If you like tinkering, a Raspberry Pi is one of the most useful things you can have at home because it allows you to carry out a long list of technological projects: from some relatively easy to others more complex. Among the simplest is precisely that of put android tv on your tv.
Go ahead This is not the cheapest or most convenient way to do it.but if you have a Raspberry Pi gathering dust in a drawer and want some sort of set-top box with Android TV, this is a good way to do it while learning along the way. We’ll show you how to do it step by step.
What will you need?
- A Raspberry Pi 4 or 5 with at least 2 GB of RAM, although it’s better if it’s 4 or 8 GB (not that you can’t do it with previous versions, but the experience will be noticeably slower) with its power supply and it is advisable to use a small box to protect it from shocks and dust
- A quality micro SD card of at least 16GB.
- A USB keyboard and mouse to control the Raspberry
- A Windows, Mac or Linux computer.
- HDMI cables and optional Ethernet.
Raspberry Pi 4 Model B (8GB)
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How to get Android TV on a Raspberry Pi
The first thing you need to do is download Lineage OS 20 Android TV on your computer, in this case we have chosen this version of KonstaKANG. Then you will need to burn this image to SD carderasing everything above. Be careful, this is not an installation, but a backup of the image, for which you will need a program like Etcher.
Once you have saved the image, insert the SD into the Raspberry Pi. Here you will need the keyboard and mouse to control it (although you can also use a Bluetooth controller) and a Wi-Fi connection which you will need to add during the installation process. Note: use the HDMI cable to connect to the TV or monitor and Ethernet if you want a wired internet connection.
To ensure you’re using the most stable, complete, and secure version of Android TV, check for updates by following the step ‘Settings > “System” > “Updater”
Be careful because This version of Android TV does not support Google appsso you will need to use APK to download and install applications such as a browser, a player, the streaming applications you usually use… which you can save on a USB memory then plug it into the Raspberry Pi and open the file manager to install them one by one. Similarly, you can install the Google application package without accessing your account yet.
When all the applications are installed, it’s time to reboot the Raspberry Pi, add your accounts, and configure the operating system to your liking.
Cover | Montage with photography by Eva Rodríguez de Luis
In Xataka Android | Android TV, detailed guide: all the tips and best apps to get the most out of your TV