Roku players and Roku TVs run Roku OS, which can't run VPN apps. NordVPN says so plainly, and Surfshark's list of apps doesn't include Roku either. So you protect a Roku from outside the box: put the VPN on your router, or share a VPN connection from a Windows PC as a Wi-Fi hotspot, then connect the Roku to that network. Both methods follow NordVPN's and Surfshark's help centers as they stood on November 4, 2026.
What a VPN does for a Roku
With either method, the Roku's traffic leaves your home through an encrypted connection to the VPN server. Your internet provider sees a connection to that server instead of the services you stream from, and the streaming apps see the server's IP address instead of yours.
What a VPN doesn't change is the way Roku and the streaming apps handle countries. Roku's help center explains that app providers such as Netflix and Disney+ decide which shows they offer in each country, and that studios license their titles country by country. Some regional apps also depend on where the Roku itself was activated: Roku says Brazil's Globoplay, for example, works only on a Roku activated in Brazil and located there. Many streaming services also try to detect and block VPN traffic. NordVPN's help center says its service should never be used to get around copyright rules, and Surfshark's tells you to connect to a server in your home country for Netflix. Read each streaming service's terms before you rely on a VPN with it.
Method 1: put the VPN on your router
A router running a VPN covers every device that connects to it, so the Roku, your laptop and your phones are all protected without separate apps. Surfshark lists the downsides: setup can be complicated, your connection may slow down, you lose most features of the VPN apps, and managing the connection is less convenient. NordVPN counts a router as one of your 10 devices.
The router needs a built-in OpenVPN or WireGuard client. Many common routers don't have one on their standard firmware. Surfshark and NordVPN both list Arris, Belkin, Cisco, TRENDnet, TotoLink and Ubee routers, most Linksys models and most routers supplied by internet providers as unsupported. NordVPN's list also includes D-Link, Netgear, Huawei, Eero and the Xfinity, Verizon and AT&T routers.
If your router can't run a VPN, you have three options:
- Buy one that can. Surfshark suggests Asus routers as the easier choice, and GL.iNet mini routers, which come with OpenWRT and an OpenVPN client.
- Buy one with the VPN already set up. NordVPN points to its partner FlashRouters, which sells routers configured for NordVPN.
- Install custom firmware such as DD-WRT or Tomato on your current router. This can permanently damage the router if it goes wrong, and Surfshark says it isn't responsible for that.
To set it up:
- Find out whether your router has an OpenVPN or WireGuard client. Check its manual, or sign in to its admin page by typing the router's IP address into your browser and look for a VPN client section.
- Get your provider's manual setup details: the service credentials and the configuration file for the server you want. These are separate from the email and password you sign in to the app with.
- Follow your provider's guide for your router model. Surfshark publishes guides for DD-WRT, AsusWRT, GL.iNet and OpenWRT, and NordVPN has guides for Asus, DD-WRT, OpenWRT and other firmware.
- From a laptop or phone on the same Wi-Fi, run an IP leak test to confirm the router's traffic is going through the VPN.
- If the Roku already uses this router, there's nothing more to do. If not, press Home on the Roku remote, go to Settings, then Network, then Set up connection, choose Wireless, pick the network and enter its password.
Method 2: share a VPN from a Windows PC
A Windows 10 or Windows 11 computer with Wi-Fi can run the VPN app and share it as a hotspot. It needs no new hardware, but the PC has to stay on and connected while you watch, which makes it better for travel than for every night at home. These steps follow Surfshark's and NordVPN's Windows guides:
- In the VPN app's settings, change the protocol to OpenVPN (UDP) or OpenVPN (TCP). In Surfshark it's under Settings, then VPN settings, then Protocol. NordVPN says the hotspot won't work with its NordLynx protocol, and Surfshark's guide also uses OpenVPN. Then disconnect.
- Search Windows for View network connections and open it. Keep the window open. You'll see your Wi-Fi adapter and the VPN's adapter, named something like OpenVPN Data Channel Offload for Surfshark or OpenVPN Data Channel Offload for NordVPN.
- Open Settings, then Network & internet, then Mobile hotspot. Set Share over to Wi-Fi and turn the hotspot on. Note the network name and password, or click Edit to change them.
- Back in the network connections window, a new adapter has appeared for the hotspot, often called Local Area Connection with a number. Right-click the VPN adapter, choose Properties, open the Sharing tab, tick Allow other network users to connect through this computer's Internet connection and pick the new hotspot adapter from the list. Click OK.
- Connect the VPN app.
- On the Roku, go to Settings, then Network, then Set up connection, choose Wireless and join the hotspot network.
If your PC is wired to the internet and has a second Ethernet port, both providers also explain how to share the VPN over a cable instead.
What doesn't work
Sharing a VPN from your phone doesn't work. Roku lets you connect to a phone's hotspot, but Surfshark says standard Android and iOS can't pass a VPN connection through a hotspot; only Windows can. The Roku would get your phone's ordinary connection.
Sharing from a Mac isn't one of the options either provider gives for Roku. And if an older guide points you to Surfshark's Smart DNS, Surfshark retired that feature on February 2, 2026.
Use a streaming device that runs VPN apps instead
If you'd rather install an app, a different streaming device is simpler. Fire TV Sticks, Android TV devices and Apple TVs running tvOS 17 or later can run VPN apps from Surfshark, NordVPN and others directly on the TV. Surfshark suggests a Fire TV Stick or Android TV box for TVs that can't run its app, with the trade-off that you have to buy another device and it protects only that one. Our guides to the best VPNs for Firestick and Android TV, and to setting up Surfshark on Apple TV, cover those routes.
Which VPN to use with Roku
For a Roku, pick a VPN with clear guides for your router or a Windows app you're happy to leave running. Device limits matter less on a router, since NordVPN counts it as one device and Surfshark has no device limit. Our guide to the best VPNs for streaming compares Surfshark, NordVPN, ExpressVPN and others with current prices.
