Best VPN For Apple TV | Access Geo-restricted Content

In this buying guide, You will learn about the importance of VPN for Apple Tv and I have listed the best VPN for your Apple TV. I will also help in choosing the best one among them and have given the Apple TV  VPN setup guides in steps.

This is an unbiased article and all the VPNs listed here are personally used and tested by me. The VPNs listed are all reliable and works well with Apple TV. 


OVERVIEW

Apple Tv is one of the most popular smart TVs available in the market. It offers amazing features and the best quality experience to its users. But even after having such a great TV at your house, you may face difficulty in watching your favorite international tv-shows and movies due to the Geo-restrictions laid by almost every streaming service provider.

But don't lose hope as I have brought a solution for you which is called VPN( Virtual Private Network). A VPN changes your IP address which consequently changes your virtual location and helps you in streaming the content of any country you want.


In today's article, I am going to cover everything about using a VPN on an Apple TV and we will also see which VPN is best for Apple TV. So let's begin without any delay.


WHAT IS THE NEED FOR VPN FOR APPLE TV?

There are many reasons to use a VPN for Apple TV but the prime reason for using it is to access the Geo-restricted content. Many web-shows and movies on media streaming platforms are only available for the people of a particular country and people of other countries are simply denied to access these videos.

But nobody will like to be deprived of watching a popular web-show just because of his residential location. Therefore, A VPN becomes the only solution to access restricted content because it hides our actual IP address and shows some different IP addresses to the website fooling it to think that you live in that country. This helps people to watch the content of any country without any restrictions.

Other than this, A VPN also ensures your safety from the hackers by encrypting your data and keeping your search history private from your ISP(Internet Service Provider). Therefore, everyone should have a VPN whether they need to access Geo-restricted content or not.


BENEFITS OF USING VPN FOR APPLE TV

A VPN does not just give you access to your desired content and websites but it also offers many other amazing features. The main benefits of using a VPN for Apple TV are as below.

1. Data Security

Most of your connections with the websites are un-encrypted which gives an opportunity to the hackers to hack your important information by performing "man in the middle attack". But this can be easily avoided if you use a VPN while visiting any website.

A VPN encrypts the data traffic on both ends ( your computer and the server of the website) and hides your actual IP address from the hackers.

This all makes it impossible for hackers to track you down as long as you don't install any malicious file on your computer.

2. Access to the Geo-Restricted content

Without using a VPN, you can enjoy only limited content that is available in your country. This is the same story of every media service provider whether it's Netflix, Hulu or BBC player.

But a VPN hides your actual IP address from the website and shows some fake IP address of a different country to fool the website and make it think that you belong to that location and gives you access to the content available for that country. 

All of this helps you to watch your favorite content without any Geo-restrictions.

3. High Speed

Many ISPs (Internet Service Providers) throttle the Internet speed of their users if they find that they are using a lot of data in streaming videos. But a VPN can also solve this problem by hiding your actual search and watching history from your ISP and showing a fake one to them.

This makes them think that you are just visiting some random websites and therefore your high-speed internet does not get compromised. All this helps you to stream HD videos on your Apple TV without any buffering.

4. Low Cost

A VPN is a very inexpensive tool and its one-month subscription price is less than visiting a star-bucks once. Also, there is no need to purchase any other hardware to set up a VPN on your Apple TV.

But the amazing features offered by VPN are a lot more valuable than the cost. Moreover, if you buy a VPN for a longer duration then the VPN becomes more reasonable to buy.


4 BEST VPN FOR APPLE TV

If you are planning to buy a VPN for your Apple TV but you are confused about which VPN will be best for you then don't worry as I  have selected the top 5 VPNs for Apple TV.

Before going further, I want to warn you to not go for free VPNs as free VPNs are not as good as paid VPNs in both unblocking Geo-content and Internet speed. Moreover, free VPNs collect all cookies and data of their users and sell them to third parties.

