Do you use Kodi and wonder why you might need a Kodi VPN service?
With everything going on in the world, like over-reaching government agencies, mass invasions of privacy, and powerful anti-piracy coalitions, it’s more important than ever to use a VPN, especially when using Kodi.
In this post, I will give you four good reasons why you should use a VPN for Kodi on your streaming TV box, PC or stick.
If you already know why you need a VPN, and you just want a great deal, check out this coupon!
What is a Kodi VPN?
So, there really isn’t any Kodi add-on or VPN service called “Kodi VPN”, but instead, when I say “Kodi VPN”, I mean a VPN service to be used with Kodi.
A Kodi VPN runs alongside Kodi and doesn’t actually run inside of Kodi, but I’ll get into this a bit more toward the bottom of this post.
A VPN (Virtual Private Network) service takes all of your device’s network connectivity, encrypts it, and routes it through a proxy server.
On your local end, it looks like all your web browsing, streaming, downloading, and uploading is directed at the one proxy server and it’s all encrypted. On the remote end of the web server that you’re browsing from, they see you as being in the location of the proxy server that you selected.
Kodi VPN for Kodi Streaming Add-ons
Now, what does this have to do with Kodi? Let’s talk a bit about unofficial Kodi add-ons for used for streaming.
If you’re a cord-cutter like me and ditched your cable or satellite bill, you’re probably aware of the many options out there for streaming TV shows and movies.
Besides the mainstream paid streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Instant Video, Apple TV, and Google Play Video, you’ve probably discovered the holy grail of streaming… Kodi, the open source media center software that you can run on just about any device.
Kodi by itself is pretty basic and really only lets you play your own local media files and stream video from a selection of official add-ons.
However, a whole world of unlimited video streaming opens up to you when you start looking at unofficial add-ons.
Unofficial add-ons are developed by people who have no association with the Kodi core team, but they write add-ons that are intended to work on Kodi.
There is a vast amount of unofficial add-ons you can choose from (we all have our favorites).
But, the decision to install those add-ons and what you do with those add-ons is up to you (legally and ethically speaking).
US and EU Piracy Laws About Streaming
Several readers have commented that streaming is not illegal according to US and EU law. They would mention that it it’s only be illegal if you download the content and/or sell the content for profit.
While that might be true in the law today, there are lots of large media organizations lobbying to change the law to crack down on streaming cutting into their profits.
I would rather err on the side of caution because we don’t know what will happen in the future. I don’t want my detailed traffic activity logged on my ISP’s servers if it doesn’t have to be.
Read more about the laws around Kodi streaming in my post, Is Kodi Legal? Streaming vs Downloading vs Selling.
On the other hand…
Update: Back in 2017, news came out that people in North Wales are starting to receive letters from their Internet providers when they have detected that users have been streaming pirated content.
Sky, BT, Virgin Media and TalkTalk, among others, are due to start sending out the first batch of letters
Update: US legislation went through that allows ISPs to store and sell your internet browsing history.
With all that said, and without any further ado, here are my 4 reasons why Kodi streamers need a VPN…
1) Keep Your ISP’s Eyes Off Your Traffic
Don’t let your ISP (Internet Service Provider) see and track everything you’re streaming and from where.
If you are using unofficial Kodi add-ons to stream TV shows and movies for free, I really recommend you use a VPN. A VPN will encrypt all of your data in and out of your Kodi box or even your entire home.
I personally use IPVanish VPN when using Kodi.
This makes your ISP’s peering eyes blind to the contents and source of your Internet traffic. With ISPs sending letters to people who are pirating content and US government legislation allowing ISPs to sell your browsing history, this reason is becoming more important than ever.
2) Stream From Servers Anonymously
The other side of the coin is being able to browse, download, and stream anonymously.
Not only is your ISP blind to your traffic, but the server you download from is blind to who you are and where you’re from.
