The Elementum Kodi addon has become one of the most popular video addons for Kodi users looking to stream movies and TV shows. With its easy torrent integration and buffer-free streaming, it‘s easy to see why.
But with any third-party Kodi addon, especially one using torrents, questions of safety and legality inevitably come up. In this comprehensive guide, we‘ll take an in-depth look at Elementum to answer those key questions:
- Is the Elementum Kodi addon safe to install and use?
- Does it put your privacy at risk?
- Is it legal to use Elementum and stream movies/shows?
- How exactly does the addon work?
- How do you install Elementum on a Firestick, Android TV box, or other device?
We‘ll cover all of that and more so you can decide if Elementum is right for you. Let‘s dive in!
How Does the Elementum Kodi Addon Work?
Unlike many Kodi addons that scrape links from hosters or debrid services, Elementum integrates torrent technology right into Kodi.
Specifically, it uses libtorrent under the hood to search torrent sites and swarm torrent files. This allows you to stream movies and shows directly from torrents, rather than having to separately download torrent files or use a standalone BitTorrent client.
The key advantage of this torrent integration is that it enables buffer-free streaming. Since you join the torrent swarm when you select a source in Elementum, the video will begin playing instantly rather than having to completely download first.
Elementum essentially streams the video as it downloads in the background from the distributed peers in the swarm. This avoids all the buffering issues common with traditional Kodi addons relying on hoster links.
The one caveat is that this means the video quality and reliability depends on the health of the torrent and number of seeders. More popular torrents with plenty of seeders will give the best experience in Elementum.
Is the Elementum Kodi Addon Safe to Use?
Whenever installing third-party addons outside of the official Kodi repository, it‘s smart to do some due diligence on the safety of the addon first.
The good news is that the Elementum addon itself does not contain any malware, viruses, or other security risks according to all reports. The developer is trusted in the Kodi community and the addon is open source.
However, privacy is a concern to consider when using Elementum. Since it uses torrents, your IP address is publicly revealed when streaming or downloading a torrent file.
Anti-piracy groups monitor torrent swarms closely and send infringement notices/legal threats based on IP addresses. So using Elementum without a VPN exposes you to this risk.
The best practice is to always use a secure VPN like Surfshark or IPVanish when using Elementum or any other addons downloading/streaming pirated content.
A VPN masks your IP address so you can stream anonymously and avoids the privacy risks. Most quality VPNs also do not log user activity, which provides another layer of protection.
We recommend checking out our list of the best VPNs for streaming to find a suitable option with all the key features to maximize your privacy and security with addons like Elementum.
Is Elementum Legal to Use?
Determining the precise legality of any Kodi addon is tricky. In general, Kodi itself and individual addons are not illegal. The Elementum addon is perfectly legal to download and install.
The grey area stems from what copyrighted content you stream after installing it. Elementum enables easy access to movies, shows, and live TV that users do not own the rights to distribute.
So while the addon itself is not illegal per se, using it to stream pirated media does fall into an illegal zone in many countries. Users could face penalties for watching copyrighted content without authorization.
However, Elementum and Kodi also provide easy access to plenty of legal content as well. There are many free, public domain movies and shows that can be freely shared and streamed.
Elementum makes it simple to find and stream this type of 100% legal content. Users can add your own homemade videos too.
So in summary:
- The Elementum addon itself is 100% legal
- Streaming copyrighted movies/shows is often illegal without the proper rights
- But it can also be used legally for public domain or user-created content
It ultimately comes down to the responsibility of the end user to choose ethical, legal sources to stream.
Step-By-Step Guide to Installing Elementum Kodi Addon
If you‘ve decided to give Elementum a try, installing it on your device is quick and easy. Here is a step-by-step walkthrough:
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Open Kodi on your Fire TV Stick, Fire TV, Android box, or other device.
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Go to the Settings menu (the gear icon) and then select File Manager.
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Click Add Source, then click to add a new source.
