So you’ve been wanting buy an Apple TV set-top box or may even already own the device, but want to find the Best VPN for Apple TV so that you can access TV shows or content that is not currently available to you. We’ve got you covered, follow along as we help you make the best decision when choosing which VPN to setup on your Apple TV…
So What Is Apple TV?
Apple TV started out back in 2006 when its main use was to sync up Apple devices or iTunes from a computer so you could play and listen to your entire collection of albums. Since then this multimedia device has come a long way and the set-top box now has a huge upgrade in power over its predecessors, but even now most users of the device simply don’t realise that adding a VPN into the mix will mean you can get even more from the multimedia device and unblock shows you might not already have access to.
These days most users use Apple TV to stream services like Netflix, BBC iPlayer and Hulu. These apps are all easily installed on the device and allow for you to watch endless hours of TV shows, music or even listen to your favourite radio shows all from your television in the living room, however most users of the device will quickly notice that depending on where you are in the world you may not be able to access things like US Netflix for example. For this you will need a VPN which is why we’ve gone ahead a compiled a list of the 5 Best VPN for Apple TV so you can quickly gain access to shows you might not already have access to in your country using this device.
The fourth generation of the Apple TV comes with a handy wireless smart remote that allows you to scroll and use in a similar way to that of a laptops track pad. You can even while searching talk into the remote using the in-built microphone that connects to Siri and helps you find anything you are looking for from apps to your favourite music.
How Will Setting Up A VPN For Apple TV Help You?
When it comes to using a VPN on Apple TV there has never been a better time than right now, as streaming services like US Netflix are consistently updating their libraries with new shows that will keep you and your family and friends entertained for hours on end.
Our 5 Best VPN for Apple TV will help you in making and informed decision when it comes to picking the right VPN provider to go with as this is never an easy task especially if you’ve never used a VPN before but want to setup a VPN on Apple TV to have access to more great content.
For most of you, you will be wanted to access US based content either because you are not based in the United States or you are travelling. To do this you will need to the following:
- A Good VPN Provider With Reliable Servers Based In The United States
- A Method To Connect Your Apple TV To Your Chosen VPN Provider And Server (PC Internet or Router)
- A Valid US iTunes Account And US Based Payment Method (To get the most out of your VPN Apple TV!)
We’ve got you covered for step 1. by showing you the 5 Best VPN For Apple TV below, for steps 2 and 3 we will go more in depth later on so keep reading…
ExpressVPN
ExpressVPN has to be one of the all-round best providers of VPN for Apple TV purely based on the shear amount of support they are willing to provide for users of Apple devices. The speed and reliability when used alongside Apple TV is second to none and during our tests once installed showed no buffering when watching TV shows or episodes on Netflix.
Not only is ExpressVPN a good choice for your Apple TV it’s a top choice for iPhone as well providing you with a super easy-to use app that takes less than a minute to setup on your iPhone and allows you to access streaming services on your phone while travelling or away from home.
ExpressVPN was also boosted to our top spot based on customer support as they will even sit and help you setup a VPN on your Apple TV from start to finish. Add this with the fact they offer a 30-day money back guarantee then you really are onto a winner.
PureVPN
PureVPN is an ever popular VPN provider with a great user base that is constantly aimed at improving the service, offering great value to their customers and providing reliable VPN servers and speeds that offer no buffering or waiting around for videos to load. This is great news for Apple TV users who want to quickly hook up a VPN to their device.
On the website PureVPN offer numerous guides, help and tutorials on setting up their VPN service on almost any device, and offer a great support forum that is constantly updated by staff answer user queries or questions.
We tried out PureVPN on Apple TV and were impressed just how simple the installation process was. Within 5 minutes we had it setup and were able to run all our streaming services like Netflix and Hulu through the VPN without issue.
Like ExpressVPN they also offer new customers a 30 day money back, so effectively you can try them out for 30 days for free and see if the VPN is to your liking before deciding on sticking with the service.
