Before you start
- A MAG 3xx, 4xx or 5xx, or a Formuler Z8, Z10 or Z11
- The MAC address printed on the label underneath the box
- The portal URL we send once you have shared that MAC
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Doing it, one step at a time
Find the MAC address
Turn the box over and read the label, or open Settings then About device. MAG hardware always begins 00:1A:79. Send that to us on WhatsApp and wait for confirmation before going further, because nothing below works until the portal is live against that address.
MAG: enter the portal URL
Follow Settings into System settings, then Servers, then Portals. Portal 1 takes any name; beneath it goes the address we sent. Save, then reboot the unit properly. Nothing loads until that reboot, and forgetting it is the commonest reason people message support about this box.
Formuler: use MyTVOnline
Launch MyTVOnline 2 or 3, take Add Portal, and give it a name plus the address. If you prefer, the same screen offers Xtream Codes and the ordinary three-value login works there. Formuler hardware is Android underneath, so TiViMate is also an option when you want its guide.
Set the guide and build favourites
After the restart the box loads all 25,000+ channels with its built-in guide. Set the time zone in the box settings, then use the colour buttons to build a favourites list. These remotes are pleasant to press and tedious to scroll, so the list is worth ten minutes.
Decide between the portal and an Xtream login
A MAG only understands the portal, so there is no choice. A Formuler takes either, and the Xtream route through MyTVOnline or TiViMate is easier to move between devices later. Take the portal on a MAG and Xtream on a Formuler unless support suggests otherwise.
Leave it powered on through the weekend
These boxes take longer than a stick to come back from cold, and the guide reloads when they do. Leaving one on standby rather than switched off at the wall means it is ready the moment you want it, which on a Saturday of overlapping fixtures is worth the negligible power.
When it goes wrong, and why
The portal shows "STB blocked" or a blank screen
Either activation has not completed at our end, or a character went astray on its way to us. Rather than retyping the MAC, photograph the label and send the picture. That clears it in minutes almost every time and avoids an argument about whether a character was a zero or the letter O.
It worked, then stopped after a firmware update
MAG firmware updates occasionally clear the stored portal. The account is unaffected. Re-enter the portal address under Settings, System settings, Servers, Portals and restart, and it returns as it was.
The picture is fine but the guide is empty
Portal guide data loads separately from the channel list and can take a full day to populate on a first run. Leave the box powered on overnight before reporting it. If it is still bare, ask support to rebuild the guide against your MAC.
It worked at home and not after moving
The portal is bound to the MAC rather than a location, so the box is fine. What changed is the network: some providers block the portal port. Tell support where you are now and they will move you to an alternative address.
It broke mid-match: what to try, in order
Re-enter the channel to rebuild the buffer. Then take the HD copy. Then reboot the box properly, which on portal hardware also refreshes the portal handshake and resolves a category of faults nothing else touches. If the whole portal is dead rather than one channel, that is an activation or routing question rather than anything you can fix from the sofa, and support can usually see the cause immediately if you tell them the MAC.
Which player suits this hardware
TiViMate
Set up TiViMate on Android TV, a Firestick or an Android box with your Xtream login, get the guide working, and see what Premium adds on a match day.
The full index
Every device and player covered, gathered on one page.
Which leagues are carried
Every competition, the broadcaster showing it, and where the 4K feeds sit.
Get your MAG and Formuler box ready for kick-off
From $15 a month for 25,000+ channels, with the login back on WhatsApp in under 15 minutes.
Questions about MAG and Formuler box
Is a MAG box better than a Firestick?
For the television the sport goes on, yes. Better remote, faster guide, and nothing ever to sideload. It costs $120 to $180 against $30 to $50 for a stick. Anywhere else in the house the stick wins on value and nobody will notice the difference.
Does it need anything special for 4K sport?
A 4K-capable model, a panel that can display it, and about 25 Mbps steady. Beyond that no. The advantage of these boxes on sport is consistency rather than raw capability: they do one job and are not doing anything else while a match is running.
Why does the guide feel faster on these boxes?
Because they are doing one job. A streaming stick is running an operating system, a store and several background services; a MAG is running a portal. On a list of this size, with a fixture starting, that difference is the reason people buy them.
Can I take the box with me if I move?
Yes, and the portal follows it, since activation is tied to the MAC and not to an address. Tell us where you have landed if streams behave differently afterwards, because the best route to you may have changed.
Is a Formuler or a MAG the better buy?
A Formuler, for most people. It runs Android underneath, so you can use MyTVOnline or install TiViMate and get its guide and multi-view, which a MAG cannot do. A MAG is simpler and very stable, and simpler is genuinely worth something if nobody in the house wants to fiddle.
What happens to the box if I change provider?
The hardware is not locked to us and never was. A MAG runs whatever portal address you put into it, and a Formuler will take any Xtream login or portal, so switching provider means changing one field rather than buying anything. That is worth knowing before you spend $120 to $180: unlike a rented cable box, this is genuinely yours. The only caveat is the MAC binding, which means a new provider has to activate that same MAC at their end before the portal will load, exactly as we do. Ask any prospective provider whether they will activate an existing MAC before you commit to them, because a few will not, and that is worth discovering in advance rather than after the subscription has been paid for.