The Amazon Fire TV Stick has become a familiar friend for football fans globally in recent years, with the majority of streaming platforms that broadcast the world’s biggest leagues available on a small, portable device.
A Fire Stick is a convenient way to watch football legally, and a VPN is a handy tool to make sure you can do so wherever you are in the world, while maintaining maximum internet security.
At the same time, it’s no secret that Fire Sticks have become synonymous with the term ‘dodgy stick’, referring to the mis-use of these devices to access streams illegally. This has been a hot topic in the past couple of years in the UK, where the government has launched a crackdown on this form of piracy.
Black-market suppliers of these devices, which have been modified or ‘jailbroken’ to provide unfettered access to a wealth of streaming services, have been jailed, and although no one has been punished simply for using one, this may also be considered a prosecutable crime.
Beyond the legal risks, there are a host of cyber-security risks, with ‘dodgy stick’ users potentially “exposed to dangerous malware and/or the risk of fraud and data theft,” according to a notice on the UK government’s website.
“There is no safety or security with what you are getting with these modified devices,” Kieron Sharp, chairman of the Federation Against Copyright Theft, recently told the Mirror: “Some people set them up just to get your personal details.”
As a result of all this, VPNs have become a common accessory to a modified Fire TV Stick, with the ability to encrypt data, alter location, and mask activity.
Future Publishing does not support or condone the malicious use of Fire TV Sticks for illegal streaming.
Why do you need a VPN for Fire Stick?
A VPN is a great accessory for those using a Fire TV Stick in the proper, legal way.
For starters, a good VPN will offer you all the internet security you need when streaming content online and accessing streaming services you’ve signed up for with your personal and banking details.
There’s a reason VPNs are used by journalists and dissidents living in authoritarian regimes – they keep your activity and your information out of view of anyone who might be trying to snoop in.
One key feature of VPNs is the ability to alter your device’s location, with your traffic re-routed through remote servers located, in the case of the best VPNs, in almost every country in the world. When it comes to streaming football, that means you can watch your usual streaming services from anywhere in the world.
Most platforms are geo-restricted to one country, but a VPN will ensure you can enjoy the content you’ve paid for while you’re away on holiday or on business.
The best VPN for Fire Stick
Our sister sites TechRadar and Tom’s Guide are bona fide VPN experts – they thoroughly test hundreds of VPN services to work out which are the best.
When it comes to VPNs for a Fire TV Stick, Tom’s Guide rates NordVPN as the best, while TechRadar has Surfshark in No.1 spot. They’re both in each other’s top three, so either one is a surefire bet that comes recommended by the experts.
We test and review VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example: 1. Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service). 2. Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad. We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing.
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