What does a VPN do for a Fire Stick?

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What does a VPN do for a Fire Stick: The Amazon Fire TV Stick, Firestick, and Fire Cube are a simple and cost-effective way to turn any TV with an HDMI port into an Internet-connected streaming device with access to tens of thousands of movies, TV shows, and other content. Unfortunately, much of that streaming media content is geo-locked, meaning it can only be accessed from specific countries.

That’s where a Firestick Virtual Private Network (VPN) comes in. By encrypting all of your internet traffic and routing it through an intermediary server in a location of your choosing, you can “spoof” your location to make it appear to the content provider as though you are located in another country or region. This makes it possible to unblock restricted content on streaming apps like Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, BBC iPlayer, HBO, and many more. 

Also Read: Best VPNs for Privacy & Security in 2020

So, before focus on What does a VPN do for a Fire Stick, let’s talk about VPNs…

What is a VPN?

A VPN – Virtual Private Network, is a secure connection that uses encryptions to ensure that your Amazon Firestick and Fire TV streaming activities are kept safe from prying eyes such as ISP, copyright agencies, etc. cybercriminals. A VPN also protects your online identity by making you private.

How does a VPN work?

When you connect to a VPN, the VPN service makes a secure tunnel where your streaming traffic is sent to and from your Amazon Firestick and Fire TV and to and from the VPN server. This tunnel is secure as various un-hackable and unbreakable encryption protocols protect it.

The VPN servers also assign your Firestick and Fire TV devices a virtual IP address.

VPN for Firestick.

VPN for Firestick and Fire TV devices should have the following features:

  • Security and privacy – VPN for Firestick and Fire TV devices should have the highest encryption level available. They should also have DNS leak and IP protection; they should also not log or record any activities that may implicate the user.
  • Unlimited Bandwidth – streaming content in HD requires a lot of Bandwidth; the best VPN for your Firestick and Fire TV devices should offer unlimited Bandwidth with unlimited server switches. Besides Bandwidth, the VPN should also offer lightning speeds for a smooth streaming experience.
  • Globally distributed servers – a great streaming experience involves streaming content from anywhere in the world. A VPN with many globally distributed servers will provide a gateway to access content even when you are in restrictive countries. Also, VPN servers are key to gaining access to geo-restricted services.
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What does a VPN do for a Fire Stick?

Now that we know how VPNs work to give us a security and privacy layer, let’s unveil the What does a VPN do for a Fire Stick?

There are numerous VPN do for a Fire Stick and Fire TV devices. Here the major uses;

#1 – Security and privacy

Cord-cutting involves streaming and downloading torrent content from various sources. Some of these sources may contain copyrighted content; streaming or downloading them may put you on the wrong side of the law and land you in trouble. Copyright agencies usually monitor torrents; you may not know if one of the peers is a law enforcer. Without a VPN, all your streaming and downloading activities are visible to various prying eyes such as your ISP, copyright agencies, law enforcers, and even cybercriminals.

When using a VPN, your internet activities are encrypted and tunneled securely through the VPN server until they reach their internet destination. This tunneling and encryptions make your activities invisible to prying eyes. All they can see is VPN traffic, which even if they intercept, they won’t gain access to it due to the encryptions.

#2 – Bypass censorship

Some government regimes restrict the free access of the internet to its users. In such countries, cord-cutting is greatly hindered as streaming sources may be restricted or the whole internet, in general, might not be accessible. If you ever travel or reside in one of these countries (China, for example) and have a Firestick or Fire TV device, and you still want to stream content, a VPN is necessary.

As mentioned earlier, a VPN assigns you a virtual IP address that hides your real IP address; this, in turn, spoofs your location to that of the server. Combining this with other features such as OpenVPN encryptions that scramble your streaming traffic and make it seem like normal traffic, you will evade government watchdogs and bypass censorship.

#3 – Unblock Netflix and Other Geo-Restricted Services

Content copyrights ensure that content is only available to legible places. This has forced content providers to impose various methods such as geo-restrictions to ensure that the copyright requirements are met. Sometimes this is unfair as you might miss your favorite content if you travel to places where it’s not provided.

For instance, BBC iPlayer is only available in Great Britain. Netflix is segmented, and Netflix USA has the best and largest library of movies and tv shows, but you can’t access it outside the US. Other geo-restricted services include Hulu, HBO, Spotify, and so on.

To gain access to these services and circumvent geo-restrictions, all you need is a VPN. Depending on the server you connect, i.e., a US server, a VPN will assign you a US address; this automatically makes your internet traffic seem to be originating from the US. With this ability, you will be able to watch Netflix US from anywhere in the world.

#4 – Use streaming Apps Freely 

Besides unlocking geo-restricted services, using a VPN gives you the confidence to use streaming apps without worries; your internet traffic is not accessible by prying eyes. You might not know what sources your Apps are streaming from; so, one of them might give you access to copyrighted or pirated content. To be on the safe side, use a VPN, and stay undetected when streaming content on your Firestick & Fire TV devices.

#5 – Avoid ISP throttling

Internet service providers (ISPs) are known to throttle internet bandwidth when their systems sense streaming activities. ISPs can throttle your Bandwidth due to various reasons such as to eliminate competition – when they want you to use their streaming service, they will throttle Bandwidth for other streaming services, to give Bandwidth to higher-paying customers – in peak hours when the internet is congested, your ISP can throttle your Bandwidth and give to premium customers. Nevertheless, throttling will hinder streaming as you will experience a lot of buffering and lagging; if you are lucky enough, you will get a low-quality stream.

This is an injustice that must be stopped, and the only way to do that is by using a VPN. With the encryptions involved, your ISP won’t know if you’re streaming, and hence, they won’t throttle your Bandwidth.

Conclusion – What does a VPN do for a Fire Stick

While cord-cutting is good for your wallet, this involves risks that you have to consider as a cost. They are: to be infected by malware and virus, ISP’s throttling and blockages, and facing legal charges for accessing copyright-protected contents. This article walked you through the 5 Reasons to use a VPN on Firestick and Fire TV in detail, which you must never forget. So, when streaming, your best bet to avoid all those problems is to use a Good VPN like NordVPN. If you already have one, you need to check if it’s a suitable VPN by visiting the List of the Best VPNs for Firestick and Fire TV!

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