So you may remember me from the previous review of Smoothstreams, Squirrel and GE Media (Global) a few things have changed since then in terms of my setup and I have also re-evaluated and decided on a different course of action – let’s get into the opinion piece.
Original Review: https://www.reddit.com/r/IPTVReviews/comments/aa0yj1/review_triple_threat_my_current_setup_squirrel_ge/
For a start my setup is as follows:
- Location: UK
- Average internet speed: 35-40 mbps
- Devices: Fire TV Boxes and Sticks mix of 2nd gen and 1 4K
- App: TiviMate latest paid version on all devices, Kodi for Smoothstreams via add-on. XCIPTV installed as backup player. SS Proxy is also installed for Smoothstreams via TiviMate but I rarely use it this way.
- VPN: Nord VPN France – via OpenVPN for Android app only IPTV apps go through the VPN everything else does not. Speeds are over 30+ consistently.
- M3u customizer: Xtreme editor trims both m3u provider’s playlist down and I utilise there merged sub feature so I have one m3u with both providers in and have gone from 7000+ channels to around 400. This also means I never use a provider’s EPG.
- VOD: No IPTV VOD ever watched as have access to 2 outstanding Plex servers.
- Catchup: Never used I watch on UK TV apps if I miss anything.
- Main utilisation of IPTV: Sport mainly (PPV, Football/Soccer, Tennis), some movie channels occasionally then UK entertainment. Probably average 3 hours a week total watching then 6+ if it’s a busy sporting schedule
- Support: I never contact support as I rarely if ever use it and if there is a down channel it is far easier for me to switch to the other provider then even contact them.
Let’s get onto the updated opinions/changes of them:
Eternal:
Eternal have replaced Global IPTV for me as my backup sub for the reason being they allow 5 connection subs and also allow VPN’s which GE Media do not. The price is outstanding and I appreciate the fact that when Vader closed rather than let the floodgates open and bring them in they closed to new subs.
They have the usual smarters rebrand (and were the first to get the multiscreen view their own addon) and have the usual 5000+ channels of which I probably watch at max 100. Eternal are my backup to Squirrel however I have never had an issue with them.
Reliability: 8/10 very rarely if ever has issues and any issues portrayed in advance on the telegram group.
Quality of channels: 7/10 No complaints every time I try something they work; one small thing is they do not have NBC Gold for EPL but have flow sports instead. In terms of PQ they seem decent on the channels I watch (nothing above 30 for channels not on NBCSN for football) and as always the Sky sports channel are a bit ropey but this is the future of Sky channels so it is what it is.
The 24/7 Channels are a bit hit and miss but these are out of their control.
Support: 8/10 – I never contact support but going in their occasionally on telegram they help out wherever possible and there are a lot of people who need far too much hand holding imho however they always help out and get them online.
A bonus point for actually closing on holidays and father’s day etc. – If you want 24/7 support get cable .
The only thing that slightly lets them down is the fact that if you report any issues with other apps you get – we do not support this. I fully understand this but if the channel is down or having glitching issues then it’s usually across multiple apps. They also charge an extra to use a MAG device whereas other providers I have allow m3u and MAG for one price.
I have no complaints about Eternal and for a main or backup sub you cannot go wrong for the price and I am glad I got in.
Squirrel
When Squirrel first started they were everything I wanted in IPTV – Small channel list – USA/UK/Sport and capping numbers.
People doubted but they did cap numbers when the cap was reached and do open signups as and when the numbers let them. There have and still is some ongoing issues been some backend issues with regards to payment. They do respond quickly to issues and also seem an honest bunch of people.
There isn’t really much more I can say that I didn’t say before. They now allow 2 connections by default (not IP locked ;) and quality of the channels are the same as before they also have decent 60fps for most football which is great. Webplayer could do with an improvement though.
Price is a lot more compared to Eternal however I do feel particularly with EPL they have far better coverage so worth it to me for the £5 pm month I pay after splitting.
Once the backend system is resolved fully then I would still recommend them and use them as my main provider – be aware they are predominantly UK based so any USA people take note if you report issues at the middle of the night, support is usually very quick to respond when they do pickup though – but again this isn’t cable and nor should any service hand hold or be available 24/7.
Smoothstreams:
Again same as the review before – if you want to watch sport you have to have Smoothstreams it’s as simple as that, I have recently been having a few glitches with them but having upgraded to Kodi 18 these have gone. The new addon is very nice to use – for those who had Vader this is the original match center and works great.
They also have and to my knowledge are the only providers with tennis channel plus – this allows me to watch any tennis court at any tournament which is huge for me!
As always some parts of smoothstreams could use work – it’s not great via Smoothproxy and they are having serious issues on the 4K firestick where half the channels are jittering hopefully this is fixed soon.
No VPN’s allowed and minimal support offered however it does just work. Will never ever let my sub run out it’s outstanding.
What has changed:
So I mentioned above that I mainly watch Tennis, football and PPV. I rarely if ever watch live TV and a firm advocate that as good as IPTV is you should always have a digital aerial or antenna even as a backup to watch the news so essentially I was paying IPTV subs and utilising at most 2% of what it offers – so I looked it “legit” services from other countries to watch PPV and EPL as tennis from next year is covered by amazon prime in the UK.
As a result, I have managed to sign up to DAZN Canada and for £60 a year I get
- All 380 premier league games
- All Champions and Europa League games
- All DAZN PPV
- All MLS
- All MLB
I have managed to find 2 ways to watch (smartdns and VPN) so have a backup as a method of watching and they have amazing apps including full match replays which I do not get currently – although my Plex sub does have this. Tested over the PPV weekends and it has been flawless.
As a result I am “ditching” traditional IPTV and going with DAZN and Smoothstreams only so my days of 5000+ channels are behind me. I will still get live tv from my aerial at home and save over £100 doing it this way as well!
Why have I done this?
Just to let people know that if you want a sport only sub alternatives are out there. I have been increasingly worried about IPTV’s future with providers closing left, right and centre and people refusing to use VPN’s and expecting providers to bypass the EPL block. It will be nice to not have to worry about providers having issues – epl block kicking in and rebooting servers etc.
With Plex for VOD, DAZN for sport with smoothstreams as a backup and normal aerial for live tv I feel confident in my setup for the upcoming season.
Hope this helped even 1 person – tried to give something back!
Hey. Just a quick question if you don't mind. Where did you pick up DAZN for that price. I'm in the same boat as you. Too many channels and only interested in the football. Any advice?