Best VPN For Roku to Access all hidden channels + Review & Setup Guide

Roku is a streaming media device. With its help, users can use a lot of streaming services right from their television screens. This is one of the best media players worldwide, but just like most of them, there are limitations with this one too. There are threats and there are some discrimination when people want to use it outside their geographical location.

There are people who don’t think that much and keep getting exploited, but there are some people who know what they want.

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Using a VPN has become a sort of mandatory for everyone who is concerned about their online privacy. There have been numerous cases that have proved that there is nothing like having privacy over the internet. Your IP address is easily available to hackers and they can know many things just by it.

They can track everything that you do on the internet, maybe log in the data that you transfer and sell the information that they acquire to companies for money. These things make the internet a scary place. Because of all these reasons the importance of VPNs has increased.

People now know that VPN is the only technology that can provide them with what no data protection law is able to do. There are many governments that say that they will make strong laws to protect the data of people of their country, but most of the time they themselves are doing the same crime.

There are so many countries that have made agencies that work for them by tracking down people's online activity. Many hackers work for governments and that is why the data is not safe, because even our governments who were meant to protect us are trying to use it.

Android-based Roku is one of those media boxes that is used mostly by people worldwide. It is a great source of entertainment and a great alternative to satellite TV boxes. There should be no limitation for people who want to use this box and that is why it is important that they use a VPN with this.

This article will tell people why it is important to use a best VPN for Roku and the benefits that they can get. It is also advised that people use only one of the best VPNs because free ones are not good with performance and they can also not provide security to the users.

There is a guide that will also help people with the details how they can install a VPN with Roku. This is in that sort, a very important article for all people who have or want to buy a Roku media box or a Roku TV.

Why Do You Need a VPN For Roku?

There are plenty of online streaming services on Roku including Amazon Prime Video, BBC iPlayer, Netflix, and so on. These streaming platforms make use of geo-blocks that restricts the user regarding what to watch based on location.

This means the user cannot watch the content of any other location other than his/her country or state as per the terms and conditions. 

These geographical blocks can be bypassed by using premium VPNs. A good VPN service masks the IP address such that it looks like the user is streaming from another country. 

Another major benefit of a VPN is its ability to prevent throttling. If one encounters slow speeds as well as buffering because of streaming a lot, a premium VPN service can eliminate this situation and provide numerous benefits.

Benefits of using VPN on Roku

Now let's discuss all benefits of using VPN for Roku in detail. Below are the benefits that Roku users can have if they use VPN with it:

  • Using a best VPN For Roku will allow the users to use it anywhere in the world without the problem of access being restricted. The service providers otherwise don’t allow people to use their media box outside a specific area. 

    This is something that creates problems for users when they have to move to some other region because of some work. They will not have to buy any new media box if they have a VPN connection that they can use with their Roku media box.
  • Users can also remove Geo-restrictions on all the content on the streaming platforms that are available on Roku by using best VPN for Roku. Most of the users on Roku watch content from streaming services like Roku and that is the main reason why they need to use a VPN. 

    There are many production houses in the US and the UK that have imposed geo-restrictions on the content, it is not accessible by people who are from outside that area. This can be avoided and all the content can be made available by using one of the best VPNs that are listed in the list below.
  • Users can ensure their privacy, they can be assured that their data is not under the eye of their service provider or any other user. There will be no threat to the Roku related data of the users. VPN provides great security measures for improving the security of data and privacy. 

    IP masking, automatic kill switch, data encryption are some of the ways that make sure that the connection stays very safe. None of the below-mentioned VPN providers logs down any online activity of their users.

5 Best VPN for Roku

1. ExpressVPN 

160 Countries | 94 Countries | 5 Devices | 30 Day Money-Back Guarantee

ExpressVPN is one of the best VPNs to be used with Roku. There are so many benefits of using this VPN provider that is probably the most used, but at the same time a bit expensive VPN in the world. Especially for Roku, this VPN has great features. It is one of those VPN providers that is supported by all types of Wi-Fi routers.

This also comes with a detailed setup guide that can help people who have never installed a VPN with their Roku media box. This is one of the most important things that is not done by most of the VPN providers that provide services to Roku users.

Express VPN has a large network of servers all around the world. Almost all their servers are high-speed servers and hence Roku users will not face any problem while streaming their favorite show in the best quality that is available.

