Smart TV Smart DNS Setup: Samsung, LG, Android TV

By smartdnscomparison editorial desk · updated 2026-09-23 · facts checked 2026-09-23

table of contents

1. Before you start
2. The universal recipe
3. Samsung (Tizen)
4. LG (webOS)
5. Android TV and Google TV
6. Register your IP address
7. When the router is the better place
8. Verify it works
9. Common pitfalls worth knowing

Before you start

Collect three things: your Smart DNS provider's two server addresses (they live in the provider dashboard, usually behind a setup or DNS menu), your provider account login, and ten minutes. Smart TVs cannot run VPN apps, which is exactly why Smart DNS exists in this market - the DNS server field is a standard network setting on every connected TV [1][2].

The universal recipe

The clicks differ per brand, but the recipe is always the same:

1. Open the TV's network settings and select the connection you use (Wi-Fi or cable).
2. Switch the IP or DNS configuration from automatic to manual where the menu requires it.
3. Enter your provider's primary DNS server, and the secondary one if there is a second field - do not mix in a public resolver as a backup.
4. Save, and restart the TV if it does not reconnect on its own.
5. Open your provider's dashboard in a browser on the same network and activate your current IP address.
6. Open the streaming app and verify playback.

Samsung (Tizen)

Settings, then General, then Network, then Network Status. Let the test run, choose IP Settings, scroll to DNS Setting, switch it to Enter Manually and type the primary server [4]. Samsung only exposes one DNS field on most models, which is fine.

LG (webOS)

Settings, then Network, then your active connection, then Advanced Wi-Fi or Edit. Untick the automatic option, leave IP handling as DHCP if offered, and enter the provider's server in the DNS field [5]. Confirm and let the TV reconnect.

Android TV and Google TV

Settings, then Network and Internet, then your network, then Advanced Options. Switch IP settings from DHCP to Static - the TV keeps its current address - and fill DNS 1 and DNS 2 with the provider's two servers. The static-IP step looks scarier than it is; you are re-entering values the TV already had.

If your exact model is not listed here, the device setup finder maps many more devices, and provider setup pages keep per-model screenshots [1][3].

Register your IP address

This is the step everyone forgets and the cause of nearly every "it worked yesterday" report. Smart DNS providers authorize your household by its current public IP address. Open the provider dashboard from any device on the same network and hit the activate or update button [1][2]. When your internet provider assigns you a new IP - some do this nightly - you repeat it. If that sounds tedious, many providers offer a dynamic DNS hostname or update URL that automates the re-registration; the router setup guide covers that path.

When the router is the better place

One TV is a ten-minute job. A household with three TVs, an Apple TV and a console is the same job repeated five times - and every device you skip stays locked. Setting the Smart DNS servers once on the router covers everything on the network, including devices with locked DNS fields. Our router setup guide is the better read if that describes your home, and the Smart TV category compares providers on exactly this use case.

Verify it works

Open the streaming app that was previously blocked and play something. If the location error persists: confirm the TV really uses the new DNS (the network status screen shows it), re-activate your IP in the dashboard, and restart the TV. Still stuck after that - contact the provider's support with your device model; endpoint rotation and model quirks are daily business for them [1].

Common pitfalls worth knowing

• ISP DNS hijacking. A few internet providers transparently intercept DNS queries and answer them themselves, which quietly neutralizes any manual DNS setting. If your correct configuration changes nothing at all, test on a phone hotspot - if it works there, your ISP is the interfering layer, and the router-level setup or a VPN becomes the better path.
• IPv6 fields. Some TVs and routers accept both IPv4 and IPv6 DNS servers. If your provider only gives IPv4 addresses, leave IPv6 DNS on automatic or empty rather than inventing values - a stray public IPv6 resolver leaks your real location the same way a mixed fallback does.
• Guest networks. A TV connected to a guest or mesh-satellite network may get different DNS than the rest of the house. Keep streaming devices on the main network.

FAQ

My TV has no DNS field - what now?

Some devices lock DNS to whatever the router hands out. Set the Smart DNS servers on your router instead and every device inherits them - see our router guide.

Do I lose speed with Smart DNS on the TV?

No. Only the geo-check lookups get special answers; the video stream flows directly at your full line speed.

The unblock stopped after a few weeks. Why?

Almost always your public IP changed and the provider no longer recognizes your household. Re-activate your IP in the provider dashboard and it returns within minutes [1].

Do my other apps keep working?

Yes. Smart DNS only rewrites lookups for supported streaming services. YouTube, app stores and firmware updates behave exactly as before.

The menu names differ on my TV model.

Menus move between firmware generations. The constant is a manual DNS entry inside the network settings; your provider's setup pages list model-specific click paths [1][3].

Sources

1. Smart DNS Proxy - setup and supported devices - accessed 2026-09-23
2. Unlocator - setup guides - accessed 2026-09-23
3. Getflix - Smart DNS setup documentation - accessed 2026-09-23
4. Samsung Support - TV network settings - accessed 2026-09-23
5. LG Support - TV network settings - accessed 2026-09-23

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