How to set up CactusVPN App for Android TV

In this tutorial we will show you how to install CactusVPN app for Android TV and how to connect to VPN or Smart DNS using our app, but first let’s see what are our requirements.

Requirements

In order to use the CactusVPN app you will need:

A CactusVPN account. If you don’t have one you can try our services for free.
Your VPN username and password to connect to VPN and / or the PIN code to sign in to Smart DNS. You can find them in your account on our website, by going to your package.

With our VPN app for Android TV your life becomes much easier. No more manual setup and a lot of new features are waiting you.

Install CactusVPN App
1. First you have to install our VPN app for Android TV. Go to the App Store on your TV and search for “CactusVPN” (1). Then choose our app from search results (2).
2. Choose “Install” (3).
3. Choose “Open” (4).
On the sign in screen you have two options: to sign in to use our VPN services or to sign in to use our Smart DNS services. You can do this by tapping on the “VPN” or “Smart DNS” tabs.

If you want to connect to Smart DNS and don’t need VPN, just skip part II and go directly to the part “III. Connect to Smart DNS”.
Connect to VPN
1. To sign in to VPN you should make sure the “VPN” tab (5) is selected on the sign in screen.
  Enter your VPN username and password (6). You can find them in your account on our website, by going to your package. Make sure you use your VPN username and password and NOT the website account credentials (What is the difference?).
  
  You can save them for later usage (7).
  
  Tap on “Sign in” button (8).
  
  If you forgot your credentials you can request a password reset (9).
  
  On this screen you can also order our VPN + Smart DNS package (9) if you still don’t have one.
2. Once you are signed in you can choose the VPN server you want to connect to (10).
3. Tap on the desired server (11). After you will select the server the app will return to the connections screen.
  “Sort by speed” feature will allow you to find the fastest servers for you – after pressing this button the servers will be sorted by the lowest ping to your computer.
4. Tap on “Connect” button (13).
5. You might be warned that a VPN connection will be set up. Choose “OK” (14).
6. In several seconds the VPN app for Android TV does its job and VPN connection on your Android TV will be created and you’ll see the “You are connected” message below the button – this means your connection is now active. To disconnect just choose “Disconnect” (15). Now you can choose another location to connect to.
7. You can configure how the app works. To do that choose the menu icon (16).
8. Choose “Settings” (17).
9. You’ll see all the Settings:
  “Sign in at app start” – automatically signs in when the app starts.
  
  “Connect VPN on sign in” – automatically connect to VPN after signing in.
  
  “Hide app on connect” – hide the CactusVPN app after connecting to VPN.
  
  “Reconnect if connection dropped” – automatically reconnect if connection is dropped.
  
  “Start on boot” – starts the app automatically when the Android boots.
  
  “Group servers by country when sorting by speed” – when you sort VPN servers by speed, they will be grouped by country.
  
  “OpenVPN protocol” – choose the OpenVPN protocol you want to use: TCP or UDP.
  
  “OpenVPN port” – choose the OpenVPN port you want to use.
10. To use the Smart DNS services you have to sign out. To do that, choose the menu icon and choose “Sign out”.
Connect to Smart DNS
1. To sign in, make sure the “Smart DNS” tab (18) is selected on the sign in screen.
  Go to cactusvpn.com/pin/, generate an authentication PIN code and enter it in the “PIN code” field (19).
  
  Tap on “Sign in” button (20).
  
  On this screen you can also order our VPN + Smart DNS package (21) if you still don’t have one.
2. To enable Smart DNS tap on “Enable Smart DNS” button (22). Before enabling Smart DNS, you can choose:
  “Websites region” – choose the region that will be used for multi-regional websites.
  
  “DNS Server” – choose the one that is closest to you.
  
  You might get a notification that our app is trying to create a VPN connection. Don’t worry! It will be a simulated VPN connection where both VPN server and client are your mobile device. We use it so you could have Smart DNS access regardless if you are connected to Wi-Fi or using mobile data.
  
  To disable Smart DNS tap on “Disable Smart DNS” button.
3. You can configure how the app works. To do that choose the menu icon (23) and choose “Settings:.
4. You’ll see all the Settings:
  “Update IP every” – set up how often your IP will be automatically updated. That’s useful when you ISP often changes your IP address.
  
  “Sign in at app. start” – sign in into your account when CactusVPN app starts.
  
  “Enable Smart DNS on Sign in” – automatically enable Smart DNS after signing in.