Yes, Hotspot Shield works on Roku.
While you can’t install the VPN directly, there are several workarounds you can use.
So, whether you’re looking to avoid bandwidth throttling or access geo-blocked channels on Roku, Hotspot Shield is an ideal choice.
It has thousands of servers in 80+ countries, including the US, the UK, and Japan.
I was also impressed by its speeds, which are super-fast and perfect for streaming in 4K.
Keep reading to learn more about using Hotspot Shield on Roku.
How to Get Hotspot Shield Working With Your Roku?
Unlike media streamers like Amazon FireStick, Roku lacks built-in VPN functionality.
That means you can’t set up a VPN or even Smart DNS on the platform.
So, how can you use Hotspot Shield on Roku?
Basically, there are two ways you can go about it:
- Through a physical router
- Through virtual router
Sounds complicated?
Don’t worry.
It’s easier than it sounds, and I’ll outline each method step by step.
But first, you need an active Hotspot Shield connection.
If you’re yet to create an account, just follow the steps below:
Step 1: Sign Up for Hotspot Shield and Get a Discount!
Click our Hotspot Shield discount link and select a subscription plan.
Hotspot Shield offers 3 pricing plans – Basic, Premium, and Premium Family – which you can subscribe to monthly or yearly.
I recommend the 1-year premium subscription, as it offers a substantial discount and the best value for money.
But if you have a large household, you might consider the Premium Family subscription.
While certainly attractive, the free plan is too basic for Roku.
For starters, it’s not optimized to unblock streaming platforms and is capped at 500Mb per day.
And the Basic plan limits connection speeds to 2Mbps, which is nowhere near the up to 1Gbps you get with a premium subscription.
Step 2: Create Your Hotspot Shield Account
Enter your email address to create your Hotspot Shield account.
Step 3: Select Your Payment Method
Enter your payment details and click “Continue” to checkout.
You can pay with credit/debit cards or PayPal.
Accepted cards include Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and Discover.
Once you subscribe to Hotspot Shield, you can set up and use the VPN with Roku.
How to Set Up Hotspot Shield on a Physical Router?
Hotspot Shield works with multiple router firmware, including:
- Asus (Asuswrt)
- Asus (Merlin)
- DD-WRT
- FreshTomato
- inet
If your router doesn’t come with supported firmware, don’t worry.
You can flash it to DD-WRT or FreshTomato and set up the VPN.
But, fair warning.
Flashing is a risky business and can easily damage your router.
As always, you should first make sure your router model supports either DD-WRT or FreshTomato firmware.
Most brands support DD-WRT — including Linksys, Netgear, and TP-Link — and you can check here if your specific model is compatible.
In this guide, I’ll walk you through the setup process for DD-WRT routers.
If you use an Asus router, I’ve got you covered too.
How to Set Up Hotspot Shield on DD-WRT (Linksys, Netgear, Tp-Link, D-Link)?
- Log into your Hotspot Shield account.
- Go to the router section.
- Click on “Location” and select your preferred server location. If you want to access US exclusive content, make sure you pick a corresponding VPN server.
- Click “Download file” to get the .ovpn configuration file. Note the storage location, as you will need this later.
- On your router’s control panel, go to the “Setup” tab and disable “IPv6.” Click “Save” and then “Apply Settings.”
- Select the “Services” tab and click “VPN.”
- On the same tab, disable “OpenVPN Server/Daemon” and then enable “OpenVPN Client.”
- Now it’s time to enter the OpenVPN configurations. Remember the Hotspot Shield file you downloaded earlier? Open it in and copy the server name. (This will be something like remote xxxxx.us 8041.
- Enter the server name in the “Server/IP” field and set the following configurations:
Port: 8041
Tunnel Device: TUN
Tunnel Protocol: UDP
Encryption Cipher: AES-256 CBC
Hash Algorithm: SHA256
User Pass Authentication: Enable
Username: Enter your Hotspot Shield username
Password: Enter your Hotspot Shield password
Advanced Options: Enable
TLS Cypher: None
LZO Compression: No
NAT: Enable
Firewall Protection: Enable
- In the Additional Config field, enter or paste the following. (Replace server_name with the name of your actual Hotspot Shield server.”
verify-x509-name xxxxx.us name
resolv-retry infinite
remote-random
nobind
tun-mtu 1500
tun-mtu-extra 32
mssfix 1450
persist-key
persist-tun
ping 15
ping-restart 0
reneg-sec 0
remote-cert-tls server
comp-noadapt
- Go back to the configuration file, copy everything between tags, and paste it into the CA Cert field.
- In the Public Client Cert field, paste the section between tags.
- Copy the content between tags into the Private Client Key field.
- Click Save and then click Apply Settings.
You’ve now set up Hotspot Shield on your router.
To confirm if your VPN connection is up and running, go to the OpenVPN tab and check if the status is listed as “Connected Success.”
How to Set Up Hotspot Shield on Asus (Asuswrt) Routers?
Compared to DD-WRT, Asuswrt is simpler to configure and can be done in 7 quick steps.
Here is the step by step guide:
- Open your router’s Control Panel and navigate to the VPN section.
- Next, select the VPN Client tab and click “Add profile.”
- Select the OpenVPN tab and fill in the following fields:
Description: enter the name of the Hotspot Shield server you selected.
Username: enter your Hotspot Shield account username.
Password: your Hotspot Shield service password.
- On the same pop-up window, click “Choose File” and navigate to the .ovpn configuration file you downloaded earlier. Double click to open.
- Click Upload. You’ll receive a notification once the file has been uploaded.
