Some TVs come with the ability to use a VPN built-in, but not all. And if you’re lucky enough to have one of these smart TVs, connecting is easy.
VPNs are becoming more and more popular for many reasons – from security to geo-blocking content.
In this guide, we’ll show you three different ways to set up a VPN on your new Smart TV!
The easiest way is through the Google Play store, but not all TVs support this.
If it doesn’t then you can connect directly from your computer or router with just a few extra steps. Let’s jump in starting with the easiest method – using Google Play Store…
How to set up a VPN on a Smart TV with Google Play
If you buy a SmartTV that can access Google Play, or if you have an Android TV box, it is easy to set up the VPN on your TV.
- You need to buy a subscription first.
- You can download and install the software that will be given to you by your provider.
- Then type in your username and password when setting it up.
- Then run the app on your smart TV and connect with a server of one of the countries in which you want to pretend like you are living.
You are now pretending as if you live in another country so they cannot find out who is watching what they don’t want people from other countries to see.
Configuration of VPN on Smart TV will also help to overcome geo-restriction caused by many streaming services.
If you want to watch Netflix on your Smart TV, there are greater chances of Netflix Proxy error to appear on your screen while accessing movies catalog.
By configuring VPN on Smart TV via Google Play you can easily get rid of Netflix geo-blocking restriction and you can get access to a huge amount of not-accessible content via Netflix Proxy.
Connecting a smart TV to a VPN via a PC or Laptop
You can share your computer’s connection to the internet with your smart TV.
You can use a VPN on your computer and it will work for your smart TV too if you are using Windows or Mac.
This is an alternative way of getting a VPN on SmartTV – but only if your model does not support Android.
Sharing Your VPN Connection to Smart TV via Windows
To get connected, follow these steps:
- Make sure that you are connected to the VPN service on your computer.
- Connect the SmartTV to one of the ports of your computer using an Ethernet cable.
- Open the Network and Sharing Centre on PC (Start > Control Panel > Network and Sharing Centre> Change adapter settings).
- Find the VPN connection in the “Network connections” list, right-click on it and select “Properties”.
- Click the “Sharing” section and check the box next to “Allow other network users to connect through this computer’s internet connection”.
- From the drop-down menu, under ‘Local Area Connection’ select the port your smart tv is connected to.
- Click Ok. Restart both devices, SmartTV, and PC. Now you are ready to go!
Sharing Your VPN Connection to Smart TV via Mac
To share your VPN with a Mac,
- First, you need to sign up for a VPN service.
- Then you need to turn off your SmartTV.
- Connect it to your Mac with the USB slot on the side.
- Now open the Apple icon at the top right of your screen and click “System Preferences” and then “sharing.”
- Find “Sharing your connection from” and in there select your VPN connection
- choose “USB Ethernet” from “To computers using”
- After that, check “Internet Sharing” and click start so it turns green.
- Finally, restart your TV by shutting it down then turning it on again.
How to set up a Smart TV VPN on your Router
You can use a VPN on your router for your TV. If you want to use a VPN that is not on your device, then you should set it up on the router and all of the devices will be connected through that.
This is easy to do but it can also be hard because routers can get broken if they are flashed wrong.
Not everyone knows what this means so if you don’t know how to flash your router, then maybe try another way or buy one with a pre-flashed VPN from people who know how to flash them.
There are some VPNs that will help you do this, but it can be tricky.
If you want to try it, then go to the website of the VPN and look for their router instructions.
Some people prefer to use a router with a VPN rather than on all of their devices because then they don’t have to worry about every device getting a good connection.
This might be better for you if your TV is not near your computer or if you have a lot of devices in your home.
Conclusion
Smart TVs are a hot commodity these days because of their sleek design and ability to connect with all your other devices.
You may be wondering how you can set up a VPN on Smart TV, but don’t worry! This blog post has got you covered with tips for getting connected quickly.
If you want the most secure connection possible, then our team recommends using an Ethernet cable or USB slot to connect your device.
If this is not feasible in your home (or if it’s simply too difficult) there are still ways that will work better than others.
We hope this article has given you some good ideas about what to do next when considering setting up a VPN service on your new SmartTV.
Let us know which method was the easiest for you in the comments below!