There are also so many security measures taken by them that ensures that user’s privacy is maintained and they also do not log in any user activity. It is the top listed and one of the 

ExpressVPN Pricing

Want to see how much ExpressVPN costs?

  • 1-Month Plan: $11.95 monthly
  • 1-Year Plan: $6.99 per month billed as $83.88 yearly
  • 3-Year Plan: $3.49 a month billed as $125.64 once every 3 years

To find all the details of its offer and its promotion, we strongly advise you to check on the ExpressVPN Black Friday. The reduction will apply directly upon your arrival on the site.

Pros
  • Advanced security on both apps and servers.
  • Unblocks streaming sites from abroad, including US Netflix.
  • No DNS leaks.
  • Large, secure server network, servers running in RAM-disk mode.
  • 24/7 live chat support.
Cons
  • Occasional dropped connections.

2. NordVPN

60+ Countries | 6 Devices | 30 Day Money-Back Guarantee

NordVPN is a well-known unblocker for streaming content irrespective of time and geographical locations. It can stream content of several popular streaming platforms including Netflix, Hulu, and so on. The user availing the services of NordVPN can choose from 50 countries for streaming content.

The servers are protected with top-notch encryption. A single account can be handled by six individuals simultaneously making this service highly affordable and valuable for family, friends, or housemates.

NordVPN is perfectly ideal for Roku as it is one of the most suitable multi-purpose VPN available. NordVPN passed tests for compatibility with Roku through the virtual router as well as on a PC and Mac. Its wide server network with over 5000 servers in 60 countries makes it suitable for use.

Along with providing optimum VPN services it has extended functionalities such as CyberSec, obfuscated server, P2P servers, dedicated IP, Double VPN, Kill Switch as well as custom DNS system. NordVPN is the best VPN for Roku and it is highly recommended, because it has fast servers along with high-resolution video broadcasting. 

NordVPN Pricing

So, how much will you pay for NordVPN?

  • 1-Month Plan: $12.95 monthly billed once every 30 days.
  • 6-Month Plan: $9.99 every month billed as $59.95 twice a year.
  • 12-Month Plan: $8.32 per month billed as $99.95 every year.
Pros
  • Automatically selects the best server based on location, loads, or your specific needs.
  • Great 24/7 customer support.
  • Multihop and Tor connections.
  • Torrenting is allowed.
  • Strong customer privacy stance.
Cons
  • Limited settings and Configurations.

3. SurfShark VPN

60+ Countries | Unlimited Devices | 30-Day Money-Back Guarantee

Surfshark has become a leading name in the VPN service provider industry in such a short interval of time. With its list of features, Surfshark has become a brand name throughout the world. There are numerous reasons for choosing this VPN service over others for Roku.

These include decent speed, simple installation, Netflix support, reliable connection without leaks. This is the cheapest and most affordable choice for Roku. The servers of Surfshark are located at all the needed locations for Roku.

The user have to find a suitable location for streaming high-quality videos among 800 servers in 50 countries. It has passed the tests for Roku on the router, Windows as well as Mac desktops. 

SurfShark Pricing

Just like in the feature section, SurfShark has some pretty interesting twists in the pricing section too. Basically, SurShark can be bought in three different subscriptions.

  • 1-Month Plan: $11.95 billed every 30 days
  • 12-Month Plan: $5.99 a month billed as $71.88 once every year
  • 24-Month Plan: $1.99 every month billed as $47.76 once every 2 years.

The weird thing is, SurfShark costs more if you pay for the 1-year plan than if you pay for the 2-year plan. But what can I say, it’s a pretty good deal and you should grab it before its price rises..

Pros
  • Unlimited simultaneous connections
  • Live Chat 24/7
  • Rarely seen multi-hop and split-tunneling tools.
  • Amazing proprietary advanced features
  • Excellent speed test scores.
Cons
  • Small network of servers.

4. IPVanish

70 Countries | 10 Devices | 30-Day Money-Back Guarantee

IPVanish has claimed to have more than 1300 servers with over 40,000 shared IP addresses. This explains how reliable and fast this service can be. IPVanish can be the best choice for endless streaming on Roku. Though it has minor buffering issues, the service is consistent and secure.

IPVanish has an unlimited bandwidth that makes it suitable for streaming and accessing the number of online platforms in Roku without any hassle. It has successfully passed all the geographical borders for several services that means one can stream content of all the areas through Roku with IPVanish.

IPVanish Pricing

IPVanish offers a 2-tier pricing system.