Your IP address can’t be tracked by the servers you’re downloading from since the servers just see the VPN proxy server that your traffic is routing through.
3) Access Geo-Blocked Content or Internet Censorship
Some Kodi streaming servers may be geo-blocking, meaning they are only going to serve streams to users in a certain set of countries.
With a VPN, you can choose a server in the country of your choice, and then those servers will think you are from there, and they will serve the content accordingly.
This is a huge issue for those using mainstream paid streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, etc. They are notorious for having a ton of their content geo-blocked to allow for only certain countries due to all the partnership they have and all the agreements they must abide by. Fortunately for you, using a VPN is a great way to get around that.
Update: Netflix and Hulu have wised up to the VPN workarounds and have started detecting the use of VPNs and blocking them. But, I’m ok with that because I can find just about anything in Kodi add-ons.
4) Early Access to New Releases
Another popular use for VPNs is getting access to new releases before everyone else.
For instance, if there’s a brand new video game coming out and it’s releasing at midnight on a certain day, if you’re in the United States, you can set your VPN to connect to somewhere in Asia to get access to download and play the game almost a day earlier than the rest of your friends.
Find the Right Kodi VPN Provider
There are a ton of Kodi VPN providers out there. Where do you even start to pick the best one?
IPVanish is the Best VPN for Kodi
I can help you out there by saying that I personally use and recommend IPVanish VPN.
It works great out of the box and connects to the best server is just one click.
If you want to dig deeper, it has a nice interface for you to be in complete control over your server selection and a bunch of other advanced settings.
IPVanish is one of the biggest and best VPN providers. With over 500 servers around the world, you shouldn’t notice any drop in speed while keeping you safe online.
Get a Great Discount on a VPN
My favorite VPN, IPVanish, is offering KinkeadTech readers (that's you!) a great discount on a VPN plan.
You can click here to claim the deal. Doing so will also help support my site. It's a win-win! If you change your mind, IPVanish has a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Also, keep in mind that IPVanish comes with a 7-day money-back guarantee. So, try it out and make sure it works well for you. If it doesn’t do what you want, you have a full week to decide and cancel to get your money back.
Frequently Asked Questions
How to Install a Kodi VPN
After you sign up for VPN service, simply download the app on each device that you want to have covered by the VPN.
The best VPNs for Kodi will offer their VPN app in all the major operating systems like Windows, Mac, Android, and iOS. IPVanish has you covered there.
Once you’ve downloaded and installed the app on a device, just launch it and login to your account using your username and password that you used to sign up.
Once logged in, you’ll have a “Connect” button. Just press it and it will take care of choosing the best server for you and connecting to it.
Can You Install the VPN as a Kodi Add-on?
While there are some add-ons that offer this functionality, they are often very difficult to get working. Some people who try have reported running into errors and couldn’t ever get it working.
However, I think using the OS-level app is much better than anything you can do inside of a Kodi add-on because the app actually controls the device’s network adapter to route all internet traffic through the VPN’s virtual network adapter. Kodi has no control over the network adapter so it would only affect Kodi traffic and nothing else (if you could even get it working).
Do I Need to Connect to the VPN Before I Launch Kodi?
No, you don’t need to start the VPN before opening Kodi.
You could have Kodi already open and simply turn on the VPN, and all Kodi traffic will switch over to the VPN connection automatically.
If you’re in the middle of a stream, that can cause the stream to stop or at least pause for a moment.
How to Know if Your VPN for Kodi is Really Working
Before connecting to your VPN, go to https://myiplocation.org and see what IP and location it says. This is how the Internet sees you without a VPN. The location is usually very approximate to somewhere in your city, usually where your ISP is based.
Now, connect to your VPN and then refresh that same website in your browser. You should see the IP address and location change to match the server that you have selected in the VPN app. This is how the Internet sees you when you’re connected to your VPN.
