Kodi FAQ Frequently Asked Questions: Buffering, Streaming, Add-ons Help

Read our Kodi FAQ today and get the answers to some of the most common questions we get from new and experienced Kodi users. Deal with buffering, add-ons help, streaming, movies, TV, and other Kodi issues with our Kodi FAQ.

Check out our Kodi FAQ below and get the answers to some of the most common Kodi questions we get asked on Twitter or Facebook.

If you are receiving an error telling you to check your log or you want serious help from us, we require a log of you trying whatever is happening that is making you contact us on social media. We have multiple guides on how to check your log and upload your errors. Please read either here or here.

If you tell us an addon is not working without giving us a log or specific information about what EXACTLY isn’t working, we will not help you or respond to your question.

Click here to gain a better understanding of how Kodi addons work.

 

Kodi Frequently Asked Questions List

1. Add-on X isn’t working, how can I fix it?
2. How can I fix buffering on Kodi?
3. Movie X is out in theatres. Where can I stream it on Kodi?
4. I found a new movie on Kodi but it is labeled CAM and is horrible quality. Why?
5. Where can I find a link to Sports Event X?
6. I’m looking for a specific video and none of my add-ons have it. How can I find it?
7. Is my Kodi connection secure? Can someone find out what I’m streaming?
8. I want to watch live TV on Kodi and I want it to be HD with zero buffer or lag.
9. My add-on shows a specific movie/TV show but when I click, it says “no stream available”. How is this possible?
10. My Kodi box WAS working fine and now NOTHING works at all.
11. I have an Amazon Fire Stick. How can I copy files onto it?
12. Certain section in Exodus or another add-on (TV Shows and then Genres or Most Popular or Year etc) are not working. What do I do?
13. When I click on a movie/TV link, I get a popup messaging telling me to go to the Openload website and pair my device. What should I do?
14. How can I post a log to help you diagnose my problems?
15. What is the best Kodi build?

 

 

Kodi FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)

1.
Q. Add-on X isn’t working, how can I fix it?
A. If the add-on takes streams from a single source, the source could be down and you’ll have to wait for an update.
If the add-on is multi-source, there are a number of reasons that it may not work: you haven’t installed it directly from the repo, you are picking an uncommon movie/TV show that has no streams available, or a number of other reasons. We won’t troubleshoot on your behalf without a log (see here) so you’ll have to attach us one or else figure it out yourself by uninstalling and reinstalling the repo and add-on (make sure it’s the right way using our install guides).

2.
Q. How can I fix buffering on Kodi?
A. There is not one way to fix buffering, but there are a number of mandatory items to check off to ensure that it isn’t your internet connection causing the buffering:

• Make sure your Kodi box is hard-wired. Wireless connections get a fraction of the internet speed of the same wired connection.
• Make sure you have at least 5mbps internet speed for streaming movies/TV or 10mbps internet speed for live streaming. This isn’t exact, but are general numbers to help you out.
• Try a different source. For a live event, a stream can easily become overloaded and will buffer no matter what. For movies and TV, different file hosts have different speeds in different countries. For example, openload may be quick in one area, but clicknupload may be fast in another. Find what host works best for you.

We also have this handy guide to stop buffering in Kodi permanently!

 

3.
Q. Movie X is out in theatres. Where can I stream it on Kodi?
A. Movies aren’t available to stream on the internet until approximately 2 weeks before DVD/Blu-Ray release when the disc gets printed and is available in mass production. Just because one movie leaked early, it does not guarantee the release of any other movie.

 

4.
Q. I found a new movie on Kodi but it is labeled CAM and is horrible quality. Why?
A. When a new movie comes out, it is often recorded by a camera setup at the theatre and pointed at the screen. These are the first streams to come online and be picked up by Kodi add-ons. These movies are horrible quality and are not worth watching. There is nothing you can do until a proper stream is released. See the question above for an estimate of when that will be.

 

5.
Q. Where can I find a link to Sports Event X?
A. If you hover over “Kodi Sports” in the main menu, you will see links to the world’s most popular sports. If you are looking for a special one-time PPV or event airing soon, check the main page for recent articles filled with information. You can also use the search back on the home page as well.

