Best VPNs For Amazon Fire TV Stick In 2021
If you’re a cord-cutter, you may have ended up with one of Amazon’s streaming devices. If you’re living in the US, that automatically means tons of movies and TV shows for a few dollars per month. However, if you’re reading this article, probably you’re living in some other country.
But fear not, because there’s a solution against geo-blocking, known as VPN. So, which VPN is the best for Fire Stick and Fire TV? Read on to find out!
Netflix Error Code When Streaming With A Free VPN On Firestick
When you are using a free VPN to watch geo-blocked streaming services like Netflix US, Hulu, or BBC iPlayer on your FireStick, chances are you might see this error message:
Oops, something went wrongYou seem to be using an unblocker or proxy. Please turn off these services and try again.
Netflix and other popular streaming platforms have blocked down many free VPN services and denied access to such services. That is why most of the free VPNs dont work with Netflix and other popular streaming platforms.
If you see this error message, you can try a few things to access Netflix. First, go to FireStick settings and clear app data and cache. After that, try installing the app again. Second, try using a different VPN server. Some VPN providers offer optimized servers for different streaming platforms like Netflix, BBC iPlayer, Hulu, Disney+, etc.
If it still doesnt work, you can try one of the best VPNs for Netflix that offer unrestricted access to Netflix content. Most free VPNs are not capable of bypassing Netflixs VPN ban and firewall, thus giving a proxy error. You can avoid that by using a premium VPN for Netflix instead.
When choosing a VPN, keep in mind that not every VPN is compatible with FireStick. We recommend ExpressVPN as it works best with FireStick, and it comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee so that you can test the VPN yourself risk-free.
30 Days Risk Free Trial
Popular Free VPN For Firestick Hideme
- Dedicated FireStick app
- 2 GB free data/ mo
- Servers in 4 locations
- Works with Netflix Canada, YouTube, ABC, Sky Go
- Compatible with iOS, macOS, Android, Windows, browsers, and more
Hide.Me is a popular free VPN for FireStick with a neat dedicated app for the Fire TV/FireStick. It offers 5 server locations in the US , Germany, Canada, and the Netherlands. It is one of the few free VPNs that work with Netflix US.
The dedicated Hide.Me app for FireStick is super easy to install and use. You can get it from the Amazon App Store directly on your Fire TV. Once you have downloaded the app, you will not have to sign up or log in to the app and get started right away.
The provider has a 10GB/month data allowance, so can stream for almost 20-25 hours of video content in Standard Definition .
On its US server, we were able to unblock Netflix US, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, and HBO Max on FireStick. However, we could not get other country servers to work, as it failed to unblock Netflix Canada on its Canadian server. Similarly, you cannot unblock British sites like BBC iPlayer, as the free version does not offer servers in the UK.
Hide.Me takes user privacy and security seriously and has a no-logging policy in place. It also comes with DNS leak protection and offers a split tunnelling feature. With this feature, you can choose the apps you want to pass through the VPN tunnel and the ones you want to pass through your local IP address .
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Connect Fire TV To A VPN
Most newer laptops come with the ability to create their own wi-fi hotspots that other devices can connect to. If the laptop is connected to a VPN, then all of the internet traffic from the devices connected to that hotspot is also tunneled through the secure VPN server. Well show you how to set up a virtual wi-fi router on Windows and Mac, which you can then connect your Fire TV to. This method works even with the 1st-generation Fire TV and Fire TV Stick.
How to set up a VPN-enabled virtual router hotspot on Windows
If youre using Windows 10, check out the video below. For older versions of Windows, refer to the text instructions:
How To Fix The Amazon Prime Http Proxy Error
The fact that youre here reading this article suggests you too have come across one of the following HTTP proxy errors on Amazon Video:
Your devices Internet connection is using an HTTP proxy which prevents playing your video. Please close or disable any proxy programs and try again. or Your device is connected to the internet using a VPN or proxy service. please disable it and try again. for more help, go to primevideo.com/vpn.
This means that your VPN or Smart DNS proxy server has been detected. This is common with Smart TV owners because Smart TVs use the Smart DNS system which some streaming platforms dont like.
Also known as a Virtual Private Network, a VPN helps you unblock region-locked services like Amazon Prime Video abroad. It does this by encrypting your devices internet traffic and routing it through a server in another country. For example, if youre trying to watch the American version of Amazon Prime Video, youll want to connect to a server in the US. Unfortunately, Amazon blacklists the IP addresses of many VPN servers, which means only the best VPNs can bypass the restrictions.
