Does the new Apple TV support VPN?

The new OSX Lion now forwards VPN packet to any of ur connection unlike in snow leopard which was not possible. all u need to do is have a vpn setting and enter it into ur apple computer. switch in on first, then go to settings then sharing then specify how u want ur vpn connection to be shared, either by wifi or ethernet, tick the internet sharing box, then ur good to go.......

Hi sulie4real.

When I try your methood, the wi-fi on my MacAir that has the VPN conected allways disconects from the internet and therefore I loose my vpn conection as well. Any advice?

I think Sulie is right, in that within Lion OSX you can share your internet connection with a VPN and enable your apple tv to work with the VPN connection, however I think you still need a special router known as a DD-WRT type router. An airport extreme or time capsule wont work.

Kaybee, you mention that managed to get around international shipping.

I am currently in a country where apple products cost almost twice the price in the US, and there are no apple stores (only stores selling apple products).

Can you recommend the service you used to reship the product?

Setting up an ad hoc network on a Mac computer that has an AirPort wifi card in order to share internet access when that computer is connected to the internet via VPN. The following will work ONLY if your Mac computer (1) has an AirPort wifi card and (2) connects to the internet via an ethernet cable connected to the ADSL modem [or possibly through a 3G USB internet connection device]. [This ad hoc network procedure will not work if your computer only connects to the internet via a wi-fi network (like AirPort Extreme or AirPort Express); and it will not work if your computer connects to the internet via an ethernet cable to the ADSL modem but does not have its own wi-fi card.] If you want to have your computer's AirPort card connect to an existing AirPort Express or AirPort Extreme network, the procedure below will have to be done each time you want to use Apple TV, including sharing photos and music via iTunes. [Re iTunes access via Apple TV: for the Home Sharing setting to work, you have to use your Apple/iTunes ID and password, and these might fail if Apple TV knows you're not in the USA.] However, although there seem to be a lot of steps, the whole set up takes less than a minute once you're familiar with it.

1. Enable your VPN connection in Network Settings [under System Preferences]. This means connecting to the internet via VPN [in my case, StrongVPN (PPTP)]. To do this, in System Preferences>Network, click on your VPN set-up in the list of network connection types [StrongVPN (PPTP) in my case], and then click on the "Connect" button.

2. Then enable Internet Sharing for this VPN connection. To do this, be sure that your VPN connection is connected and selected under System Preferences>Network (which will be the case immediately after carrying out step 1 above); then under System Preferences>View, select "Sharing". Your VPN connection should appear in the "Share your connection from" box; if not, select it from the box's drop-down list. Check the "AirPort" box in the "To computers using" options. [Subsequent times you go through this process, the VPN and AirPort selections will already be selected.] Then check the "Internet Sharing" service box. Before this check box will be activated, a pop-up window will appear saying "Are you sure you want to turn on internet sharing?" with a warning about affecting network settings of other computers, etc. Click on the "Start" button in this pop-up window, and this will create an ad hoc local network with your computer's name in the "Computer Name" box, the "Internet Sharing: On" status light turning green. Your VPN connection should appear grayed out in the "Share your connection from" box, and the "AirPort" box under the "To computers using" box will be checked. This ad hoc network will override the computer's connection to other local AirPort network connection options if you have them [like my AirPort Extreme or AirPort Express networks in my case]. To repeat: this process sets up an ad-hoc local wifi network with the name of your computer. Make a note of this ad hoc network name: this is the wireless network you will choose when configuring Apple TV.

3. Open iTunes on your computer if you will be accessing downloaded movies rented from iTunes, or photos or music from your iTunes library to play on your TV via Apple TV. You must also enable "home sharing" for your iTunes library: iTunes>Preferences>Sharing.

4. Turn on and configure Apple TV only after setting up this ad-hoc shared internet connection with VPN running. Be sure to choose the ad-hoc network and NOT any other wifi networks you may have when selecting the wifi network during Apple TV set-up.

5. For your computer to access other wifi networks you may have when you're NOT using the Apple TV, you'll have to reconfigure the computer's AirPort settings after you're done using Apple TV. This is easy to do. First turn off your VPN connection by going to System Preferences>Network and, with your VPN connection highlighted in the list of network connections, click the "Disconnect" button. Go to System Preferences>Sharing and turn off (uncheck) the "internet sharing" box that you'll find set up for your ad-hoc network. Then go back to System Preferences>Network, select AirPort in the list of network options, choose your AirPort Extreme/Express network in the "Network Name" drop box, wait a moment until the "Apply" button in the lower right corner becomes active (ceases being grayed out) and and click Apply. The AirPort network status light will turn green (previously orange), and the Apply button will turn gray. This all takes less than a minute.

sulie4real said, "all u need to do is have a vpn setting and enter it into ur apple computer". Later, the first step provided by HH3 was "click on your VPN set-up in the list of network connection types". I don't understand what either of these means. Can you please be more descriptive? For the first one, where do I get a VPN setting and then where do I enter it into my apple computer? For the second one, when I go to System Preferences and Network, I have three choices: Ethernet, Airport, and Firewire. I have logged in to my VPN service, but I don't have a choice for VPN in that list. Do I need to create one?

