We can manage a Firestick 4K (and other android devices) using ADB. This is an app/service that is run from the command prompt, by manually typing in the ADB commands.
This can be done on the local network (LAN) or on a remote network (WAN) via the Internet.
I am going to show two methods to access the Firestick remotely via the Internet.
Method 1, uses Port Forwarding on the router. The port forwarding method is detailed here:
Method 2, is achieved by using an Internet relay service, ngrok. The ngrok method is detailed here:
With ADB we can install/uninstal APKs, list installed APKs, download APKs to your PC, disable apps, reboot the Firestick and so many more things.
I have wrote a GUI app, Flakie ADB GUI (Windows only) to make this process much simpler (no need to type the commands).
Instructions to install Flakie ADB GUI are here.
Usually you would manage the Firestick 4K on your local LAN, but it is also possible to manage a remote Firestick through the Internet.
Method 1 is by opening ports on the router where the remote Firestick is located. Each router does this differently but when you have an understanding of how this works, the process is quite simple to set it up on any router (that has the port forwarding feature and most do).
Method 2 uses an Internet relay service called ngrok. This method is more secure as you do not have to open any ports on the router where the remote Firestick (or other ADB device) is located (you can even set passwords for the tunnel as an extra layer of security). You create a secure tunnel on the Firestick using a ngrok app/script. The remote Firestick initates the connection to the ngrok server. Then on the local device you initate a connection to ngrok, which relays the commands between the remote Firestick and the local PC. As the Firestick initiated the connection there is no need to open any ports.
The ngrok service has both free and paid options. Here I will only be discussing the free service and suing a standard URL, but will be adding details on how to use the subscription service and also custom domains at another time.
Either method has it pluses and negatives.. Personally I prefer the ngrok method. It has a slightly more complicated setup but with my instructions most people can have it up and running in about 10-15 minutes (my record is less than 5 minutes).
Which ever method you use it is possible to use my Flakie ADB GUI app.
Flakie ADB GUI is a GUI wrapper app for ADB. It works very well with either method of remote controlling your Firestick (or some other ADB devices). It has built-in support for using ngrok (currently just with a free ngrok account but he next version will work with paid accounts and custom domains).