Guide
Using a VPN With Apollo Group TV
Last updated
You don't need a VPN to watch Apollo Group Television, and plenty of homes never use one. The case where it's worth trying is when your internet provider slows down or blocks streaming traffic. That usually looks like buffering that only happens in the evening, or only on your home connection while mobile data plays fine. Outside that situation a VPN just adds an extra stop for your data and can make buffering worse. Below is a quick way to work out which case you're in, followed by setup steps if a VPN turns out to be worth it. The advice applies to lines bought on apollogrouptelevision.us.
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It takes a couple of minutes to find out whether your provider is causing the buffering:
Play a busy channel at home
Pick a channel that buffers for you, ideally at the time it usually happens (evenings, game days).
Play the same channel on mobile data
Turn off Wi-Fi on your phone and play the same channel in the player app using your mobile connection.
Compare the two
Smooth on mobile data but buffering at home at the same moment points to your home connection or provider. If it buffers on both, a VPN won't help, and the buffering and playback fixes are a better place to start.
Running a speed test on the streaming device itself adds a useful data point. HD needs a steady 10 Mbps or so, and 4K around 25 Mbps. A result that falls well below your plan's speed in the evening but not during the day suggests the same thing.
When a VPN helps
- Throttled video. Some providers slow down anything they recognise as streaming during peak hours, and a VPN hides what the traffic is so it gets treated like ordinary data.
- Blocked servers. Now and then a network refuses to connect to streaming servers at all, which shows up as a connection timeout at home that goes away on mobile data.
- Restricted networks, like hotel, campus or office Wi-Fi that filters out streaming.
- Privacy on public Wi-Fi when you're watching away from home.
When a VPN makes things worse
Everything you stream through a VPN passes through one of its servers first. That always costs some speed, and in these cases it can cost a lot:
- Distant servers add delay. Choose one in or near your own country.
- Free and overcrowded VPNs often struggle to carry steady HD, never mind 4K. One that feels fine for browsing can still buffer all evening on live TV.
- Some VPN servers get refused by streaming servers, which can show up as a 403 or a connection timeout. If that happens, turn the VPN off or switch servers; the status code guide covers both errors.
- Older Firesticks have slow processors, and encrypting a live stream can push them to their limit. If the picture got worse once you installed a VPN, switch to a lighter protocol such as WireGuard in the VPN app's settings.
We don't recommend or sell any particular VPN and we earn nothing from sign-ups. Look for a paid provider with servers in your country, apps for the devices you own and a money-back period long enough to test it on your own connection.
Setting up a VPN on Firestick or Android TV
Install the VPN app
Most major VPNs have an app in the Amazon Appstore (Firestick) or Google Play (Android TV). Search the store on the device rather than sideloading a copy from a website.
Sign in and pick a nearby server
Choose a server in your own country, ideally in the nearest city. 'Fastest server' modes sometimes pick one abroad, so set it by hand.
Turn on auto-connect
In the VPN's settings, enable connect on start-up, so the VPN is already on when you open the player.
Open your player and test
Launch IPTV Smarters, TiviMate or your usual player and play the channel that used to buffer. If it's no better, switch servers once, then try with the VPN off to compare.
Step-by-step player setup for each device is in the installation walkthroughs.
Split tunnelling: VPN for the player only
Many VPN apps for Android and Firestick include split tunnelling, sometimes labelled 'app filter' or 'bypass'. With it you route only the player app through the VPN and leave everything else on your normal connection, which keeps other apps quick and gives the VPN less to do.
It's also the answer when a VPN breaks other apps, for example a streaming service that won't work over a VPN. Put only your IPTV player inside the tunnel and the others behave normally again.
Still buffering with a VPN?
Turn the VPN off and work through the basics: restart the device and router, clear the player's cache, and use a cable if you can. If it still buffers on both your home connection and mobile data, message us with the channel name, your device and the time it happened, at support@apollogrouptelevision.us or on WhatsApp, and we'll check the line.