This guide – How To Setup VPN on Android TV Box – is the only guide you’re going to need to quickly setup your favorite VPN on your Android TV box. In this article I will show you step-by-step what is required to do exactly this.
Here are the basic steps required to setup a VPN on your Android TV box, we will cover each of them in explicit detail below:
- Choose a VPN provider (see recommended providers below).
- Visit the Google Play Store and download the app for your chosen VPN service provider.
- Install the VPN app.
- Enter your login credentials (provided by your VPN service provider).
- Choose a Server and click Connect.
- You’re done! At this point you should be connected to your VPN and streaming anonymously.
Warning
Governments and ISPs across the world monitor their users’ online activities. If found streaming copyright content, you could get into serious legal trouble. Currently, your IP 5.255.231.11 is visible to everyone. I strongly recommend that you get the best VPN for streaming and hide your identity so that your entertainment doesn’t take a turn for the worst.
Here are the reasons why you must use a VPN all the time.
I personally use and recommend you use one of ExpressVPN, NordVPN, IPVanish or PureVPN. They are the fastest and most secure VPNs in the industry.
Step #1 – Choose a VPN Provider
The first thing you are going to need to do is select a VPN service provider from the multitude of providers out there. This can be a bit of a daunting task so I’ve compiled a “short-list” of the very best service providers out there.
A couple things you want to consider when selecting a VPN service provider,
- Ensure there is no data capping or traffic logging.
- Ensure a variety of server locations and server speeds.
- No bandwidth throttling of any kind.
- Support and service reliability.
These are the major factors that should be considered when selecting your VPN provider, therefore, STAY AWAY FROM THE FREE ONES!
Depending on how much you’re willing to spend, here are three of the very best VPN providers out there at a couple of different price points.
Recommended VPN Providers
ExpressVPN | NordVPN | IPVanish | PureVPN | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Ease of Use | 5/5 | 5/5 | 5/5 | 5/5 |
Speed Rating | 5/5 | 4/5 | 4/5 | 4/5 |
Traffic Logging | No | No | No | No |
Support Rating | 5/5 | 5/5 | 5/5 | 4/5 |
Price Rating | 4/5 | 5/5 | 5/5 | 5/5 |
Price | approx. $8.32/month | approx. $3.99/month | approx. $3.74/month | approx. $3.59/month |
BUY NOW | BUY NOW | BUY NOW | BUY NOW |
All of these VPN service providers are excellent and I’ve personally tried all of them.
Step #2 – Download Google Play Store App
After you’ve chosen your VPN provider, you’ll want to download their app from the Google Play Store. Most all reputable VPN providers will have an app that will easily connect your Android TV box to the VPN servers.
Below is the Google Play Store app for ExpressVPN, I will be using this superior VPN service as an example throughout this article. The reason I am such a huge fan of this VPN provider is simple…it’s one of the best! With servers in 148 cities throughout the world, unblocking geo-restricted content is a snap!
The next step is to install the app on your Android TV box.
Step #3 – Install VPN App on Android TV Box
If you navigate to the Google Play Store via your Android TV box, then simply download and install the app as you would any other app.
The other option is to “side-load” the VPN app onto your Android TV box. Depending on your Android TV box, it may not natively support all apps from the Google Play Store. This is especially true for Android boxes that run the certified Android TV OS, such as the MECOOL KM8 2018 New Generation Smart Android 8.0 Box or it’s more expensive big bother the NVIDIA SHIELD TV.
Both of these boxes are excellent streaming boxes, however, they are running a more “closed-off” Android OS in the sense that they have been designed with cord-cutters in mind to become a central streaming box for your living room.
I highly recommend both of these boxes, and I encourage you to check out some of the other articles I did that take a closer look at both of these boxes. I’ll include a link to those articles at the end of this one.
Back to side-loading. The issue around these “closed-off” Android boxes is to side-load the APK file using an app such as ES File Explorer. While it’s not the focus of this article to show you how to side-load .apk files, a quick YouTube search will reveal several videos that walk you through how to do that.
Lon.TV’s YouTube Channel does a good job demonstrating how this is done. Check it out here.
While side-loading .apk files is a bit more work, it’s certainly not that difficult. The power and benefits of going with the MECOOL KM8 2018 New Generation Smart Android 8.0 Box or the NVIDIA SHIELD TV box far outweigh the drawbacks of having to side-load an app or two.
Step #4 – Enter Login Credentials
This is probably the most straight forward part of the whole process. Once you’ve gotten to this point, you would’ve already received your username and password from your VPN service provider. When prompted to enter them go ahead and do so.
At this point, just click “Sign In” and you should be at a screen that allow you to simply Connect to the default server, or asks you to choose a server. For ExpressVPN, it looks like this:
Step #5 – Choose A Server and Connect
As mentioned above, most good VPN providers will provide a list of servers to choose from. This allows you to find a server closest to you at the fastest speeds available at that time. Remember, speeds are often determined by server utilization as well as the geographic distance between you and the server.
What do I mean by “server utilization”? This means that typically the more people who are connected to a given server, the slower that server connection will be. Ideally, your VPN service provider will do load balancing to ensure that popular servers are not overwhelmed, however, keep this in mind when selecting your server.
As mentioned above, if you choose one of the VPN providers I’ve recommended in this article, namely, ExpressVPN, PureVPN, or IPVanish, your server location choices and connection speeds will be superb. And remember, a key thing to watch out for, even if you don’t choose one of these three, is TRAFFIC LOGGING. Always ensure that whomever you decide to go with that they keep absolutely no record of your activity.
Step #5 – You’re Done!
If you’ve made it this far congratulations, you’ve successfully Setup a VPN on an Android TV Box! You should now be streaming all the glorious content you want in perfect anonymity. I certainly hope you’ve enjoyed reading this article on “How To Setup VPN On Android TV Box”.
Be sure to check out some of my other great articles that talk about everything cord-cutting, IPTV and just about everything else that doesn’t involve monthly cable or satellite subscriptions.
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