Installing a Kodi VPN on a Fire TV Stick
I’ve received a lot of feedback from readers like you trying to setup a Kodi VPN on an Amazon Fire Stick.
It is now possible to install IPVanish VPN on a Fire TV Stick! It just has to be the latest one “with Alexa Voice Remote”. The 1st gen Fire Stick is not compatible. Check out my simple installation tutorial here.
Questions? Comments?
I always love to hear from you.
How has your Kodi VPN served you? Do you need some help troubleshooting an issue? I always try to help.
Leave a comment below. Thanks!
Multiple VPN’s no longer work with Netflix. Find me one that will and that offers a free trial and I’m in.
Hi Nathan,
I have read some of your other posts and found them very informative. I purchased an android box (walker4k
Sometimes the the “working” appears in the corner and then disappears. That usually means to me that it was a bad link. I try another one and it usually works. However, in your case it sounds different, like it’s doing that for all of them. Is it all links? Or just Sky Shield? (I’m not familiar with that) If you disable your VPN, does it work?
Hi Nathan,
Thanks for getting back to me. It works only on the ‘people watching’ selection for movies and TV shows regardless of whether the VPN is on or off. Sky shield just a prevents access to certain sites. I’ve been reading other sites and it appears that I’m not the only one with this issue.
Best
A
This happened recently on both my Windows and Android boxes running Kodi with Exodus. I think there was an update that broke the add-on. Try to uninstall Exodus and reinstall it. That’s what I did and it worked again.
ANGEL, DID THAT FIX IT , JUST WONDERING BECAUSE I AM TOTALLY NEW TO THIS, MY FRIEND BROUGHT ME OVER MY KODI /FIRESTICK AND MINE IS DOING THE SAME THING WITH THE MOVIES, BUT IT DOESNT MATTER IF ITS THE ADD-ON EXODUS OR SALTS, ETC . DOES ANYBODY KNOW WHY. THE ADD ONS WILL USUALLY PLAY TV SHOWS, MINE ISNT WORKING ON LIVE SHOWS/CHANNELS EITHER.
THANK YOU, FRANKIE SHELL, SURFSIDE, TEXAS
,
Hello sir my personal account was disabled please give me my account Mjap king username Facebook account
What? I think you’re posting this in the wrong place. This is not Facebook.
Hi Nathan,
I am flabbergasted at how to install the IPVanish vpn; you said it’s ‘one click’…please help, thanks.
After you install it on Windows, for instance, it’s one click to turn it on and off. Which OS are you trying to install it on?
Well, I dont have a home pc currently, I was trying to install on my fire tv box
Sorry, the Fire TV and Fire Stick don’t work with IPVanish by themselves. If you have a DD-WRT or Tomato router, then you can install it there and your whole house would be covered. Otherwise, you can just use the IPVanish DNS… https://support.ipvanish.com/customer/portal/articles/1969134-amazon-fire-tv
it worked for 2 days!! not NO STREAMS available. really?? so frustrated. what do I do?
Are you saying that streaming when on a VPN worked for 2 days and then stopped? Is it doing that for all links? Have you tried disabling IPVanish to see if that’s causing the problem? If so, you might just need to change to a different server within IPVanish.
How do you get a VPN for Kodi on a Fire Stick? I’ve tried many times and can’t? Even purchased IPVanish and couldn’t, so just used it on my phone. But I tried everything I could to put it on Kodi on the Firestick and couldn’t, so I can’t watch my Sports, because they’re GeoBlocked. And the fact that I don’t like being watched. Is it possible to use a VPN on Kodi on a Firestick, or do I have to put it on the Firestick (which could inhibit what I watch on Netflix)? If that is the only way, than so be it. But is THAT even possible because there are no apps for a VPN on the Firestick, like there are with say Google Play?
No, sorry, it’s currently not possible to use a VPN with a FireStick except if you have a DD-WRT or Tomato router which will support the VPN to be implemented at the router to cover your whole house.