You have the Baseline Tier that supports 3 devices and the Premium Tier that increases the device number to 5. Also, it’s offers premium-tier only for users who have access to Chameleon protocol and IPVanish Cloud.

Back to the pricing and IPVanish has three pricing packages.

  • 1-MonthPlan: $12.95 a month
  • 1-Year Plan: $3.75 monthly billed as $155.40. Grab their offer of 71% off and pay $45.00 billed once every year.
  • 2-Year Plan: $2.50 every month billed as $310.80 but you can get it for 81% off at $60.00 billed every 2 years.
Pros
  • Incredible speed.
  • Allows 10 devices simultaneously.
  • Has built-in antivirus and anti malware support. 
  • Has additional privacy features.
  • Self-owned server network.
Cons
  • Does not consistently work with Netflix.

5. PureVPN

140+ Countries | 10 Devices | 45-Day Money-Back Guarantee

PureVPN is one of the best VPN providers that is established in Hong-Kong. They are one of the emerging and improving VPN service providers. They have affordable prices and they also make sure that they provide the best services to their users.

There are many benefits, especially for Roku users. One is that they provide servers in all the prominent parts of the world and hence the users can remove geo-restrictions for the content of any country.

There are also high-speed secure servers that allow users to watch their favorite shows and movie on their Roku media box without the fear of getting tracked by the service provider or any other person.

They have improved a lot in the past few years. Though they have limited number of servers across the world, they still are one of the best providers because of their customer support and connectivity at all times with decent speed.

PureVPN Pricing

PureVPN is relatively cheaper (especially the 3-year plan). But of course, you have to go with a prolonged plan if you want to feel the difference. Short term plans (1-month plan) are in fact more expensive than some of the other VPN providers.

  • 1-Month Plan: $12.99 every month. Plus, a 14-day money back guarantee
  • 1-Year Plan: $5.99 a month billed as $71.88 every year. Plus 45-days money back guarantee.
  • 3-Year Plan: $2.75 each month billed as $99 every 3 years. Plus 45-days money back guarantee.
Pros
  • No data logging policy: Audited by an independent third party making PureVPN no-log certified.
  • Compatible with almost all devices. 
  • 30-day money back guarantee.
  • Kill switch, split tunneling, Netflix, and torrenting make for a great combination with PureVPN.
Cons
  • Lack of optimized servers.
  • Mixed customer support reviews.

Setup Guides For Roku VPN 

Below are setup guides for using best VPN For Roku. It is important to know that users will have to create a virtual router on their Mac or Windows device to be able to connect Roku with VPN.

Method 1: How to setup VPN on Roku using Wi-Fi Router

There are two types of WiFi-Routers, one of the types support VPN connections and others do not. For Roku, people will need to connect a VPN with a supported WiFi-router.

People need to open the setting of the WiFi router by typing 192.168.0.1 in the address bar of the browser while WiFi is connected to a device. Then enter the login details and the users will get to see the setting that is already been done by the service providers.

There will be an option that will say OpenVPN client and the users need to enable the option. Users will be able to get further instruction on the website of their preferred top VPN provider. It is not too hard to set up a VPN on these types of WiFi-routers.

The last step is to connect Roku with the same Wi-Fi router so that it can also get all the benefits of the VPN service providers. People need to understand that Roku cannot be connected to a VPN without the help of a WiFi-router connection. There need to be a WiFi-connection or network setting change in the Windows and Mac devices too. The users need to create a virtual router to connect it to the device with non-supported VPN WiFi-router.

Method 2: How to setup VPN on Roku via Mac

Users need to connect their Mac device to the network with the help of an Ethernet cable in order to share the VPN connection on the device.

  • Follow this path after clicking on the Apple logo: ‘System Preferences… -> Network’.
  • Create a VPN connection in the following way:
  • Choose between IKEv2 or L2TP based on what your VPN service provider supports.
  • Enter the server address of the selected VPN, its remote ID.
  • For people who choose L2TP, they have to follow: Configurations - Defaults and account name - username.
  • If the users don’t have to change the window: Go to Authentication settings and enter the Username and Password for the preferred VPN provider then click OK. 
  • Click “Apply’ >> ‘Connect’ >> Click on Apple logo again.
  • Go to system preferences, then click sharing, then internet sharing and finally Wifi.
  • In the newly opened window fill all the following details:
    Network name: [Name of the network].
    Channel: [Default].
    Security: WPA2 Password.
    Password: [Enter Password].
    Verify: [Re-enter Password].
  • Click on ‘OK’.

