The Roku Box is one hot little piece of technology. You can stream content from , Hulu, Amazon and God knows what. The only problem is that these services only work from within the US. Unless that is, you connect your Roku Box to a VPN connection.
Important Update: Instead of using VPN you can use a DNS service called Unlocator, which is much smarter, faster and easy to use.
There is no VPN Client for Roku
Ok so we have already found out, that if we want to stream , Hulu or Amazon to our Roku Box outside the US, we will need to connect to VPN.
How to use VPN with Roku
The problem with using VPN together with the Roku box is that it does not have a build in VPN client. This means there is not direct way to connect the Roku Box to a VPN connection. Instead you need to share your VPN connection with the Roku Box so it can take advantage of the VPN tunnel. You have 3 different options to achieve this – all the methods use Unlocator and are listed below:
- Share a VPN Connection in Windows
- Share a VPN Connection in OS X
- Share a VPN Connection From a Router
Once connected to a VPN tunnel using one of the above methods simply use the Roku box as if you were located in the US and you are good to go.
11 Comments
This is freaking perfect – thanks!
There’s a lot of great content on Roku besides NetFlix too. Check out some of the FlickStream.com channels like Drive-in Classics and Moonlight Movies. Cheap and fun, and I saw they are previewing a new 24/7 streaming channel for free at tv.flickstream.com
Hi
I’m getting a roku box and buffalo router, my router won’t arrive till 3 weeks after box.
My question is can I still hook up my roku box and use on uk ip address? I’m aware that some channels won’t be avaiable but unsure if roku do a check on ip during initial setup of the box.
Thanks
Jim
You should have no problem using the Roku now. The IP is checked when trying to access the services.
You have to setup the router http://vpnfreedom.com/vpn-router/how-to-connect-an-asus-rt-n-16-router-to-hide-my-ass-vpn/
I’m wondering if I can use /Roku etc with a VPN from a phone data plan or do I need to purchase regular home internet when I move to China?
This depends on the speed and data plan. I would think a regular connection is a better choice.
I live in the US and am trying to connect my Roku box to VPN outside the US (idea is to avoid MLB.TV blackouts this upcoming season). I’m using the method of sharing a VPN connection in Windows.
Theoretically, if I set it up right (I’m connected to a VPN in the UK), wouldn’t that mean would no longer work on my Roku? Right now, is still working, so I have a feeling I don’t have it set up correctly.
is available in the UK too – the content however is different. As mentioned in my other reply you can simple set the VPN to a non supported country and see if the app fails.
I’m doing the reverse of what’s explained in this article. I’m in the US attempting to connect to VPN in order to use the Roku box as if I were located outside the US.
I’m using the “Share a VPN Connection in Windows” method. Any thoughts on the best way to verify if I correctly connected the Roku box to VPN?
My first thought was should not work since my VPN connection is linked to a UK IP address, but it does work. So I’m not sure if I did something wrong.
I would log into on the Roku box and see if the content has changed. You can also change the VPN to a country where is not supported and see if the app on the Roku fails.