How to run IPTV over VPN?
This article is addressing all IPTV users around the world, including UK clients who need online privacy more than anyone else while watching IPTV. Do not listen to "This provider does not get blocked while live events on!" Take this seriously. Blocks can happen anytime and when it happens your IP and whole activity log is being recorded and can be used against you.
(This article was last updated on February 27, 2021)
Day by day as we move forward, there are new ways to watch paid tv using services like CCcam, IPTV ... . As of now, IPTV is the one nearly untouchable service that providers can not fight, at least not as easy as CCcam, But recently some providers are using law enforcement to fight IPTV and deprive users using this service to watch paid tv.
Let`s first briefly explain how IPTV works:
IPTV is short for "Internet Protocol TV" and in simple english means watching TV using internet. This means no satellite dishes, no LNB`s, No receiver boxes (at least not necessarily). You only need a quick, fast and stable internet connection with at least 15mbps of bandwidth. By fast we mean a network connection that has low ping time. Regarding the bandwidth, we chose the scale of 15mbps as some channels are in 1080p full HD so you need at least that amount of bandwidth to watch the channel buffer free and even more than that bandwidth if a channel is not transcoded (RAW).
Now imagine your ISP (Internet Service Provider) wants to inspect your connection seeing what you do, watch or anything else that you dont want them to see. There is only one way and thats Encryption. Encryption comes in different ways but in this case we (as you have guessed by now) suggest VPN.
If we are to explain this for newbies (like me ;) ): Virtual Private Network, in short VPN, connects once you are connected to internet and then, depending on the type and strength of encryption it has, starts encrypting your connection. No matter what you send or receive, the connection between your device and the VPN Server will be fully encrypted and those guys in the middle (ISP, Government, Hackers, Bad Guys) will only see nonsence. For instance you are chatting with a friend, saying "Hey Mark, How`s it going?", If you are connected to a vpn, this text from the device to vpn server changes to something like "&%^&$#)(JHftgd&^$$@&&(*" and it will be decrypted once reached the VPN server and finds it`s way to the destination. If you want to get into this deeply, here if a full article on why one should use VPN while watching IPTV.
Same encryption can be used while you watching IPTV to avoid inspectors seeing what you see.
But the question is: How and where should one apply this VPN connection?
Method A: We suggest using routers that have built-in vpn connection setup. These routers (like NetGear, D-Link, TP-Link) have a section called "VPN connection" or something alike. Once you purchased a vpn connection which can be obtained from unlimited providers on the web, among which there are countless good ones, you can easily setup the VPN connection on your router and it will get connected automatically. This way you secure every action you do while you are online. Remember: setting up a VPN connection directly on the router is good when your device (Smart TV, Tablet, Receiver, Mag box) doesnt have the ability to have VPN installed on.
Method B: If the desired device to run IPTV on is any type of handheld like Tablet, Cell Phone, Notepad ... or devices like Amazon Firestick, Ruko, Apple TV or any sort of android devices like Android Mi boxes ... you can subscribe to a VPN Provider and once you have your subscription details, install their VPN Connection Application from the app market place of your IPTV device, setup the VPN credentials on it and connect to VPN with one click. This way you can have everything in one place. You can read this article which explains step by step how to install and run VPN on a Firestick.
There are two vital points we would like you to pay attention to:
1-There are different VPN types and protocols, but the fastest and the most secure one is OpenVPN also known as OVPN. Wireguard also secure and uses modern encryption engine which allows better traffic management and results in faster connection. Most reliable VPN providers have this protocol set as default on their VPN connection app, but if you decide to manually setup the VPN connection yourself, make sure OpenVPN or Wireguard are the chosen protocols.
2-Make sure the VPN provider you are going to subscribe to has multiple servers in multiple locations. Choose the closest location so that after you are connected it adds the lowest latency (additional ping time) to your base connection. It is always recommended to chose a VPN connection outside your country but close. For instance UK Clients better not to use UK servers as the DataCenters inside UK tend to run Anti-IPTV throttling rule from time to time. We know if for a fact that some VPN servers inside the UK tend to drop clients connection during live Premier League matches which causes VPN Disconnection. So if you are inside the UK, servers from France, Netherland, Germany, Romania would be great to try.
3-You are not the only one using that VPN provider, especially not the only IPTV client. So keep in mind that the bandwidth limit of the VPN server you are connected to might get overloaded and you will know that when you see bad buffering on your IPTV streams. So try changing the server from time to time.