VyprVPN
While VyprVPN does not on the face of things seem to offer a VPN app for Apple TV, they make the cut as they go out of their way to offer 3 options in which you can setup this great VPN service on Apple TV in ways that are not to dissimilar to the methods used for installing a VPN on most other devices in your home that are not already directly hooked up to your computer. We’ve listed some of the 3 options below along with a link to the guide to setting up VyprVPN on your Apple TV…
Option #1 Router Installation (Shares your VPN to everything connected via Wi-Fi)
Option #2 Share your Internet Connection from Mac or PC with your Apple TV
Option #3 Setup VyprVPN on your Tomato Router or DD-WRT
Here’s a link to the Guide to see if this is a good option for you!
We successfully followed the guide and installed VyprVPN on our Router which essentially passed any internet traffic through the encrypted connection offered by the service. We were surprised by the speeds and lack of buffering issues which makes this a great option if you want to protect more than one device in your home and watch US Netflix on other devices like iPad or iPhone using the same connection.
If offering protection to more than one device like Apple TV is you goal then VyprVPN is an Excellent option!
AirVPN
Like VyprVPN above AirVPN requires you to use the option to install the VPN service on your router which then gives you access to the highly protected connection allowing you to change your IP address and access US Netflix and other services to watch shows, or list to music that would not normally be available to you on your Apple TV box.
Like other VPN providers AirVPN offer a bucket load of guides on installing a VPN on Apple TV and also have a great user forum which with you log credentials you can join and ask questions to other users of the service and gain a greater knowledge and understanding of the kinds of ways you can use a VPN to great affect.
AirVPN is setup and run by hacktivists who fight for the rights of net neutrality and privacy against censorship so if you are interested in supporting these causes you are doing so just by using the service!
For Apple TV AirVPN performs well above most of its competitors and allows you to switch VPN servers and unlimited amount of times using 3 devices simultaneously which is a superb option if you want to use on other devices like smart phones or tablets.
They also allow you to Buy the VPN using Bitcoin which is a great payment option, so if you want to protect your privacy and get hold of a reliable VPN service that stores no logs of your usage then AirVPN is a good option.
CyberGhost
CyberGhost VPN is another great option for connecting your Apple TV to a VPN server as like some of the VPN providers above they offer good support and a lot of ways in which you can easily install the VPN service on numerous devices. Unlike other VPN providers CyberGhost also offer a completely free version of their VPN service which means they make a great option if you have never used a VPN before to encrypt and protect your information but want to see how it all works. (However due to the speed restrictions on the free version this does not make it ideal for Apple TV)
Along with the free version they have on offer the paid version which is even better and offers greater speeds which are required for using alongside and Apple TV set-top box as you don’t want to experience any downtime or buffering issues if you are trying to watch your favourite shows. If the paid version is to your liking they also offer a package that allows you to connect CyberGhost onto 5 devices simultaneously meaning you can protect every device in your house with a high level of encryption and evade the prying eyes of hackers or anyone looking to get hold of your sensitive information.
Connecting Apple TV to a VPN
Ok so by now you’ve completed Step 1 and gone ahead a picked a VPN provider to go with, next if the VPN provider doesn’t already offer app’s in which to install the VPN service onto the Apple TV we have to do one of two things. Either we need share the VPN’s encrypted internet connection from our PC or Mac, or we need to install the VPN service onto our router.
In most cases nearly all VPN providers will offer tutorials on how to do the two things above so it’s definitely worth looking for comprehensive guides already in place, but to help some of you out we will cover sharing your VPN connection using Windows 10.
Sharing A Windows 10 VPN Connection with Another Device (Apple TV)
Sharing your VPN connection from Windows isn’t actually as hard as it sounds, and means you can easily hook up your Windows PC or Laptop to another device and start sharing your encrypted VPN connection.
For connecting Apple TV to your Windows VPN connection all you will need is a Windows PC or Laptop with an active internet connection through WiFi or Ethernet cable.
