Smart TVs allow us to get the most out of our TV with streaming services such as Netflix, Disney + and HBO, but it is possible that certain content in your country is blocked. Today, in this article, we will explain how to configure VPN on a smart TV quickly and easily.
Thus, we can watch content from streaming platforms that are not available in our country. Next we will mention some quality VPN services that you can use for this use and which work really well.
Set up a VPN on My Smart TV to unblock Netflix content
Here, we are going to explain the advantages and disadvantages of having a VPN for our Smart TV. In this way we can get a general idea of the situation.
The benefits of VPN on smart TV
The use of VPN services is the order of the day and is flourishing more and more for more uses. Some of the things we can use for VPN are:
- Browse the Internet anonymously.
- Download files without leaving a trace.
- Avoid regional blockades.
Now we are going to briefly develop each of them. Anonymous browsing prevents large companies such as Google, Facebook, or our ISP from easily recognizing the websites we browse.
In addition, it offers additional security as we browse the public Wi-Fi network. Because our connection is encrypted, we prevent them from seeing our traffic and accepting attacks.
We will also get anonymous and fast P2P downloads, this way we can use eMule and BitTorrent clients with complete peace of mind.
What we are most interested in using VPN on smart TV is thatit can avoid regional blocks. An example where we can get a bigger advantage is the Netflix and Disney + streaming platforms. These two services provide a large catalog of films and series in many countries around the world.
However, if we use Netlix Spain, there may be some titles in the United States that have not yet arrived. Therefore, we can use this VPN to access this content without any problems. The reason this allows us is because Netflix finds out that our public IP address is in the United States.
As for the disadvantages, it’s so we can’t use any VPN to play multimedia content. We will not be able to use the free service because they are too slow and some of them have traffic restrictions.
Therefore, if we want to have a VPN on a smart TV, we need pay, which guarantees good speed and anonymity. Free do not always perform these functions.
That’s why it’s important to hire quality ones like ExpressVPN, Surfshark VPN,PureVPN,HMA VPN,NordVPNorCyberGhost.
Install and configure VPN on Smart TV
Once you’re in front of Smart TV, you’ll find that the program, series, or movie you’ve been thinking about isn’t available in your area. The best solution for these cases is to rent a VPN.
For example, if we have a Samsung TV that comes with a proprietary operating system (Tizen), we will not be able to install any software.
This means that we cannot use a VPN directly on our TV because we cannot install the application. The LG TV has its WebOS operating system and we are in the same situation, which does not mean that there is no solution to the problem. We would not have these problems on Android TVs, as explained below.
What we need to do in these cases to use the VPN on a smart TV is to configure it on one of the following devices:
- Router.
- Android TV.
- Amazon Fire TV Stick.
ExpressVPN
ExpressVPN is the best VPN service with more than 8 years of experience. It has several features like kill switch, split tunneling. It offers around 3000+ ultra fast servers in 94 countries.
Thanks to this VPN, we will be able to protect our connections with next-generation encryption and have no registration policies. Here is your Android app:
For Android TV, the process is similar to Surfshark, NordVPN also supports intelligent DNS with exactly the same functionality we explained earlier, and the configuration would be exactly the same. Another feature of this service is that it blocks malicious software and has a large number of configuration options.
We recommend that you access the officialExpressVPNwebsite, where you will find all the details, configuration instructions and prices of the various plans.
Surfshark VPN
Surfshark VPN is one of the best VPNs we can find today, and it is also very cheap. Let’s look at an example with Android TV, as I mentioned, there are more options because we can install our own Surfshark app for Android. The first thing we will do is download the application:
Then you need to giveLogin tocreate and close an account. If you already have one, you can log in.
Once you get to the app, we’ll see we’re disconnected.
Now we need to choose a server from the country we need. Then we put Connect Connection.
At the time, we enjoyed the content that this streaming platform has in Australia, the user interface is very fast and intuitive, so you should have no problem.
If your TV doesn’t have an Android TV, you can use Surfshark’s ”Smart DNS“. Thanks to this interesting option, we can play streamed content on devices that do not support VPN, such as LG or Samsung TV, although logically it does not have the same privacy and security benefits as VPN.
To activate this option, simply go to Smart DNS, click on “activate”, Surfshark automatically detects the public IP and creates a specific DNS for our IP address.
After about 30 seconds we will have DNS ready and we simply have to change them in the router or directly in the Smart TV network menu we have. We recommend access to the officialSurfshark VPNwebsite where you will find all the details about this service.
PureVPN
PureVPNoffers ultra privacy and security. This is achieved because it uses 256-bit secure encryption on all connections. This allows you to access the Internet with privacy and security. It also enables P2P and high speeds via VPN.
This PureVPN service also supports intelligent DNS to bypass regional locks, although point-to-point communication will not be encrypted and authenticated.
If you have Smart TV with Android TV, you can easily install the official application and enjoy all its benefits, otherwise you will have to resort to this Smart DNS feature.
We recommend that you access the officialPureVPNwebsite, where you will find all the features, configuration instructions and prices of the various plans.
HMA VPN
HMA VPNis another highly recommended service and with a large number of servers around the world, specifically HMA VPN, it offers:
- More than 290 locations in more than 190 countries.
- Ultra fast servers.
- VPN protocol with a more open and secure UDP protocol for better speed.
- Randomly change your IP address whenever you want, every 10 minutes or once a day.
- DNS without records.
We could use your application on Android TV:
We recommend that you access the officialHMAwebsite, where you will find all the information.
CyberGhost
Finally, we have a great alternative, which is CyberGost. To connect our Samsung TVs and avoid regional blockades, we need to do the following:
- Hire a plan.
- Log in to your account.
- Go to “My DNS Settings”.
- Activate DNS on your IP settings.
- Enter DNS in the router configuration.
- Connect Smart TV to the router.
One thing we should comment on is that not all routers allow you to configure a VPN, the manufacturer must implement this feature. Routers such as ASUS allow you to configure the OpenVPN client and any DD-WRT, OpenWRT or Tomato compatible router.
In case you don’t know DD-WRT, Tomato USB, etc., they are firmware that may be available on our routers. Another example of routers that also support this is AVM FRITZ! Box.
However, the easiest way to implement VPN is to use Android TV. Here’s a video explaining how to install CyberGhost VPN on your device.
Because they work in much the same way as a smartphone, they are easy to use. They come with a Play store, we are looking for an application and installing it. In this case, CyberGhost VP requires an Android version higher than 4.4. You can download the application here:
Then we proceed to the installation of CyberGhost VPN. To complete, we will giveAlow VPN Accessto enjoy the service. Finally, if you want to use Amazon Fire TV / Fire Stick, we can also use all the VPNs we’ve seen so far.
As you may have seen, we have plenty of options to enjoy VPN on your smart TV. Remember, in this regard, it’s important to choose the quality one so that everything runs quickly and smoothly, and it supports smart DNS and is compatible with Android TV, even though everything we’ve put here supports it.