How To Set Up and Use ExpressVPN on Xbox
Microsoft’s Xbox is one of the most popular gaming consoles in the world. However, an Xbox console doesn’t have native support for Virtual Private Network (VPN) services. This means that if you are interested in adding an extra layer of security and privacy or unblocking specific content on your console with a VPN like ExpressVPN, it may seem impossible. Likewise, ExpressVPN doesn’t have an official app.
Nonetheless, there are ways to connect ExpressVPN to your Xbox to have an improved internet experience. This tutorial will show you how to set up and use ExpressVPN on an Xbox console through a couple of simple but effective methods.
How To Set Up and Use ExpressVPN on Xbox
Like other VPN services, ExpressVPN doesn’t have an official app for gaming consoles just yet. Unfortunately, this means that you will have to try alternative methods for setting up ExpressVPN on your Xbox. We assure you that you will get complete security, anonymity, and access to restricted content on your Xbox if you follow the steps correctly.
We’ll show you four main methods for setting up ExpressVPN on Xbox. The following instructions work for Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S consoles, so we recommend that you update your console by navigating to Settings> System> Updates before getting started.
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How To Set Up ExpressVPN on Xbox via Mac
Here are the steps for setting up ExpressVPN on an Xbox via Mac.
Create a VPN Connection
1. Click on the ‘Apple’ menu and select “System Preferences.”
2. Next, click on the “Network icon” and then locate the “+” icon in the left corner of the page and click on it to build a new network interface.
3. From the Interface drop-down list, select “VPN,” then from the VPN Type drop-down list, select “L2TP over IPSec”.
4. Enter a name for your VPN connection in the ‘Service Name’ text box, and then click on “Create.” For this example, we’ll use “L2TP Xbox”.
5. Next, enter ExpressVPN’s server address in the ‘Server Address’ field. Also, in the ‘Account Name’ field, enter your ExpressVPN’s account username.
6. Click on “Authentication Settings,” and then enter your ExpressVPN’s account password in the appropriate field. And in the “Shared Secret” field, enter “12345678” and click on ‘OK.’
7. Click on “Advanced” and ensure that the “Send all traffic over VPN connection” box is checked, then click “OK.”
8. To save and apply all your settings, click on “Apply.”
9. When you’re ready to establish a VPN connection, click on “Connect.” This will initiate your VPN connection from the network windows.
Share The Internet Connection to Your Xbox
1. Open “System Preferences” and click on “Sharing.”
2. Next, on the left panel, select “Internet Sharing” to open Internet Sharing options on the other side of the screen.
3. Under “Share your connection from”, select “L2TP Xbox”.
4. In the “To computers using” field, check the box for Wi-Fi.
5. Click on “Wi-Fi Options” and enter the following details:
Network Name: Set up any name.
Channel: Leave as default.
Security: Select WPA2 Personal.
Password: Create a password. This will be your connection password, so you need to remember it. If it helps, you can write it somewhere safe.
6. Click on “OK.”
7. Lastly, search for “L2TP Xbox” in your Xbox Wi-Fi and connect to the network. You will need to enter the password you just set.
You will need to connect your Xbox to the manual L2TP/IPSec connection any time you want to protect your console with ExpressVPN.
How To Set Up ExpressVPN on Xbox via PC
The steps below are for setting up ExpressVPN on Xbox via a PC.
1. Open the “Settings” menu, and then click on “Network and Internet.”
2. From the panel on the left side of the screen, click on “Mobile Hotspot.”
3. Under “Share my Internet connection from,” select “Wi-Fi.”
4. Click on “Edit” and proceed to set up a name and password for the network. For this example, we’ll be continuing with “ExpressVPN Xbox.”
5. Under “Related Settings,” click on “Change adapter options.”
6. In the Network Connections window, right-click on “ExpressVPN Tap Adapter” and select “Properties.”
7. On the Sharing tab, check the box that says, “Allow other network users to connect through this computer’s Internet connection.” Then, from the drop-down menu, select the name of the connection you just created. In this instance, the name of the connection is “ExpressVPN Xbox.”
8. Press “OK” to save all your settings. At this point, you now have a virtual router that will share the internet only from the ExpressVPN adapter.
9. Launch the ExpressVPN application and connect to a server.
10. Next, enable your PC’s “Mobile Hotspot” and search for the network on your Xbox device. You will have to enter the username and password you set up earlier for the Hotspot to connect to the VPN network.
