In this tutorial, you will learn how to set up Smart DNS on your Apple TV box. It’s a handy method that allows you to use some of the VPN functions on devices where you couldn’t normally install a VPN. For example, Smart DNS can help you access Disney+, and Hulu US streaming libraries worldwide.
You will need an Apple TV box, and an active Surfshark VPN subscription, which you can purchase on our pricing page (Smart DNS included in the price).
This guide will show you how to:
Find your Smart DNS
- Go to this page.
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You may need to log in to proceed to this page. In this case, enter the email address you used to create your account, then your password, and click Log In.
- If you do not see your Smart DNS addresses there, it's most likely you have not activated it yet. Click the Activate Smart DNS button, and activate Smart DNS. Or just follow this tutorial for detailed instructions on enabling Smart DNS for your account.
Set up Smart DNS on your Apple TV
Once you have found your Smart DNS addresses on the Surfshark website, you need to apply them to your Apple TV.
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Go to Settings of your Apple TV.
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Choose Network.
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If your Apple TV is connected to the Internet via Wi-Fi, then click on Wi-Fi.
You may notice that the IP address shown on your TV is different from the one that you have activated Smart DNS for. That is because you have activated Smart DNS for your external (public) IP address, but your TV only shows the internal (private) IP.
An internal IP usually looks like this - 192.168.x.x and is only used for internal communication between different devices on your network. It is not visible publicly and does not affect Smart DNS usage, so you can ignore it and proceed with the Smart DNS setup.
If your Apple TV is connected to the internet via Ethernet cable, choose the Ethernet tab.
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Click on the name of your network.
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Click Configure DNS.
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On the following page, select Manual instead of Automatic.
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Here you should enter your DNS server address.
You should have received 2 Smart DNS addresses, but here, you only need to enter one of them (it does not matter which one).
Note: If the DNS address is too short after you entered it, add a 0 in front at the second and third segments.
Click Done.
Apply changes by restarting Apple TV
You should restart your Apple TV for Smart DNS settings to be actually applied. Here is how you can do that:
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Go to Settings.
- Click System.
- Finally, click Restart.
Congratulations - you have successfully configured Smart DNS on your Apple TV box! You can now enjoy streaming content from the US on a multitude of streaming platforms.
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