Vpn needed or not?

Purchased a new jailbroken 4K max fire tv stick. The provider says that their launch app on the fire stick is encrypted and do not need a VPN. Is this true? I need to make sure my ISP provider cannot see my traffic.
Help please!

Welcome to this great place! IMO I wouldn’t even listen to what someone says it has. I run VPN on everything including our phones. I’m not a risk taker. They’re inexpensive. Search here for info on them as well as head over to Troypoint for more info

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Anyone who told you they " jailbroke" your firestick cannot be trusted, there is no such thing. But, I would say, definitely use a VPN. There is nothing that would be done on the launcher, other than activating a VPN, that would mask your IP.

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@Edman

Welcome to community! Hope you enjoy your stay.

As mentioned above use the vpn anyway.

They didn’t encrypt there apk… if anything you are using there app which is connecting to their back end which might be encrypted but using a VPN wouldn’t matter.

Actually because they told you not to I’d use it anyway. Just incase they try to access the log files of is using that app when it connects to them. By telling you not to use it I wonder it they are ip locking your ip.

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Thanks for everyone’s reply!
Do I get like ipvanish and put it on the firestick which runs through my wi-fi or try and install on my router? I’m thinking ONLY on the tv firestick because we also run our cell phones through the wi-fi fiber optic internet service and it’s caped at 200mg per month usage (which is okay if I go over). My additional question is: Will my internet provider see my usage/activity from my tv firestick? Just trying for the best way to not raise any questions from my internet provider.
Your help is appreciated!

Hello again,
One last final question from my previous post. The fire tv stick company does auto updates. Will adding VPN block them from doing these updates?

Surfshark is best imo. Just use it on the firestick. You can configure it.

We have not tried IPVanish yet but will when one of the two we have runs out. Started with Surfshark because of unlimited connections but soon found it cause a lot of buffering so o purchased CyberGhost. Surfshark did something and has been working very well. Never an issue with CyberGhost. I do like the kill switch feature in Surfshark. I spoke with support at Cuberghost and asked about that feature. They text me a bunch of garble which I really didn’t understand but they said in a nutshell yes it’s “like” a kill switch.

@Edman

All you need is a VPN on your Fire stick. It won’t effect your router.

You can however change all that, but for conversation sack to your question just turn it on your firestick and it will only ip encrypt that traffic end.

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Does anyone use Express VPN for a jailbroken fire tv stick?
My question is what location is best to use to be sure your protected.
I thought I read to pick a location outside the U.S. because of the patriot act.
Any recommendations?

Hi @Edman - Lots of great info in here from our Patrons and other forum members!

I suggest going through this guide - https://troypoint.com/install-vpn-on-fire-tv-stick/

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@Edman
I use ExpressVPN withe the “lightway” protocol and IPVanish with the “wireguard” protocol.
And to round out the top 3 VPNs “Nord”.
Choose a location in the U.S. if you’re streaming U.S. networks. Choose Canada if Canadian channels. I haven’t a clue about the patriot act cause I’m neither a patriot or an American. I don’t know who your IP is so don’t know their capabilities, they may be able to determine the amount of bandwidth you are using but not what it is as it’s encrypted. Welcome to our community. Enjoy

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Hello,
Sorry for being such a pain here…lol
I went with Express VPN today and it’s now installed. Thought that everything was fine and was already to go. I started up the VPN with excitement and went to use the fire stick and the VPN is blocking the streaming from their server. Does anyone have any suggestions for what to do next?
The provider of the streaming service keeps saying that there server is encrypted and I don’t need a VPN. Please help!

Contact IPVANISH live chat or customer service. They’re pretty good at helping. This is something I’ve never heard of. There are various “protocols” in IPVanish and I’d test every option and port to see if that helps. Lightway, UDP, and TCP.

@Edman

What are you using that is blocking you because of vpns.

Sometimes providers and some services block vpns because they hide your ip and encrypte Data.

That’s typically done to stop activity or for someone to ip lock and log you.

Most providers and tools work with vpns as it’s highly recommended. When someone implicated a block when vpn detected I’d switch and use something els.

The VPN told me to change the location and so far it’s working. Have to keep an eye on this.
Thank everyone for replying.

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Definitely! Same here. Cheap piece of mind.

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