- Leave the “Import the CA file or edit the .ovpn file manually” box unchecked and click OK.
- Once your VPN profile has been created, click “Activate” to connect to initiate the Hotspot Shield VPN connection.
Easy, right?
You can now use Hotspot Shield with Roku through your Asus router.
How to Set Up Hotspot Shield on Roku via Virtual Router?
While some VPNs allow you to share your VPN connection via both Mac and Windows, Hotspot Shield is limited to Windows.
That’s because the provider no longer supports L2TP/IPsec, which is the only protocol that allows sharing a tunneled connection on Mac.
On Windows, the process is usually straightforward and can be done in minutes.
Unfortunately, Hotspot shield does not have tutorials for sharing your VPN connection from your computer.
So, I’ll walk you through step by step:
- Download and install Hotspot Shield on your PC.
- Navigate to Settings>Network & Internet>Mobile Hotspot and enable mobile hotspot.
- Click “Change adapter settings” under “Related settings.”
- Right-click on the HotspotShield TAP-Windows adapter and then click Properties.
- Select the Sharing tab and check the “Allow other network users to connect through this computer’s internet connection box.”
- From the drop-down menu, select the mobile hotspot you’ve just created.
- Launch Hotspot Shield and connect to a server in your target country.
- Once your VPN connection is running, turn on mobile hotspot.
Voila!
You can now use your Hotspot Shield VPN connection on your Roku player.
Connect Roku to Your Router
To connect your Roku device to your VPN connection, follow the steps below:
- From your Roku home screen, go to Settings>Network, and then press Ok.
- Next, click “Set up new wireless connection.”
- Connect to the WiFi network you set up earlier.
That’s it.
You should now be able to use Hotspot Shield on your Roku.
How to Change My Region on Roku to the U.S?
As mentioned earlier, Roku content distribution hugely favors US-based users.
And unlike devices like FireStick, where you can unblock restricted content by simply connecting to a foreign VPN server, Roku’s channels are geo-linked to your Roku account.
So, if you want to unblock US exclusive content on apps like Hulu and Netflix, you need to create a US Roku account.
Here are the steps you should follow:
- Launch Hotspot Shield and connect to a US server.
- On your Roku device, navigate to Settings > System > Advanced System Settings > Factory Reset.
- Go to my.roku.com/signup to create a new account.
- Sign back in with your new Roku account to change your region.
Why Use Hotspot Shield for Roku?
Simple – fast server speeds.
Connection-wise, Hotspot Shield definitely lives up to the hype.
The service uses a proprietary Hydra protocol optimized to provide fast speeds for streaming.
Say hello 4K HDR.
Another reason why I like using Hotspot Shield on Roku is its large number of US servers.
The VPN has over a hundred servers spread across 20+ cities.
This lowers the chances of overloading, ensuring stable and reliable connections.
On top of that, I’ve yet to come across any Roku channel the service can’t unblock.
Some of the streaming platforms you can access with Hotspot Shield include US Netflix, Disney Plus, Hulu, and HBO Max.
Hotspot Shield uses military-grade AES 256-encryption to protect your data.
While its prices aren’t the most affordable, you get a 45-day money-back guarantee to test it risk-free.
And as icing on the cake, you’re allowed up to 5 simultaneous connections, enabling you to cover multiple devices on a single subscription.
Hotspot Shield Alternatives That Work With Roku
Hotspot Shield works well with Roku.
It’s fast and reliably unblocks geo-restricted apps and content.
But its lack of support for L2TP/IPsec means it may not be ideal for Mac users who don’t have a PC or router.
And its subscriptions are a tad pricey compared to the market average.
If Hotspot Shield isn’t for you, the following VPNs are worthwhile alternatives:
ExpressVPN boasts a dedicated router app.
It works seamlessly with Roku and blasts past geo-blocks with ease.
ExpressVPN also supports L2TP/IPsec, allowing you to use it on Roku via Mac.
VyprVPN comes with a dedicated router app, making it simple to use.
It’s also great for bypassing government firewalls and unblocking censored apps and content on Roku.
If you’re looking for a budget alternative, Surfshark is an excellent option.
Besides being affordable, the VPN delivers fast connections making it ideal for streaming.
You also get Smart DNS allowing you to expand your Roku catalog while sidestepping the slowdown of encryption.
And to top it off, it’s easy to use.
FAQ
Can You Install Hotspot Shield VPN on Roku?
No, you can’t install Hotspot Shield or any other VPN on Roku.
But you can still use the service on Roku by creating and connecting to a Hotspot Shield-enabled WiFi network.
Why Is My Hotspot Shield Vpn Not Working With Roku?
If your Hotspot Shield VPN connection isn’t working with Roku, it could be due to a number of issues:
- Your Hotspot Shield virtual server is offline. If this is the case, your VPN connection will fail to initiate. To fix this, try switching to a different server.
- Connection leaks. While this won’t stop you from connecting to Hotspot Shield servers, it can interfere with the VPN’s capability to unblock geo-restricted apps and content. To avoid this, make sure the kill switch is enabled.
- Your internet connection is not working. You wouldn’t believe it but this is sometimes the case with many VPN users. So, check your connections to make sure it’s up and running.
If you’re still experiencing issues, you could try reaching out to customer support.
Hotspot Shield has a friendly and helpful support team that’s available 24/7.
Conclusion
Hotspot Shield works reliably with Roku.
It’s great for streaming and has comprehensive guides for all compatible routers.
Grab our exclusive Hotspot Shield Deal and unlock a whole new world of streaming possibilities!