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Enter the following source URL exactly:
https://tinyurl.com/elementumkodi-
Enter a name for the source like "Elementum" and click OK.
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Go back to the Kodi home screen and click Add-ons from the side menu.
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Choose Install from zip file.
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Click the name you entered for the source, then select
repository.elementum-2.0.19.zipto install the repo. -
Once installed, go back to Install from repository.
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Select the Elementum Repository.
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Choose Video add-ons and click on Elementum.
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Click Install to download and enable the Elementum addon.
That‘s all there is to it! The addon will now be available in your video addons section ready for streaming.
The first time you open Elementum, it may prompt you to install Burst as a torrent provider – you can go ahead and install it to enable more sources.
Elementum Kodi Addon Features and User Guide
Now that you have Elementum installed, let‘s take a look at how to use it and the key features available:
Browsing the Video Addon Sections
The Elementum addon has dedicated sections for Movies, TV Shows, Most Popular, and Search. Browsing each section brings up nice artwork, descriptions, and metadata from TMDB and TVDB.
You can browse by genre and year as well. The Most Popular section highlights trending and highly seeded torrents.
Streaming Sources
When you select a title, Elementum will search for torrents and display a list of quality options with info like the codec, resolution, size, and seeds.
Simply pick one and it will immediately start streaming from the torrent swarm. You may notice a short pause at first as it starts buffering from peers.
Autoplay & Caching Settings
In the Elementum settings, you can enable Autoplay next episode so TV shows automatically start the next episode. Useful for binging!
There‘s also a Download cache option that allows pre-downloading some of the video before playing. This avoids rebuffering but uses storage space.
Integration With Debrid Services
While Elementum works well with just torrents, you can integrate debrid services like Real-Debrid for premium hoster links as well. The settings have sections for enabling debrid providers.
Trakt and Database Integration
Connecting your Trakt account in the settings allows syncing your media across devices. And Elementum integrates directly with local Kodi databases like your library.
Favorites and Resume Watching
You can mark movies and shows as favorites for quick access. And Elementum includes unified Resume Watching so you can pick up where you left off.
Additional Customization Options
There are many more tweaks available in the settings like changing torrent cache location, toggling seeding, enabling proxies, and more. Elementum gives advanced control.
Alternative Torrent Streaming Addons for Kodi
While Elementum is arguably the most full-featured and robust torrent addon for Kodi, there are a couple alternatives worth mentioning:
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Pirate Bay – Allows browsing and streaming torrents indexed on the Pirate Bay site. Less feature-rich than Elementum but simple to use.
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Yoda – Veteran addon still going strong. Includes a torrent section with solid stream quality. Worth trying as a backup to Elementum.
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Torrenter v2 – Another long-running torrent addon for Kodi with frequent updates. Quickly streams torrents with minimal fuss.
Elementum still remains the top torrent choice overall. But the above addons are useful alternatives that work similarly for streaming torrents in Kodi.
Is Elementum the Best Kodi Addon for You?
So now that you know how Elementum works and what it offers, is it a good fit for your needs? Let‘s recap the key pros and cons:
Pros:
- Streams movies and shows from torrents with no buffering
- Huge library of content via thousands of active torrents
- High-quality video since many torrents are 1080p and 4K
- Constantly updated as new torrents are released
- Useful features like Trakt sync, autoplay, and library integration
Cons:
- Privacy risks since it uses torrents without a VPN
- Stream reliability depends on torrent health and seeders
- No premium debrid hoster links like many other addons
- Potential legal risks without 100% public domain content
Overall, Elementum brings something truly unique to Kodi with its seamless torrent streaming. For many cordcutters, it may be the ideal option and worth any tradeoffs.
But weigh your personal priorities around features, content selection, and privacy/legal considerations before diving in. And be sure to use a VPN!
Now equipped with everything you need to know, enjoy exploring Elementum and let us know if you have any other questions!