I wonder if a VPN can be installed on an android box?
Yes it can. IPVanish has an Android app on the Google Play Store.
How is a vpn set up, does ot have to goto each individual device ie, android box -pc.ect
Yes, you’ll need to install it on each device unless you have a Tomato router or a DD-WRT router
Geoblock bypass is the only real advantage i see, #1 not illegal, #2 who cares, #4 too rare
And the content i believe were talking about would not be geoblocked so really this is not worth the hassle at all.
Well it depends. If we’re talking exclusively for Kodi – most people are streaming and let me be honest…IPTV is seen as the future….so there are invested interests. If you don’t use say acestream/sopcast – if you are not uploading, then you might be alright without it. Some people might want it just to feel more privacy. It’s up to you.
I have a VPN I use for my PC. How can I watch Kodi on my Android box by utilizing my VPN? Havent thought of how to configure this… not sure I know how.
Which VPN service do you have? Do they have an Android app?
Actually I received this reply from my service: “Hello,
We can provide manual PPTP (username, password and domain servers names) settings and .ovpn files, but you will need to configure your device using our settings by yourself at your own risk. Will you be able to do that”
They do not have an android app. I dont know that I am able to do what would suggest. Darn technology!
Android has a VPN section in the settings, so if they give you all the details and instructions you need, I’m sure you can do it.
I have IPVanish on my android box, phone and laptop and they all work a treat.. Although I had to manually install TAP from the openvpn website on my laptop! I also forwarded the ports just to make sure!! But I would totally recommend IPVanish. I’ve had other VPN’s in the past but IPVanish is by far the best I have use imho. It’s that good I even paid for it. Torrents weren’t my friend this time!!!!!
after MUCH frustration i seem to have gotten the addon’s onto kodi using my fire stick, however, when i go to play a certain show i get an error message that tells me to check the log. i have tried a few different programs/movies and it all comes up the same. i did research and it seems that if i get a VPN that will solve the problem???? i am not technical at all, so then i figure out i need to put the vpn on the fire stick by downloading a vpn app?? does this make sense to anyone and is this correct?
Becky, if you’re not able to play shows or movies and it’s telling you to check the log, a VPN will not solve that problem. That’s a completely different problem. You might want to check the log in your Kodi userdata folder. Otherwise, I would suggest uninstalling and reinstalling the add-on (like Exodus).
What about doing this with Hotspot Shield?
I’m skeptical about free VPN services because it costs them money to run it, so why is it free? How are they making their money? Are they harvesting information about you and selling it? There have been some cases of free VPNs turning out be be malicious, so I would worry about this being another one of those.
I have downloaded IPVanish on to my fire stick but I am curious how I can make sure it is working. When I go to network settings it still shows my routers IP address, and when I check in the add on MY IP it shows my network address as my routers IP.
Do a google search for “ip” and it will tell you what external IP address Google sees you are from. This should be a different number depending on whether you have IPVanish on or off.
Okay great! That number matched what IPVanish says. So even though I see my routers elsewhere the apps should all see what google sees?
I’m not sure what you’re asking. The VPN just reroutes your Internet traffic through the VPN proxy server so web servers on the Internet only see that IP instead of yours. It doesn’t affect LAN (local) traffic within your home.
I meant elsewhere within the firestick. For instance the network screen shows my router and routers IP address.
That’s fine. It will still see your router’s IP because that’s your gateway to the Internet. There’s no other way of verifying it besides checking with the Internet (or Google) to see what they see as your external IP.
I recommend IPVanish. See the link in my post. For a discount. 6mbps is pretty slow. It may be fine for SD streams, but for HD, you’ll need at least 12.
@natekinkead,
I have my fire stick connected to my Asus VPN router that has my nordVPN account preconfigured on it. I have kodi on that fire stick and the IP address that comes up is different from the IP address that is on my mobile device when connected to the same router. Does the router create a private IP for each device? I am obviously confused and a first time VPN user, so just want to make sure I am actually connected with the VPN router properly. I had my router configured to a UK server.