How To Set Up ExpressVPN on Xbox via Router
This tutorial will guide you on correctly setting up ExpressVPN with DD-WRT router, which is the widely-used router among internet users:
1. Visit your ExpressVPN account settings page and download the OpenVPN configuration files. Once you have the config files, you can proceed.
2. Open your browser, and enter “192.168.0.1” into the search bar to access your router admin page. If you haven’t changed your login credentials yet, your username and password would be “admin” by default.
3. Click on the “Services tab” and then click on “VPN.”
4. Under “Open Client,” enable “Start OpenVPN client” to access the OpenVPN configuration panel. Once the panel comes up, fill in the following in the sections:
Server IP/Name: You can locate the server address in the .ovpn configuration file. Open it on a notepad or text editor and use the address between “remote” and the “4-digit port number.”
Port: Enter the number after the server IP/name in the .ovpn file
Tunnel Device: Choose TUN
Tunnel Protocol: Choose UDP
Encryption Cipher: Choose AES-256 CBC
Hash Algorithm: Choose SHA512
User Pass Authentication: Choose Enable
Username: Enter your ExpressVPN account username
Password: Enter your ExpressVPN account password
Advanced Options: Choose Enable
TLS Cipher: Choose None
L2O Compression: Choose Adaptive
NAT: Choose Enable
Tunnel UDP Fragment: Type 1450
Tunnel UDP MSS-Fix: Choose Enable
nsCertType verification: Choose the box
5. Enter the following in the “Additional Config” field:
persist-key
persist-tun
fragment 1300
mssfix 1450
keysize 256
6. In the .ovpn config file copy the text between <tls-auth> and </tls-auth> tags and past it in the “TLS Auth Key field”
7. Next, copy the text between the <ca> </ca> tags and paste it in the “CA Cert field.”
8. Copy the text between the <cert> and </cert> tags in the .ovpn file and paste it in the “Public Client Cert” field.
9. Copy the text between the <key> and </key> tags and paste it in the “Private Client Key” field.
10. Click “Save” to save your configuration, and then click on “APply settings” to establish the connection to the VPN.
11. To confirm that you successfully created the VPN connection, go to Status > OpenVPN. If it were successful, you’d see “CONNECTED SUCCESS.”
12. Once you’re successfully connected to ExpressVPN on your router, all you need to do is connect your Xbox to your router.
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How To Set Up ExpressVPN MediaStreamer on Xbox
Follow the steps below:
Register Your IP Address
1. Visit the ExpressVPN DNS settings page. If you need to log in, enter your ExpressVPN credentials and click on “Sign In.”
2. ExpressVPN will send a verification code to your email. You’ll have to copy the code from the email and enter it into the field.
3. Click on “Register my IP address” under “IP address registration.” If it already indicates that your IP address is “registered,” you won’t need to select this option.
4. Toggle on “Automatically register my IP address.” This enables the system to track changes to your IP address automatically. You can keep your registered IP address updated by signing in to your account on the ExpressVPN websites occasionally or using the ExpressVPN app on any device while connected to the same network as your Xbox.
Get Your MediaStreamer IP address
1. Return to the ExpressVPN setup page, and sign in if you have to.
2. Enter the verification code sent to your email.
3. On the right side of the screen, you will see the MediaStreamer DNS server IP address. Don’t close this window because you will need the information later on for the setup.
Configure the DNS Servers On Your Xbox
1. From the main menu of your Xbox, go to “Settings.”
2. Under the “General” tab, select “Network settings.”
3. Go to Advanced settings > DNS settings > Manual
4. In the “Primary IPv4 DNS” field, enter the MediaStreamer IP address you found earlier. Then press the menu button on your controller to continue.
6. Enter the same MediaStreamer IP address you found earlier in the “Secondary IPv4 DNS” field. Press the menu button on your controller to continue.
7. A screen showing your network settings will appear. Press the ‘B’ button on your controller to save the settings. Next, you’ll see a screen that says, “It’s all good.”
Conclusion
ExpressVPN is the best VPN provider for your Xbox console. With more than 3000 servers in 94 countries, you can unblock tons of content that are geo-restricted. It can also protect you from DDoS attacks and other online threats. Unfortunately, this VPN can’t run directly on game consoles. However, in this article, we’ve pointed out different ways you can set up a VPN connection for your Xbox.