How to Use PureVPN on Your PS4 Wireless

The PlayStation 4 is one of the most popular video game consoles ever made, with over 100 million units sold worldwide. It’s also one of the most restrictive when it comes to which devices can be used with it. In fact, Sony even goes as far as to state in the console’s documentation that “Wireless game controllers are not supported.”

If you’re looking to use a wireless controller with your PS4, or if the documentation isn’t making it clear to you that they’re not supported, then it’s time for you to explore options outside of the box.

Thankfully, there are solutions available that allow you to do just that. One of the most popular VPN providers, PureVPN, has developed a native PS4 application that lets you securely access the internet whenever and wherever you want. While not all VPN solutions are made equal, PureVPN does offer some exceptional features, making it stand out among the rest. Let’s take a closer look at how to use PureVPN on your PS4.

Why Should You Use a VPN On Your PS4?

The short answer: to keep your personal information secure. When you’re using public Wi-Fi, or an unsecure Wi-Fi network at home, your personal information – including your IP address – is at risk. A hacker or another online entity could potentially steal your personal data, including credit card numbers, email addresses, and login credentials.

The longer answer: the rise of the ‘big tech’ threat. Once the tech giants achieve dominance in one marketplace, it’s hard to compete and grow your business. They often use their power in that market to squash competition, restrict choice, and gain an unfair advantage. As much as you may rely on search engines like Google and Bing to find exactly what you’re looking for, these platforms are built on data collected from those using them. And what happens when you use these platforms? You’re giving away a lot of personal data, including your email address, your physical location, what you search for, and what you buy. All of this data is then sold to third parties by the tech giants. And this is all completely anonymous. There’s no way to track what happens to your data after you give it away.

The solution: VPNs. Virtual Private Networks protect your data by ‘masking’ your IP address and/or encrypting your data, so that it can only be read by the person you intend it to be read by. When you use a VPN, all of this data is treated as confidential, and it cannot be read by anyone else except the VPN company the software is registered with. This way, your personal data remains private, even when exposed to threats in larger networks. A VPN allows you to securely access the internet while also maintaining your privacy.

To learn more, check out this article from MySmartCity, or this informative guide from Sophos. Or, if you’re really keen, you could read this entire website in the comfort of your own home.

How Do I Use PureVPN On My PS4?

To get started, you’ll need to download the PureVPN application to your PS4. You can do this via the console’s ‘Settings’ menu. In the ‘Online’ section, you’ll see a list of available VPN servers. From here, you can connect to any of them.

Once you’ve connected, you’ll see the familiar green VPN symbol next to the IP address of the server you’re currently connected to. If you click on this symbol, you’ll see a menu with all of your connected services, along with a few important options. You can choose to hide your IP address or not, and you can toggle the VPN’s encryption on or off. You can also set this application to auto-connect whenever you turn on your console, so you don’t have to worry about forgetting to connect or turning on the VPN. It’s smart enough to figure it out.

Once you’ve configured the application to your liking, you can move on to the next step.

Configuring Game Mode On Your PS4

To use PureVPN with your PS4, you’ll need to head into the console’s Settings menu again and navigate to ‘Profile’ -> ‘[Game]’. Here, you can select either ‘Offline’ or ‘Online [Mode]’. If you choose ‘Offline’, your console will not connect to the internet while the game is running. This is typically the preferred setting when playing games, as it prevents online disruptions caused by hackers or large servers. If you choose ‘Online [Mode]’, your console will connect to the internet as usual, but you’ll have access to a different network than standard, preventing latency and other issues. Many people confuse ‘Online [Mode]’ with ‘Wifi’, but the two are actually quite different. While connected to the internet, you’ll also be connected to a different network, preventing your data from being intercepted or slowed down by your device’s default router. When playing games, it’s often a good idea to turn off your device’s Wi-Fi and use your console’s ethernet port instead. In most cases, this won’t interfere with your device’s Wi-Fi functionality and can even improve it, depending on the settings used. For example, while in the ‘Offline’ mode, your console will only use the ethernet port to connect to the internet. In this case, your Wi-Fi will remain completely disabled, which is sometimes an advantage. Some routers provide additional benefits for gamers, such as the ability to play games while on the go, or the blocking of certain websites which contain content related to high-stress situations. If your router provides these functions, then they may be helpful for you.

Activating Background Applications On Your PS4

As a final step, you’ll need to navigate to the ‘Settings’ menu again and select ‘[Application]’. Here, you have the option to hide all applications except the ones you specify. As you might imagine, this can save you from having to hide individual applications, one by one, if you’re not comfortable doing it manually. Once you’ve hidden the applications you don’t want to run in the background, you can begin using the console as normal.

In some cases, it’s beneficial to use your console’s ‘Share’ feature when playing games. The ‘Share’ button will activate an overlay that contains all of your game’s useful information. But if you want to use this feature privately, then you’ll have to turn it off manually once the game has finished. If you need to disable it for security reasons or to prevent unexpected connections, then you can also do this from the Settings menu.

As you can see, connecting to the internet with your PS4 is much simpler when you’re using a VPN. You won’t have to worry about connecting to incompatible devices or insecure networks, as the VPN will take care of all of that for you. Additionally, the application will securely store your login credentials, preventing you from having to re-enter them whenever you use a public Wi-Fi network or an unsecure router at home. So, as long as you have a stable and reliable internet connection, connecting to the internet with your PS4 is simply a matter of opening the application and choosing a server. As easy as that. Once you’ve configured the VPN, hidden the applications you don’t want running in the background, and activated the Share feature when playing games, using a VPN with your PS4 is as easy as pie.