Types of IPTV Providers

There are two types of IPTV providers to choose from – legal and unverified IPTV providers. Let’s discuss them and learn the differences between the two.

Verified IPTV Services

There is a simple trick to learn if an IPTV provider is verified or not. If the IPTV app is available on the Amazon App Store or Google Play store, it’s legal to use and download in your region. 

We can be sure that these services are legal because they are readily available for installation directly from these trusted App Stores like the Amazon App Store or Google Play Store. Both Amazon and Google will be liable for copyright infringement if these IPTV apps stream any illegal TV series or movies. 

Unverified IPTV Services

We can define unverified IPTV services as those that aren’t available in popular app stores. These are usually cheaper than verified IPTV providers out there. Users need to sideload the apps on the supported devices to get things done.

It is impossible to know whether or not these services have the legal licensing to deliver the content, hence they are referred to as “unverified” services.

Therefore, using a Virtual Private Network (VPN) is a must to ensure your privacy if deciding to use unverified IPTV services.

These IPTV services might stream TV series, sports events, or movies without proper licensing. Some media outlets in your country might have purchased the official rights to stream such content. In such cases, streaming the same content through these IPTV providers will not be legal in your region. 

Most readers are usually interested in unverified services due to less monthly fees and a huge content library. However, these services do carry some legal questions and security vulnerabilities. 

Also, you shouldn’t directly commit to a yearly plan for unverified IPTV services as we have seen many IPTV providers shutting down business without any prior notice. What happens to your personal data when these services get hacked or go out of business? 

These IPTV providers don’t have a big media house to back them up. You will have to be cautious in the payment process and dealing with them in general.

Most unverified IPTV users connect a VPN to keep their online streaming activities anonymous. If you have already subscribed to a VPN  service, you should always connect it before using any low-cost streaming services. If you don’t have a VPN yet, I would recommend ExpressVPN. It comes with dedicated apps for all devices and works with all unverified as well as legal IPTV services.

Choosing an IPTV Service

When choosing an IPTV service, users should consider numerous factors that cater to the buyer’s preference.

With so many live TV services to choose from, there are a few important factors to note when determining the best provider for you.

Some important factors to look for when searching for live TV providers include:

• Channel selection
• VPN compatibility
• IP location locked
• Price
• Payment methods
• Customer support
• App compatibility
• Month-to-month plans
• Number of connections

IPTV Requirements

Subscribing to an IPTV service is one part of the equation. You will need to have other elements for a flawless IPTV experience. Let’s talk about essential IPTV requirements.

High-Speed Internet 

First, you need to invest in a high-speed internet connection for a buffer-free experience on the supported device. Most IPTV services come with full-HD live channels. You need at least 25 Mbps internet speed for a flawless watching experience.

Most United States residents have access to a high-speed internet connection. If you live in an area with no access to high-speed internet, we would advise you to stick with the satellite connection for now.

You can use services like Speedtest or Fast.com to check the current internet speed from the local ISP provider.

A Streaming Device 

This goes without saying. You need a compatible streaming device to play the IPTV service. We would advise you to invest in an Android-based system. You may ask why? Android is an open-source ecosystem and it makes it easy for users to sideload unverified IPTV apk files on the device.

Amazon FireStick is by far the most popular streaming device out there for IPTV. There are many factors behind FireStick’s sky-rocketing popularity these days.

Amazon continuously innovates the video streaming space by offering more features, powerful remote, and an easy-to-use fluid interface. Using FireStick, one can easily sideload apps on the device as well. And hey, don’t forget the official app support from well-known video streaming services such as Netflix, Disney+, Peacock, Amazon Prime, and Hulu.

Another prime selling point of FireStick is low cost. You can get one with 4K capabilities at just $49.99 on Amazon.

Here are some of the popular Android-based streaming devices:

• Amazon FireStick
• Amazon Fire TV Cube
• NVIDIA Shield
• Android-based TV
• Google Chromecast

Go with any of the above-mentioned IPTV streaming devices and you will be perfectly fine using your choice of IPTV service on it.

While you are looking for a streaming device to purchase, don’t make the mistake of buying Apple TV, Roku, Raspberry Pi, Samsung (Tizen OS) or LG TV (WebOS), and other non-Android based systems.

