How To Use A VPN To Change Your Location On A Roku Streaming Device
Setting up a VPN on a Roku streaming device is a little different. First, you need to create an ExpressVPN account if you dont already have one. Since Roku does not support VPNs directly, you need to apply the VPN to your router instead. You can read our guide on the topic here for brand-specific setup
Every router is slightly different and each has a unique set of directions that you must follow, so ensure you locate and use the correct ones. After going through these steps, follow the instructions below to change the IP location displayed by your Roku device:
Your router now creates a connection from the Roku device to ExpressVPN, displaying the new location.
To Unblock Your Favorite Movies And Shows Anywhere
The other prominent reason for you to use a VPN is to and access the Amazon Prime international library on your device.
Confused?
Despite being globally available, Amazon abides by various copyright, licensing, and other content regulations, for which it has to block certain media inside or outside a particular location.
Sometimes, its because the content creators do not want their media to stream inside or outside a specific region. Whereas, in some other cases, Amazon has to segregate content viewership based on certain countries media regulations.
Also, there could as well be many more reasons for the streaming giant to block or unblock a certain movie or TV show in a particular country.
Regardless of the reason is, the ultimate sufferer is the end-user who, despite paying for a subscription, cant watch the desired media everywhere.
It means that when you travel abroad, for instance, from the USA to the Netherlands, you wont lose access to Prime Video since it is available in both countries.
But, as soon as you sign-in to your account and try to resume the streaming of your favorite TV show, youll likely get an error because that show wont be available in your existing location.
Thats where these restrictions frustrate a user. And thats what a VPN resolves.
For instance, if your favorite show is available to US subscribers only, you can spoof your online location to the USA and watch the US version of Amazon Prime.
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Smart Dns And Fire TV Stick
CyberGhost is so effective at bypassing geo-blocks because it comes with a Smart DNS tool. This technology changes the DNS server that your traffic is routed through.
You can find out how to configure Smart DNS on CyberGhosts support website. You can also set up the VPN on your Fire TV Stick quickly and easily.
How To Use A VPN To Change Your Location
Using a VPN provides you with many features such as privacy and security, but a VPN also allows you to change your IP location. For example, if you live in the UK, you could use a VPN to make it appear as though you are in the US, Japan, or South Africa. While using a VPN may sound challenging, the process is relatively straightforward. If you are looking to change your IP location, you have come to the right place. In this article, we show you how to change your location using a VPN on various devices.
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The ‘i Don’t Have A Smart TV’ Way
Even if you don’t have a smart TV, you’re in luck because you can set a VPN up on it if you’re able to connect a streaming device like a Roku, or Google Chromecast to the TV. These ingenious little devices essentially turn any TV with an HDMI port into a smart TV, at a much lower cost than an actual smart TV.
Basically, you can use the methods listed above to connect a VPN to your TV — and if you go with or then you can download the VPN directly via the Play Store or the Amazon Appstore, respectively. The only difference is that you’ll use your streaming device’s interface to connect to the VPN instead of directly via your TV interface. You’ll still get all the privacy and unblocking benefits that a VPN offers if you decide to take this route, but only for content you watch through your streaming device.
Streaming devices like the ones offered by Roku and others can turn your ordinary TV into a smart TV.
Getting Started With A VPN
Once you’ve settled on a service, the first thing to do is to download the company’s app. There’s usually a Downloads page for this on the VPN service’s website. Go ahead and download the apps for your mobile devices as well: You’ll want to protect as many of your devices as you can. If the VPN service you’re considering doesn’t offer an app for the devices you use, consider finding a different service.
We have found that when releasing VPNs for Mac, companies occasionally have different versions available in the Mac App Store and on the company website. This appears to be for compliance with restrictions imposed by Apple. Figuring out which will work for you can be tricky, so be sure to read the company’s documentation carefully.
Once you’ve installed the apps, you’re usually prompted to enter your login information. In most cases, this is the username and password you created when you signed up for the service. Some companies, such as IVPN, Mullvad, and ExpressVPN have unusual login systems that provide customers with more privacy but can be confusing at first. Be sure to read the instructions carefully.
Once you’re logged in, your VPN app usually connects to the VPN server closest to your current location. That’s done to provide better speeds when using the VPN, as performance degrades the farther the VPN server is from your actual location. That’s it: Your information is now being securely tunneled to the VPN server.