Thanks!
I think you’re looking at your internal IP addresses. Those usually start with 192.168.x.x only define addresses within your local area network (LAN). Your wide area network (WAN) a.k.a. “external” IP address is the one that is getting redirected by your VPN. Web servers see that you’re coming from the external IP of the VPN server instead of the external IP of your house.
For heavy-duty Kodi users, the best VPNs for Kodi are those that offer the most bang for your buck. And while it’s easy to just go for the cheapest VPN on the block, it’s probably not the wisest choice. We’ve taken the time to do in-depth analysis on some of the most highly regarded VPNs on the web, in order to figure out what the best Kodi VPN for 2017 is. Check out are results at USAVPN
Nathan, thank you so much for such easily to digest explanations.
I have set up Kodi and Exodus with OpenSubtitles on my Fire TV. Nothing else added. Would I still need to use a VPN to protect me from ISP problems?
I have just found out about Trakt and it does look like something I may want but I would get a VPN if I do.
Again, thanks for all the great info you provide.
I also only use Exodus with Trakt. I use a VPN to make sure I’m protecting my privacy while streaming Exodus.
I have kodi set up on an Apple TV running threw a ddwrt router I bought from flash routers I use IPvanish as my vpn but for some reason I am still getting messages from my ISP for copyright infringements is there something I am doing wrong love using kodi but don’t need to lose my high speed internet for it
Hey Aaron,
Sorry to hear you are having issues. Are you sure there isn’t a device you are not connecting to the FlashRouter that could be leaking this data or that the server address you are using may have switched or is no longer valid.
There is an active ticket in our system so we will continue to try and asses this with you as we would with any customer with a similar issue. A tech will be in touch to continue offering assistance and trying to offer a working solution.
Free VPN with OPERA BROWSER a love it
If IPV is installed on a second generation Amazon Fire Stick, how do I know if I’m still connected to the designated IPV server when I’m in Kodi or another addon? This isn’t an issue with my laptop, as I can simply click on the IPV icon or will get an alert if I’m disconnected. But this doesn’t appear to be the case if IPV is installed on a TV. Users shouldn’t assume that they are always connected, so what tips can you offer to assure the program is running in the background? Thanks!
I have some troubleshooting and verification tips at the end of this post that answer this exact question… https://kinkeadtech.com/install-ipvanish-vpn-on-amazon-fire-tv-stick/#troubleshooting
PureVPN is highly recommended! I have configured it in my kodi device, working great so far without losing speed.
Anonymity and most importantly, bypassing region locks are two most important aspects of using ivacy or any decent vpn in combination with Kodi. Kodi is often savior for many when you can’t watch stuff any other way.
I am about to purchase the new Norton Core router this will protect my Pc, mobile phones and tablets. My question is will it also protect my fire
stick?
It sounds like it would “protect” anything that’s connected to your network, so I would say yes. I’m just not sure what you mean by “protect”. Antivirus and malware protection… probably. Anonymous browsing so your ISP doesn’t see the contents of your traffic… probably not.
Hi there,I have a 1st gen firestick and by luck yesterday it updated to the new OS ..it was also yesterday I signed up for Ipvanish and the stick has connected fine to it and it is still connected and I’m being able to stream now so much mòre efficiently and a lot faster..i just thought I should let u know this so u can inform other people with a 1st gen firestick that has the new update ☺
Thank you! I updated the post.
Gary, if I am permitted to mention, there is Real-Debrid URL Resolver that can even improve what you are seeing now. I don’t mean to highjack the thread and please feel free to remove my comment if it is not allowed, but I thought I would mention Real-Debrid because the service, along with VPN service really has improved our ability to stream at a very high rate and the quality is superb, by far the best that I have ever seen. We have been using Real-Debrid for just under a year and we would not do without it.
