Private Internet Access works in New York, whether you need the VPN to bypass foreign services like BBC iPlayer or keep NYC copyright trolls like Strike 3 Holdings away from your BitTorrent activities.
Likewise, PIA has a New York server to securely connect to local gaming peers, get faster torrenting speeds, and improve your online security on NY public Wi-Fi networks.
On top of that, you can use PIA to get massive savings on subscriptions like the NBA League Pass, flights, and hotels from New York.
How about we explore all that?
How to Set up PIA on PC/Mobile in New York?
PIA’s unlimited simultaneous connections ensure you can use the VPN on as many Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, or iOS devices as you want from New York.
Here’s how to get the VPN up and running:
- Get a PIA subscription. Save some bucks with these discounts.
- Download the PIA mobile or PC app. I’ll get its Windows PC app for this demonstration.
- Launch the app and log in with your account credentials. PIA uses a username (starts with a “p”) sent to your sign-up email.
- Click the big power button to connect to an automatically-assigned PIA VPN server.
- Alternatively, click the right arrow to open the VPN server location.
- Search for a preferred location. I’ll use Indiana for this example.
- Click the server.
- Click the big power button to connect to the server.
- Wait for the connection confirmation.
- Securely bypass Verizon/ATT/other ISP throttling attempts, download torrents without getting nasty copyright notices, and unblock blacked-out sports games in New York.
How to Set up PIA on Smart TV/Gaming Consoles in New York?
Private Internet Access doesn’t have apps for non-Android smart TVs (like Samsung TVs) or gaming consoles (like PlayStation and Xbox). However, it offers three unique methods to set up a VPN on each device.
Let’s get into them:
Method 1: Set up PIA on a Router
The router setup assumes you have a VPN-compatible router.
You can check VPN compatibility by googling your router or the manufacturer’s website/manual.
Sometimes, you can flash a custom firmware (shown in the video below) to make your router VPN compatible.
Once you’re sure the router is compatible with a VPN, do these:
- Get a PIA account (grab savings).
- Follow your router model’s specific setup guide (linked below).
- Connect to a PIA server on your router after the setup.
- Connect your smart TV/gaming console to the resulting router network.
- Enjoy access to geo-restricted content like BBC iPlayer and play P2P games without DDoS freezes from New York.
Method 2: Set up PIA on a Virtual Router (Windows PC Only)
If you don’t have a VPN-compatible router, you don’t have to invest in one to use PIA with your gaming consoles, smart TVs, and other units that can’t get a VPN app.
Instead, you can broadcast a PIA-secured hotspot connection from your PC to these units.
Here’s how to get it done:
- Yet to get a PIA account? Don’t let these savings pass you by.
- Download and install the PIA app on your PC. I’ll use a Windows PC for this example.
- Launch the app and log in. However, don’t connect to a VPN server yet.
- Configure your PC to share a VPN connection over a hotspot. You can adapt the video below.
- Go to the PIA app to connect to a preferred server.
- Connect your smart TV/gaming console to the resulting router network.
- Access geo-restricted TV content BBC iPlayer, NRK TV, France TV, and gaming DLCs unavailable in New York.
Method 3: Set up PIA via Smart DNS
PIA offers Smart DNS to unblock content on smart TVs and gaming consoles without VPN encryption. But unlike most other VPNs, PIA’s Smart DNS isn’t partial to unblocking US content alone.
Here’s how to make it work:
- Get a PIA subscription (savings here) if you don’t have one already.
- Log in to the online PIA dashboard. You’ll use the same username and password as the apps.
- Click “Smart DNS” in the left-hand menu.
- Choose a device type to use smart DNS with. PIA allows you to select different smart TVs and gaming consoles.
- Choose a preferred smart DNS location. You get fewer locations than on the main VPN app.
- Generate your smart DNS address.
- Go to your smart TV/gaming console’s Network settings.
- Change the DNS address. I’ve included video guides to help you below.
- For smart TVs:
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- For PlayStation:
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- For Xbox:
- Restart the TV/gaming console for the changes to take effect.
- Get faster content-unblocking speeds on your TV and gaming console without VPN encryption.
PIA's WireGuard vs. OpenVPN: Which Protocol Is Faster in New York?
WireGuard (or its derivates) is generally considered the fastest VPN protocol.
However, PIA’s OpenVPN (UDP) protocol was its fastest on the AES 256-bit encryption, beating WireGuard and the OpenVPN (TCP) connection on the same server.
I tested this by establishing my internet speed, 128Mbps, before connecting to PIA.
Then, I connected to a New York server over WireGuard, which averaged about 16Mbps.
The story changed with OpenVPN (UDP), scoring 3.25x more than WireGuard.
Returning to OpenVPN (TCP), there was a considerable dip to around 9Mbps.
It’s healthy to still test PIA with your ISP and on your preferred server to know which protocol is fastest. After all, the speed can shift to another protocol based on server and network conditions.
Does PIA’s Port Forwarding Work in New York?
PIA’s port forwarding works in New York, allowing New Yorkers and residents to access remote devices elsewhere. You can also set up PIA’s port forwarding to get secure torrent seeding without copyright trolls like Strike 3 Holdings finding your IP address in a torrent swarm.