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Why Use A VPN To Stream On Kodi
Just like streaming websites and apps, official Kodi addons are often geo-blocked. By connecting to a VPN server in another country, your real IP address is masked by the VPN server, so the streaming source will see the servers location and not yours.
We advise using a VPN with Kodi even if the addon youre using isnt geographically restricted. Even if a Kodi addon is used to access an official stream, the addon itself might not be official . An addon thats safe one day could be modified to be malicious a day later. A VPN will help protect against many common threats to Kodi users, including man-in-the-middle attacks that attempt to steal login credentials.
Finally, a VPN protects your privacy so that third parties cant monitor what you watch, including your internet service provider.
What Can I Use A Streaming VPN For
There are two basic cases for using a streaming VPN you’re either abroad and want to watch familiar but now geo-blocked content form back home, or you’re at home and want to watch geo-blocked content from abroad.
Whatever your reasons, there’s a huge amount of content on offer that you can only get with a streaming VPN. Netflix has a vast amount of content that’s only available in certain areas, and services like Hulu and BBC iPlayer are only available in one country.
However, there’s more to be had if you’re a sports fan. If you’re away from home and don’t want to miss a game that’s being shown on domestic TV, you can access that through a streaming VPN. The same goes if you’re a paying customer of a sports streaming service just turn on your streaming VPN, log in to your streaming service and watch.
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Download And Install The VPN Client
After completing the subscription process, you now have to download the VPN on your device.
You can search and choose the VPN app for your device. In most cases, you will find separate apps for your VPN supporting different devices like Android, iOS, macOS, Windows, Linux, and more. Download the one according to your device and click the setup to complete the installation process.
Often, you will be redirected to the respective VPN client according to your device. You can also sign in to your VPN on other devices to install the VPN on them.
Alternatively, you can instead go for the VPN app for routers. This will save you from the hassle of setting up the VPN separately across every device you own.
Doing so will make internet traffic of all the devices on your WiFi network travel through VPN. Please note though, this process differs depending on your routers firmware. For details about this facility, please refer to our guide on installing VPN on routers.
Can I Use A VPN To Stream TV Shows On Mobile Devices
Does a donkey look good in shades?
Dont answer that. You can set up a VPN on almost anything: your PC, Mac, iPhone, iPad, Android phone, your Linux rig, and even your Wi-Fi router if youre using HMA. Once youve got it all set up, you can watch your favorite American shows even while struggling with those squatting toilets they have in Japan.
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Can Amazon Block VPN Services
Well, when it comes to using a VPN for Amazon Prime unblocking abroad, users need to remain very careful. Its because Amazon is one of those few services that actively detect and block VPNs.
Of course, when they have implemented content restrictions, they expect that their users would use various methods to evade such geo-restrictions.
Therefore, they arent wrong in protecting the integrity of their policies by blocking proxies and VPNs.
So, if you use a VPN that doesnt support Amazon Prime Video or that isnt good at , youll likely see many errors while streaming. And the potential solution to removing those errors would be to disconnect your VPN .
If your VPN claims to unblock Amazon Prime Video abroad, then you should contact its customer support to report the matter.
Otherwise, you may switch your Amazon Prime VPN.
What Is The Best Streaming VPN
We rate ExpressVPN as the best streaming VPN on the market. It delivers excellent speeds, unrivalled content unblocking performance, and has servers in just about every country you could ask for. What’s more, you’ll get a 30-day money-back guarantee so you can test the service risk-free for a month.
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What Else Can A VPN Do
Other than providing unrestricted access to a range of streaming services and content, VPNs also give you more security online. VPN servers are encrypted, which makes it hard for hackers to get hold of your personal information.
The better VPNs use lots of servers to minimize slow down when youre online. This is especially beneficial if youre streaming content in 4K, as any interruptions to your service will be few and far between.
VPNs also work on multiple devices, so youre not rooted in watching streaming services solely from computers like Apple Macs, PCs, or Chromebooks. Smart TVs, phones, and tablets are also VPN friendly, giving you more choices for how you watch content online.
Streams 11 International Netflix Regions
NordVPN unblocks 11 Netflix regions. The most popular locations include USA, Germany, Italy, Japan, South Korea, and the UK. In our latest tests, we were able to watch every library in HD.
You can use NordVPN to stream US Netflix from overseas.
Its also a very safe and private VPN with a no-logs policy and no IP, DNS, or WebRTC leaks.
