Player so I always sign up manually. Never had any issues with the Shield recognizing or formatting hard drive. One of my Shields has an issue with Ethernet, but it's in the bedroom so wifi is suffecient there fortunately. Geforce Now is in the middle of some kind of upgrade right now and it's free to everbody. Don't know if signing up is part of the upgrade or not.

Sending files to the external drive from the computer works fine on my network. I don't do torrents so never tried that. The Shield has some basic server like properties, but it is still Android. It's main thing is unmatched media playback, streaming and gaming. If you got it mainly as a Plex server device it's only passable in that aspect. It's the best Plex client device out there.

lolboahancock

Shield tv for plex server? Joke of the day.

Archolm

Still miles ahead to using a f**** mi box though. Pure Android TV is just shit. My goal was to have a little usb player (to watch avi's in the bedroom) and play some emulation. MiBox was a terrible frustration. Now I have a simple non Android TV box Android Box and it gets the job done. No HD Netflix but my TV does that just fine.

Fuck Android TV.