How to Use a VPN with Your Amazon Fire Tablet

Disclaimer: Certain pages on this site may include an affiliate link. This in no way affects our editorial staff.

Before you start scouring various VPN providers to find your answer, it's important to understand how the Fire OS works. The Amazon Fire tablet uses an operating system derived from Android. Therefore, it shares many limitations of Android devices when it comes to VPN apps.

How to Use a VPN with Your Amazon Fire Tablet

The Amazon Fire tablet supports PPTP, L2TP and IPSec protocols, but not something like OpenVPN. There is also a very small collection of valid third-party VPN apps listed on the Amazon Appstore.



One way to use a VPN is to use the built-in VPN that comes with your Amazon Fire tablet. To set it up, you need to follow a few simple steps.

Limited offer: 3 months FREE!

1. Swipe the notification bar down to show the Settings icon in the right corner.

2. Select Wireless & VPN from the Settings menu.

How to Use a VPN with Your Amazon Fire Tablet

3. Select VPN

How to Use a VPN with Your Amazon Fire Tablet

4. Locate the '+' sign in the upper right corner and click on it to add a new entry

5. Name your VPN connection and edit all fields according to your information

How to Use a VPN with Your Amazon Fire Tablet

Limited offer: 3 months FREE!

6. Save and return to step 4 where your new VPN should now appear

7. Click on it and enter your credentials. Tap connect.

If all required fields have been filled in correctly, your notification bar should now feature the traditional key symbol that signals that your data is going through the VPN.



How to Use a VPN with Your Amazon Fire Tablet

To check if it actually works, you can type “what is my IP address” on Google. If you see an IP address that does not match your real one, then everything is fine.

Limited offer: 3 months FREE!

Of course, if you're looking for something with a better track record, you should use a third-party VPN app. Here are some of the top picks on the Amazon Appstore.

VyprVPN

This VPN is the oldest in the App Store. However, it remains one of the most reliable across all of its supported platforms. It is user-friendly and has many features that allow you to hide your browsing activity.

What's the downside? - It's not free. But it has a short trial version, so you don't have to buy it if you're not convinced.

Installing VyprVPN is quite simple. You just download it from the app store and it will install. To activate it, locate its icon in the list of VPNs. Go to Settings – Wireless & VPN – VPN.

Why is VyprVPN so popular? – This is one of the latest that can bypass Netflix's geo-restrictions. You won't miss your favorite show no matter where you go.

ExpressVPN

Slightly more expensive than VyprVPN, ExpressVPN is an industry giant. It will allow you to watch Netflix, spoof your location with over 130 VPN locations worldwide, and it will also perform very well due to limited resource draw.


ExpressVPN is also very fast, so you'll appreciate it if you want to torrent while traveling or just want to keep your tastes in movies and music private.


This service comes with two subscription plans, a monthly plan and a 12-month plan.

IPVanish

If you're not new to VPNs, you've probably heard of IPVanish. What's nice about this VPN is that it now has a version designed specifically for Amazon Fire.

The software is much more stable than its previous versions designed for Fire Stick and Fire TV. Their servers are located in over 50 countries and there are many VPN protocols to choose from.


IPVanish is one of the fastest, which is why it's the preferred choice for anyone torrenting/P2P on their tablets. It also has a no-logs privacy policy, making it a top choice if anonymity is your primary concern.

The only downside of using IPVanish is that it won't allow you to watch Netflix. For some, it can be a deal breaker when the best streaming service is not accessible through IPVanish.

Let's say you don't like anything on Amazon Appstore. How about a non-Amazon VPN service?

NordVPN

NordVPN is a solid choice if you're looking for something a little cheaper that still offers Netflix compatibility and a zero-logging policy. The app is user-friendly and also uses Socks5 proxy locations if you need more privacy when using apps like Flud or Skype.

It's not as fast as IPVanish, but it does the job nonetheless. The only real downside is in terms of planning. If you want to get it on the cheap, you have to get it on board for two years. This membership plan has the best discount.

Now, installing a non-Amazon VPN is a bit tricky, but it can be done without a college degree in computer science.


You will need the following:

  • Active VPN subscription from the desired provider
  • A download link or the APK file

Here's how to sideload a non-Amazon VPN app.

  1. Go to Settings – Security – Apps from unknown sources. Enable this option.
  2. Download the APK file from the VPN provider's webpage.
  3. Install ES File Explorer from Amazon Appstore
  4. Locate the VPN APK file using ES File Explorer and click Install

There is an even faster method to do this. Instead of installing the VPN directly, you can simply install the Google Play Store app and then use it to install any other app unrelated to the Amazon store, including VPNs.

To install the Google Play Store app, you need to enable the Apps from Unknown Sources option. Then you download the four different APK files needed to run the store.

  • Google Account Manager
  • Google Framework Services
  • Google Play Services
  • Google Play Store

Always get the latest version and you can easily find them on the APKMirror website. Use ES File Explorer to install them and make sure you do it in the same order as they are listed above.

Once you're done, all you have to do is turn off and restart the tablet. The next time you log in, the Google Play Store app will be ready to use. If you don't mind spending more time, this last method is surely the best one to use if you plan to install several non-Amazon Appstore apps.

add a comment of How to Use a VPN with Your Amazon Fire Tablet
Comment sent successfully! We will review it in the next few hours.