How to Set up Smart DNS Proxy (and VPN) on Nvidia Shield TV
Category: Smart DNS Proxy
When someone asks me which streaming device I should get I’d normally recommend the Apple TV because it’s got everything, it’s a complete package though it’s a bit expensive.
But, recently I got my hands on the new Nvidia Shield TV, and well, I have a new favorite now.
For the unknown, Nvidia Shield TV is built on top of the Android TV interface, packing the Tegra X1 processor, 3GB of RAM, either 16GB or 500GB of storage. It's the only Android TV box I'll recommend as it can play PC games. Well, sort of, if you’ve got a good streaming speed.
And, I know what you guys may be thinking, despite being an Android TV box, Nvidia Shield can actually play Amazon Prime Video just as fine as it can play Netflix.
So, if you are like me, a proud owner of Nvidia Shield TV, here is how you set up Smart DNS Proxy on it.
If you haven't already, go to smartdnsproxy.com and create a free trial account. You basically have to enter your email address and name, etc. No credit cards info required.
Now, in this case, I already have a Smart DNS Proxy account, so I’ll directly begin with the setup part. Go to "Settings", next go to “Networks”, find the Wi-Fi you are connected to or want to use Smart DNS with. And then press on the Wi-Fi name. A new window will slide in, scroll down to the IP settings, and set it up using static instead of dynamic. Leave the IP address and gateway as it is. Make sure the network prefix is set to 24.
And under DNS 1 and DNS 2, enter the two IP addresses that you can see on the screen right now, or you can find the complete list by clicking on the link in the description of the video or YouTube cards.
It’s better to use the closest DNS server IP as your primary and another one relatively close as your secondary. For instance, say if I’m in Australia, ideally, I’d copy two DNS servers from Australia, and if there is only one available, then I choose another nearby, like New Zealand. And once you've done that, tap the save button.
Once you saved the changes, you’ve successfully configured Smart DNS Proxy on your Android device.
Next, from your computer browser, you need to activate your IP address in the Smart DNS Proxy database. You can do that by logging to your Smart DNS Proxy account from your computer. Or simply through a mobile browser.
Once you’ve done that, you can stream blocked content on sites like Netflix or Hulu, without any geo-restrictions.
Oh, by the way, just as Amazon Fire TV, Nvidia Shield is also capable of running Smart DNS Proxy VPN as both are based on Android. The setup can be a little bit tricky so hear me out carefully. To install Smart DNS Proxy VPN on Nvidia Shield TV, first you have to download a browser from the play store. I suggest downloading the Puffin TV browser because it's the best we have tested till now.
Open Puffin TV and search for Smart DNS Proxy APK. From the search results, scroll down and find the APK and then tap on it to sideload the APK.
Once you are done installing the Smart DNS Proxy VPN app, you will still not see the icon of the app in the app drawer. That's because Nvidia Shield TV doesn't promote sideloading apps in their app drawer. To fix this, you need to download another app. It’s a bit of a hassle but it’s just one-time pain. So, go to play store and download another TV launcher. ATV launcher is the most suitable in most cases, so I will go with that one. Once you are done with downloading ATV launcher, just open it up and scroll down to find Smart DNS Proxy VPN. Tap on the icon to open it and use the right analog stick to select the server with the mouse pointer and then hit “Connect” using the pointer. You will now be able to use Smart DNS Proxy VPN on Nvidia Shield.
To test this, you can go to the browser and search for your IP address and, boom, you can see your IP location as changed. How cool is that?
So, that’s how you set up Smart DNS Proxy on Nvidia Shield TV. It’s pretty much like Android TV box but with better optimization and gaming capabilities. It can handle, like, Vampire which is pretty nuts considering it’s a small box. Even PS4 chugs along quite a bit in Vampire.
Let us know which video you would like us to cover next? Maybe we could do games for Nvidia Shield that are actually really good considering it supports full PC games or even pit it against Apple TV.
Thanks for reading and watching and see you in the next one. Subscribe to our YouTube channel to stay in the loop.