The Roku sensible TV platform is an accessible option to watch your favourite streaming content material in a centralized location – both built-in to TVs, or by including reasonably priced dongles or set-top packing containers to older televisions. Nonetheless, a standard frustration for any sensible TV or streaming service person is that a few of the greatest reveals and films are inaccessible resulting from geo-restrictions.
Utilizing a VPN is a standard option to deal with this subject, however in contrast to Fireplace TV, Apple TV and different rivals, Roku programs don’t have native VPN assist. However that’s not the tip of the story: You’ll be able to nonetheless use a VPN to entry a wider vary of programming through a Roku — you simply want to make use of a workaround. We’ll present you the way.
The advantages of utilizing a VPN
In the case of streaming, a VPN has one fundamental profit: altering your IP handle. A VPN tunnels your connection via its servers to obfuscate your IP, making it appear to be you’re watching from elsewhere. Because of this, a service like Netflix will see your location as, say, the UK versus the US. You’ll then have entry to a distinct set of programming. For instance, the TV present Associates is out there on Max within the US, however it’s solely accessible on Netflix within the UK.
VPNs have a number of different advantages associated to privateness and safety. VPN servers have military-grade AES 256-bit encryption, which means they’re safer than connecting to the Web usually. So, because you’re shopping the Web by tunneling via the VPN, your Web service supplier can’t see your entire shopping locations (and promote your viewing habits to knowledge brokers).
The simplest means to make use of a VPN on Roku
Though Roku doesn’t natively assist VPNs, there are a couple of workarounds. You’ll be able to, as an example, arrange a VPN on your property’s router. That means that you can shield the entire community and each gadget that connects to it, preserving everybody in your family nameless on-line. However it might probably additionally trigger confusion while you wish to entry native companies — and it requires a really high-level of technical information, and solely works with sure routers.
As a substitute, we suggest a far simpler technique: connecting a VPN to your Roku through AirPlay or screencast. To do that, subscribe to a VPN and set up it in your smartphone or laptop computer. Then, stream content material on that gadget and AirPlay or screencast it to your Roku TV. The icon to do that ought to appear to be a TV with Wi-Fi rays.
We choose this technique as a result of it’s less complicated general. You’ll be able to entry any geo-blocked content material in your smartphone or laptop computer first after which solid it in your sensible TV.
You can also make positive your Roku mannequin is AirPlay-compatible by checking this useful resource on Roku’s web site. If it isn’t, you possibly can all the time simply instantly patch your cellphone or laptop computer to the TV utilizing an HDMI cable or an applicable dongle.