 

6.
Q. I’m looking for a specific video and none of my add-ons have it. How can I find it?
A. Kodi add-ons are essentially just search engines that scrape the internet for streaming links that already exist. All of the popular multi-source add-ons all scrape the same sites (give or take a few) and that’s why they all have similar content. To find obscure videos, there are three choice:

• Find a playlist all-in-one add-on that has it. We have a list of best all-in-one addons worth checking out. Generally selection is less (so you probably won’t find obscure) but reliability is high because these users are manually taking care of their content.
• Use a torrent add-on. Torrents are much more widespread and popular and selection found through a torrent add-on like Elementum should be better than on streaming websites.
• Use a premium Usenet add-on. Usenet is a massive private server database storing all kinds of rare content. Click here to read more.

For more information on different Kodi addon types, we suggest that you check out our Kodi addon types guide explaining all of the different kinds.

 

7.
Q. Is my Kodi connection secure? Can someone find out what I’m streaming?
A. Generally, Kodi streaming is secure and you don’t need to worry. The exception is if you are interested in torrent add-ons, which shares your connection with others while you stream but often has a wider amount of content. As well, live IPTV links that use acestream links expose your internet to share the load with other streaming users. You can protect your connection on Kodi with a proper VPN connection. Click here to read more about VPNs.

 

8.
Q. I want to watch live TV on Kodi and I want it to be HD with zero buffer or lag.
A. There are a number of live TV add-ons. Here’s an internal google search page with lots of results. As far as HD and buffer-free, HD video takes up bandwidth which means that less users can stream before the server gets overloaded and you will buffer or be kicked out. Be patient and test links out. In a few years we believe that bandwidth will be available for all to stream live content freely but technology is still catching up to Kodi in this regard.

 

9.
Q. My add-on shows a specific movie/TV show but when I click, it says “no stream available”. How is this possible?
A. These add-ons use back-end websites to list TV Shows and Movies (like imdb.com) so every movie or TV show will be found. When you click on a show, the add-ons scrape the internet for video files that match the name. Sometimes it may not return anything which gives you a “no stream available” message. This is common if you are picking an episode that hasn’t aired yet or a TV show that is old or not popular. If you believe there should be streams available, try a fresh reinstall of the add-on. Click here to learn more about how Kodi addons work.

 

10.
Q. My Kodi box WAS working fine and now NOTHING works at all.
A. This is hard to diagnose in a short Kodi FAQ document. Uninstall any recent add-ons, builds, or other changes you made. If nothing works at all, you have a corrupted file somewhere and the best thing to do is a fresh reinstall (delete Kodi and reinstall from the App Store on Android).

 

11.
Q. I have an Amazon Fire Stick. How can I copy files onto it?
A. Here’s our guide on using adbfire software to sideload onto a Fire Stick.

 

12.
Q. Certain section in Exodus or another add-on (TV Shows and then Genres or Most Popular or Year etc) are not working. What do I do?
A. These add-ons pull this information from other services on the internet. Exodus, Incursion, or any other add-on has nothing to do with these. You will have to wait for this service, TMDB, to come back online. If you are sure that it is working in other addons, then you can consider inputing your own TMDB API Key in order to access all playlists again.

 

13.
Q. When I click on a movie/TV link, I get a popup messaging telling me to go to the Openload website and pair my device. What should I do?
A. Read here.

 

14.
Q. How can I post a log to help you diagnose my problems?
A. Send us a log by following our guides here or here.

 

15.
Q. What is the best Kodi build?
A. We do not offer support for Kodi builds on this website. It becomes too difficult to troubleshoot independent issues that users can have on every single build separately. We believe that the best approach for Kodi users is to install their own addons and skin and build up the knowledge needed to do some basic troubleshooting. on their own.

 

16.
Q. What is the best Kodi addon?
A. Check out our monthly updated best Kodi addons list for our selection of best addons. We also have a list for best all-in-one Kodi addons as well.

 

Have any other questions we can add to our Kodi FAQ? Let us know on Twitter or Facebook if we can help you out!