Roku was one of the first streaming media boxes of its kind and has been a popular choice for viewers around the world since 2012. Since the initial launch, there have been multiple upgrades and the company currently supports six different versions for adapt to the entire audience spectrum. .
Available options include the following:
- roku express
- transmission stick
- Roku Premiere
- Roku Premiere+
- Ultra
- Roku TV.
Although it was released over ten years ago, this streaming media box is still the go-to for many homes. However, it also has shortcomings. For example, while the technology is extremely convenient, geo-blocking is one of the issues many users face.
Geo-blocking is pretty common across all streaming services. It blocks some content from its users when they are located in certain parts of the world. This means that one of your favorite shows may be on Roku; however, if it’s in the wrong location, you won’t be able to stream it.
You might be wondering how Roku can tell where you are, and how Roku and other streaming media boxes can find your location through your IP address. Roku is connected to your Wi-Fi router, and your Wi-Fi router has a unique IP address that is shared by all devices. Unless you deliberately hide your IP address, it can be accessed by your Internet service provider, and in this case, by Roku.
However, you do not have to put up with this limitation. When you use a VPN in conjunction with your Roku, you can easily bypass these restrictions and make your streaming service much more secure and private. But before we get into the detailed demo of how you can connect your Roku to a VPN, let’s briefly go over the process through which a VPN can help you bypass Roku geo-blocking.
How does VPN help bypass geo-blocking with Roku?
VPN for Roku or a virtual private network prevents others from seeing your IP address and getting information about your location that way. This technology manages to do this with the VPN by encrypting your internet traffic and rerouting your connection through a secure server.
You can choose the server location beforehand from the list of available options, depending on what you want to achieve. After connecting to a VPN, only the IP address of the server you connected to will appear, making you private online.
In addition to hiding your IP address, you can also use VPN to significantly improve your privacy when browsing online or streaming content by preventing your ISP from seeing what you’re doing online, which is a real possibility when connecting without a VPN. Worse, it’s not uncommon for ISPs to sell this data to third parties without much information about what the third-party company plans to do with the data.
Last but not least, you can also get better deals online for travel, subscriptions, and other products and services, which we’ll cover in more detail later.
How to set up VPN on Roku?
There are two main ways to set up your VPN for your Roku, although you can’t do it directly on the Roku media box since it doesn’t have direct support for VPN apps.
Suppose you want to be able to access any content you want without geo-blockers and increase the privacy of your streaming experience. In that case, you will need to install a VPN on the so-called intermediary device. Most commonly it is a Wi-Fi router. Your two main options will be to configure it on the physical or virtual router.
The most obvious way to do this is to set up a VPN on your physical Wi-Fi router and then connect your Roku. However, this option will not be available to most Internet users, as this option is only available to users with routers that support VPN connections.
Also, the process will be complicated and may take a long time to finish. The upside, though, is that it will help you avoid the delays that can occur when trying to set up a VPN for your Roku connecting using other methods. However, if you’re using a quality VPN provider, you shouldn’t experience any lag regardless of which method you use to connect to your Roku.
If your router does not support the proper firmware and making changes would be too risky, the second option is to set up a VPN on a virtual Wi-Fi router or hotspot. In this case, you will need to use a laptop as a Wi-Fi access point. You will simply have to connect to the VPN on your laptop and then broadcast a Wi-Fi hotspot to nearby devices.
Other benefits of using a VPN for Roku
While a VPN can help you access geo-blocked content through Roku, it can also be used to buy a Roku subscription for less. It’s pretty standard for companies, including Roku, to charge different prices for their product depending on which website the user accesses.
When you’re connected to a VPN and surf the web like that, no one can tell where you’re browsing from; they can only see the location of the server you’re connected to, so you don’t have to pay the price assigned to your region specifically. You can use this to get better deals on products and services, including Roku. Just try different servers until you find the best deal.
While having Roku alone is still great, you should have Roku and VPN for the optimal experience. Suppose you are going to pay for Roku and the content it offers. In that case, you might as well have access to everything this streaming service has to offer, regardless of location, especially considering that geo-blocking frequently doesn’t even make much sense.
To get the most out of Roku, consider investing in a VPN. As demonstrated above, connecting Roku to a VPN is a simple procedure that won’t take more than 5 minutes. However, you will be able to keep the benefits for much longer. You’ll get instant access to everything this streaming service has to offer, and you’ll know your privacy is protected.
Categories: Technology
Source: SCHOOL TRANG DAI
