What is Kodi?
Kodi is a home theatre app that is probably the most popular in the field. It has been around for over 15 years and was initially known as the XBMC. It allows you to centralize all your digital media into one hub. The type of content you can play on it includes music, videos, files, podcasts, and more.
In 2010, a major change took place. Third-party add-ons could be used with the program. Depending on the add-on you’re using, you could stream shows/movies directly from it. Many people would say that the inclusion of the add-ons is what put XBMC on the map. Currently, there are hundreds of them.
Unfortunately, the company faced some legal issues over the years. This caused it to be rebranded as Kodi in 2014. The media player can be used with all major operating systems and is free to download.
You can customize its interface as well. There is a range of skins that you can install, making your viewing experience even better.
How Do You Install Kodi?
The program is pretty straightforward to download. Let’s discuss how you can download it on different operating systems.
Android
All you need to do is visit the Google Play Store. The player takes a couple of seconds to install.
IOS
Just like with Android, the application is free to install on the Apple Play Store. It won’t take long to download either.
Windows
First, visit the Windows store. When you search for Kodi, several applications with this name would pop up. Select the one created by the XBMC Foundation. Click ‘Get’ to download it.
You can also download the theatre app through its official site. Visit Kodi.com/download. There would be a single EXE file for the version of Windows you may be using. Once you’ve installed the file, run the program.
Mac OS
Visit the media player’s official site. You’ll have to install its DMG file. Once downloaded, install the file to the Mac Applications folder. Now, wait for the installation to finish.
Amazon Fire Stick
Go to Fire Enter – it’s on the top right corner of the screen. Type Downloader and install the program. Navigate to its settings and enable JavaScript.
Go to the Downloader home screen and enter the URL to Kodi’s homepage: http://kodi.tv.
Scroll down, and you’ll see an Android icon. Next to it is another blue icon. Click it to start the download. Once it’s done, you’ll have Kodi on your Amazon Fire Stick.
What Requirements Does Kodi Need?
It doesn’t require heavy specs. Out of the operating systems it can be played on, Windows may need the most extensive requirements.
Windows version – You need to have at least Windows 7 or higher. The player stopped supporting Windows XP a few years ago.
RAM – 1 GB of memory is the minimum. However, 2 GB is what’s recommended. The more RAM you have, the better, as you can imagine.
CPU – Any Intel or AMD processors from the past decade would work. All x86 and x64 processors are fine too.
GPU – Just like the above, any graphics card that was released within the decade would be able to run the app.
Hard Disk Space – the app itself requires 200 MB. Don’t forget that you’ll need space to store your media files too.
Is Kodi Legal?
You can access it in Australia and from any part of the world. Remember that it has hundreds if not thousands of add-ons, though. The content available on each of them differs as well. Unfortunately, some of them may have shows or movies that haven’t been provided by legal sources.
Your ISP could find out what you’re viewing, which could get you in trouble. This is where VPNs come on. They will hide your IP and bounce you to a server abroad. While your connection is being tunneled, an encryption would be placed.
As there are hundreds of add-ons, it shouldn’t surprise you that some of them are exclusive to certain regions. A virtual private network would help you bypass the geo-block by connecting to a server in the region.
Not all VPNs would work, though. A popular choice to use Kodi with would be ExpressVPN.
Why ExpressVPN?
ExpressVPN is one of the most popular ones around for a reason.
Servers
You’ll be met with 3,200 servers in 94 different countries. The servers are found in some of the most diverse locations. It has a good chunk in South America and Africa, which you won’t see with the VPN’s rivals.
In America and the UK alone, there are estimated to be around 150-200 IPs each.
If you visit the software’s site, you’ll learn that new servers are constantly being added to the list.
Privacy and Security
You should use a virtual private network with the theatre app. This way, your ISP will not be able to track your activity. Express places military-level encryption on your connection. Only your computer and the server you’re being bounced to will know the key. As a result, the data passing through would be highly secure.
The VPN promises a strict no-logging policy as well. In other words, it won’t keep track of what you’re doing online.
You might be wondering how reliable these claims are. Well, Turkish authorities had to investigate an Express server back in 2017. Their investigation fell short, as they couldn’t find any information on the person they were investigating, since Express hadn’t saved any logs.
Customer Support
If you ever have trouble working Kodi with Express, its support team would be able to help you out. They are available 24/7 through live chat. Many users have stated how friendly and informative they are.
Features
If you’re using an add-on that is geo-blocked in your location and the virtual private network goes offline, your real IP would be exposed. This might lead to the add-on blocking you. Moreover, if the add-on you’re using is questionable and the VPN disconnects, your ISP would find out what you’re up to.
Well, there’s no need to worry about this happening to you. Express comes with a kill-switch. If the VPN ever goes offline, you’ll be disconnected from the internet along with it. You have the option of encrypting your connection twice too.
Price
Although Kodi is free to use, you may not want to spend too much on a virtual private network. You can rest easy, as ExpressVPN comes with three different subscriptions.
You’ll be paying AUD 16.89 for the 1-month plan. The 15-month option costs AUD 8.70, while the 6-month option costs AUD 13.03.
Want to save cash? The private network regularly goes on sale. You’ll find the biggest sales during the holidays.
If you’re not happy with your subscription, you can get a refund. There is a 30-day money-back guarantee. As long as it has been less than 30 days since you’ve subscribed, you can get a refund, no questions asked.
On mobile, there is a 7-day free trial too.
There are quite a few ways to make payments as well. This includes bitcoins, which is great.
Should You Use Free VPNs With Kodi?
Now that you know how virtual private networks work, you might be wondering whether it’s a better idea to sign up for a free option instead. Well, this is something you should avoid at all costs. For one, you will be bombarded with ads. Not only would they be a nuisance, but they could also be malicious or inappropriate. If you’re going to watch Kodi with a younger sibling or child, inappropriate ads are not what you’d want to see.
Free alternatives may not be strong enough to bypass geo-blocks either. This means that the add-ons that aren’t available in your region can’t be accessed.
More importantly, your activity online would be tracked. How do you think free virtual private networks generate revenue? This would be either through ads or selling user data. Essentially, they could keep logs of the sites you visit and sell them to third-parties.
There is also no way of knowing if your connection is encrypted or not. Free alternatives only place subpar locks on connections, so you won’t be thoroughly protected either.
Final Thoughts
Kodi is a media player that works on all kinds of devices, including PCs and mobiles. It enables you to store various files and content, such as music, photos, and videos. You can access them whenever you want. It’s also free to install, which is why it is so popular. However, it’s crucial to remember to use a VPN when accessing the player. You will be better protected if the add-on you’re accessing is in the legal grey-zone. Also, the VPN would let you access geo-blocked add-ons.
Of all the VPNs available to download, Express is the most reliable and provides the best features.