If you dont have time to read the full article, heres a short summary list of the best VPNs to fix the Amazon Prime HTTP proxy error:
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Compatible Fire TV Stick Models
The following Fire TV Stick models work with apps in the Amazon app store as well as apps from APK, the Android Application Package:
- Fire TV Stick
- Fire TV Cube
- Fire TV Cube
- Fire TV
- Fire TV Stick 4K
Installing Your VPN On Your Fire Stick
Heres the good news: in most cases, its really easy to get a VPN up and running on your Fire Stick device. Unlike Googles Chromecast, which requires setting up your VPN using your router in order to protect your streaming content, the Fire Stick allows for easily accessible VPNs to run in the background of your device, and for most major VPN companies, you can actually grab their supported application right from the Amazon Appstore.
That means there isnt a settings menu to dive into, or difficult options to click from when setting up the VPN to use in the background of your device. Once your VPN of choice is installed on your Fire Stick and youve signed into your account with the service, you can allow the VPN to run in the background and watch any media on your television, all with the added benefit of knowing youve protected your content.
All three of our picks above, including ExpressVPN, Private Internet Access, and IPVanish, have apps available for Fire Stick on the Appstore, but they arent alone. There are dozens of reputable VPN services on the platform, including:
- Windscribe
- SurfShark
- NordVPN
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When Accessing Public Wi
One of the most dangerous things you could be doing without a VPN is connecting to public Wi-Fi. It may seem ridiculous, but publicly available hotspots are not always made with the best intentions.
In fact, hackers could be operating wi-fi networks to siphon data about you, such as your online login credentials, personal information, or browsing history. They could even gain remote access to your computer and install malicious software. Yikes!
Luckily, all of this can be avoided by turning on a reputable VPN when connected to public Wi-Fi. Your browsing data will be encrypted and unreadable to all wannabee snoopers.
What Is The Fastest VPN For Amazon Fire Stick
NordVPN is the fastest VPN for Fire Stick. Every provider’s speed depends on a number of factors, including server quality, the tunneling protocol, and your distance from the selected server. Therefore, you might get different speed test results than we did, but after multiple measurements, the NordVPNs NordLynx protocol turned out to be the fastest combination.
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Can My Cable Provider Block A Firestick
Yes, internet providers can block internet access to a Firestick, but in most cases they would have no reason to do so.
It’s much more likely that a cable provider would block access to specific websites or streaming sources rather than blocking all access to a device in your home. If you’re using Kodi on a Fire TV to stream pirated video, for example, then your ISP would block the source of the video rather than your Fire TV’s internet access.
How To Choose A VPN For The Fire TV Stick
Now that weve covered the how, lets focus on the what: actually choosing a VPN to work with the Fire TV Stick. While our VPN buying guide offers a comprehensive list of what to look for, here are the main points:
- Speed: With any VPN for streaming, speed is important, especially when you want to watch the next episode after a big cliffhanger. If your VPN has a free trial or a completely free VPN subscription, we recommend doing a speed test yourself to see exactly how fast it can go you can find many free speed tests through a simple Google search. Of course, if its something weve tested, then all of our VPN reviews include speed test results as well.
- Streaming compatibility: Aside from working with the Fire TV Stick, obviously, make sure your VPN supports the actual streaming services youd like. There are VPNs for Netflix, VPNs for Hulu, VPNs for Prime Video, and everything in between.
FYI: Our pick for the best streaming VPN was ExpressVPN, as it works with Prime Video, Disney+, ESPN+, Hulu, Netflix and YouTube TV. To learn more, read our ExpressVPN review.
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Connect To A Stable Internet Connection
Frequent disconnections can be a result of an unreliable internet connection. If you are using Wi-Fi, move closer to the router or where the signal is strong.
Also, move your router and your device away from electronic appliances such as microwave oven, baby monitors, refrigerator, cordless phones, and other Bluetooth devices.
Their signals interfere with Wi-Fi, and this can cause disruptions. Moreover, your neighbors Wi-Fi may also interfere with your Wi-Fi signal. Set your router to pick an automatic channel on the Wi-Fi settings.
Does Free VPN Work With Amazon Fire Stick
Yes, some free VPNs work with Amazon Fire TV devices. Once again, you first have to check for a dedicated app. Among those, you will find Hide.me VPN, Hotspot Shield, and Windscribe. The latter is also on our list of best VPNs for Fire Stick and Fire TV.