How to Protect Yourself When Using IPTV

One of the most important factors when using IPTV Services is to ensure your safety when streaming.

Because there are thousands of IPTV providers, it is impossible for us to determine whether they carry the proper licensing.

If you decide to use an unverified IPTV provider, the best way to protect yourself is through a VPN and by registering anonymously for the live TV service.

Using a VPN will mask your IP address so the IPTV service provider can’t personally identify you or collect your data.

It’s impossible to know what these unverified IPTV providers are doing with user data. Concerns include copyright infringement, security vulnerabilities with user data, and more.

We’ve seen recent examples of these security concerns in the news:

Beast TV Shut Down

Sapphire Secure Shut Down

Mobdro Shut Down

Operators of these unverified services have been known to sell this information to third parties or even hand over data to authorities.

Running a VPN will also prevent your ISP from logging what you access through your Internet account. Without a VPN, your ISP can track everything that you access.

A VPN will make it impossible for IPTV providers, hackers, and your Internet Service Provider (ISP) from tracking what you are doing online.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is IPTV?

IPTV stands for Internet Protocol Television or TV that is broadcast via the internet.

Is IPTV Legal?

There are tons of live TV services available, however, not all of them have the proper licensing to stream live channels. Make sure you are using legal options.

Is IPTV Better than Cable?

IPTV is usually cheaper and provides more streaming options than cable with no cords at all!

How do I get IPTV?

There are thousands of live TV Services that users can install on nearly any device including the Amazon Firestick/Fire TV.

Subscribe to a plan at Viewsible IPTV

IPTV Glossary

Before you go out shopping for an IPTV service, it’s important to learn about the proper terminology that’s common in an IPTV service. If you are planning on offering IPTV services and you are new to the industry, then there is a good chance that you are going to hear a lot of words that are new to you. That’s because IPTV just happens to be one of those industries where there are a lot of complex names, acronyms, and more. These terms tend to get tossed around a lot by people who are “in the know” just because they are so used to using them. To people new to the industry, however, all the terminology can be confusing and frustrating.

If you find that you often feel clueless about the terms that are being tossed around, don’t panic and don’t beat yourself up. You can always ask someone if you don’t know something. No one is going to think you’re stupid but simply that you are new to the industry. You can also start educating yourself a little bit at a time on commonly used terms and phrases and their definitions, and here, with our glossary, is a great place to start.

Catch-Up

As the name suggests, Catch-up allows you to view past episodes of specific shows or events if you missed it e.g football matches. They are recorded and made available by the service providers for a few days (usually 2 to 4 days) after the show has aired. IPTV providers mostly offer this feature on higher plans and they are limited to popular channels only.

Connection

This is one of the most important factors to check before investing in an IPTV service. The number of connections differs from one IPTV to another. So how does it work then? Let’s say you have subscribed to a plan with 3 connections. You can stream the content on up to three devices at a time. Here, each device counts as one connection.

Most IPTV services do offer additional connections, but it comes at a price.

EPG

This is self-explanatory. EPG aka Electronic Program Guide offers a list of past, current, and upcoming TV shows/movies.

IP Location Locked

IPTV provider may lock your IP location. Meaning, you can only use and access the service in a region where it was first registered.

ISP

ISP means Internet Service Provider. It refers to the local company that offers the internet service in your area.

M3U URL

When you register with an IPTV service, it offers a username and password to use the service with the app. Alongside, you will also receive an M3U URL that looks something like this.

You can use this M3U URL with any IPTV player such as IPTV Smarters, TiviMate, Perfect Player, and more.

PPV

PPV refers to Pay Per View. Popular sports events might come under the PPV revenue model. You will have to shell out extra cash to stream those events on the device.

VOD 

VOD means Video On Demand. Many IPTV services out there offer a huge catalog of VOD services. It’s similar to Netflix and Amazon Prime where you can see the movie or TV series title and play it over the internet.

VPN

Last but not least, you would need to invest in a VPN to stay away from all legal problems in the future. A capable VPN masks your identity and prevents you from the government, ISP provider, and allows you to enjoy the service in a safe environment. Check out the links below to get ExpressVPN that I personally use and trust. You can try it risk-free for the first 30 days.