Hence a free VPN takes more than what it gives. So I will recommend you to buy a paid VPN for your Apple TV. And if you don't know much about VPNs then you can buy any VPN from my list of best 5 VPNs.

1. ExpressVPN

VPN for apple tv

ExpressVPN

Servers: 3000+

Countries:
94

Money-back guarantee: 30 days

Supported Device: 
5

devices

Works With:

Netflix, BBC IPlayer, Disney+, Hulu, HBO & More

Pros

  • No-log policy
  • Can unblock any web streaming content
  • Easy-to-use application

Cons

  • Expensive than others.

Express VPN is one of the fastest VPNs available in the market and it is the best choice for streaming videos on your Apple TV.

It has more than 3000 servers in different locations in the world making it the best VPN for Geo-unblocking. This VPN works with all streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, BBC player, Amazon Prime Video and many more.

This VPN also allows its users to utilize its smart DNS proxy service with or without connecting a VPN. This feature is very useful for the Apple TV users as the Apple TV supports changing the default DNS settings and it is a very easy method to access Geo-restricted content.

This VPN for apple tv also provides strong encryption and a strict no-log policy which will keep you safe and anonymous. This VPN can work on 3 devices simultaneously after buying a single account so you can also connect your mobile and computer to this VPN without paying a single extra penny.

It also comes with efficient 24×7 customer support which will solve your VPN related problems in a snap. This VPN is costlier than other VPNs available in the market but if you want the best VPN for your Apple TV then I will highly recommend you to buy this one.

2. NordVPN

Servers: 5700+

Countries:
60+

Money-back guarantee: 30 days

Supported Device:
6

devices

Works With:

Netflix, BBC IPlayer, Disney+, Hulu, HBO, Amazon Prime

Pros

  • Strict no logs policy.
  • Double VPN
  • Automatic Kill Switch.
  • DNS leak protection.

Cons

  • Speed can be disappointing sometimes.

NordVPN is a very famous VPN among the masses because of the features that it offers at a very reasonable price. It has more than 5700 servers in more than 60 countries which is great for fast internet speed and geo-unblocking.

NordVPN is effective in unblocking Netflix. Hulu,Amazon Prime Video, BBC iPlayer and many more. 

This VPN has AES 256-bit encryption technology which is the strongest encryption technology till date. It follows a strict-log policy to keep your data anonymous from others.

It can work on 6 devices simultaneously which will be enough for securing all devices of your family. It also comes with 24×7 customer support which will solve all of your problems regarding VPN and will also suggest you the best servers for streaming your content.

This VPN for apple tv is very reasonable to buy and it becomes more inexpensive when you buy it for a longer period.

3. CyberGhost

VPN for apple tv

CyberGhost

Servers: 6400

Countries:
89+

Money-back guarantee: 45 days

Supported Device:
7

devices

Works With:

Netflix, BBC IPlayer, Disney+

Pros

  • Strict no logs policy.
  • Unlimited traffic
  • Automatic Kill Switch.
  • Highest encryption available

Cons

  • Ad-blocker not very efficient

CyberGhost is also one of the fastest VPNs available in the market. It has more than 3500 servers in the different locations of the world.

This VPN also works with most of the streaming services and it is the best choice for watching the U.S. and U.K. Netflix, Hulu. Amazon Prime Video, BBC iPlayer, etc. 

This VPN for apple tv provides such a fast Internet that you can even watch 4K videos through it. This VPN provides strong encryption technology and follows a no-log policy which is great to keep your data safe, secure and anonymous.

It can work on a maximum of 7 devices at a time which is more than the upper two VPNs. It also provides a very responsible and helpful 24×7 customer support which will help you if you face any problem while using a VPN.

