A popular choice for those wishing to transform their television into a Smart TV, the Amazon Fire Stick beams streaming services like Netflix, Prime Video, and Hulu straight to your television set. While the Fire Stick is highly versatile and transportable, region-specific content available through it is subject to geo-blocking by streaming services—meaning you might not be able to access your favorite show while abroad, for example. But this is where the best VPN comes in—installing a VPN will mask your IP address and therefore help unblock region-locked content.
Deciding which Fire Stick VPN to use can be tricky, but installing NordVPN on Fire Stick is a no-brainer. As one of the more popular VPNs, and with an app specifically for Fire Stick users, NordVPN is super effective and simple to install.
In this guide, we’ll talk you through a couple of easy ways to get NordVPN set up on your Fire Stick so you can watch your favorite shows from anywhere in the world.
Option 1: Direct install
NordVPN integrates seamlessly with your Amazon Fire Stick—a compatible app can actually be downloaded directly from Amazon. Here’s how to install NordVPN on Fire Stick TV:
1. Head to the NordVPN website and sign up for an account.
2. Switch on your TV and head to the homescreen. Click the search icon at the top and type “NordVPN” into the search bar.
3. The NordVPN app should appear as the first result—select it, and then click the Get button when presented.
4. Once the app has been downloaded, the Get button should become an Open button. You can either click this or head to your Apps page to access NordVPN.
5. NordVPN is now ready to go, though you may be prompted with an update when first opening it. If this occurs, download and install any updates to ensure you’re using the latest version.
6. Once installation is complete, open the app and enter the login details used in the first step.
7. After signing in, you’re free to choose a server and begin streaming—enjoy!
Option 2: Use SmartDNS
Alternatively, you can opt to use SmartDNS to unlock geo-blocked content. This is a technology that disguises your location by routing your domain name server (DNS) requests to a different location.
SmartDNS is usually used to manually change your location on devices that don't support VPNs so that you can access location-restricted content. You can activate the SmartDNS feature on your Nord Account dashboard, where you’ll first have to whitelist your original IP address—you can find out more about how to do so on the NordVPN website.
While manually setting up SmartDNS on your devices can feel quite complicated, the good news is that there’s a simpler solution: SmartPlay by NordVPN. This is a feature that lets you access location-restricted content without the manual setup—it’s implemented seamlessly into the NordVPN app, so all you need to do is connect to the right server and you’re ready to go. You can get started with SmartPlay on the NordVPN website.
How to install NordVPN on Fire Stick in a nutshell
While there are a couple of different ways to install NordVPN on Fire Stick, the simplest way is to download the app directly from Amazon. This allows you to begin streaming your favorite content immediately, without complicated setup.
While using SmartDNS can be beneficial for performance speed, keep in mind that your device won’t be protected in the same way as with a VPN—SmartDNS simply provides access to blocked streaming content, without providing any anonymity features. Plus, NordVPN is a very fast VPN to begin with, so it’s unlikely you’ll see any performance drops when using the dedicated app.
That said, both are great options to unblock region-restricted content around the world and level up your streaming game, so the choice is yours to make.
Why use NordVPN?
- Just in: Fire Stick vs Apple TV – which is best?
- Check out the best Smart TV VPN to get streaming on any device
- New Apple TV 4K release date leaks — here’s when you’ll get yours
