Amazon Fire TV American Channels unblocked – DNS or VPN?

Amazon Fire TV was just released, I was lucky to get my hands on one, it is a great little box featuring a lot of channels. Including Netflix, Crackle, Pandora, Hulu Plus, HBO Go in the tube and loads more. Only problem is that if you are outside of the USA as an expat or simply owner of an Amazon Fire TV, these apps will not work for you “For Netflix you will get a limited library” as you need to bypass regional restrictions. In this guide I will show you how to unblock all the american channels on your Amazon Fire TV in UK, Australia Canada and anywhere else on the globe 

 

Unblock American Channels on Amazon Fire TV

Unblock American Channels on Amazon Fire TV

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Amazon Fire TV America Channel List

Below is a list of the more known Amazon Fire TV channels. The list is actually way bigger with loads of games as well. See here for a full specs review.

  • iFood.tv
  • YouTube
  • Crackle
  • Netflix
  • AOL On
  • Vimeo
  • Hulu Plus
  • Flixster
  • Showtime Anytime
  • Smithsonian Channel
  • Plex
  • Docurama
  • Red Bull TV
  • Hasbro Studios
  • All Fitness TV
  • Classic TV
  • Manga
  • MBC On Demand
  • Hollywood Ticker
  • Kino Lorber
  • RealPlayer Cloud
  • DailyBurn
  • FitYou
  • Vevo
  • Pandora
  • iHeartRadio
  • TuneIn Radio
  • HuffPost Live
  • Watch ESPN
  • NBA Game Time
  • ACC Digital Network

If you try to watch these channels though, you will either get limited content or a regional error about your location beingunsupported. To fix that we will need to use either VPN or Smart DNS Proxy.

You also need the following two conditions covered :

  • While logged on to Amazon.com go to -> Your Account -> Manage Your Content and Devices -> Country Settings and set country to United States
  • Make sure you do have a US address in your Amazon.com account. Sample state LA – Zip Code 90210

See below.

Unblock American Channels on Amazon Fire TV Using VPN

The benefits of VPN “Virtual Private Network” are many, most importantly VPN does protect your privacy and traffic from eavesdropping. So if you do use VPN you are safer from eavesdropping than if you use a Smart DNS proxy. See a full list of benefits below :

  • VPN encrypts and protects your traffic
  • VPN works against most firewalls and ISP measures such as DNS hijacking and Transparent proxies.
  • VPN will unblock all US content on all supported devices
  • Note that Amazon FireTV does NOT natively support VPN you need a VPN enabled router.

I do personally use a VPN Provider called Express VPN. The main reasons being great support. Alot of supported countries.  And easy to use apps for most major devices that make setup a piece of cake that can be de done by novices in seconds.

I’ve prepared a list of the best VPN providers to watch US channels on Amazon Fire TV.

Rank
VPN Provider
Features
Links
Best VPN
vpn-provider
  • Best for streaming and privacy
  • High speed servers in 160 VPN locations
  • Works for Netflix, BBC iPlayer, Amazon Prime Video, and Hulu
  • 24/7/ live chat support
  • 3 extra months free on annual plan
Visit ExpressVPN Try risk-free for 30 days Read our review
Second Best VPN
vpn-provider
  • UltraHD streaming
  • Free Smart DNS proxy
  • Unblocks all major streaming services
  • Limited Time 72% Discount
Third Best VPN
vpn-provider
  • Unlimited VPN connections
  • Over 1000 servers
  • Ad-blocking feature available
4
vpn-provider
  • User-friendly application
  • Exclusive Smart VPN feature
  • Standalone Smart DNS subscription available
5
vpn-provider
  • Extra security features
  • Extensions for Firefox and Chrome
  • Split-tunneling available

Unblock American Channels on Amazon Fire TV Using Smart DNS Proxy

A Smart DNS proxy is different from VPN. A Smart DNS proxy does not encrypt your traffic but in return it more flexible in terms of devices it supports. And it yields higher speeds than VPN. The main benefits of Smart DNS proxies are listed below

  • Smart DNS is very flexible, and works on almost all your devices.See Video and Picture guides for Amazon Fire TV setup here.
  • Smart DNS does not affect your Internet speed.
  • Smart DNS supports various regions simultaneously. I.e. you can watch BBC Iplayer, Canalplus and American Netflix at the same time. Last time I check the list of supported channels was at around 90.
  • Amazon Fire TV does NOT have DNS settings. But it is a child’s play to change DNS settings on your router. ALL routers allow for DNS change.

I have ben using a Smart DNS Provider called Unlocator, they do allow unlimited devices per subscription. The main weakness of Smart DNS proxies is that they dont work if your ISP is messing with your traffic in terms of  DNS hijacking and Transparent proxies. If that is the case you need VPN.

American Channels – VPN or Smart DNS Proxies ?

Please feel free to comment if you chose either VPN or a Smart DNS proxy to unblock Amazon Fire TV. Smart DNS will work with all your devices and routers, VPN will not work though unless you do have a VPN enabled router. Ff you face any problems, or if you are just a non-technical user, please refer to support of your chosen provider. The providers I have listed have great support.

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