Thanks for the comment, Gary. However, I want to remind WVL that VPN will not work on a 1st gen fire stick. But, I totally agree with using Real-Debrid at least.
Awesome! Thanks for the tip! I’ll update the post.
Does Vpn server need to be outside of country to keep kodi streaming private
No, it can be in the same country. It will still hide your actual IP and location.
i am using VPN to access hulu
Oh really… I heard they had VPN blocking. Interesting.
friend it just rumor
I have the minix neo u9 h and when i run kodi 17.3 krypton. i can’t seem to get IPTV simple client to work. i have tried all the video help on youtube and still the same. the channels just won’t load. do you think the vpn will fix this as i havn’t installed one yet? cheers
It’s hard for me to know for sure. If it’s the case that your ISP is blocking the traffic, then yes, a VPN should fix that. However, it could be something else. IPVanish has a 7 day money-back guarantee, so you could give it a shot, and if it doesn’t help your situation, then you could get a refund if you want.
Should I hope kodi each time in the VPN app on my firestick?
Should I lode kodi on my VPN app each time?
Just open the VPN app, connect it, then switch to the Kodi app and you’re all set. The VPN app runs in the background protecting your traffic.
I use ActiVPN on my Nvidia shield which I flashed with Kodi.
Their team helped me to configure. It works like a charm!
Don’t let your ISP (Internet Service Provider) see and track everything, still has to go through their cable box, and you can’t change that ip
I understand that your ISP knows your IP address, because they gave it to you. But, when using a VPN, the content you are uploading or downloading is encrypted so they can see what it is. The IP hiding side of things is more for the web servers out there on the Internet.
only problem with vpn’s is they slow your internet and I have slow
internet now so not for me. I’ve tried some and they all slow down my
internet!
Dude you have to use one.
vpn super slows my internet can’t even stream a tv show
Yeah because it cannot super fast your internet. It has nothing to do with boosting speed. Instead, I have heard in many cases that VPN mostly works fine when your connection is being throttled by the ISP then VPN helps you climb that wall & gets you a real speed.
Very good point, Eric. Gary, if your VPN is causing your Internet to slow down so much that you can’t stream a show, then there is something wrong in your setup. Have you seen this tip? https://kinkeadtech.com/increase-ipvanish-vpn-speed-setting/
I mean it slows it down WAY to much to stream anything. I know it won’t speed it up, not possible!
If your VPN is slowing down your internet so bad that you can’t stream, then you either need a better VPN provider, or you need to check the protocol setting like I explained here… https://kinkeadtech.com/increase-ipvanish-vpn-speed-setting/
done that already and still to slow to stream anything
What are your before and after speed test results?
same
If your speed test was the same before and after connecting to a VPN, then the VPN is not a problem.
not same,,way less, I messed up
by the way I only get 15 to 40mbps at best with no vpn
40 should be fine, but 15 is pushing it, especially if you try HD sources. However, keep in mind that the sources maybe be to slow to stream without buffer issues. Are you using Real-Debrid to get high bandwidth stream sources?
if my isp sets my speed at 40mbps I don’t think there’s anything I can do to make it faster.
I just thought it was weird that you mentioned such a wide range of speed that you get … 15-40 mbps? Like I said, if you’re actually getting 40, then you should be fine. If you’re getting less, then there might be a bottleneck somewhere. Are you wireless? Do you have the ability to go wired? Or do you need to update some of your networking equipment? Cable modem, router, wifi?
Or, on the Kodi side, maybe you can just go into the add-on settings and specify the max quality if you’re using auto-play. Maybe you shouldn’t try watching anything over 720p… or maybe SD.
well wireless sucks and I’ve got a linksys wrt1900ac, only small apartment but has old plaster walls, my main pc in the living room is hard wired and works fair to good but when I apply the vpn I loose half the speed?
Which VPN provider are you using?
