Stalker portal setup: portal URL, MAC address, and why it won't sign in

Stalker (later renamed Ministra) is middleware that IPTV providers run to serve set-top boxes, usually MAG boxes. The box calls a portal URL, identifies itself with its MAC address, and the portal hands back the channel list, the VOD catalogue and the programme guide. There is no username in the normal flow — the MAC is the account.

That is why a Stalker line arrives as two things: a URL and a MAC. It is also why “STB emulator” apps exist — they pretend to be a box. A proper Stalker player does the same handshake but gives you a real interface on top.

Portal URL. Providers write it several ways and most of them work:

• http://host:port/c/ — the most common form, with the trailing /c/
• http://host:port/stalker_portal/c/ — the older layout
• http://host:port — bare host; the player finds the portal path itself

If a sign-in fails on one form, try it with and without the trailing /c/ before anything else. That single change fixes a surprising share of “portal error” reports.

MAC address. Twelve hex digits in pairs, almost always starting 00:1A:79 — the prefix MAG boxes ship with, which is why players pre-fill it. Use the exact MAC the provider registered. Letter case does not matter; a missing pair does.

Some providers add a serial number, a device ID, or a portal username and password. Those are optional extras the portal may check — if you were not given them, you do not need them.

On a phone or tablet:

1. Open the IPTV tab and tap Add IPTV provider.
2. Set Source Type to Stalker.
3. Enter the Portal URL and the MAC Address. The 00:1A:79: prefix is already filled in.
4. Fill the optional fields only if your provider gave you values for them, then press Add Playlist.

On Android TV or Fire TV the form lives under Settings → Integrations → IPTV (Xtream Codes) → Add IPTV account, with the same Source Type row. Easier still: add the portal on your phone and let it sync to the TV, so you never type a URL with a remote. The Stalker guide has a screenshot of every screen.

Tuvora runs on Windows, Mac, Fire TV, Android and iPhone, and the same portal works on all of them.

• “Portal error” straight away. Toggle the trailing /c/ on the URL, then re-check the MAC pair by pair against what the provider sent.
• It worked, then stopped after opening another app or box. Most portals allow one live session per MAC. Close the other device — the old box, the STB emulator on your phone — and try again.
• “Wrong device” or a blank channel list. The portal is checking the serial number or device ID. Ask the provider for the values they hold and put them in the optional fields; Tuvora otherwise derives them from the MAC, which a strict portal may reject.
• The portal loads in a browser but not in the app. Some portals sit behind Cloudflare or a firewall that blocks an address after too many requests. Wait a while, try a different network, and if it persists it is the provider's block to lift, not a player bug.
• Channels list but nothing plays. Usually an expired line or a provider restriction rather than the login — check the subscription is current before changing settings.

A portal URL and a MAC address together are the whole login. Anyone who has both can watch on your line, and many portals will then lock you out for exceeding the session limit. Redact them in screenshots and support posts — http://REDACTED/c/, 00:1A:79:xx:xx:xx — and never paste them into a public “portal checker”.