Apple TV is a pretty sweet device… that is if you are based in the US (access to the best content library) and have other Apple devices. Unfortunately, Apple TV suffers the same fate as other streaming services and tools such as Netflix and Hulu—content is geoblocked meaning you can only stream content from the library where you are physically located.
NordVPN, one of the best VPNs on the market, can solve this problem for you just like it does with other services.
Why Should I Use NordVPN with Apple TV?
Using NordVPN, you can spoof your location and make it look like you are physically located in over 60 different places. By doing this, you can trick Apple TV into giving you access to content you otherwise wouldn’t be able to view—this is great news for customers outside the US in particular.
In addition to this, using a VPN with Apple TV has several other benefits.
For instance, all traffic flowing into and out of your Apple TV device will be encrypted. This prevents third-parties and prying eyes from eavesdropping on what you are doing, such as your ISP who might see that you are streaming lots of content and then slow down (throttle) your connection.
Installing NordVPN on Apple TV
While NordVPN has native apps for several devices, Apple TV is not one of them. Furthermore, Apple TV devices cannot run NordVPN nor do they support OpenVPN.
This means using NordVPN with your Apple TV device is a little more involved than simply downloading an app. This is soon set to change though, so watch this space!
Right now, you can only use NordVPN with your Apple TV device by installing it on your router. By doing this, every single device on your home’s network will be secured by NordVPN and their traffic will all go to the same NordVPN server.
We recommend reading our article on installing VPN on a router.
If you’re here for a step-by-step guide specifically for NordVPN and (Asus) router, keep reading:
1. Go to your router’s control panel
You should be able to get here by typing 192.168.1.1 into your address bar. This is the default on Asus routers (what we are using) and most other ones, too.
By default, the username and password should both be “admin”.
2. Click ‘VPN’ in the dashboard
Then click ‘VPN Client’ on the screen that comes after.
3. Create a new OpenVPN profile
Do this by clicking ‘Add profile’ towards the bottom of your browser.
Then select the tab that says ‘OpenVPN’ and fill out the details:
- Description: Your choice.
- Username: Your NordVPN email address
- Password: Your password
- Import .ovpn file: This is in the next step.
4. Download the NordVPN server (.ovpn) file you want to use
Since you are manually setting up NordVPN and there is no app for router installation, you need to manually create a profile for the server you want to use. This is done with OpenVPN (.ovpn) files.
As a starting point, visit the NordVPN server recommendation page. This will tell you what your most optimum server is, however, you can choose different ones from the dropdown menu.
When you have settled on a server, click ‘Show available protocols’ and then download the OpenVPN UDP (faster than TCP) file by clicking ‘Download config file’.
5. Upload the OpenVPN file
Go back to your router’s control panel and upload the OpenVPN file you just downloaded. It goes in the same place as your username and password did.
Then click ‘Upload’ and ‘OK’.
6. Set up the NordVPN DNS servers
To do this, click ‘WAN’ (in the same menu where you found ‘VPN’), check ‘No’ next to “Connect to DNS server automatically” and enter this DNS information:
DNS Server 1: 103.86.96.100
DNS Server 2: 103.86.99.100
Then click ‘Apply’.
7. Activate the profile you just made
Exit ‘WAN’ and go back to ‘VPN’. If all is well, you will see the profile that you’ve just made. To set things in motion, simply click ‘Activate’.
If everything is working, ‘Connection Status’ will show a blue checkmark. To disconnect from the NordVPN server, click ‘Deactivate’.
8. Check it’s all working
You can double check that everything is working by visiting the NordVPN website and looking at the status bar at the top of your browser.
If you see “Protected” it means you are connected to NordVPN and you can start accessing geoblocked content with Apple TV.
Want to Find Out More?
If you would like to learn more about routers including which routers are best and what the difference between them is, check out our full-length guides:
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