Are you struggling to set-up a VPN on a streaming device?
Amazon Fire TV devices feature a lot of native support entertainment options for all of the top video streaming sites, including Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime Video. The Fire TV Stick also provides access to a decent range of applications to improve your media streaming experiences, such as the Amazon Silk Browser and Spotify.
However, as with any other Internet-connected device, the traffic created by your Fire Stick is noticeable to your Internet Service Provider (ISP). This isn’t good. All should consider using the Virtual Private Network (VPN) to keep their private data outside the control of ISPs. VPNs can also help you access region-locked content in some situations, but remember that many video streaming providers are constantly trying to discourage this from occurring.
Installing a VPN on a Fire Stick can be a bit of a challenge in some situations, but don’t worry; we’ll take you through every phase of the process. Just make sure you read our whole guide. If you have any concerns or wish to share your own thoughts, make sure you leave a comment.
Installing a VPN from the Apps Section
The easiest way to install a VPN on your Fire Stick is through the built-in Apps section of the Fire TV Stick.
Simply navigate to the Categories > Utilities section of the Apps menu or type “VPN” in the Search bar. At the date of publishing, the major VPN services available here are IPVanish, PureVPN, Ivacy, and Vypr VPN.
To download any of these apps, navigate to the app details page, and then click the Download button. It should not take more than a few minutes to install.
It’s easy to set up IPVanish on the Fire Stick. Just sign in to your account and hit the green button on the top left corner. Selecting this button will connect you to the fastest server available based on your location. You can also select a country, city, and server manually if you want to. In settings, users can configure the startup options, change the VPN protocol, or choose a different network port.
I didn’t have any problems connecting to a server in Stockholm, Sweden. I’ve verified that I still have access to internet-based content on my Fire Stick by streaming Ken Burn’s National Parks documentary on Amazon Prime Video.
Installing a VPN from an Android APK
While installing from the Apps section is definitely the easiest method, not everyone subscribes to one of the VPN services listed above. This is where Android APKs come in very handy. Like Amazon Fire Tablets, the Fire Stick runs an Android version, so some Android APKs are supposed to work just fine on the Fire Stick. However, that doesn’t mean that all Android APKs are working well on the Fire TV Stick. You need to do some testing on your own to confirm that the VPN installs correctly and actually hides your traffic.
Finding and downloading the correct APKs can also be a little bit of a pain. Some VPN services, such as NordVPN, place their Android APK on their download pages, which is the best possible outcome. You have to dive into a few settings before you download the app itself, but we lay down the steps below—specifically to install NordVPN, which is the top-ranked VPN. If you’re planning to use a different VPN, replace the URL in the fifth step below with the web address that hosts your Android APK VPN download link.
- Go to the Settings > Device > Developer Options and enable the Allow Apps from Unknown Sources option.
- Move to the Search interface and type the Downloader.
- Install the Downloader.
- Launch your Downloader.
- On the app’s main page, select the URL bar and type in https://nordvpn.com/download/android/.
- Simply click on the Download .apk button
- Launch the installer and follow all the prompts.
- Move to the Settings > Device > Developer Options and disable the Allow Apps from Unknown Sources option.
Once you’ve finished with installing it, move to the All Countries tab and select the one you want to navigate through. After confirming a few pop-up prompts, the Fire TV Stick connected to a server in Switzerland without any problems. Users also have the option to select from a number of specialty servers, such as P2P, Double VPN, Dedicated IP, and Onion Over VPN.
You can also view account information, alter some basic settings, or send an activity log to the NordVPN support team. I confirmed that I was still able to watch content from Amazon Prime Video with NordVPN enabled.
Streaming Media By Kodi and Plex Media Behind The VPN
Kodi and Plex are both famous streaming media applications that help you access content on your Fire Stick, particularly because it comes with only about 4.5 GB of available storage. Users can incorporate media library outlets such as network-connected storage (NAS) devices and personal servers for any of these facilities. However, a wide range of non-official add-ons and plugins for both Kodi and Plex provide access to illegal content streams. We’re not going to make any allegations about your use habits, but some users of these extensions can turn to a VPN to hide their behavior.
Installing Kodi on your Fire TV Stick allows you to download the Kodi Android APK from your site. The method is similar to downloading the Android APK on your VPN.
- Move to the Settings > Device > Developer Options and enable the Allow Apps from Unknown Sources option.
- Launch your Downloader.
- On the app’s home page, select the URL bar and type in https://kodi.tv/download.
- Now, select Android > ARMV7A (32Bit).
- Follow all the subsequent download and installation prompts.
- Then move to the Settings > Device > Developer Options and disable the Allow Apps from Unknown Sources option.
To install Plex, just browse and import it directly from the Applications section. Alternatively, you can download Kodi’s Plex Add-On if you want to work solely with Kodi’s interface. Fire TV Sticks are not the only gadgets that can need any workarounds to get a VPN running.
Some Of The Best Troubleshooting Tips
In the unlikely case that your app stop running, here are few tips for troubleshooting.
- Uninstall the application by accessing Settings > Applications > Manage Applications. Then reinstall using the above techniques.
- Restart your Fire TV or TV stick by unplugging it and making it sit for a few minutes. And plug it right in there.
- If your stream is running late, consider connecting to another US location on your VPN.
- You can also contact the VPN support center if you have problems connecting to your Fire devices. For example, ExpressVPN has 24/7 live chat customer service with agents who respond promptly to any questions or concerns you might have.
So, this was all about, installing and setting up a VPN on a streaming device (Amazon Fire TV Stick). I hope this article will be helpful to you and clear all your confusions. But if you are still left with any confusion then feel free to mention it in the comment section. We will try our best to provide you effective solutions.