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Fire Up Your New VPN Program
Let’s start things off, shall we? A good VPN program like IPVanish is going to make things very easy from here on out.
Find the downloaded file and install it just like you would with any other program. Open it up and log in using the credentials you created.
The screenshot above is from IPVanish, but you’ll see similar options with any legitimate IP service. You’ll be able to hide your real IP and browse the Internet with another one, which can come from anyplace in the world that your VPN offers. In the chase, of IPVanish, all you have to do is select a location from the list and hit the connect button in the upper right. That’s it!
Why Cant I Access TV Shows Abroad
Lots of reasons.
It might not surprise you to hear that money plays a role, since, as cynical donkeys like to admit, its the whole reason the world goes round. Maybe a movie or show just doesnt do well in certain countries so the studio doesnt want to pay all the fees that go into localizing and copywriting it. Maybe its because censorship laws in certain countries make the content of the show illegal. Maybe its to stagger a release or to put a stop to grey markets. Maybe studio execs are racist. Maybe I could keep going, but I think you get the point.
The long and short of it is if youre not lucky enough to be someplace a certain TV show or film is being streamed, you wont be able to watch it. Even the shows youve already paid to watch back home will be off limits to you in a geo-blocked location.
But that really shouldnt be your problem, now, should it?
Just use a VPN.
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Nordvpn Best For Netflix
For our money, the best option for streaming Netflix is NordVPN. This company has been challenging the Netflix VPN ban from the start. Its also had a goal of making all of its servers work with the streaming service. As of this writing, this is the case. No matter which Netflix catalog you want, NordVPN promises to deliver it.
NordVPN has more than 5,000 servers and offers locations in 60 countries around the world. It also allows you to choose your specific server so that you can switch around if you need to when Netflixs ban hammer comes down.
In addition to top-notch speeds, and Netflix compatibility, NordVPN offers double-hop connections, and VPN over TOR. NordVPN also uses the WireGuard protocol by default, though it has made some modifications to make WireGuard friendlier and more private for commercial VPN services and thus calls its protocol NordLynx.
NordVPN is inside our top 10 for best speeds overall, and it should have no trouble streaming Netflix anywhere in the world.
Choosing The Best VPN Service
Like any other tool, picking only the right VPN is essential. Yes, it is a process that requires some research and diligence, but its worth it. Besides, it is nerve-wracking selecting the best sports streaming VPN today.
Note that several VPN services exist, and some are entirely worthless. Therefore, it is essential to use the process of elimination. Such an approach helps you .
The selected VPN service may fail to work even after conducting thorough research. It is another probable challenge a user may experience. This is because there is an ongoing conflict between the VPN service and the streaming site.
While VPN services strive to unlock the content, the streaming platforms continue to block them. This creates a competitive business nature that can affect your streaming.
Though it is tough to achieve, having the right VPN on your side can prevent such scenarios. With days and days of tests, we finalized the two dependable VPNs for sports streaming, which include ExpressVPN and NordVPN.
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Recommended By Our Editors
If you live in a place where content is blocked because of censorship, I believe it is entirely moral to use a VPN to watch it. That opinion is certainly a product of my upbringing, and I believe pretty strongly that art and commentary should be accessible to people that want it.
If the content you want cannot be accessed through normal, mainstream means, I also think it’s perfectly fine to hop on a VPN and watch a stream. More than a few times I’ve wanted to see a weird movieusually an older, non-US titlethat simply isn’t available for sale or streaming in the US. In these cases I have tried my best, and the capitalist system I live in has simply failed.
If the content you want is available, but it is of poor quality or for some other reason rendered unenjoyable, I think it’s moral to obtain a stream through alternate means. A great example is the Olympics which, in the US, are only available from one company and often heavily edited. A devoted gymnastics fan, for example, is poorly served by this coverage, and I don’t see anything wrong with them finding a means to view another stream that’s not available in the US. I’m told the CBC does a great job.
What’s The Best VPN For Game Console Streaming
Most game consoles don’t support VPN apps and don’t offer users the option to set up VPNs manually. That means you’ll either have to set up a VPN on a wi-fi router or use a smart DNS proxy instead.
In either case, ExpressVPN fits the bill. It makes excellent router firmware for a select few router models that’s far easier and more feature-rich than what you’ll get on open-source alternatives. Every subscription also comes with the MediaStreamer smart DNS service, which you can set up on some game consoles, including Xbox and PlayStation.
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