4. SurfShark

VPN for apple tv

SurfShark

Servers: 1000+

Countries:
61+

Money-back guarantee: 30 days

Supported Device:
Unlimited

devices

Works With:

Netflix, BBC IPlayer, Disney+, Hulu, HBO, Amazon Prime

Pros

  • Unlimited simultaneous connections
  • Kill Switch
  • Affordable price
  • DNS leak protection.

Cons

  • Number of servers

It is a new VPN service provider in the market but its features are giving tough competition to the old players of this arena. It has more than 1000 servers across all major countries of the world.

The best feature of this VPN is that you can connect unlimited devices to a single account of the VPN which makes it very reasonable to buy. This VPN also has a good encryption technology and a true zero-log policy to assure complete security of you and your family.

It comes with 24×7 customer support to solve your problems instantly. It doesn't offer a very fast internet speed like ExpressVPN and CyberGhost but on the other hand, it is way more reasonable than them. So, it is a good option for you if you want to buy a cheap VPN.


 APPLE TV VPN SETUP GUIDES

Method 1: How To Set Up a VPN for Your Apple TV

VPN for apple tv

Router installation

There is not a single VPN service provider who offers a VPN for Apple Tv, therefore, you will have to configure a VPN directly on to your router itself. This process might be lengthy or tough but if you have a technical mind then you will do it easily. So follow this guide step-by-step to configure your VPN on your computer.

  • Select a best VPN for your Apple TV and subscribe to it, you can select anyone from my list of 4 best VPNs.
  • Now use a DD-WRT router or any other router that works with PPTP, OpenVPN, or IKEv2 protocol.
  • Go to your router's gateway settings and write "192.168.1.1" in the address bar.
  • You need to find your password and username for the router. You can ask it from your WiFi provider or you can restart your router and find your username and password printed on the tag.
  • Now go into the settings of your router and choose WAN in the advanced settings.
  • In the basic config section, select PPTP option for the WAN Connection Type. After this click on yes in three options given below.
  • Now in the WLAN IP settings, tick yes to the “Get the WAN IP automatically”.
  • Then go to the WAD DNS Menu, tick ‘Connect to DNS Server Automatically’ to ‘No’ and type ”8.8.8” in DNS Server 1 and "8.8.4.4" DNS Server 2.
  • Then in the accounts setting menu, fill your username and password and in the PPTP dropdown select "Auto".
  • Now select the VPN server location you want to connect to. You can decide it on the basis of content you want to watch or you can consult it to your VPN service provider.
  • At last just click on "Apply" and restart your computer.

That's it, you've configured your router manually for your Apple TV and now you can stream any video you want to watch without any Geo-restrictions.

Method 2: Creating a Virtual Router on your PC

If you found the upper method a bit hard then don't worry as I have an easier method for doing it too. In this method, you just need a device that can share its network and a VPN subscription. So let's understand this method properly for both Windows and Mac.

Enable Virtual router on Windows

For enabling virtual router on windows, you should first check whether your PC supports it or not. For doing this you should go to the command prompt and run it as administrator.

Then type "netsh WLAN show drive" in the command prompt and hit enter. Then scroll down until you see Hosted Network Supported.

If it says yes then you can convert your PC into a virtual router otherwise you will have to find some other device for this work. Now follow the following steps in the command prompt.

  • Now type netsh WLAN set hostednetwork mode=allow ssid=<MY-NETWORK> key=<MY-PASSWORD>.
  • Then replace <MY-NETWORK> and <MY-PASSWORD> to whatever you like and press "Enter".
  • Now you will see some text stating that the process of creating a Virtual Router is successful.
  • You need to type netsh WLAN start hostednetwork and press "Enter".
  • Now you will see a message stating that the hosted network started.
  • Right click on the "Network" icon and select “Open Network & Internet Settings”.
  • Now click on “Change Adapter Options” > locate the network you just created and also Ethernet “TAP-Windows Adapter V9”.
  • Now, Right-click on Ethernet “TAP-Windows Adapter V9” -> Properties as Sharing tab and check to mark the box stating “Allow other network users to connect through this computer’s Internet connection”.
  • In the dropdown located under " Home Network Connection", choose the Network you just created earlier. After doing this press "OK".
  • Now open your VPN and connect to a server. While doing this make sure that you choose OpenVPN protocol.

