Why would you need a VPN for Smart TV?

As our TVs become more advanced, we need to protect them, but for them to load quickly. Here you need a VPN for Smart TV that offers a SmartDNS for safe channels.

Unlike many other “smart devices”, your Smart TV didn’t become just a gimmick and actually has features that you use daily. It also has a constant connection with the internet for the streaming of your favorite content, as well as access to performance and gaming apps.

While a VPN for Smart TV sets should be regarded as a security measure as well, this will not be the primary reason why you will want this service. The excited cheer for global television will always be louder than the cries of cybersecurity experts.

The only issue with connecting your VPN on Smart TV is that the connection might not be as fast and that there could be some ping, which sometimes might make annoying lag in the middle of your show.

This is why best VPNs like Le VPN are adding an increasing number of channels to their list of SmartDNS service to allow a faster connection on channels that are safe, and offer you a safe VPN connection on other devices.

What is a SmartDNS over a VPN?

A SmartDNS, in general, is a system that subverts the settings of a local server, usually that provided by your internet service provider (ISP), and connects directly to the server in another country, showing you the website and content for that region instead.

For instance, if you are living in the United Kingdom, each time you start the SkyNews app on your Smart TV, it will connect you directly to the British version of the channel. But, if you have a Smart DNS that connects to a server in the US, you will be able to see that channel instead.

A SmartDNS over a VPN is a relatively new combination of VPN safety and SDNS utility, where your VPN will allow you to stream a certain channel quickly with a DNS, those that are deemed to be safe, while you will be connected to all other services with a VPN.

For these select few channels, your IP address will not be concealed and your internet speed will be maximized. But thankfully, once you open any other service, you will still be hidden and secure, without ever changing anything in the settings, or needing to reconnect to a VPN. This service is called HybridVPN and is included in all Le VPN plans.

How does a Smart TV Set Work?

By all definitions, a Smart TV today is nothing less of a specialized Windows PC desktop, as are most smart devices.

Aside from a relatively large screen, a Smart TV will have a core processing unit (CPU) and a graphics processing unit (GPU). These would be weaker than even what you would expect from a tablet computer or a smartphone, as the actual streaming playback will be done separately.

If you have an online service, like Roku or HBO Go, your TV will use an app to retrieve all the necessary information from the internet and quickly stream all of your content directly to the screen. Newer models already have a VPN for Smart TV option natively

The television set will make all of those little calculations and processes as a regular browsing device, regardless if it is connecting wirelessly or with an Ethernet cable, meaning that it is susceptible to the same dangers your laptop or smartphone are.

Smart TV Types: Different, but the Same

While a novelty only a decade ago, it would be hard to find a television set right now that wouldn’t be considered a SmartTV.

Apart from the regular TV manufacturers switching to this system, a number of companies that used to make other tech goods, such as Apple, have joined in the game and are now certified TV manufacturers.

It would be reasonable to expect that companies that used to produce both TVs, laptops, as well as smartphones would have an advantage when it comes to making a Smart TV, but that doesn’t need to be the case, as the technology was readily available and only needed a market willing to use the new features.

Tailor the Experience to Your Needs

The best way to be sure that you will be happy with a product such as the VPN for Smart TV, is to determine how much use you can take from it.

Although most modern Smart TV sets are good products on their own, as they offer a good picture and sound, features like content streaming and apps will become unusable if you live in the country that doesn’t have them, or if you are not interested in domestic apps.

With a VPN, you will be able to change your location and connect through servers around the world, with a premium VPN provider like VPN offering server locations in 100+ locations, on all continents apart from Antarctica, which presumably only plays “Happy Feet” on their TV.

Finally, with a HybridVPN, you can connect quickly to about a hundred channels from nine countries, which are coincidentally the most viewed channels in the world. Additionally, if you are an expat from these countries, you will be able to view television from your homeland, in your own language, as if you are at home.

Using a VPN for Smart TV to Watch Your Content

Using a VPN for Smart TV to watch foreign content is easy, but relies on the quality of the VPN app used to select and change servers. Premium providers will have simple and effective VPN apps that work on all platforms, while every other option becomes increasingly difficult.