- Install and Connect to your chosen VPN service on Windows
- Connect your Windows PC or Laptop to your Apple TV using a Ethernet cable
- On Windows “Right Click” on the “Network” icon normally found on the bottom right of your screen on the taskbar. Click “Open Network and Sharing Center“
- Looking at the Left-hand panel Click on “Change adaptor settings“
- Here you will see your active VPN connection (Icon) , Right click on the VPN connection Icon and click on “Properties“
- On the new window click on the “Sharing” tab and check the box “Allow other network users to connect through this computers internet connection“. If popup appears , click “OK“
- On the same window click the drop down menu underneath “Home networking connection:” and ensure “Local Area Connection” is selected and click “OK“
- Now simply open your VPN service and connect to a US based server on Windows, then reboot your Apple TV and reconnect to the VPN internet connection that has been shared
You should now have access to the shared VPN connection from Windows and be able to easily change your server or location using the VPN client which means you can now access US based streaming services that would normally be unavailable to you if you are not from that location or travelling.
Now that we’ve taken a look at hooking your Apple TV up to a VPN connection, lets go ahead and look into how to get a US iTunes account, get US apps installed and setting up a valid US payment method for the streaming services you want to use.
Setting up a US iTunes Account
If you want to get all you can out of you new ‘Wordwide’ Apple TV set-top box you will need to get your hands on a US based iTunes account so that you have no issues accessing US based content. Doing this is simple, all you need to do is create a United States Google Mail account. Once created you can use this E-mail address to sign up to US iTunes. (Just be sure in every area possible to state you are from the United States, even ensure that the iTunes website is a US version and not a localised version if you are living outside the US)
How to turn on US based Apps on Apple TV
While your Apple TV box is connected through a VPN to a US based server, your apps and the apps available to you should already appear as US based versions. If for any reason this is not the case simply follow these steps: Go to “Settings” > iTunes Store > Location > Ensure “United States” is selected.
Setup a valid US Payment Method
While for some apps and streaming service such as Netflix this might not be required, its a good idea to ensure you have a valid US based payment option available to you if you want to ensure everything looks like you are based in the United States to get the most out of your Apple TV box.
There are online services like Payoneer which can act as a virtual US bank account which can be a great option and makes things a whole heap easier as this is a legitimate way to sign up to any streaming service on your Apple TV and setup a subscription as they provide you with a payment card that can be used to receive and make payments using a virtual US bank account. So it’s defiantly worth looking into services like this if you don’t want the hassle of creating a new US based account.
If the above is not a good option for you, and you already own a credit card then you may want to try the following when signing up to a streaming service like Netflix if they only allow US based postal codes or personal information.
- Use the numbers and not letters of you current postal code: For example if you postal code is BT4 5RD use the numbers 4 & 5
- Then add zeros until you have exactly 5 digits in the postal code e.g. 45000
- Then head here to check if this will be a valid zip code to use when signing up to US based services
- If this zip code shows as invalid or doesn’t work, simply add an extra digit such as 1,2,3 onto the end of the zip code e.g. 45001,45002,45003 etc.
If for any reason you are still not able to generate a valid zip code in order to use your currently owned credit card then the virtual US bank account mentioned above would be the better option for you.
Best VPN For Apple TV Conclusion…
From reading above you can really get a good picture of why using these 5 Best VPN for Apple TV will help get the maximum out of your Apple TV set-top box, and using it to unblock great streaming services and TV shows that interest you that you might not have already had access to.
We’ve covered all the 5 VPN’s you can use with your Apple TV and given you insight into how they can be used, and ways they can be connected. While some may be harder to connect than others you can rest assured that with every VPN service there is always a guide out there telling you how to do any task at hand. Virtual Private Networks may sound complicated but by simply taking action and connecting them to the devices you use on a daily basis you are able to unblock and unlock more features than you would have had in the first place!
