Smart home and streaming in Ireland
Most Irish households want three things from smart home kit. They want an older TV to run the catch-up apps they actually watch, to see who is at the door (or where the courier left the parcel), and to play music around the house without fuss. This guide covers a streaming stick, a video doorbell and a smart speaker from our catalogue, plus well-known alternatives such as Echo speakers, Google TV and Blink cameras.
We also cover things that spec sheets leave out: which Irish apps run on which devices, what a doorbell subscription costs each year, how to keep Wi-Fi reliable in thick-walled Irish houses, and what the Data Protection Commission says about cameras that can see your neighbour’s garden. The picks are sold and dispatched by Amazon.ie, for the reasons explained in why we only list Amazon.ie stock.
Our picks
Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Max – Streaming Device with Ambient Experience & Wi-Fi 6E
Best for: Anyone with a slow or outdated smart TV
For an older smart TV whose apps have become slow or stopped updating, the Fire TV Stick 4K Max is the simplest fix. It has a 2.0 GHz quad-core processor and 16GB of storage, enough for a dozen apps without having to remove any. It supports 4K HDR, and RTÉ Player, Virgin Media Play and TG4 Player are all available for Fire TV, alongside Netflix, Prime Video and Disney+. Wi-Fi 6E support is useful if you have a compatible router. Ambient Experience shows artwork and widgets when the TV is idle.
Pros
- Irish catch-up apps and all the major streaming services available
- Fast processor and 16GB of storage
- 4K HDR playback
- Low-cost way to update an older TV
Cons
- The home screen gives a lot of space to Amazon content and adverts
- Wi-Fi 6E only helps if your router supports it, and most ISP-supplied routers do not
- Does not receive Saorview, so you still need the TV’s own tuner for live channels over the aerial
Ring Battery Video Doorbell Plus – 1536p HD Video with Head-to-Toe View & Colour Night Vision
Best for: Homeowners and renters who get a lot of deliveries
Ordinary doorbell cameras often miss the parcel sitting right against the door. The Battery Video Doorbell Plus has a 1536p head-to-toe field of view that shows the whole doorstep. It runs on a rechargeable quick-release battery, so you can fit it to a brick or PVC door frame without hiring an electrician, which suits rented homes and older houses with no doorbell wiring. Colour night vision helps on dark winter evenings. Two-way talk with noise cancellation lets you tell a courier where to leave a parcel. You will want a Ring Home subscription to get much use out of it (see below).
Pros
- Head-to-toe view shows parcels on the doorstep
- Battery-powered, no wiring or electrician needed
- Colour night vision
- Two-way talk with noise cancellation
Cons
- Recorded video history needs a paid Ring Home subscription
- The battery needs recharging and drains faster in cold weather
- You need to aim it carefully to stay within data protection rules
Sonos Roam 2 Ultra-Portable Waterproof Bluetooth & Wi-Fi Smart Speaker
Best for: Music lovers who want one speaker for indoors and outdoors
The Roam 2 is our pick for anyone who cares more about how music sounds than about voice commands. At home it connects over Wi-Fi as part of a multiroom Sonos system, and away from your network it switches to Bluetooth automatically, so you can bring it to the garden or a caravan. It is IP67 rated against water and dust, gets up to 10 hours of playback per charge, and charges over USB-C or Qi wireless. Automatic Trueplay tuning adjusts the sound to the room it is in.
Pros
- Works as part of a Sonos multiroom system on Wi-Fi
- Switches to Bluetooth automatically outdoors
- IP67 waterproof and dustproof
- USB-C and Qi wireless charging
Cons
- Much more expensive than an Echo speaker
- Up to 10 hours of battery is fine for a day out but not a weekend away
- Small speaker, so it will not fill a large open-plan room
Other smart home devices worth considering
Links open an Amazon.ie search filtered to items sold & dispatched by Amazon.ie. Availability changes.
- Search Amazon.ie
Amazon Echo Dot (5th Gen)
A low-cost way to try Alexa for timers, radio, weather and controlling smart plugs. Fine for speech, but limited for music.
- Search Amazon.ie
Amazon Echo Show 8
A smart display that also shows the Ring doorbell feed. Useful in a kitchen, but it has a camera, so think about where you put it.
- Search Amazon.ie
Google TV Streamer
Google’s replacement for the Chromecast with Google TV. A good alternative if your household uses Android phones and Google services.
