Before you start
- A MAG box in the 3xx, 4xx or 5xx range, or a Formuler Z8, Z10 or Z11
- The MAC address printed on the label underneath the box
- The portal address we send once you have given us the MAC, or your Xtream login if the box runs Android
- Around eight minutes once the portal is configured
Nothing issued yet? Take the 24-hour test run first, or pick a term and skip straight to it.
Doing it, step by step
Read the MAC address off the underside of the box
Turn the box over. The MAC address is on the label, printed as six pairs of characters separated by colons, usually beginning 00:1A:79 on a MAG. Copy it down carefully - a 0 and an O look alike on a small label, as do 8 and B. This is the single value everything else depends on, and a wrong character means the portal will be built against a box that does not exist.
Send the MAC to us and wait for the portal address
Message the MAC on WhatsApp. We configure the portal against it and send back a portal URL. This usually takes a few minutes during ordinary hours. There is no way to shortcut this step on a MAG box, because the portal is bound to that specific MAC address and simply will not respond to an unconfigured one.
Enter the portal on a MAG box
On the box, go to Settings, then System Settings, then Servers, then Portals. Give Portal 1 a name - anything will do - and paste the portal address into the URL field exactly as sent. Save, then return to the main menu and restart the portal, or power the box off and on. It loads the channel list on its own from there.
Or use the app route on a Formuler
A Formuler Z10 or Z11 runs Android underneath, so you can skip the portal entirely. Open MyTVOnline, or install TiViMate from the Play Store, and add your subscription as an ordinary Xtream login with the server address, username and password. This is simpler than the portal method and easier to move to another box later, which is why it is the better choice where it is available.
Wire the box in
Every box in this range has an Ethernet port and you should use it. These are receivers meant to sit permanently beside a television carrying live channels for hours at a time, and putting one on Wi-Fi gives away the main advantage you paid for. If the router genuinely cannot be reached, powerline adapters are a better compromise than wireless.
Set the output to match the television
In the box's video settings, set the resolution to match what the panel actually accepts rather than leaving it on automatic, which occasionally picks badly. A 4K set should be on 2160p; a 1080p set should be on 1080p rather than being sent a signal it will downscale. Getting this right removes a surprising amount of apparent picture softness.
Organise the list before the household sees it
Hide the categories nobody will use and set up favourites. These boxes are usually replacing a cable box directly on the main television, which means other people in the house will use them without being told how, and an unfiltered list of twenty-five thousand channels is the fastest way to make the switch unpopular.
When something goes wrong
The portal does not load and shows a blank screen
Almost always the MAC address. Re-read the label and compare it character by character against what you sent us - confusing 0 with O or 8 with B is the usual cause. If the MAC is correct, check the portal URL was entered in full with no trailing space, then restart the box completely rather than just backing out of the menu.
The box says the portal is unavailable
Check the network first: open the box's network settings and confirm it actually has an IP address and can reach the internet. A MAG with an unplugged or faulty Ethernet cable reports this in a way that looks like a server fault. If the network is fine, tell us on WhatsApp so the portal can be checked from our side.
The picture is good but the guide is missing
On the portal route, guide data comes through the portal itself and can lag behind the channel list on first load. Give it several minutes, then restart the portal. On a Formuler using TiViMate, force an EPG refresh in the playlist settings instead.
Channels stutter on a wired connection
If the box is wired and still stuttering, the cause is upstream rather than local. Check the output resolution is not set above what the television supports, which makes the box work harder than it needs to. Then test the same channel on a phone on the same network: if that is smooth, tell support, since it points at the box or its configuration rather than the feed.
Picking the player for this box
TiViMate
Set up TiViMate on Android TV, a Firestick or an Android box, load the guide, and then see what Premium adds. All 25,000+ channels on one login.
The whole index
Every box, television and player we have written up.
Point your MAG and Formuler box at something better
A month costs $15 and opens 25,000+ channels. Message us and the details come back in under 15 minutes, with no box to rent and no engineer to let in.
Questions people ask about the MAG and Formuler box
Are these boxes worth the money over a Firestick?
On a main television that runs every evening, yes. They hold a steadier picture over long sessions, they are built for live channels rather than adapted to them, and they last. On a bedroom set watched twice a week, they are difficult to justify when a stick costs a fraction as much and does the job.
Which model should I buy if I am starting from nothing?
A Formuler Z11 Pro Max is the sensible choice for most people, because it runs Android underneath and therefore gives you the app route as well as the portal. That flexibility matters: if you ever change provider, an Android-based box takes a new login in two minutes, whereas a portal-only MAG needs reconfiguring at the other end.
Why do I have to send you the MAC address?
Because on a MAG box the portal is bound to that specific hardware address, which is how the system was designed. Nothing can be configured until we know which box we are configuring. It is the one genuine wait in the whole process, and it is the main reason the Android app route on a Formuler is simpler.
Can I move the subscription to a different box later?
On the app route, yes, in about two minutes - you enter the same three values on the new device. On the portal route, the portal has to be rebuilt against the new MAC address, so message us with the new one and we will do it. Either way you are not locked to the hardware.