While it is not possible to get a VPN service directly on gaming consoles or SmartTVs, that doesn’t mean that you can’t unblock great media content from around the world and enjoy it on these devices. You can share your VPN connection in order to get all the advantages that this technology offers. The first way to do this is to use a router that has been flashed. The other option is to share your computer’s internet connection. Alternatively, you can opt for a SmartDNS service but keep in mind that this is not a secure solution and would only be suitable if you only care about accessing media content across all your devices without any hassle.
Here we’ll go through the ways in which you can share your VPN connection across your devices.
Flashed Router
Flashing a router is a process that requires some level of technical knowledge and if it is not carried out carefully, it may lead to permanent damage of the device. As such, it is only advisable that you flash your own router if you feel confident enough. The good news is that if you don’t want to take the risk of flashing your router at home, you can buy a pre-flashed and prepaid device. There are many companies that offer flashed routers that are ready to go so you won’t need to worry about taking any steps.
Once you have a flashed router you will be able to share your VPN services across all the connected devices. The best thing about using a flashed router is that regardless of the device that you connect, it will automatically use the VPN and you would only use one of the simultaneous connections supported by the VPN provider. With a flashed router, you would also use less cables and the device connected, doesn’t even need to be close to your computer.
DD-WRT and Tomato are the most popular firmware options to flash a router and they are recommended due to their performance and the good level of support available. If you have decided that you want to flash the router on your own, the following links will be useful:
www.dd-wrt.com – This is the official DD-WRT website and here you will find a full list of the routers that are compatible with this firmware. The website also includes information about the installation and configuration and you can find guides to set up OpenVPN and PPTP as well.
For a full list of routers compatible with Tomato, installation and configuration, you can go to: https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Tomato_Firmware/Supported_Devices
Sharing the VPN connection in your computer with another device
Sharing your VPN connection through a computer running Windows or Mac OS X is not difficult. You just need a VPN account and your PC must be connected to internet. Your media device should also be plugged into your PC with an Ethernet cable. Here are the steps that you can follow:
- Connect your computer to the VPN service through the provider’s client
- Plug your media device to the computer using an Ethernet cable
- Go to Start, Control Panel and then open the Network and Sharing Center on the computer. Click Change adapter settings.
- Locate your VPN connection. While OpenVPN connections are not labelled clearly in most cases, you can look for one that says something like “TAP-Win32 Adaptor V9” and right click on it. Then select Properties from the drop down menu.
- Select the Sharing tab and mark the box that says “Allow other network users to connect through this computer’s internet connection”. From the drop-down menu select Local Area Connection. Keep in mind that if there are multiple Ethernet ports on your computer, you need to make sure that you select the one that your media device is connected to. Then, you can click OK.
- That is it. Now you just need to restart your media device and your computer and the connection should be shared.
Sharing a VPN connection on Mac OS X
The following steps will allow you to set up a VPN connection on Mac OS X using PPTP or L2TP and the built-in VPN client.
- Make sure that the VPN service is set up as per the provider’s instructions
- The media device should be switched off and then you can connect it to a USB port on your Mac using the Ethernet cable and adapter
- Open System Preferences in OS X. To do this, select the Apple icon at the top right of the screen, then System Preferences and click Sharing
- To create the connection sharing settings, you need to do the following:
- -Pull down the Sharing your connection from menu and choose your VPN connection.
-Mark USB Ethernet in the box called “To computers using”.
-Mark Internet Sharing and a pop-up box will appear. Then you can click Start.
-You should see Internet Sharing in green, which would let you know that everything is working fine. - Now you can turn on your media device and you should be able to use the VPN connection in it.
How to Set up a US validated payment method
Although a VPN can unlock the content that is restricted in your region, you may require a valid US payment method for some streaming services, which can be challenging. However, if you have a credit card, you may be able to register doing the following:
- You can create a US zip code based on the numbers of your own post code. Just keep in mind that they need to have 5 digits. You can check online for valid post code options or use fakenamegenerator.com (select US) as a guide.
- If you get a message asking you to check that your ZIP matches your billing address and you are unable to complete the payment, the other option is to set up a virtual US credit card account with a service like EntroPay. This will allow you to subscribe to U