Or you can’t climb that restriction wall.
I am a tech dud, I have a kodi box connected to my tv and a router in a study, I have just downloaded nordvpn, on my computer in the study, what do I need to do to Kodi box to let vpn do what it should?
I assume the computer in the study is different than the Kodi box in the study. You will simply need to install the NordVPN app onto the Kodi box.
Hi Nathan, the tv and kodi box are in a different room, I have been having lots of trouble with the kodi box not doing anything, error messages all the time, I was able to do a speed check on echo wizard and it gave me 1/10 so not sure if it is worth doing anything with at the moment. We are due for NBN to come through 30th Nov so maybe that will make a difference for the interenet. My modem is only about 4 metres away from the kodi box with a wall between as they are in different rooms, I would nt have thought it would make that much difference.
Ya, I bet you’re looking forward to faster speeds.
I realize some parts of the world have ISPs who have been bowing down to the big lawyer invested corporations,,these add sites are getting out of hand using scare tactics and playing on the far right with info to make VPNs a must have option,,,you can hardly find a article these days that isnt backed by tons of VPN adds where kodi is concerned,,to this i can only say one of the main reasons i cut the chord was to get away from adverts yet here they are once again,, not everyone needs a vpn,,in fact years of using xbmc and kodi i have never been notified by a isp to cease or else. So many web articles about kodi are infested with these scare tactic articles that even sorting through whats helpful and just plain greed driven is getting as bad as those commercials many of us hated over the years.
Dont believe everything written by most of these websites as they get paid to push the adverts for VPNs,use common sense when deciding if you need such protections,,Ive seen one warning letter in 10 years of using p2p and none in the years of xbmc and kodi. ISPs are not on a mission to to track your data and would rather not in fact,,the only exception to this is if they are pressured,,,In some places i see why one would need a vpn but unless you think your at high risk,,dont buy into everything printed on the VPN web adverts these days.
Be kind and help a tech retard. I don’t really get this at all. I have a cable service (can’t get internet without one) and Netflix and amazon prime. I watch Netflix and prime along with some other on demand channels from a Mac mini that has a TV as it’s screen. That same tv is connected to the cable box. I also have a VPN service that I’m happy with setup on the Mac mini.. Do I need to buy a fire stick and put Kodi on it or can I just download Kodi to the Mac mini?
You can download Kodi on the Mac Mini.
Thank you!
if you have a vpn do you need norton?
I’m not going to say you need Norton to begin with (in particular), but a VPN has no impact on the possibility of you (or someone using your computer) downloading and opening a malicious file. Antivirus software tries to help protect against that.
Thanks Nathan….here is my problem.. Comcast is blocking my Kodi…I can’t get updates or downloads…Norton (which I get free with comcast) says it is managing my firewall, but I have to call comcast to get it unblocked,
Comcast says it is Norton, after spending several hours on the phone with each of them…I have no
cure..I thought if I had a vpn that might get around the block?…or if I uninstall the free Norton and get Nortons vpn with protection… it might work? Thanks for your help….really appreciate it…. im 82 and not all that tech savvy…even tho I have a background in electronics years ago
Hey Bruce. I don’t have Comcast in my area, so I’m not intimately familiar with their offerings and practices. You should be able to uninstall Norton from your computer. If that doesn’t fix the issue, then you’re right that a VPN would be your next course of action. However, I wouldn’t go with Norton’s.
What is the reason not to with norton?….they have a vpn with protection that seems reasonable
I was just saying not necessarily with them, but you might use them. I’m just not familiar with their VPN.
Hi Nathan. I’ve been trying to follow the comments here, but I’m getting more lost. I have Comcast (50mbps), with their router. I’ve been streaming movies but have had on many occasions, the movie freezing during the last 10-15 minutes. Obviously this is annoying. Will it help to add a VPN to my system, and will that VPN hide content from my ISP?
