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Start with Kodi’s official Android download and compatibility information when planning a current setup. SPMC is a historical fork: Kodi’s archive says development stopped in 2018. EBMC appears in a first-hand EBOX review from 2017, which does not establish its present support or download availability. These media-centre choices are separate from IPVanish. On supported Android software, install and connect the VPN app before opening the streaming app you intend to use.

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Watching away from home? Set up IPVanish

Add IPVanish to your viewing setup to choose your connection location and encrypt traffic to its servers. Install it on a supported device, then open your streaming app separately.

A VPN routes your traffic through a server in a location you choose. Websites see the server’s IP address instead of your usual one. This can help with some location-based access restrictions, while encrypting the connection from your device to the VPN server.

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How to set up IPVanish for streaming
  1. Check your viewing option. Confirm the exact event or title is offered by the streaming service, and check its travel, account and VPN rules.
  2. Install and sign in. Choose an IPVanish plan, then use its official device setup guide to install the appropriate app and sign in.
  3. Choose a location and connect. Select a server in the location you want to use. For travel access, check that the service permits your account to watch from there. Wait until IPVanish confirms the connection.
  4. Open your streaming app. Sign in to the broadcaster separately and open the event or title. Your VPN subscription does not include a TV subscription, sports pass or pay-per-view purchase.

If playback fails or a VPN warning appears, follow the streaming provider’s guidance. It may require disconnecting the VPN. Do not buy a VPN on the assumption that it will unlock a particular service.

Setup reference: IPVanish’s instructions. General guidance checked 12 September 2026; this is not a test of access to the service in this article.

Streaming services can block VPNs. Access still depends on the service’s rules, your account and broadcast rights; a VPN cannot create a broadcast that does not exist.

Illustrative photograph for this viewing guide

Kodi: check the official Android options

Kodi provides an official Android download page with platform-specific options. Its guidance says results depend on the device’s capabilities, so check your box before choosing an installer.

Use compatibility and current support information to make the decision. This guide is not a hands-on ranking of media-centre apps.

  1. Record the box’s Android version and identify the hardware.
  2. Check the official Kodi Android requirements and download options before installing.

SPMC and EBMC belong in historical context

Kodi’s archived SPMC page says its development stopped in 2018 and that further support and updates are unavailable. That helps explain why an old tutorial may mention it, but does not make it a current recommendation.

Jean-Luc Aufranc’s January 2017 CNX Software review documented EBMC on an EBOX device. We use that first-hand review as historical context, not evidence that EBMC has a maintained release today. This page does not offer an unverified EBMC download.

Save what you need before changing apps

Kodi’s backup documentation distinguishes its data folder from the media files themselves. Back up the configuration you need and keep your personal videos, music and photos separately protected.

A Kodi backup is not a promise that every setting or add-on will transfer to a different fork. Check that app’s documentation before attempting a migration.

  1. Use Kodi’s official backup guide for the installed platform.
  2. Keep the backup somewhere accessible outside the box.
  3. Check how you would restore the original Kodi setup before changing apps.

Use IPVanish for the connection

IPVanish provides server location choice and encryption for traffic through its VPN connection. Install it as the supported Android VPN app, separately from the media-centre software.

This is the practical point to consider the IPVanish offer below: first establish that your Android software can run the app, then choose a plan and follow its setup guide. A VPN subscription does not include paid channels, and changing the connection location does not guarantee playback.

  1. Check the device requirements in IPVanish’s official Android guide.
  2. Download the appropriate app on a supported device and sign in.
  3. Choose a server location, select Connect and then open the streaming app.

More device and VPN help

Find the next step for your box, media app or VPN connection.

Sources & verification

This guide uses provider documentation and an attributed first-hand historical review. Historical hardware details do not establish current app support.

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