How to Verify That Your Fire Stick Is Connected to a VPN

Depending on where you live, the year is now coming to an end and you may be thinking about taking your Netflix binges and Fire Stick watching outside. With the right VPN, all of that unnecessary worrying can be taken care of. In this article, we will teach you how to verify that your Fire Stick is connected to a VPN and what to do if it ever messes up.

Step One: Confirm Your Fire Stick Is Powered On

Before you start using the Netflix app on your Fire Stick, you will have to make sure that it is powered on. You do this by swiping up from the bottom of the device’s screen and then tapping the icon with a spinning wheel on it. If this is the first time you have used your Fire Stick or if it has been a while since you last turned it on, then the spinning wheel may not appear. In that case, simply tap the power button on the side of the device until a light starts shining from the top of the screen and then power down and turn it on again. A green light indicates that the stick is powered on and ready to use, while a yellow light means that it is either charging or unavailable due to being in use. Having said that, sometimes the power light can be intermittent, so you may have to keep on repeatedly swiping up from the bottom of the screen and then turning the device on and off to make sure that it gets powered on. This is most likely to happen if you are traveling or in an area with low coverage, either of which can cause connection errors or delays in the service’s connection.

Step Two: Exit The Netflix App

Once you have confirmed that your Fire Stick is powered on, you can open the Netflix app by navigating to Your Video Streams from the home screen. You will then be presented with the main menu of the app. To continue to the Netflix content you want to watch, simply tap the hamburger icon in the top right corner of the screen. A shortcut menu will then pop up with a list of content based on what you are searching for. You can choose an HD movie or TV show by touching the corresponding entry and then tapping play. If you are on a mobile network or if your connection lags while using the app, then the play icons at the bottom of the screen will turn into a spinning wheel, alerting you to the fact that the content you are trying to play is unavailable due to being streamed or due to being over your data limit (if you are on a cellular network). To avoid any buffering issues when watching content, it is advised that you exit the app after each use and then re-enter it when you are able to reconnect to the service (if you are outside of a strong network area or have a bad connection while traveling, then this might be hard to do).

Step Three: Connect To A VPN (Virtual Private Network)

In these days of government surveillance, more and more people are shunning traditional public Wi-Fi in favor of using a VPN. A VPN is a type of security software that encrypts all of your internet traffic and then makes the encrypted data unreadable to any third parties, including ISPs (Internet Service Providers), governments, and hackers. Essentially, a VPN gives you a securely based connection that is both private and unbreakable. In the next step, we will tell you how to connect to a VPN.

Step Four: Navigate To Settings

Now that you are connected to a VPN, you need to navigate to the settings of the app. This can be done by directly accessing the app’s settings from the home screen or by going back to the main menu, selecting settings, and then selecting VPN as the tab that pops up. You will then have to enter your VPN credentials (this is usually done by entering the VPN app’s logo and then entering your login and password) so that the app can connect you to the service. Once you have provided the credentials, you can then select the checkbox next to on/off to turn on or off the VPN connection. If you are outside of a strong network area and your speed is limited, then turning on the VPN can help a lot. It may also be a good idea to turn on location services so that you can determine your approximate location at all times (this can be helpful in cases where you are in an area with restricted coverage).

Step Five: Test Your Connection

Once you have turned on the VPN connection and have exited the Netflix app, you can test your internet connection to make sure that you still have an active connection and that the service is not blocking your traffic due to being over your data limit. To do this, you can either use an app like SpeedTest or you can go to www.google.com and enter your destination (e.g., www.google.com for London) and then hit enter. A speed test will then be performed and the results will be displayed below. If you are experiencing sluggish download speeds or if you consistently get errors while downloading files, then it might be a good idea to turn off the VPN connection until you can verify that this is not the case (once you turn off the VPN connection, you will lose access to some content, including the Watch Instantly section of the app, so it is important to test this regularly).

Step Six: Manage Your Data

Now that you have a stable internet connection, you can use the Netflix app to manage what content you want to download and how much data you are allowed to use each month. To do this, simply go to Your Video Streams and then select the gear icon in the top right corner of the screen. From here, you can download new episodes automatically (this can be done by selecting the download arrow next to a TV show or movie), organize your downloads (to keep track of what you have already downloaded and what is still available for download), or unsubscribe from content that you no longer want to see (you can find a list of popular content on this page and then use the X button next to it to unsubscribe). 

Step Seven: Explore The Platform

Once you have started using the Netflix app and have connected to the service through a VPN, you can access the full platform and all of its features. This includes the Watch Instantly section of the app, which gives you access to a massive library of TV shows and movies, the My Netflix section, which allows you to keep track of your favorite shows and movies, and the social media features, which allow you to connect to other Netflix users and streamers through live chat and content discover (this last feature is integrated with TikTok, so if you are already using that app, you can access it through your Netflix account).

With all of this, you can easily enjoy all of the content that Netflix has to offer, whether you are traveling or at home. If you have a power outage while traveling, the device can stay plugged in and enabled for use (if you are traveling by air, then this can be a huge advantage as it means you can continue watching content without worrying about your electronics being damaged by a power surge).