- Search Amazon.ie
TP-Link Tapo P110 smart plug
A 3-pin smart plug that monitors energy use, which helps you see what an electric heater or dehumidifier costs to run.
- Search Amazon.ie
Blink Outdoor 4
A battery-powered outdoor camera from Amazon with long battery life. Like Ring, cloud recording needs a subscription.
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Our picks side by side
| Product | What it does | Key spec | Power | Ongoing cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fire TV Stick 4K Max | Streaming stick | 4K HDR, Wi-Fi 6E, 16GB | Mains (via adapter) | None (apps may charge) |
| Ring Battery Video Doorbell Plus | Video doorbell | 1536p head-to-toe, colour night vision | Rechargeable battery | Ring Home plan for recordings |
| Sonos Roam 2 | Portable smart speaker | Wi-Fi + Bluetooth, IP67 | Battery, up to 10 hrs | None |
Irish streaming apps on Fire TV and other devices
The main Irish broadcasters all have apps for Fire TV. RTÉ Player, Virgin Media Play (Virgin Media Television’s free catch-up service, relaunched under that name in 2024) and TG4 Player can all be installed from the Fire TV app store, and the same apps are also on Android TV / Google TV and Apple TV. Some Irish content is geo-restricted to viewers in Ireland, which affects you if you travel with the stick.
- Set your Amazon account to Amazon.ie. If your account is registered to the UK store, the app store will show the UK catalogue and you may not find Irish apps. Manage this under Content & Devices in your Amazon account.
- Saorview is separate. A streaming stick does not replace the aerial tuner. For live RTÉ One, Virgin Media One and TG4 without broadband, you still use the TV’s built-in Saorview tuner.
- Paid services. Netflix and Disney+ both have Fire TV apps. Prime Video comes with Prime membership. See is Amazon Prime worth it in Ireland.
Broadband and Wi-Fi tips
Most problems with buffering streams and doorbells that go offline come from Wi-Fi, not broadband speed. Many Irish homes have solid internal walls, block extensions or a router left in the hall next to where the line comes in. A 2.4 GHz signal reaches further but is slower. 5 GHz and 6 GHz are faster but are weakened more by walls.
- Check signal at the TV, not the router. Most streaming sticks and phone apps show connection strength. If 4K buffers in the sitting room, the problem is usually Wi-Fi coverage.
- Mesh systems beat plug-in extenders in larger or older houses. A mesh unit near the front door also helps a doorbell, which sits outside the walls and often has the weakest signal in the house.
- Run a cable where you can. Sticks have no Ethernet port, but an Ethernet adapter for Fire TV is cheap and is the most reliable option if the router is near the TV.
- Rural connections. On a slower fixed-wireless or satellite connection, set streaming apps to HD instead of 4K. Video doorbells upload footage and use bandwidth in the background on a busy road.
Doorbell subscriptions and privacy rules
Without a subscription, a Ring doorbell sends you motion and ring alerts and lets you view a live feed, but it does not save recordings for you to watch later. Ring Home plans add video history and other features. At the time of writing, Ring’s EU price list starts at around €3.99 a month (€39.99 a year) for the Basic plan covering one device, with Standard and Premium tiers costing more. Check Ring’s current plans before you buy and include the yearly cost in your budget. Blink and other brands have their own subscriptions.
In terraced and semi-detached houses, it is worth a quick word with your neighbours before fitting the doorbell. The DPC encourages people with concerns about a neighbour’s camera to talk to them directly first.
Buying advice
- Pick one ecosystem. Echo speakers, Fire TV, Ring and Blink all work together through Alexa. If you already use Google Home, a Google TV Streamer and Google-compatible devices will be easier to manage.
- Choose battery or wired. Battery doorbells fit any door but need charging. If you have existing doorbell wiring, a wired model avoids that. Fit a battery model in a sheltered porch if you can, because cold weather drains it faster.
- Smart plugs are the cheapest place to start. A plug with energy monitoring will show you the running cost of a heater, dehumidifier or immersion. With electricity at around 32c/kWh on typical Irish unit rates at the time of writing, that is worth knowing.
- Check for 3-pin plugs. Devices sold by Amazon.ie for Ireland come with plugs that fit Irish sockets. Avoid 2-pin adapters on anything left plugged in all the time.
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