Need VPN assistance

Mesden · 19 Sep 2022 at 08:50

Recently switched from Nord VPN because they apparent have known issues with their DNS Servers not being centralized to the country a user is connecting to. I'm trying CyberGhost with a Dedicated IP, the issue is that to use the dedicated IP, I need to be connected to their app. I can do that on my phone or my computer. I can't do that on my TV.. And barring a new Android TV, I need to figure out how to push the VPN signal to a TV that doesn't have direct VPN controls.

I came close with my router but I can only achieve that with OpenVPN. I basically need to activate that on my router and then anything that connects to it wirelessly is in the United States region. The problem is that a lot of these streaming services still restrict OpenVPN, and browsing the Internet is a royal pain with everything thinking I'm a bot.

Does anyone have any ideas how I can configure this setup?

ChrisD. · 19 Sep 2022 at 08:55

You could use something like Untangle NGFW which supports per device VPN.

Mesden · 19 Sep 2022 at 09:05

I'm a little bit confused with what this is. It's a firewall?

ChrisD. · 19 Sep 2022 at 09:10

Mesden said:
I'm a little bit confused with what this is. It's a firewall?

Yes it is. I don’t know why other way of doing it for devices which don’t support VPN apps. As in, by using firewalls.

Caged · 19 Sep 2022 at 13:46

A load of these VPN providers seem to resell M247 (https://m247.com/eu/services/host/vpn-servers/) and so content providers are treating M247 addresses as low-quality. A streaming service thinking you're on a VPN and blocking access won't be fixed if you use a different router.

RianBB · 17 Jan 2023 at 11:22

Express VPN or Nord VPN

BigT · 18 Jan 2023 at 16:49

Like @ChrisD. said, unsupported devices will have to be handled by being routed through policies on a router that can both handle the VPN client connection to your provider and do policy based routing. The policy is "If you're the TV go through VPN route I've established and if not then go regular internet". How easy that is to do depends on the router's capabilities. I do it on pfSense and as mentioned Untangle can do these pieces of software require a whole new router which is ordinarily a computer either physical or virtual. I believe, but have no direct knowledge, that some consumer routers can be flashed with a compatible OS that can handle such things. Something running DD-WRT for example.

Also I think some consumer routers can do some simple policy based routing too. I have hope with this final point because you say you were able to establish an OpenVPN client connection on your router and if you can do that there's a strong chance your router will support putting specific devices through the VPN and not everything, which as you've discovered is a PITA. What make/model router are you using?

But of course if @Caged 's point is valid for your provider then your out of luck and nothing will work.

Silicon Si · 18 Jan 2023 at 20:09

Use a micro pc attached to you tv and watch streamed things from that, something like a dell 3060 micro stick win 10 or linux on it along with your vpn app.

mike9199 · 20 Jan 2023 at 22:58

Silicon Si said:
Use a micro pc attached to you tv and watch streamed things from that, something like a dell 3060 micro stick win 10 or linux on it along with your vpn app.

I will look into that. Thanks for the tip!
The last thing i would like an advice on: what do you think of this comparison?
Nord or Open vpn service? Which one is better to use for work? Some websites block access for users which use vpn, is there way to overstep that?

Nitrogen666 · 20 Jan 2023 at 23:34

I believe you can install the CyberGhost software on a Fire Stick and nVidia Shield, so those are options too.