Getting a VPN onto a TV depends on what runs it. Android TV and Google TV take an app from the Play Store. Apple TV takes an app from the App Store, since tvOS 17. Samsung's Tizen, LG's webOS and most other smart TV systems have no VPN apps at all, so the practical routes are a router that runs the VPN, a second router behind your main one just for the TV, or a cheap streaming box that can run the app. Here is each route, the things that trip people up, and a way to confirm the TV is really inside the tunnel.

Android TV and Google TV

  1. Open Google Play on the TV and search for your VPN provider's app. If the TV's store does not list it, the Android TV build can usually be installed from the provider's site through a file manager.
  2. Sign in, ideally with a code shown on your phone or a QR code; typing a password with a remote is painful.
  3. Connect. The system asks once for permission to set up a VPN.
  4. Confirm the address in the TV's browser at What Is My IP, or check the server country in the app.

Android TV also has the system "Always-on VPN" setting under Settings → Network → VPN, the same as phones; turn it on so the tunnel comes back after the TV reboots. The phone-side version of these settings is in how to set up a VPN on Android.

Apple TV

Since tvOS 17, VPN apps are allowed on Apple TV. Install from the App Store, sign in (usually via a code or QR on your phone), connect. The configuration lives in the system like on iPhone; you switch servers in the app. Older Apple TVs without this support fall back to the router route.

Samsung, LG and TVs with no VPN app

Three ways:

A router that runs the VPN. The router connects to the VPN server and every device behind it, TV included, goes through the tunnel. You need a router that can run WireGuard as a client: OpenWrt, ASUS with Merlin, Keenetic, GL.iNet, MikroTik. The cleanest setup is a second such router plugged into your main one, with only the TV and consoles on its Wi-Fi. Steps and trade-offs are in VPN on router vs on each device.

Hotspot from a laptop or phone. Turn on the VPN on a laptop, share its connection as a hotspot, and join the TV to it. Works, but the laptop has to stay on.

A streaming box. A cheap Android TV or Apple TV box solves it permanently: the app runs on the box, the TV is just a screen.

What to watch for

  • Speed. 4K video needs a steady connection; pick a nearby server with low load, both visible on the server list. Why distance matters most is in does a VPN slow down your internet.
  • Protocol. WireGuard is the lightest for a router or box; VLESS if the network blocks UDP.
  • DNS. On a router, DNS must go inside the tunnel, otherwise the TV leaks its site list even while its traffic is tunneled.
  • Local network. A strict kill switch on the router can cut the TV off from a home media server; enable the local network exception.
  • Region locks. Some TV apps tie features to the account's region rather than the IP address; a VPN does not change that.

Confirm it works

  1. In the TV's or box's browser, open What Is My IP: the address and country should be the server's.
  2. If the TV is behind a router, check from any device on the same network.
  3. Switch servers on the router while a video plays: it should pause for a few seconds and resume, which proves the TV's traffic is in the tunnel.

Is it worth it

A TV in the tunnel means your ISP does not see which services it opens, and the services see the server's address. TVs are also among the chattiest devices in a home, sending telemetry and ad data to the manufacturer constantly; inside the tunnel at least the network does not see it. If the goal is privacy for every device in the house, a VPN router settles the question, and the other steps for securing a home network are in how to secure your home Wi-Fi.

404 VPN has apps for Android TV and Apple TV, and WireGuard configurations for routers, with DNS inside the tunnel and a kill switch. Get started here.