By Roca IPTV Support Team, Installation & customer support. Written by the Roca IPTV support staff who walk customers through setups on WhatsApp every day. Steps are re-checked on real devices whenever the player apps change their menus.
Your Roca IPTV welcome email contains what looks like the same login written three different ways: an Xtream Codes login, an M3U link, and on request a MAG portal address. They all give access to the same channels — the difference is which apps understand which format and how much extra information comes with it. Choosing the right one avoids most setup problems.
Short answer: use Xtream Codes whenever your app offers it — it loads the channels, the TV guide, and the films and series menus automatically. Use the M3U link only for apps that need it (Smart IPTV, VLC, Kodi). Use the MAG portal for MAG and Formuler boxes, which are registered by their MAC address.
Xtream Codes: three fields
An Xtream Codes login is three pieces of information:
- Server URL — an address such as
http://example-server.com:8080. It always starts withhttp://(orhttps://) and normally ends with a port number after a colon. - Username
- Password
The app uses them to talk to the server's API, which means it can ask separately for the live channel list, the TV guide, the films library and the series library. That's why an Xtream login gives you the tidy Live TV / Movies / Series home screen in apps like IPTV Smarters Pro and the full guide in TiviMate.
Apps that use it: TiviMate, IPTV Smarters Pro, XCIPTV, IBO Player Pro (via its website), Smarters Player Lite on Apple devices.
M3U: one long link
An M3U link is a single web address that contains your server, username and password inside it, usually ending with something like type=m3u_plus. Open it and the server returns a text file listing every channel and stream.
It's universal — almost any media player can open an M3U — but it's also limited:
- The TV guide isn't included. You need a second link (an XMLTV or EPG URL) for programme listings. We send it on request.
- Films and series appear as extra long channel lists instead of a browsable library.
- The file is large, so older smart TVs can be slow to load it.
Apps that use it: Smart IPTV, VLC, Kodi's PVR IPTV Simple Client, and as an alternative in most other apps.
MAG portal: registered to your box
MAG boxes and Formuler's MyTVOnline app work differently. Instead of typing a username, the box identifies itself by its MAC address — a code like 00:1A:79:xx:xx:xx printed on the sticker underneath. You send us that MAC when you order, we register it, and you enter the portal URL we give you in the box's settings (Settings → System settings → Servers → Portals on a MAG).
The portal provides live TV, the guide and a "Video Club" for films and series, all linked to that one box.
Devices that use it: MAG 322 and later, Formuler Z-series boxes in MyTVOnline.
Side-by-side
| Xtream Codes | M3U link | MAG portal | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What you enter | URL + username + password | One long link | Portal URL (MAC registered by us) |
| TV guide | Automatic | Needs a separate EPG link | Automatic |
| Films & series | Proper library | Long channel lists | Video Club |
| Best for | Most apps | VLC, Kodi, Smart IPTV | MAG, Formuler |
| Easy to mistype? | Medium (three fields) | Hard to type, easy to paste | Easy once registered |
Which should you use on your device?
- Firestick, Android TV, Google TV, Nvidia Shield: Xtream Codes in TiviMate or Smarters. See the Firestick guide.
- Samsung, LG, Hisense: Xtream or M3U in IBO Player Pro (entered on its website), or M3U in Smart IPTV. See the Samsung guide.
- iPhone, iPad, Apple TV: Xtream Codes in Smarters Player Lite.
- Windows and Mac: Xtream in Smarters, or M3U in VLC or Kodi.
- MAG and Formuler: the portal.
Why logins fail — and how to fix them
Almost every "invalid login" message comes down to one of these:
- Missing
http://. Some apps don't add it for you. The server URL must start with it. - Missing port. If your email says
:8080at the end, the app needs it too. - A stray space. TV keyboards love adding spaces after full stops, and copy-paste can pick up a trailing space. Delete and retype the end of each field.
- Wrong case. Usernames and passwords are case-sensitive:
Roca123is notroca123. - Confusing letters and numbers.
Oand0,land1. If in doubt, copy from the email on your phone using the Fire TV or Google TV phone app as a keyboard. - Pasting the whole M3U into the server field. The server field only takes the address part (
http://…:port), not the full link. - MAC mismatch on a MAG box. If the portal says the box is blocked, the MAC we registered doesn't match the sticker — send us a photo and we correct it.
Is one more secure or faster than the other?
All three are just different ways of reaching the same streams, so picture quality and speed are the same. Treat all of them like a password: anyone with your Xtream details or M3U link can use your connections, which may stop you watching when you want to. Don't post them in forums or screenshots, and tell us if you think they've leaked — we can issue new ones.
Switching between them
You don't have to choose once and for all. Your Roca IPTV subscription supports Xtream and M3U at the same time, so you might use Xtream in TiviMate on the lounge Firestick and the M3U in VLC on a laptop. Only the number of screens playing at the same moment is limited by your plan.
Summary
Use Xtream Codes by default, M3U when an app insists on it, and the portal for MAG and Formuler boxes. Most failed logins are a missing http://, a missing port or a stray space — check those three first. If you're still stuck, our setup guides show exactly where each field goes on every device, and you can always send us a photo of the screen on WhatsApp.