This step-by-step guide will show you how you can increase VPN speed on your FireStick, Fire TV, and Fire TV 4K.
A VPN may be helpful in many ways but it does indeed slow down your internet speed. But there are certain FireStick VPNs that don’t let your internet speed down and prevent your ISPs from throttling the internet speed.
Among the top VPNs on our list, ExpressVPN is our recommended choice that is extremely fast and is considered best for streaming.
But if you’ve already got a VPN and are worried about the declining internet speed, then we have discussed 9 ways to increase VPN speed on FireStick.
How to Increase VPN Speed on FireStick
There are a couple of methods you can apply to increase the VPN speed of your FireStick. Both of them are explained below in detail.
You can follow them according to the guide and make your device work faster.
1. Change Your Protocol Setting
Most of the VPN services have multiple protocol settings. The protocol is either TCP (Transmission Control Protocol) or UDP (User Datagram Protocol).
If your VPN is running on TCP, the speed of your FireStick might be slow. Switching the protocol of your VPN to UDP will increase the speed. You can change the protocol from your VPN settings.
Some internet connections allow running VPN on TCP protocol only. If your connection is interrupted after switching to UDP, set it back to TCP.
Follow these steps to change the protocol settings of your ExpressVPN connection.
Step 1: Launch Surfshark on your FireStick and click on the Settings option
Step 2: Click the Protocol option and try to change it from TCP to UPD. If it is not working, try the other protocol options
Your protocol settings of the Surfshark are now changed successfully. This will increase the speed of your connection on your FireStick.
2. Connect to VPN Server Close to Your Location
Most of the VPN connections are automatically connected to the fastest available server. This is surely going to affect the speed if the fastest server is far away from your location.
Connecting your VPN to the VPN server that is close to your location is going to increase the speed of your connection.
To connect to the nearest VPN server, follow these steps.
Step 1: Go to the home screen of your Surfshark app. Click the Connect button of your there and you will be connected to the fastest available server.
Step 2: Click on the Fastest server option OR you can also connect to the Nearest server option which is also the fastest
Alternate Ways to Increase VPN Speed
If you have tried both the above-mentioned methods and your connection is still slow, the problem might be in your FireStick then.
Try these alternative methods to speed up your Surfshark VPN on the FireStick.
3. Restart Your Device
We rarely shut down our FireStick and this could be the reason it is working slow. Restarting your FireStick helps you to make it run fast and smooth.
To restart your FireStick device, do these steps.
Step 1: Open the Home Screen of your FireStick device and click the Settings option
Step 2: Click Device/My Fire TV option
Step 3: Hit the Restart button
Step 4: Click Restart again to confirm
Your FireStick is now successfully restarted!
4. Uninstall Problem Apps
Uninstall the apps that are heavy or you are not using to increase the speed by the below-mentioned steps.
Step 1: From the home screen of your FireStick, select Settings. Now click on Applications
Step 2: Click the Manage Installed Applications option
Step 3: Uninstall the extra apps like Kodi to speed up your device
Step 4: Select the app and click Uninstall
Step 5: Confirm the action by clicking Uninstall again
Uninstall all the extra apps by this method to make sure your FireStick is running with maximum speed.
5. Update Your FireStick
Keep updating your FireStick to the latest software. This will not only increase the speed but also remove all the bugs from the previous software.
Step 1: Go to the Settings menu and click Device
Step 2: Click on Check for System Updates option
Step 3: If there is any new software available, FireStick will start installing it
Your FireStick is now updated to the latest software and the speed will also be improved.
6. Turn Off Automatic Updates
Turning off the automatic updates of any device is not a good idea but you can still try it if your FireStick is running too slow. This might increase the speed.
Step 1: Click Settings from the home screen and then click Applications
Step 2: Now go to the Automatic Updates option and turn it off
This small step would help increase the speed of your Amazon FireStick.
7. Turn Off Collect App Data Usage
Another simple thing to do is turn off the collect app data usage settings to boost the speed.
Go to the Application settings and turn off the App Data Usage from the menu as shown in the image.
8. Restart Your Modem and Router
If your device is fine and you are sure there is no problem with it, restart your modem and router. Remove the power supply and reconnect it after ten minutes.
This improves the speed of your internet connection and your FireStick device will run faster with a VPN connection.
9. Factory Reset Your FireStick
The last option is to reset your FireStick if nothing is working. This will erase all the apps and data on your device.
Step 1: Select the Settings option from the home screen and click My Fire TV
Step 2: Click Reset to Factory Defaults to reset your FItreStick and confirm the action
After resetting, the speed of your device will be improved.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the cheapest VPN for FireStick?
There are a lot of VPN connections available in the market but most of them are really expensive. Surfshark is one of the cheapest and high-quality VPNs you can use on minimum annual subscription charges.
How can I increase my VPN speed?
There are so many things you can do to increase the speed of your VPN. Some of them are changing protocol settings, connecting to the nearest server, restarting your device, update software, and resetting your device.
Do I really need a VPN for FireStick?
It is not compulsory but it is recommended. A VPN will keep your connection private and secure by assigning you a new IP address. So it is a better option if you don’t want to compromise your privacy on the internet.
Conclusion
A VPN connection is necessary for a secure connection but sometimes VPN speed is decreased that is annoying.
You can increase the speed of VPN on your FireStick device by changing the protocol settings, connecting to the nearest available server, restarting your FireStick, restarting your modem, updating the software, and resetting your Amazon FireStick device.
All the things mentioned in this guide will definitely be going to help you out in increasing your VPN speed on FireStick.