One other piece of information: when I am NOT logged into my VPN, sharing of my internet access with my other computer works fine. When I am logged into my VPN, it does not.

I appreciate any help that you can provide, especially if it's very descriptive and doesn't include acronyms that I don't know. 🙂

just to confirm that you have OSXLion first. if so, u can get vpn setting from any vpn provider. i recommend VPN express. the have quite resonable data plans and an app on the apple app store for iOS devices where u can manage ur account and purchase data plans.

u enter the vpn setting in the system prefference-network. create a new vpn, either LT2P or PPTP. then connect it.

from system prefferences, go to sharing, then tick the internet sharing box, and specify how u want to share the connection. always share from ur active vpn(PPTP or LT2P) to either ur wifi or ethernet.

i dont think u can share on the mac air, cause u already use ur wifi to connect, and the mac air only has that method to connect to the internet, what u can do is purchase the mac usb to ethernet adapter and connect with it and share ur vpn via ur wifi or vice bersa

Thanks sulie4real for the response. No, I did not have Lion. But I do now.

I have a minimac that gets its internet from a cable modem via an ethernet cable. Via Internet Sharing, I have been using my minimac to broadcast a wifi signal to my daughter's macbook and to my iPhone.

I also have periodcially used a VPN service: HMA. It is a subscription service. I launch an application on my minimac, I log in, select "connect VPN", and presto. I can see my new IP address. It also tells me I am using Port 13010 - whatever that means.

I can do everything on the internet on my minimac that I could do before, except now I am in my VPN. Unfortunately, now my minimac no longer is broadcasting a wireless signal (to the macbook or my iPhone) the way it did before.

Based on your message, I went to System Preference - Network where the choices were Ethernet, Wifi, Firewire, and Bluetooth PAN. Since there was not choice for VPN in the list, I selected the + to add another choice. I was prompted to select an "Interface" and I chose VPN. Am I correct so far?

Sorry for being slow, but this is the kind of detail that would really be helpful.

I now have a choice under System Preference - Network called VPN (L2TP) - Not Configured. When I select it, there is a place for me to enter Server Address and Account Name. And there is a button for Advanced stuff.

Am I close? Where would I find my "VPN Setting" and where do I enter it?

Gracias!

Hi sulie4real. No need to respond to my previous post. I found my answer. For those of you using HMA for your VPN, and like me didn't know what "create a VPN and then connect to it" meant, here is a link that describes how to set up a VPN in OS X, in this case, with HMA as your VPN provider:

http://wiki.hidemyass.com/Tutorials:Mac_PPTP_connection_setup

After you're done, don't forget to (re)start your Internet Sharing. Now when you do, you will see the new VPN networrk as one of your options.

Thank you to all who have contributed to this dialogue.

Hello KayBee,

Apple TV doesn't have vpn client inside.

I setup a dd-wrt router and connect https://www.boxpn.com vpn service with it. So all my devices as well as my apple tv gets boxpn access and I'm able to watch US based services like Netflix and Hulu on my apple tv in Europe.

It's not very simple but here is the steps:

1. Visit www.dd-wrt.com ROUTER DATABASE and find a router supports dd-wrt.

2. Buy the router and flash it with the dd-wrt firmware provided on the dd-wrt site.

3. Connect your dd-wrt router internet port to your modem lan port.

4. Buy boxpn VPN Account from this link https://www.boxpn.com.

5. Contact with the boxpn vpn support and ask for dd-wrt setup instructions.

6. Apply the instructions provided to you on your router.

Now, your router will connect to boxpn vpn network and your apple tv also get boxpn access when it's connected to your new dd-wrt router.

Hope this will be helpful to you.

Regards,

kec

Hey guys,

I have this same setup (using Tomato instead of DD-WRT for OpenVPN on the router), but I'm having an issue where the Apple TV, connected to the Tomato router, while now connected via the VPN router, is no longer visible to the rest of the LAN (i.e.,. devices that aren't behind the Tomato router). So, now the Apple TV can't access local content on my LAN. How do you get around this?

Kristin, I don't think that you can see your LAN through router when you are connected to a vpn with your router. Your router is directly connected to vpn site and can not be connected 2 separate networks at the same time.