However, you can’t forward ports using PIA’s New York or any USA server.
So, you should be comfortable forwarding ports through other locations to use this feature.
Fortunately, PIA doesn’t offer its port forwarding at a cost, unlike providers like PureVPN.
Here’s how to set it up:
- Launch your PIA app.
- Log in if you haven’t.
- Click the three dots icon in the upper right corner.
- Then, click “Settings.”
- Click “Network.”
- Toggle “Request Port Forwarding.”
- Close the settings panel to access the VPN page.
- Connect to a choice server. I’ll use a Spanish server for this demonstration.
- Wait for the connection confirmation. You’ll see your port number beneath the VPN-assigned IP address.
Instead, you're assigned a random port.
How to Improve PIA’s Torrenting Performance in New York?
You can connect to any PIA server for secure torrent downloads from New York.
The VPN’s AES 256-bit encryption is present across all servers, ensuring your live data isn’t leaked to your ISP, copyright trolls, or network admins.
However, not all servers give you the best torrenting experience.
So, here are a few pointers to download torrents fast and securely with PIA in New York:
- Connect to the closest server. That would be the New York server. That way, your data doesn’t have to travel too far between your device and the VPN server, ensuring optimal speeds.
- Choose the fastest protocol. OpenVPN (UDP) offers fast speeds and robust security. But if it’s too slow, switch to WireGuard and compare performance.
- Enable port forwarding. Set up PIA’s port forwarding (on foreign servers) to get a slight torrent download/seeding speed boost.
- Use split tunneling. Enabling PIA’s split tunneling to protect only your BitTorrent traffic reduces the bandwidth load on the VPN. Hence, giving you the full speed blast.
- Use popular torrent clients. PIA is optimized to work faster with notable torrent clients like uTorrent, BitTorrent, Deluge, and Vuze. You’ll also get better security from these vs. nameless torrent clients.
Finally, remember to enable the PIA kill switch so your torrenting activities stop when there’s a break in the VPN connection. And no, binding your VPN IP to the torrent client isn’t enough!
What’s the Best PIA Server for Gaming in New York?
The best PIA gaming server in New York is its New York server.
This ensures the least latency and lag to prevent rubber-banding when playing heavy titles like GTA V Online, Overwatch, Fortnite, etc.
Likewise, the New York server ensures you can keep connecting to local gaming peers without fearing DDoS attacks since you now have a PIA VPN-assigned IP address.
Speaking of connecting to peers, you can use PIA’s servers in 84 countries to connect to gaming peers anywhere outside New York. So, you can skip traveling to Asia to get a bigger pot in geo-restricted competitions like Fortnite’s PlayStation Cup or unblock region-locked DLCs on titles like Valorant.
Always pair your PIA gaming server with the fastest protocol to ensure seamless gameplay. According to my tests, that’s OpenVPN (UDP) – but it doesn’t hurt to test the protocols with your chosen server before playing, either.
What’s the Best PIA Server for Streaming in New York?
PIA’s streaming-optimized servers are your best bet for unblocking and streaming content in New York.
These servers are equipped with faster performance and IP addresses that haven’t been blocked by most streaming platforms, ensuring you can watch BBC iPlayer, Netflix Japan/IT/DE, or other content in up to 4K.
However, PIA only has streaming-optimized servers in some regions.
Thankfully, its non-streaming-optimized servers don’t slack for unblocking and streaming content.
You may have to connect to a few of these to get working IP addresses, but they’ll give you a buffer-free stream when they start working.
Hence, you catch up on Malpractice via NRK TV (Norway server), stay updated on La Grande Libraire via France TV (French servers), and stream other content across 84 countries!
Does PIA Have Specialty Servers in New York?
PIA has a New York dedicated IP server for improved network security, stable content unblocking experience, and improved privacy from anywhere.
Furthermore, getting a New York dedicated IP address means you raise fewer red flags when securely accessing your US online bank accounts over public Wi-Fi in places like Shobu Sushi, the Brooklyn Public Library, Squire’s Diner, or anywhere else in New York.
I checked where PIA’s US – West and US – East optimized streaming servers were based, but none was in New York. So, you don’t get streaming-optimized PIA servers based in New York.
How Fast Is PIA’s Multi-Hop in New York?
PIA’s Multi-Hop recorded about 20Mbps on a 100Mbps network test over its New York server, losing about 4/5 of the base network speed. This doesn’t represent Multi-Hop’s performance across all servers, so it’s best to test with the servers you want to use first.
However, the fact that the VPN now routes your traffic via two servers for extra privacy justifies the speed loss. Besides, Multi-Hop only uses OpenVPN technology, which doesn’t allow for the faster UDP transport option either.
Unblock, Download & Stay Private
PIA is a well-rounded VPN for New York residents who want to unblock content, download torrents securely, play games without fear of DDoS attacks, and surf the web privately over public Wi-Fi networks.
Plus, the VPN is easy to set up on mobile, PC, gaming consoles, and smart TVs, ensuring coverage on all your devices. Especially with the unlimited connections!
How about these PIA discounts to save on the VPN and enjoy its 30-day money-back guarantee, too?
