Providing an extensive selection of live TV shows and video on demand, SlingTV is one of the best US-based TV streaming services. But, being US-based, SlingTV only has the right to broadcast from inside the United States.
Whether or not you have a valid subscription, SlingTV will be inaccessible from outside the US. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t a way to get around that limitation when you travel abroad. Many people can circumvent the restriction on vacation by using a VPN. Not every VPN provider can achieve this, but AtlasVPN can. You need to check a few things, but you’ll be able to get it working.
So, if you cannot access SlingTV using AtlasVPN, we can also fix that. This post looks at what you can do to get SlingTV working with AtlasVPN.
Why isn’t AtlasVPN letting me access SlingTV?
SlingTV’s broadcast rights are limited to the United States. Because of that, it has to make its content inaccessible to anyone outside the US (geo-blocked). But by connecting to an AtlasVPN server located in the US, you’ll be getting a US IP address that should allow you to stream Sling TV from other jurisdictions.
But if you’re still having difficulties, here are some of the reasons why AtlasVPN isn’t working with SlingTV:
- You’ve connected to an AtlasVPN server that is not in the United States. Connecting to a VPN server within the United States is imperative to access SlingTV. You may also need to try more than one US server to get things working. Some trial and error are to be expected when attempting to get streaming working over VPN.
- The IP address of the VPN server you’ve connected to is a known VPN server IP and has been blocked. It’s not hard to identify and block VPN server IP addresses. Lists of VPN server IP addresses are freely available on the internet.
- Another possibility is that SlingTV may have placed a cookie in your app or browser. These cookies can reveal your original IP address, which is tied to your location. That enables SlingTV to glean your location and block your connection to its service.
- You may be leaking DNS, exposing your original (non-US) DNS servers’ IP address(es) to SlingTV. Your ISP assigns you its DNS servers by default. And they’re likely to be outside the US, making SlingTV unavailable.
But these are issues that can be easily fixed.
How to fix AtlasVPN not working with SlingTV
- Again, you need to make sure to connect to an AtlasVPN VPN server that’s located within the United States. If you’ve confirmed you’re connected to a US server, try a different US-based server – the server you’re currently connected to may already have its IP address blocked.
- Clear your browser’s cache and cookies.
- Enabling private/incognito mode in your browser or using a different browser may also help.
- You can run a DNS leak test to make sure you’re not leaking DNS. Follow the link to learn how to do this – it’s not difficult.
- AtlasVPN supports split tunneling on Android devices. In AtlasVPN’s implementation, split tunneling allows you to define which apps go through the VPN tunnel and which go through your ISP connection. If you’re using an Android device, make sure your browser isn’t configured to use split tunneling and routed to your ISP gateway. You can check this within AtlasVPN’s app.
- Restart your device.
- Restart the AtlasVPN app.
How to sign into SlingTV with AtlasVPN
Once you’ve found a US-based VPN server on AtlasVPN’s network that works with SlingTV, signing in and using the service is pretty trivial.
- If you still need to do so, sign up for AtlasVPN. It provides a 30-day money-back guarantee, so there’s no risk to you or your wallet.
- Download and install AtlasVPN’s client app for the device you want to use.
- Sign in to the AtlasVPN app and connect to a US-based server.
- Go to the SlingTV website – it should be working now.
- If it’s not, follow the steps above.
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AtlasVPN & SlingTV FAQ
Which are the best VPN providers to stream SlingTV?
Not all VPN providers support streaming services equally. Some have widespread support that works with many services; some support just a few, while others don’t support streaming. You need to choose one that explicitly touts its support of streaming sites. Below are some of our favorites:
- NordVPN: NordVPN is the best choice for SlingTV. It provides excellent privacy, security, and speeds to its users. And it works extremely well with almost every streaming service out there.
- Surfshark: Surfshark not only supports streaming very well, but it’s also one of the cheapest subscriptions for a high-quality VPN service: low prices, fantastic streaming support, and an extensive VPN network with many servers to choose from.
