Over 40 million people worldwide are now using Amazon’s popular portable firestick streaming service that easily plugs into any HDMI port of any television. It’s user-friendly, it’s easy to set up, and it lets you watch numerous streaming apps and services from one device.

Being able to take all of your favorite television and media content with you by using one small, hand-held device is pretty convenient. But if you want to get even more content out of your firestick, you might consider a VPN service. Keep reading below to find out how using a VPN can benefit your firestick streaming platform and how you can get the most out of your media. 

7 Reasons Why You Should Use a VPN for Your Firestick

1. To gain access to content from servers usually not accessible to you

If you have recently purchased an Amazon Firestick you may have noticed that not all apps are accessible to you because of your location. 

Just like Netflix, Amazon has given different countries access to different content. 

You might find this frustrating if you were excited to watch something on one media app and have recently found out, even with a firestick, that you still cannot watch re-runs of the OC because your location doesn’t have access to the streaming app with your favorite show. 

With a VPN, you can connect to other servers that do have access to your favorite shows because having a VPN blocks your IP address location.

Hello world, you now have access to whatever streaming apps you want, and you have just broadened your streaming library.

Censored, blocked, and geo-restricted content can now be found in the palm of your hands with your Amazon Firestick and a VPN. 

2. Securing your data and online traffic through masking your IP address

As well as blocking your location, having a VPN protects your online traffic by encrypting your privacy. A VPN will protect your online data and you can never have enough of this security!

It never hurts to have your privacy secured for a little more peace of mind when streaming from platforms you’re probably not supposed to be streaming from. Don’t worry, we won’t tell anyone. 

By masking your IP address, as well as giving you access to a broader range of online content and media streaming, your VPN offers you online privacy by making your server identity almost untraceable and anonymous. 

The VPN service provider will still have access to track you and your online traffic, but if you’re not dabbling in anything illegal, this shouldn’t be an issue for you. 

By having your privacy encrypted and making your internet traffic virtually unreadable, you are protected from prying eyes, possible cyber-attacks, and securing your online information that might otherwise be interesting to hackers/people that would rather take your information and sell it to third parties instead of getting a proper job.  

3. To watch your favorite content from anywhere in the world

When you travel abroad, your favorite content is sometimes taken away from you due to a change in your location. This is not ideal when you only have two episodes left of your favorite show and were really looking forward to watching it when you arrived at your destination. 

What once was accessible to you, is no longer because you’ve gone traveling!

Hopefully, you’re enjoying your travels enough not to notice this loss. But, if you’ve taken your firestick with you because you plan on being away for a while and will need some downtime in amongst the traveling, a VPN will help you stay connected to whatever location you want. 

As your VPN masks your location, you can continue to connect to multiple streaming services wherever you are in the world. We call this gaining access to geo-restricted content. 

4. To prevent ISP throttling

If you haven’t heard of ISP throttling, here’s a quick rundown;

ISP throttling is when your internet service provider (ISP) limits your online traffic by deliberately slowing down your bandwidth. 

Service providers don’t often do this to be a nuisance but might do this because they have picked up on activities such as torrenting and streaming from censored apps. However, internet service providers have also been known to throttle servers due to paid prioritization and network congestion. 

It doesn’t seem fair that your network gets throttled when the network is experiencing heavy internet traffic congestion. If you’re a paying customer and you haven’t exceeded your data allowance, this is where having a VPN can assist you. 

When your VPN masks your server identity, your ISP can’t recognize your server. With an encrypted IP address, the ISP cannot track your prohibited activity, torrenting and streaming outside your geo-restricted area, and can’t enforce data caps you never agreed to. 

5. Protects you against malware (malicious software)

“Cybercriminals” are a real thing, and they are a threat to your private information. 

Cybercriminals can gain unauthorized access to your server to gain information from your server, disrupt your internet traffic, intentionally harm your server with a virus, and steal and leak information. 

People that design this malicious software are usually hackers who do so to exploit other users to benefit themselves in some way. 

While VPN is not an anti-virus protection and you can still be affected by malware, having a VPN will protect you in the first place by masking your server and giving it an anonymous address. So, anyone looking to directly target you will not find you. 

The VPN will protect your information if you do not “fall” for the malware attack. If you click on a malware link and download a virus to your device, a VPN cannot help you. Always be mindful of links and ensure you never open a random file that you know nothing about. 

It’s a good idea to look into anti-virus and anti-malware protective services too. If you have a lot of delicate information on your server and want the extra security to keep your information private and anonymous, consider a VPN and additionally consider anti-virus protection too. You can never be too safe when sensitive information is concerned. 

6. To secure you on unsecured networks

Streaming from a café or library today and using a public server? Anyone and we mean anyone, can gain access to your online traffic and personal information. 

Using a VPN while on a public server is crucial for your security. 

When using public servers, you are open to hacking, tracking, throttling, and “pickpocketing”. Using a VPN in a public place will keep hackers and snoops away from your online and digital information. 

7. To use free streaming apps and watch free movies

Who doesn’t love free stuff? The correct answer is everyone loves free stuff. That includes movies too. The problem with streaming and watching free movies online is that there are many, many other people trying to stream the same free content. 

The other issue with streaming free movies is that it might not necessarily be legal. 

So while you’re trying to stream free movies through an app you’ve found and downloaded through iOS on your firestick, the VPN should keep you from getting into any trouble with authorities. Keep in mind, your VPN service providers can still track your activity, even when using a firestick and a VPN. Please don’t do anything illegal. 

Conclusion

While an Amazon firestick is great and gives you access to loads of media content and entertainment, you can’t put a price on safety and securing your online information. You don’t need a VPN, but it’s something you should want, to keep your internet speeds adequate and to keep your online traffic secure. 

Plus, it’s a little bonus to be able to access your content from anywhere in the world and to reach servers with access to streaming apps you don’t usually have access to.