That's it, you've connected your TV to a VPN successfully.

Enable Virtual router on Mac

Now, most of the steps in the Mac are the same as Windows so we will cover just some quick steps of creating a WiFi through Mac.

  • Go to System Preferences on your Mac and then navigate to Network.
  • Now click on the Plus icon located at the bottom right of the screen and choose VPN.
  • Finally, enter your provider’s credentials to create the connection and hit Connect.

Using a Smart DNS proxy directly on your Apple TV

This method is not a very good option to go for. It is because it doesn't encrypt your data and it is also not very effective in Geo-unblocking. Therefore I will suggest you to avoid this method and to use a VPN for your Apple TV. But if you want to use this method then the steps are as follows.

  • Go to settings -> General -> Network.
  • Select your Wi-Fi or Ethernet network connection.
  • Go to configure DNS and switch it to manual.
  • Now enter SMART DNS PROXY, if you don't have one then you can easily get it from smartdnsproxy.com.
  • After entering DNS and Proxy Settings, hit Confirm.
  • Now go to Settings -> General and click on iTunes Store.
  • Select the location of your choice.
  • Now come back to the main menu and reboot your Apple Tv. You can enjoy your favorite content without any restrictions.

How to use a VPN on Apple TV using AirPlay and Mirroring

It is also an easy method to connect Apple Tv to VPN. In this method, you just need to take help of the inbuilt Airplay feature of Apple TV and you will also need an iOS or Mac OS which supports airplay.

  • First of all, select a VPN of your own choice and install its application in your iOS.
  • Run the VPN and connect to a server location according to your need in your iOS.
  • Now play any video which you want to cast on your Apple TV.
  • Now do screen mirroring from you iOS to your Apple TV by airplay and you will be able to watch your favorite web-shows and movies without any Geo-restrictions.

APPLE TV VPN FAQS

VPN for apple tv

1. Is it illegal to use a VPN with Apple TV?

No, it's not illegal to use a VPN with Apple Tv. A VPN is a legal tool itself, therefore, you don't need to worry about the legal authorities.

However, if you use a VPN on your Apple TV for accessing Copyrighted Content then there can be lawsuits against you. So try to stream only legit apps like Netflix and Amazon Prime.

2. Will my Apple TV VPN work with my other devices?

Well. it depends on how many simultaneous connections you have been allowed by your VPN service provider. For example, if you have ExpressVPN then you can use your Apple TV VPN with your 4 other devices. So, you can ask your VPN service provider about how many devices are allowed to connect a single VPN account.

3. How to Change the Region on my Apple TV?

For changing the region on your Apple TV, go to settings -> general -> region and select a region of your own choice.


WRAPPING UP

Apple TV is providing a unique experience to its users by its features and quality. But this experience can be enhanced multiple times if we use a VPN and access the geo-restricted content.

The sole purpose of my website to bring this article for you was also to add the quality experience in your life by giving you the freedom to access your favorite International TV-Shows and Movies. And there is no reason to avoid using a VPN for Apple Tv even when it's legal to do so.

Here I also want to mention that my site doesn't promote any usage of VPN for unfair purposes and for accessing copyrighted content.

This was all about how and why to use a VPN for Apple TV. If you liked the article then share this article with your friends who have an Apple TV.

Also if you have any doubt regarding any topic I discussed in this article then you can comment it down and I will try to solve your problem.

I will meet you next time with some other interesting and knowledgeable article. 

Tony
 

Tony is a web security expert with 12+ years of experience in the industry. He has worked as a network engineer in one of the top MNCs. He blogs at Spacecraftforall.com and shares a lot of useful info on VPN and cybersecurity.

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