However, before choosing a free VPN, you should consider the following things. First of all, such services will be slower because the provider offers this as a tactic to sell you the premium version. And streaming in 4K requires a download speed of approximately 25 Mbps. And if your connection is not that fast, you might fail to get 10 Mbps for HD video quality.
Then comes another big issue the monthly bandwidth limit. For example, Windscribe gives you 10 GB/month, which is exactly one 4K movie. Switching to HD quality will give you no more than two feature movies. As you can see, this bandwidth limit is probably for someone who doesn’t use streaming that much.
Last but not least, let’s talk about the fully free VPNs you find on any app store. Most of these free VPNs log way more online activity than any paid service. Besides, they are often also happy to for profit. If that wasn’t enough, more than a few providers install trackers and leak your IP or DNS requests. In short, if you’re looking for a free VPN, only look at freemium options.
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Useful Tips On How Do You Turn Off Firestick
While this article is covering quick ways of boosting Firesticks performance, below are a few tricks that you might not know yet.
- Use Your Phone as a Remote Control: Just in case your Firestick remote control gets broken, worry not. You can use your phone to act as a remote control. You simply need to download the Amazon Fire TV app from the app store. It works both on iOS and Android.
- Use a VPN: While a VPN such as IPVanish will cost a bit of money, it can help you get more privacy. Basically, it can help prevent anyone from spying on your Firestick TV activities. It can also improve security and reduce ads.
- Mouse Toggle: There are plenty of APKs out there that are designed to work with a touch device. Hence, if you use it on a Firestick environment, some buttons or functions are difficult to access. To solve that, you can download the Mouse Toggle app. The app will display a pointer in your Firestick, and it works like a mouse. You control the pointer through your remote control.
Fire TV Vs Fire TV Stick
Most likely, youll opt to use a Fire TV Stick rather than a Fire TV, which has full support for Ethernet. Fire TV Sticks are cheaper and have many of the same features and capabilities. For example, the Fire TV Stick 4K, like the Fire TV Cube, has a resolution of up to 4K ultra HD with HDR plus Alexa voice control.
While this chart doesnt cover all of the different Fire TV models and generations, its a nice overview of what Amazon is offering most recently.
| Feature |
|---|
| $119.99 |
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No Internet While Connected To Ipvanish
This is a commonly reported issue. This is how you fix it:
Run the VPN app as an Admin
In Windows, the IPVanish app requires admin privileges to function correctly. In most instances, it wont launch without admin rights. If you managed to open it without admin rights, exit the app and relaunch it as an Admin.
Use a different VPN server
Connect to a different IPVanish server and check whether you can access the internet. Congested servers may accept new connections, but they will be very slow. You can let IPVanish choose the best server for you.
Change your VPN protocol
If you still cannot access the internet, try changing the VPN protocol. Some internet connections may not accept some VPN protocols in use. Moreover, if you get the Exception of type DotRas.RasDialException was thrown error, changing the VPN protocol will solve the problem.
To change the VPN protocol:
Repair/install the TAP driver in Windows
IPVanish TAP driver may conflict with other VPN TAP drivers. Use the following steps to repair the TAP driver:
If it doesnt install successfully, you will have to download the TAP driver and install it manually. Exit IPVanish, install the driver, and relaunch the app.
Why Would You Need A VPN
A good VPN app can make it hard for hackers to break into your network and steel your personal info. Generally, it is harder to track someone with a VPN than someone whos not using one. However, have in mind that a VPN app cant protect you if you contract a virus. For that, you will need antivirus software.
A VPN is also a good thing to have if you are trying to access material that would not otherwise be available to you. As was mentioned earlier in the article, the Firestick doesnt have the same level of functionality in all corners of the globe. Some applications that work in the US might not work in some other countries. The term for this is geo-restrictions.
Also, if you want to access the American version of Netflix or Hulu, you would need a VPN. Once your VPN is set up, match it to the location you have set on your Firestick, and you are ready to access programs that werent available before.
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What Else Can A Firestick Do
Aside from watching videos on streaming services, you can use your Firestick to play games, listen to music and the radio, or read the news. It also serves as a handy paperweight.
Many Kodi users prefer Firesticks to stream live and on-demand video from other sources. Check out our article on how to install Kodi on Firestick.