The primary role of a VPN is to keep your devices safe through encryption and mask your IP address when you are browsing online. But, that is not the only reason why someone would want a VPN. Many people use their VPN to access content that is unavailable in their country, sometimes for political reasons, and sometimes just to unblock US shows on Netflix that are otherwise unavailable.

Additionally, instead of using a virtual router you can install a VPN router that connects to your TV, as well as other devices, the same way as a regular router, and transfers all of the data sent to it through a VPN.

The downside of using a VPN for watching content is that you will need to know which content is available in which country. Some bans and restrictions can be very weird due to copyright and licensing, with British TV shows being locked from US or Japanese markets for even several years at a time.

Using a Smart DNS to Watch Your Content

Using a Smart DNS proxy connection is faster, significantly faster.

Without the VPN server to make all of the checks and encryptions on each piece of data that passes through, the response time and the loading time is streamlined, giving an objectively better viewer experience.

A Smart DNS needs to be set up once, after which your TV will act like it is in another country, little to no lag or other issues.

The downside of using a Smart DNS service is that it will not mask your IP address from the service you are connecting to. If you are watching a ball game on ESPN or Eurosport, these channels will still see you with your original address.

This would be an issue for cybersecurity in general, especially if you are doing other types of browsing through your Smart TV.

Advantages of a HybridVPN

With most smart TV sets you will have more than just streaming apps, with social media and productivity becoming quite common uses, it would become an issue to alternate between a DNS and a VPN unless you have a HybridVPN.

This rather ingenious solution recognizes specific channels, and their Smart TV apps, as safe, and will connect to the Smart DNS just for them, with everything else going through the VPN. Basically, you receive a free VPN upgrade with a dynamic DNS utility for your favorite content.

This system will not require any meddling after the initial setup, and will still protect your identity and encrypt your data when chatting or surfing while being faster when accessing safe streaming channels from certain countries.

Using YouTube over VPN

Due to YouTube’s advertiser programs, the website doesn’t even show you the domain extension for the country you are, and just calls all of its subdomains “YouTube.com”, redirecting you based on your IP address.

And if you thought that Netflix catalogs change depending on the country, you haven’t seen the difference in YouTube. You will see completely different content depending on the server you connect, sometimes even varying by region as well as by country.

For many, a YouTube VPN will be used to unblock videos restricted for their country or to connect to a server from home if they are traveling, so as to see creators that they can understand.

For others, a VPN is an almost anthropological tool.

Ever wondered what are the hot new songs in Norway, or maybe Hungary? Connect to a server in those countries, and YouTube will put those to the front of your page as soon as you go to the website.

Setting Up Your Smart DNS TV Connection

If you are using Le VPN, the option of enabling the Smart DNS comes with the service. The whole setup is quite easy and only takes a couple of minutes to get all of the info you need and to input it in the TV settings.

Additionally, TV sets that have an option to enable a VPN for Smart TV connection natively can use the HybridVPN option to alternate between the Smart DNS and a VPN, if both options are enabled.

First of all, your IP needs to be registered with the Smart DNS service, as to give you the DNS server’s IP address. You will want to write this address down or keep it handy on your phone or another device.

Once you are registered, changing your device settings will vary slightly from the model, but most models make the change very easy and straightforward. If you have ever changed your network settings for your Smart TV, the DNS settings will be in the same menu.

For all devices, once you finish the setup process, you will not need to repeat it for that device. Your access will be open for all channels and all nine currently available countries.

Apple TV Setup

Setting up an Apple TV has slightly more steps than is the case with other models, not to mention that you will need to do a power cycle at the end, which is hard to do with conviction anymore.

You can follow a simple flow-list that will lead you to your network settings step by step, where you will find the WiFi or Ethernet settings, depending on if you are using a wireless connection or a cable.

Pick to configure your DNS manually and enter in the IP address you got when you registered.

