With the ever-evolving threat landscape, for many individuals, the pursuit of entertainment often leads to devastating consequences, with many users seeing their personal information compromised, and being exploited by cybercriminals.
Fortunately, with the advent of Android TV, users can get their daily dose of entertainment as well as they can maintain their security and privacy by downloading a virtual private network (VPN) to run on the application. Therefore, in the present cyber-sensitive era, most people prefer VPNs for their internet devices – now including Android TV – as the primary way to protect themselves from hackers.
But are you sure you are safe behind a VPN? If you don’t know the answer, not to worry at all. We will answer your question in this post.
How to Check VPN Status And IP
When using an Android-OS powered device, your first priority should be downloading a VPN service application built specifically for Android. Many VPN providers don’t have ANdroid-specific applications, and those should be avoided altogether.
Next, test your VPN strength and security. One of the most fail-safe ways to test if the VPN that you’ve installed is working is to test whether your IP is leaking or not. There are a couple of ways to do this; you can either rely on an online tool such as ipleak.net, download a tool from Google Play (such as My IP) and determine whether your IP address has altered once you’ve turned your VPN on.
Here we will explain a simple method to check your VPN status and IP on an Android TV.
- First you need to install my IP app from Amazon Appstore or Google Play. Just simply say the app name in your TV remote voice search.
- When the installation is completed, open the app and it will display your details such as your local and internet IP address, your network name and your location.
- Now, analyze these details keeping your VPN server in your mind. If your location matches the location of your VPN server then your VPN is working fine. But if the displayed location is your real location then it’s an issue.
When You Should Be More Wary About An Android VPN
At most moments one thinks it to be okay if a VPN is cloaking your IP and is providing you a new location. Although, this is helpful to unblock websites and to stream geo-restricted content, it is not a guarantee to privacy.
Want to know how?
Some VPNs ask for more permissions than they need for processing and that’s what makes them shady. But seeing millions of downloads, people mostly ignore such demands. Some VPNs state a “no-log policy” in their privacy policy and also claim ‘not to collect your personal data’ but along this they also state a contradictory statement such as “we may collect your information when you communicate with us.”
Can You Use a Free VPN With an Android TV?
Although the VPN industry is littered with hundreds, if not thousands of free VPN alternatives, we’d suggest that you stay away from them, for multiple reasons. When it comes to making the most out of your Android TV, one of the most critical factors is fast speed, which, in turn, enables fast streaming. However, using a free VPN significantly minimizes streaming and browsing speeds, which can quickly sour your Android TV box experience.
And if that wasn’t reason enough to steer clear of using free VPNs on your Android TV box- there’s a high chance that you’ll be bombarded with advertisements constantly. Additionally, there’s absolutely nothing stopping free VPN providers from selling your personal data to various third-parties for financial gains.
Lastly, using a free VPN could expose your Android TV box to an arsenal of threats and vulnerabilities. Instead of protecting your Android TV, a free VPN could do quite the opposite, and could even be a ruse launched by cybercriminals to install malware on your Android TV. Having said that, it is always better to be safe than sorry and invest in a reputable paid VPN, rather than a free one.
The Perks Of Having A Genuinely Secure Android VPN
Despite the monumental amount of entertainment that an Android TV promises to offer, you’ll only be able to access all of the entertainment content if you have an Internet connection.
With an internet connection, however, there’s always the possibility of a malicious actor gaining access to your Android TV, which is why we recommend installing a VPN. Along with maximizing your Android TV’s protection, installing a VPN also enables you to access geo-restricted content and have you watching shows that you want to watch.
If you’re one of our cynical readers, you might be thinking to yourself, “Do I need to spend my hard-earned money on a VPN just to use it with my television set?” Well, the simple answer to your question is, yes! As we’ve already mentioned above, to make the most out of your Android TV entertainment promises, you’ll need an internet connection.
As is the case with any device connected to the internet, your device now has a unique IP address that fundamentally serves as your identity online. Not only can your IP address provide insight into your location, and can be used by particular services to filter out your traffic from specific countries- which is precisely where VPNs enter the picture. Some ways through which VPNs enhance your Android TV experience include the following:
By Providing Security:
Perhaps the most significant reason as to why you need to use a VPN in tandem with your Android TV is because it prevents your IP address from being exposed to any cyber criminals with malicious intent.
Since a VPN masks your actual IP address, with one from the service’s multiple servers, it hides your IP address from any malicious actors. Taking into account that an exposed IP address could put your Android TV at risk for DDoS (Distributed-denial-of- service) attacks, installing a VPN ensures that both your connection and location are kept secure.
Offers Users Anonymity:
Another benefit of using a VPN with your Android TV is that it ensures that none of your online browsing activities can be traced back to you. With a VPN installed, you can utilize your Android TV to watch that controversial documentary that you’ve always wanted to watch, without the fear of your ISP keeping an eye on your activities.
Enables Users to Bypass Geo-Restrictions:
With most popular streaming giants, such as Netflix, Hulu, and even YouTube, there are several geo-restrictions imposed on the type of content available on their services, which a VPN can help circumvent.
Since a VPN relies on its servers’ IP address, it can make it appear as though you’re browsing the internet from any location of your choice. Note: only the best VPNs are able to fool these companies; if you use a less-reputable app, you’ll likely see a “Netflix Proxy Error” when trying to stream movies or shows.
How to Download a VPN on Android TV
You can easily download and run a VPN on an Android TV, like you would do on your Android-based smartphone or your computer. There’s no shortage of options to choose from, which makes it easy to find a VPN that lies in tandem with all your specific needs.
Having said that, however, once you’ve downloaded and installed a VPN on your Android TV, you might want to frequently check your VPN status, along with IP, to ensure that your VPN is working correctly and that you’re not suffering from the much-dreaded IP leak.
Conclusion
By the end of the article we hope that we’ve cleared up any doubts that you-our esteemed reader- might have had about using a VPN with your Android TV boxes. To utilize the most enjoyment out of your Android TV boxes, it’s significant that you cover all bases- particularly as far as security and privacy are concerned. By downloading a VPN, you can put all your security worries to sleep and enjoy your daily dose of entertainment.