It will come as no surprise that I have used the USB ports on my Smart TV the most to connect a USB stick or hard disk to play music, series and films, and I was happy with that alone. Fool me once: USB ports are suitable for so much more, especially when you know what kind they are.
Because you can do a lot of things with the USB ports of your Android TV, but when it comes down to it, theory is one thing and reality is something else. It is one thing to know it and another to put it into practice. Well, there are simple and practical uses of USB ports that have saved my life (metaphorically speaking) on certain occasions.
In a room with few power sockets, it is a lifesaver
How many times have I been in a hotel room where there are barely one or two power sockets to be seen, and they are in awkward places. And the same goes for older accommodations. Here, thanks to the TV’s USB port, I was able to charge my cell phone while using the other for other purposes. It charges slowly, but that’s nothing.
Installing apps that are not in the Google Play Store
One of the best things about Android TV is the large number of compatible applications for the TV, but sometimes the app I want to install is not in the Google Play Store, and that is not a problem: just like with Android cell phones, you can also download APKs on the TV.
With a web browser app and a file explorer, it can be done on my Smart TV, but I find it much faster to download the app on my computer, put it on a USB stick and then transfer it to the TV.
For recording content
In the age of social networks and apps, it is not too difficult to find videos we are interested in or programs we want to watch on a delayed basis, but if we are talking about DTT or the screen directly (on Android TV there are apps that make this possible), there is a faster and easier way to do it: recording on a USB stick. But not just any USB stick will do: it must have sufficient capacity, be in a compatible file system and be USB 3.0 or higher for speed.
Software updates when there are problems or without internet
If you have an Android TV like me, basic and entry-level, or just a veteran, you already know that the experience of using the interface can be desperate. So my solution is to minimize it and get as far ahead as possible on other devices. This is the case when updating drivers, firmware or software in short. If you don’t have internet or it’s poor, more of the same: you download the file to your PC and put it on a USB memory stick to then transfer it to the TV and install it.
Everything is better with a keyboard and mouse
The usual thing is to connect a storage device to it, but that is not the only computer peripheral or accessory that can be connected, and some are very useful. For example, I have an old wireless keyboard that works with an adapter, and I give it a second life on the TV. I don’t type much on my Smart TV, but for browsing or entering passwords, typing letter by letter is difficult and a keyboard is useful. And the same can be done with a mouse.