Finally, go to the iTunes Store option in the general settings and select the location as either US, UK, or France.

Believe it or not, the power cycle is needed here, so put the device to sleep and disconnect the power for ten to fifteen seconds.

LG Smart TV Setup

Although LG constantly has some of the best mid-range user electronics that can be found on the market, their UI constantly seems like it is lagging behind the competition, especially when it comes to the Apple TV box and Samsung TV models.

Setting up an LG Smart TV has all the same steps as most other installations but in a slightly changed order.

First of all, in the network connection settings, you will need to select expert settings, which will give you the option to choose if you are connecting wirelessly or with a wire.

If you are connecting to a WiFi, you will be asked to enter your WiFi password, which is not the case with the wire.

Edit your DNS and enter the Smart DNS server IP address.

Finally, now you can return to the Smart TV settings and manually select between either the United Kingdom, France, or the United States.

Panasonic Smart TV Setup

The main difference for Panasonic television sets is that you will need to enter the SDNS address for both the primary and the secondary DNS. Thankfully, the whole process is quite straightforward and intuitive.

Also, the settings for these TVs are in the “player settings”, which might sound strange for first-time users.

Go through the network settings and DNS settings and turn off the auto-configuration.

Now scroll down to the primary and secondary DNS and change them to the one from your Smart DNS server.

Finally, run a connection test to confirm the configuration, and you are good to go.

Samsung Smart TV Setup

The issue with Samsung being one of the early adopters of Smart TV systems is that several older models act differently than modern systems. These use a different way of setting up that will seem quite archaic, especially to younger users.

First, you need to hold the stop button for eight seconds, which will perform a hardware test. After that, you will need to wait an additional 30 seconds for the test to finish, which might not be shown in any way on-screen and turn the TV back on.

Manually input the DNS and enter the 2-8-9 button code to select a country. You might also need to update your apps to make everything function smoothly.

If you are a newer set than setting up a VPN Smart TV will be easy, as the process is very linear, but you might want to consult the flow-list regardless.

Finally, some models have the Samsung Smart TV VPN, giving you a built in VPN functionality, or at least the option to connect in this way natively.

Sony Smart TV Setup

Sony probably has the easiest way of setting up the SDNS, as everything pops up the moment you enter the settings. As Sony was one of the co-developers of the Google TV service, now called Android TV, there was quite a lot of thought coming into the UI of their TV sets.

Roll through the network settings and network set-up to configure the connection, selecting option called either ”manual” or “custom” depending on the model.

Change the DNS address to the one for your Smart DNS, and you are ready to go.

Setting up Other Brands of Smart TV

While most Smart TVs are based on a Linux or Android operating system, the options will usually be adjusted for operating with a remote, and the UI will change depending on the make and model of the television.

Generally, you want to find the network settings and to change the configuration from automatic to manual.

Some TVs will have both a primary and a secondary DNS, and you should change both to your Smart DNS server IP just to be on the safe side.

Consider Using a VPN Router

Depending on the number of devices you have in your home, especially if you own multiple IoT electronics, you might want to setup VPN routers that will route all of the devices connected to it through a virtual private network with military-grade encryption.

The router will provide a Wi-Fi network and give VPN services to anyone who connects to it, even if their device doesn’t have a VPN installed. With this router, you will be able to use a VPN for Smart TV sets that are older, and wouldn’t need to change your set to access new content.

This is an excellent choice for a Wi-Fi hotspot if you own a service-based business, or even if you just have a lot of people living in your home.

Conclusion

With an increasing number of websites and online services who track out IP when we enter, as well as collect data on our online behavior, having good VPN for Smart TV software became a necessity.

But, when we are watching our TV, we are more concerned with the quality of the stream than if Cartoon Network sees our IP address, as they have proven not to collect the minuscule amount of data that they have access to.

Thankfully, the best VPN service providers like Le VPN have made hybrid private networks that will give us a DNS service when we need the speed, and a VPN encryption when we need security. Finally, we will be able to relax and watch the game without wondering if we have enabled or disabled our cybersecurity systems.