I bought a 2022 Kia Telluride about two months ago. The car arrived with the rear seat entertainment units (we hadn’t requested). Up until this week, we really haven’t had any success in using them (I read the useless instructional manual and viewed every online related forum I could find) and was incredibly frustrated due to the $3k upfront costs and the fact we really couldn’t use them. I was told by the dealer that I could use USB sticks to record movies and plug into the units. I haven’t tested this but first-this seems very cumbersome and I am doubtful as most movies prevent copying and are also copyright protected. I did read online someone successfully was using the rear seat entertainment (RSE) screens with Amazon Firesticks and their phone’s hotspot. I can say this does work and the screens are really great. We did pick up 2 Firesticks with usb chargers online during Black Friday for $100. In a perfect world Kia includes these with your purchase, especially considering the ridiculous cost. Up until this week I was exasperated that I couldn’t seem to find support anywhere regarding how to use the screens. With no App Store and no way to download apps-I’ve been confronted with potentially unremovable dead screens in my car. I called Kia customer service initially and they were a total dead end. See the dealer-blah, blah, blah…Eventually I was connected to Kia Connect to help with the Firesticks install and they were helpful.
I did want to share what I have successfully done and the step by step process so that -hopefully you can enjoy your RSE units as much as we are now (FINALLY) enjoying ours…so here goes:
Setup——
iPhone 11Pro
Verizon - unlimited plan, 25Mbps
Amazon prime membership (not sure if
required)
Amazon Firestick 4K max, + Firestick usb charger
Prep your new firestick (near house Wi-Fi) update software (multiple updates)
1. Turn on phone hotspot using Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.
2. Go to RES Settings/Wi-Fi . Look for your phone. Click on it and input your hotspot password.
3. Plug in Firestick into RES HDMI port
4. Choose language (English)
5. Put batteries into remote and then Follow RSE prompts to sync remote
6. Upload firmware and software updates (10 minutes+)
7. Register the Firestick with Amazon
8. Choose Amazon fire tv - for volume (just to get past). I still have to call Kia connect to confirm the manufacturer (most likely third party)
9. Once connected to the network and you’ve registered your Firesticks, the Firestick homepage should come up
10. You then look for the apps you want to download (Disney+, Netflix, Hulu, YouTube, Spotify). For each app downloaded, login using your credentials.)
11. Not sure if the screens have/lack speakers (looking to confirm with Kia connect) but function well with wireless earbuds.
12. To connect your earbuds, go to the RSE Home Screen and then scroll to the right and select settings.
13. Scroll down and choose Bluetooth (connect)/ other Bluetooth devices. Choose the option to add a new device.
14. When the RSE is looking to pair, set your wireless earbuds or headphones in pairing mode. So far I’ve paired three different types of wireless earbuds and headphones successfully. For my sons Bose headphones I did get a note while pairing stating that stereo headphones can potentially degrade the video feed quality but so far I’ve not noticed any difference. Once connected you are all set!
15. I have found that when reconnecting the Wi-Fi hotspot and engaging the Firestick, I sometimes need to unplug and reconnect the Firestick HDMI connection in order to get it to work. (Unplug and replug in-simple!)
16. With your apps downloaded and earbuds connected-log in to your favorite app and enjoy! The picture quality is very impressive. At last!….