Smart STB at a glance
- What it is
- An app that emulates a portal-based IPTV set-top box
- Devices listed
- Samsung Tizen and LG smart TVs, Android TV, Apple TV, Fire TV, Chromecast, iOS and Android phones
- Trial
- Seven days free, no payment required
- Licence
- Paid per device after the trial; separate from your TV subscription; non-refundable
- Logins
- A portal address or an M3U playlist link
From smart-stb.net and the Smart STB knowledgebase, checked 6 October 2026.
How Smart STB works
A portal-based IPTV service identifies your box by its MAC address rather than a username and password; see what a MAC address login is. A smart TV app has no box MAC of its own, so Smart STB gives each installation a virtual MAC. Your provider registers that virtual MAC, you add the portal address, and the app loads the provider’s portal as a set-top box would.
Smart STB uses two different IDs, and mixing them up is the most common source of confusion:
| ID | What it’s for | Who needs it |
|---|---|---|
| Software ID | Smart STB’s own licence: trials, payment and transfers | You and Smart STB |
| Virtual MAC | Linking your IPTV subscription to the app | Your IPTV provider only |
Smart STB’s knowledgebase has an article on changing the virtual MAC, which it labels “not recommended”. Leave it alone: the provider has registered the one the app shows.
Trial and licence
- Trial: the app offers one free trial when it first starts. Smart STB’s site says you can get up to two more trials from its website, seven days after the last one.
- Licence: after the trial you buy an app licence, priced by device type on Smart STB’s price page. A Lite licence allows only one custom portal.
- Payments are non-refundable, according to Smart STB, so check your portal works during the trial.
- The app licence is separate from your TV subscription: Smart STB doesn’t provide channels.
Set up your portal
Find the virtual MAC
Open Smart STB and dismiss the disclaimer. Press OK to open the portal menu, then go to System settings and Device info. Send the virtual MAC to your provider and wait for them to confirm it’s registered.
Add the portal address, on the web or on the TV
On the web: sign in to the Smart STB website, open My subscriptions, choose View on your app subscription and enter the portal address in the Portal section.
On the TV: start the app and press OK while it says Loading Portal. Go to System SettingsPortals, turn Multiportal mode on, turn Use Portal 1 on, enter the portal address or M3U link and set it as the default portal. Press the green key (F2 on some remotes) to save.
Restart the app
The portal loads on the next start. If you use one licence across several devices, Smart STB says to change portals on the main licensed device; the others pick them up the next time they start.
Smart STB also accepts an M3U playlist link in place of a portal address. If your provider sent Xtream Codes details, see Xtream Codes to M3U.
Messages you might see
- “Your STB is blocked. Call the provider”: the portal doesn’t recognise the virtual MAC. Check that your provider registered the exact MAC shown under Device info.
- “Please contact your provider to register this device”: Smart STB says this happens when the same virtual MAC has reached the portal through another app or tool, or the provider didn’t read the login data properly. The fix is on the provider’s side: they delete and re-create your account, and you then open the app promptly.
- A paid app shows only the demo portal: Smart STB lists three causes: a payment that didn’t arrive (the licence shows as on hold), a Software ID that no longer matches the licence (fixed with a licence transfer in your account), or an app reset that cleared your portals (add them again as in step 2).
- Stuck on “Loading Portal”: the provider may have a fault, your connection to the portal may be poor, or a proxy or VPN may be interfering. Smart STB recommends a wired connection from the router to the TV. See channels not loading.
For the same idea on an Android device, see StbEmu; for a real portal box, see MAG boxes.