The Roku smart TV platform is an affordable way to watch your favorite broadcast content in a central location – either built into TVs, or by adding affordable dongles or set top boxes to older televisions. However, a common frustration for any smart TV or streaming service user is that some of the best shows and movies are inaccessible due to geo-restrictions.
Using a VPN is a common way to deal with this issue, but unlike Fire TV, Apple TV and other competitors, Roku systems do not have native VPN support. But that’s not the end of the story: You can still use a VPN to access a wide range of apps with Roku – you just need to use a workaround. We’ll show you how.
Benefits of using a VPN
When it comes to streaming, a VPN has one main advantage: changing your IP address. A VPN routes your connection through its servers to hide your IP, making it look like you’re watching somewhere else. As a result, a service like Netflix will see your location, for example, the United Kingdom versus the US. You will then have access to a different set of settings. For example, a TV show Friends available on Max in the US, but only available on Netflix in the UK.
VPNs have several other benefits related to privacy and security. VPN servers have military-grade AES 256-bit encryption, which means they are more secure than connecting to the Internet in general. Therefore, as you browse the Internet with a VPN on, your Internet service provider cannot see all your browsing locations (and sell your browsing habits to data brokers).
The easiest way to use a VPN on Roku
Although Roku doesn’t natively support VPNs, there are a few workarounds. You can, for example, set up a VPN on your home router. That allows you to protect every network and every device that connects to it, keeping everyone in your household anonymous on the Internet. But it can also cause confusion when you want to access local services – and it requires a very high level of technical knowledge, and it only works with certain routers.
Instead, we recommend a much simpler method: connecting a VPN to your Roku via AirPlay or screencast. To do this, sign up for a VPN and install it on your smartphone or laptop. Then, stream content to that device with AirPlay or screencast to your Roku TV. The icon for doing this should look like a TV with Wi-Fi radiation.
We choose this method because it is overall simpler. You can access any geo-restricted content on your smartphone or laptop first and then cast it to your smart TV.
You can confirm that your Roku model is compatible with AirPlay by checking the device on the Roku site. Otherwise, you can attach your phone or laptop to the TV using an HDMI cable or a suitable dongle.
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