Sharing the WiFi also depends on the type of device and the configurations it has. There might be some situations in which it can be nearly impossible to connect Roku with the Mac or Windows WiFi as the device is not supporting other devices with its WiFi connection.

Method 3: How to setup Roku VPN with Windows PC

Below steps can be followed to setup best VPN for Roku on a Windows PC:

  • Press the Windows and S key together.
  • Type ‘cmd’ and press enter.
  • Right-click on the opened command prompt.
  • Click on the ‘Run as Administrator’ option.
  • Type the next line in command prompt after selecting run as administrator: “netsh wlan set hostednetwork mode=allow ssid=roku key=password (Enter the password in place of ‘password’)”.
  • Type the following command after typing the SSID and password: “netsh wlan start hostednetwork”.
  • After that press ‘Ctrl’ and R at the same time.
  • Enter ‘ncpa.cpl’ and launch it.
  • Search for the active Local Area Connection N’ N is the number of connections found by the system.
  • Remember the name of the adapter.
  • Find the adapter that has the name of your selected VPN provider.
  • After finding the adapter right-click on it and select the ‘properties’.
  • Select Sharing(Authentication).
  • Do check the option that has text same as that between the quotes ahead: “Allow other networks to connect through this computer’s internet connection”.
  • Chose the adapter that you were asked to remember in the 10th step.
  • Click on ‘Ok’.

It is also important to choose the location of the server in order to remove Geo-restrictions from the content. There is an application that is available for the desktop that users can open after they are done setting up WiFi and in that application, they can easily select a server of the location that they prefer.

Roku VPN FAQs

1.Can you change your IP address on Roku?

Changing the IP address on Roku media boxes is only possible when users use a VPN with it. There is only one thing that can change the IP address efficiently and securely in the world, and that is a VPN. VPNs are safe, and they also provide excellent performance to the users. Roku needs a VPN for many needs, and they are described in the above article.

2.Can I Use My Roku Anywhere?

Yes, users can use Roku anywhere in the world, but it is not possible without a VPN. There are geographical limits on the Roku media box, and hence users can use it in the region where it is functional. It is something that is made possible by a VPN connection.

Users can connect to the VPN server in the geographical location where the services of this media box are available and can use it without any problem. It is one of the significant benefits of using a VPN with a Roku media box or Roku TV.

3.Can you Watch Live TV on a Roku?

Some options allow users to watch live TV on Roku, some channels are free, and some are subscription-based. VPN users can watch live channels from other countries as well. This makes it easy for users to watch shows and movies on the TV channels of other countries.

There are so many free channels in various countries offered on Roku, and with a VPN, no matter where the users are, they can watch them all. There are chances that the users will not have to choose a lot of subscription-based packs and channels with this benefit.

4.How Do I Change My Region on Roku?

It is effortless. The device on which the Wi-Fi is connected and to which Roku is connected can have an application of the VPN provider. Users can easily select the servers and the regions of the servers that they want.

A person staying in the UK can easily change their location to the US and access all the geo-restricted content on the platform. There are no effects in the streaming speed, too, if the users choose one of the best VPN providers and not a free VPN.

Final Words

This article made it clear that all Roku users need to have a VPN connection. There are problems like geo-restrictions on the content and non-usability of the device outside the specified region. This violates the customers' rights to use their favorite media box anywhere they want and to watch everything that they want.

This is one of the best media platforms, and it provides access to streaming services and several live channels. This is something that most users didn't pay attention too. There are also chances that the service providers or other data thieves might be tracking and selling their viewing history to other streaming platforms or maybe to other media boxes.

There are options that people can choose other than Roku, but this is not an article about that, and I want to make users aware that Roku can also be used as per their wish. We are living in an era where we can control everything. Though governments and hackers have become smart, the general public can also become that way.

These VPN for Roku might have been doing it all for money, but their services also feel like they are the only ones who care for people. Maintaining privacy and staying safe from any online attack is one of the most important things for people in day-to-day life.

Share your views about this article in the comment section 🙂

Danielle
 

I am Danielle, had 10 years of experience in managing IT services and information security. I am very passionate about communicating cybersecurity awareness to the general public and frequently writes about security and technology. So in this blog, I tested and reviewed all the VPNs and wrote about it. I produce this blog which is all about the offers and deals on Black Friday.

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