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What is SmartDNS?

This article is available in French, Spanish, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Swedish, Dutch, and German

SmartDNS is a technology that lets you access content on your smart TV that may not be available in your region. SmartDNS is integrated into NordVPN SmartPlay, so you only need to have a NordVPN subscription to access it.

SmartDNS does not protect your devices the way a VPN connection does — it simply provides access to streaming content. Keep in mind that it may not work with all of the streaming services you can access while connected to NordVPN.

SmartDNS-supported streaming services:

  • ABC Go (US region)
  • Amazon Prime (US region)
  • Disney Plus (US region)
  • Fox Now / Sports Go / News / Showtime (US region)
  • HBO Now (US region)
  • Netflix Originals
  • Paramount+
  • Peacock TV

How to use SmartDNS with a VPN

First, whitelist your original IP address — the one you have when your VPN is switched off. Make sure to whitelist your IPv4 address, not IPv6, as we do not support IPv6 yet.

How to whitelist your IP address

It takes only 3 steps: 

  1. Disconnect from NordVPN (or any other VPN connection).
  2. Go to the Nord Account dashboard > Services > NordVPN and click Enable on the SmartDNS tab.

    Go to the Nord Account dashboard, click on Services and then NordVPN. Click Enable on the SmartDNS tab.
  3. Activate the SmartDNS feature by clicking on Activate SmartDNS.

The activation can take up to 10 minutes. In the meantime, the status will be shown as Pending.

How to set up our SmartDNS feature on your device:

Here’s how to set up SmartDNS on NordVPN for the following devices:

SmartDNS on LG TV
SmartDNS on Apple TV

For instructions for other devices, use these DNS servers:

Primary: 103.86.96.103 

Secondary (if available): 103.86.99.103

The NordVPN service should never be used to bypass copyright regulations. NordVPN does not promote, condone, or endorse the use of the service for such purposes. For more details, please read the NordVPN Terms of Service.

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