AndroidTV for Vacation Rentals

by TupperwareConspiracy

Curious if anyone has experience, knows of a solution to utilize AndroidTV for a Vacation Rental.

​

Looking into turning my own home into a rental and a bit concerned about simply leaving a ShieldTV box out; I've got a Sony Bravia as well but so far as I can tell both solutions seem to have shortcoming(s) in hospitality. In particular it seems a guest mode with extremely limited access would be ideal - blocking the play store in particular. In theory a launcher that put's the user into Live Channels

​

Ideal solution would be a launcher + access mode that restricts the guest to the following

​

+Live Channels or YouTubeTV

+Netflix

+Chromecast functionality

Well aware there's a bunch of things I need to do the home network side of things as well to keep things (relatively) locked down to boot.

N10do64

Honestly, your best bet would be Chromecast on secured wifi network, and then Guest mode enabled on it.

mjrengaw

For your guests provide WiFi, a hdmi port they can connect to, and a power outlet. That way they can bring their own streaming device. I have a FireTV Stick 4k that we use just for traveling/vacations. It works great and it provides a “almost like being at home” entertainment experience wherever we go.

totodee

I would put up an antenna and give them OTA channels and that's it. Most people don't go on vacation to watch TV anyway. They can do that at home. Just give them a few basic channels and I think most would be satisfied with that. I recently stayed at a four star hotel in Salt Lake City and they only offered 30 channels but I was fine with it.

eternal_peril

Get an Mi Box then

Cheaper and really will give you the same experience.

Lock it up somewhere and don't worry about it

Raisin_334

I haven't looked too much into because I have no need for it but maybe a "restricted profile" could fit the bill. I saw that option while exploring once.

techuck_

Check out some of the Kiosk Mode apps. These are intended to launch a given app (eg. Live Channels) on boot and prevent the user from exiting the app. Not sure how these would work with the Android TV, mainly not sure if this would prevent/block commands like Home when pressed on the remote control...these are usually built with touch screen only input in mind.

Might be worth looking at if you haven't already. You might be able to get crafty with a combination of a Kiosk app and a 'custom' home launcher from the Play Store...I'm picturing a setup where the 3rd party launcher would only have icons for LC, YouTube, Netflix, etc..

...

Another option might be to push them out if the default launcher at boot, and use a cheaper inexpensive universal remote. You might have luck mapping buttons on the remote to launch various apps.

Both approaches, no doubt, have their limitations.

Bubba_Nosferatu

I have 3 AirBNB rentals, two nvidia shields(for myself) and 5 FireTV sticks for the rentals.

As far as locking things down the fireTV is the easiest to lock down.. Plus the Hulu/netfilx, and prime apps all work..

I use an HDHomerun for locals and Sling TV for the cable channels.

i tried using my Shield, but I couldn't lock it down enough to keep people out of it, plus Hulu on Android doesn't do profiles, so you'll having some trouble there.

As far as the FireTV, I HATE the home screen. if I could customize the home screen on the fire, it would be the perfect device.

I haven't had any problems with the Firetv being stolen, It's cheap enough to replace, and I'd lodge a complaint against the guest and bill them for the replacement.

tombunyon0

Just get a Roku and enable Auto Logoff Mode, it's more locked down and it won't be easy for them to load the "good" private channels without your account info.

CamoHiddenDJ

Roku has a mode exclusively for this

Max_Roc

Roku tv's with a Netflix sub are popular now at rentals we stay at. That, wifi and an extra hdmi port in case a tenant has their own device has been more than satisfactory.

blondedre3000

You might want to try a more consumer friendly device that more people are familiar with like AppleTV or FireTV, or even *gasp* Roku. Even have it setup just for that purpose rather than using your normal box.

SourV

I recently stayed at house that had an Apple TV and 3 rokus with Netflix and Hulu available.

TheyCallMeSuperChunk

Roku has a mode just for this: https://blog.roku.com/auto-sign-out-mode . It's for "house guests" but it might as well be for renters.

Outside of that, a simple Chromecast might be your second best option.

Greylights888

My setup comes pretty close to that, actually - want to keep things simple and locked down for my household.

I use Kodi as a launcher with Titan skin. The home page just has tiles for the relevant android apps and nothing else. The home button brings the user back to the Kodi home page. Kiosk mode prevents any changes being made inadvertently. All users can do is launch apps and get back to that page. I do have a 'settings' tile, but that could be hidden via skin configuration.

Then you could have a really simple remote for the users, ideally one with IR learning for TV power and volume. Another 'master' remote just for you with extra buttons mapped would give access to the settings for both Kodi and android.

WasedaWalker

Factory reset on the Android TV before each new guest arrives - it's the only way to be sure.