Yes, using a VPN will hide the content that you download/stream from your ISP so they can’t see it (or filter/throttle you).
But, regarding your first question, if you’ve ever edited your cache settings in advancedsettings.xml, you may have gone overboard with it. If your read rate is too fast and downloaded too far ahead, the connection to the server might be timing out by the time you get to that part of the movie. Just a thought.
My other suggestion is to subscribe to Real-Debrid if you haven’t already. You’ll have much less issues like that.
What country do you recommend (I live in Canada) for IPvanish? Is there an optimal location?
I don’t know of an optimal location, and I’m sure it depend on where you are (I’m from US). Try using the “Fastest Server” feature to see if it will auto-select the fastest one for you. Sometimes I try that multiple time to see which servers it connects me to. Do a speed test for each server and take note of the speeds. Keep in mind, these speeds can fluctuate. If a bunch of people connect to one server that used to be your fastest one, then it might slow down and you could move to another.
Hi my internet is with BT and I have just invested in a X Box brilliant for kodi l must add l subscribe to lpvanish but for the life of me I can’t work it out I’m 62 and the thought of delving into router settings simply gives me cold sweats could you please help me work it out.
Roy, unfortunately, Xbox is one of the very few devices that IPVanish can’t run on. I think braving your router settings would be the only way.
Nate, if I purchase the vpn will it work on all of my devices? My computer, iPad and firetv or do I need to buy one for each device?
Thank you for your help and support.
The one VPN plan will work on up to 5 devices.
Streaming in itself is not illegal by any means, therefore you do not need a VPN. If you however download the streams, that is the illegal part. Torrenting you need a VPN both ways since it is illegal.
Maybe I’m alone but this sounded like a long drawn out bait a s switch IPVanish advertisement.
All the justification on why you need a VPN then hey! Heres a coupon for
IPVansih…nothing else! Why didn’t you name any other VPNs?
I even have a big blue banner taking up 25% of my mobile device screen as I type this to get 60% off IPVanish
SMH… horrible to do to your members
Thank you so much for this article. You gave me the info I was looking for. I wanted to know if I needed to install my vpn in kodi or if I was fine just having it installed on my laptop with the kodi app. Whew! It was being a hassle just to consider it. The problem I have been having is with getting throttled, BIGTIME, by my ISP. And not only that, Spectrum has even blocked streaming websites and disabled streams that I used to just watch a live news program. They blocked one website, 123stream, so that when I clicked on the bookmark in my browser all I got was a full page ad for Spectrum services. $25 for their internet tv and $25 a month more on my internet subscription to basically get them to stop throttling my connection. GRRR!! They have been bombarding me with mailers to pay them more too! Since getting a vpn I still can’t get the streaming they blocked or throttled and my favorite content source on KODI is still being throttled. It seems that whatever they messed with before I got a vpn is still being messed with. 3 new websites that I found to watch the news on after I got the vpn are working fine. But I’m still screwed on the stuff that they already know about. DAMN GANGSTERS AND EXTORTIONISTS !!!
Thanks again! You saved me a lot of unnecessary hassle and helped to confirm that my ISP is still zeroed in on the streams I used before I got the vpn.
Thanks for sharing your experiences with your ISP blocking and throttling you. It’s horrible that ISPs are allowed to act this way.
Nathan, I am interested in getting IPvanish. I have two Global Media Boxes and I am wondering how to download the VPN to these devises. Do you have any advice?
thank you,
That box runs Android. Does it come with the Google Play Store? If so, you can install the IPVanish app from there. Otherwise, you can download and install the APK.
I’ve had issues some time ago with my internet connection while using kodi and some other streaming “services”. My friend suggested getting nordvpn and everything went great since then. OF COURSE after some time, we figured that the ISP (the largest one in my country) was controlling traffic on certain pages/services.. thus a vpn saved us great.
Thanks, Nikola7o7, for sharing your experience about how a VPN helped you access more streaming services!