- ExpressVPN: ExpressVPN is another highly recommended VPN provider. It has excellent privacy and security practices while supporting most streaming sites.
- CyberGhost: CyberGhost is a great choice too. It offers top-notch streaming support at a fair price.
- IPVanish: IPVanish is not as well-known as other VPN providers, but it provides unlimited simultaneous connections and also works with many streaming sites.
What can I watch with SlingTV?
SlingTV has an excellent selection of live television shows and on-demand content to offer. Some of the available channels include:
Are there any free VPN services that work with SlingTV?
If you search for them, you’re probably going to find a few that work, but you won’t find many. You should also consider that free VPNs usually have very small server networks. A lot of their users end up on the same servers, and that’s less than ideal for streaming. It raises the odds of their IPs getting blocked quickly by streaming services, as having a big chunk of traffic coming from the same IP address is a hint and a half that that traffic is coming from a VPN server. And remember that most free VPNs have poor speeds and questionable security practices, so we usually don’t recommend them.
How does SlingTV know I'm using a VPN?
It does so by gleaning your IP address. Any time you go online, you’re assigned an IP address – regardless of whether or not you’re using a VPN. From your IP address, one can deduce your location. That’s how VPNs can spoof your location – they change your IP address. When you access a website or online service, it can see your IP address. If you’re using a VPN, the site will see the VPN server’s IP address rather than your original IP address assigned by your ISP.
Also, it’s easy to identify VPN server IP addresses. As I mentioned above, there are lists of VPN IP addresses that can be downloaded online. Streaming services are more than likely to use these lists.
Will using a VPN slow down my connection?
There’s no way around that. But a good VPN provider should render it as seamless as possible. A VPN is an intermediary server between your device and the internet. Adding an extra hop to all your requests will inevitably add latency, which will somewhat slow down your connection. So you want to be sure to choose a good VPN provider that will limit the speed hit as much as possible (even though it won’t eliminate it).
If you want the fastest speeds, your best bet would be to use the WireGuard protocol, which AtlasVPN supports.
Can I install AtlasVPN on my router instead of using the app?
Many, but not all, VPN providers support routers. Unfortunately, AtlasVPN is not one of them.
Configuring a VPN connection on your router provides two significant advantages:
- You’ll be able to connect to your VPN service without using a dedicated app. Simply connecting your device to the router does the trick.
- You can bypass your VPN provider’s limit on simultaneous connections.
You can have a look at our guide on VPN routers if you’d like more information on the subject.
Is it legal to use a VPN to watch SlingTV?
Connecting to an intermediary server (such as a VPN server) to access the internet is legal. But it is against SlingTV’s terms of service. Those terms state that SlingTV should only be accessed from within the United States. And that’s going to be enough for SlingTV to block your connection. The odds of SlingTV outright banning your account are slim. But it won’t have any qualms with blocking your connection from outside the US.
Does AtlasVPN keep any logs?
AtlasVPN does collect some data on its customers, but nothing that would compromise their security or privacy. It collects the following data points:
- App events, like changing app settings, opening the settings screen or starting a trial.
- A random identifier generated by Atlas VPN and a signed token on your device
- Basic device data, such as device type, model, brand, OS version, device ID, language, and time zone.
- Attribution analytics to track install source and traffic source.
- Advertising IDs
But aside from the Advertising IDs, this is pretty much standard practice for VPN providers. It won’t break your privacy. And AtlasVPN can rightfully claim to be a no-logging VPN provider.
You can look at our complete AtlasVPN review for more details.
Will my ISP know if I'm using a VPN?
Your ISP will know you’re using a VPN and will be able to identify the VPN provider. It will also be able to obtain the port and VPN protocol you’re using, as well as your consumed bandwidth and connection times. That’s because all of that is happening over its network. So there’s no way around that, really.
But it won’t be able to see the websites you visit or the files you download. And it won’t get your DNS queries as long as you’re not suffering from a DNS leak.
