FireStick’s are a great addition to your TV and open up another world of opportunity. However, there are limits to what they can do. The question is, what are the benefits of adding a FireStick VPN?
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The most significant benefits of a VPN for your FireStick are your internet service provider, government, hackers, or other organizations cannot see what you are doing as you are streaming.
A VPN encrypts your connection and creates anonymous connections by using private IP addresses. To the outside world, your identity and activities are hidden.
VPN’s can keep your streaming speeds as fast as they should be. ISP’s throttle connections for users using Kodi, Popcorn Time, IPTV, and many others.
Besides this, some ISP’s are threatening to cut off connections for heavy streamers if the ISP is also a cable supplier.
Your Amazon Fire Stick VPN can enable users to access streams or sites that face geo-restrictions.
With this in mind, you can see how to add VPN to FireStick and why a VPN for your FireStick, FireTV is worth having.
In this guide, we show you the easiest ways to install IPVanish on FireStick, so you can access blocked content, install Kodi, or go about your online activities in private.
How to Install VPN on FireStick
There are two ways you can install the IPVanish VPN. While it is available in the Amazon app store, you may not see it depending on your location, thus the need for a second means of how to install a VPN.
One thing to note is, both installation guides require you to have an IPVanish subscription already. Before attempting either, you need to head to the company website and sign up.
Install VPN Guide Through Amazon App Store
- On the FireStick home screen, scroll left to search for ‘IPVanish’ and select it
- Download the IPVanish app and run through the installation
- When installed, open the VPN app
- Enter your ‘Username’ & ‘Password’ when you signed up for IPVanish
- You will now be logged in where you can select a country and encrypt your connection
If you try this method and you cannot see IPVanish in the store, you can try this alternative method. This works for FireTV Fire Stick and other Fire devices.
Install IPVanish VPN on FireStick with Downloader App
There are a few more steps in this method, yet half of them are setting up the Fire TV Stick to accept third-party apps.
- On Main Menu move to ‘Settings’
- Select ‘My Fire TV’
- Select ‘Developer Options’
- Select ‘Apps from Unknown Sources’ and turn on to enable
- Navigate back to the main screen and hover the cursor over the ‘Search’ icon.
- Enter and select ‘Downloader’ (shows under the keyboard)
- Select ‘Downloader app’ and tap ‘Download’
- Once downloaded, tap Open, click on Allow and then tap OK
- In the Downloader app, Enter this URL: https://www.ipvanish.com/software/android/IPVanish.apk
- Select Install and Click Open when complete
- Enter your IPVanish VPN Username & Password
- Click on the Connect button
How to Use IPVanish on FireStick
It is possible to use the default settings, yet there is a lot you can change if you desire.
Quick Connect: You can use this to connect quickly to a VPN server, or you can do it manually by selecting from the full list of servers.
- Select country you want your connection to be (i.e., USA for Netflix, UK for BBC iPlayer)
- You can drill down to city level if you wish
- Best server option offers the fastest server for that location
- Click on ‘Connect’
Doing this will make any online service or even your service provider think you are in this new location.
IPVanish Settings
Inside the VPN app, you find numerous settings you can change. Here is a breakdown of what you can find in your VPN for Fire TV.
- Android Startup option: Set to Start the IPVanish VPN connection when Fire device starts
- Auto Reconnect option: App will automatically reconnect if there is a disconnection
- Allow LAN: Enables access to the local network if the VPN is running
- Split Tunneling: Split tunneling enables you to determine which apps they route through the VPN and which go over a regular internet connection with no VPN
- Open Application after Connection: You can open any given app after connecting to IPVanish
- Scramble: Use this to obfuscate OpenVPN. You can bypass network traffic monitoring filters that detect VPN use
- VPN protocol: Select from OpenVPN (TCP) or OpenVPN (UDP)
- Port: You can use another VPN port if there is trouble connecting
- Contact Support: Contact customer support from inside the app
- Terms of Service and Licenses: Details of what you can do and can’t do. The current version of IPVanish VPN for FireStick device will be here
If you find IPVanish not connecting at any time, the fix for this is simple.
Either you can try another server, or if the issue persists, all you need to do is exit the VPN application, turn off your Amazon Fire Stick and your TV. Disconnect the power supply for several seconds, and then connect and turn everything back on.
IPVanish on FireStick
Even if you don’t wish to keep IPVanish on your device, the best VPN offers a 7-day money-back guarantee, so you can test all the features and performance before committing.
You can make full use of the 1,400+ servers in 75 locations to access all your streaming content and unlimited bandwidth.
All the while, you know you will be safe and secure with 256-bit AES encryption, zero logging, and no data leaks while using the best VPN for FireStick.
If you need more, you have access to SugarSync online storage, and you now have ten simultaneous connections on your account so that you can try the app on nine other gadgets around the home.
