I did the same, SSD is the way to go. I recommend ditching the Shield remote for one of these or similar remote, got one and never looked back.
The new generation Shield TV remote is quite good, just FYI. I recently bought one to use with my 2017; I bought mine when no remote was included.
It is a strange shape, but has all the media control buttons and the IR control is a nice and useful touch. It uses regular AA batteries too. Certainly works a lot better and feels nicer than the FireStick remotes I have been using until now.
It also works with ALL Shield TV models.
What adapter.
Upgraded from 128gb 3.0 sandisk thumb drive More / faster storage for live channels dvr Batteries just to hold me over until I buy the 2019 remote (kinda use the controller more than the remote)