How to Set Up Kodi Streaming in New Zealand

Kodi is a media player, and at present, it is the world’s best-known media player and can run pretty much any media format you might have.

It has expanded beyond what it was intended for and has picked up lots of attention from governing agencies because of its capabilities.

In this Kodi guide, we will look at what Kodi is, what it is capable of and how to configure Kodi streaming in New Zealand.

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We will also look at how you can protect your connection so you don’t attract any attention from your ISP and any governing bodies targeting Kodi users to get Kodi add-ons shut down.

Always use protection when using Kodi, Alway use a VPN service

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What is Kodi Exactly

Kodi was released back in 2002 and was known as the XBMC (Xbox Media Centre), and since then, it has evolved to what it is today and left behind any hardware limitations that came with the Xbox. Both the name XBMC and Kodi are a trademark of the XBMC Foundation.

It was 2014 when it changed its name to Kodi, and it was around this time it began to gain so much attention.

One of the most significant selling points of Kodi was, and still is, it is open-source software, so it is 100% free.

Team Kodi, the official team, has all significant support and has nothing to do with third-party add-ons.

A Kodi setup by itself is merely a shell and does nothing, but with the use of add-ons, it transforms into something entirely different.

Kodi does take some getting used to because the interface and its inner workings can appear overwhelming (hence the guide), and it does take a little user intervention to get it working as you require.

For users who want a plug and play solution, you might have to look elsewhere, but you might not get all the same features.

Before heading off into setting up Kodi, you will need to use a VPN service because many of the add-ons available to enable users to stream content infringe on global copyrights.

Installing Kodi

Kodi is available for installation on a huge number of devices that are capable of running Kodi:

Windows and macOS operating system
iOS
Android and Android TV boxes
Linux
Raspberry Pi
Firestick & FireTV
Nvidia Shield
And many other brands of dedicated streaming boxes

Here we will take a quick look at installation methods for the main devices used. You can also purchase a set-top box with Kodi already installed.

Installing Kodi on Windows and macOS

Head to the Kodi website. Scroll down to the ‘Choose your weapon’ section
Select either the Windows or macOS icon
For Windows, click on the Windows Store or Installer (32Bit). On macOS, click on the ‘installer (64bit)’ icon.
After a few seconds, the Kodi file will now download
Open the downloaded file and click Install
Once the installation ends, you are ready to run Kodi on your system

Installing Kodi on Android devices

Open Android device/phone
Go to Google Play Store
Type Kodi in the search box
Click Install

The installation process for Amazon FireStick and FireTV is slightly different because the Amazon store doesn’t host Kodi, so it needs to be manually installed.

In the Amazon App store, search for and install ‘ES File Explorer.’
Launch ES File Explorer and open the left menu and navigate to Tools > Download Manager > +New
A pop-up will show asking for ‘Name’ and ‘Path.’
Enter https://www.firesticktricks.com/kapk. In the Name field, type Kodi and click ‘OK.’
Select ‘Download Now. Once finished, click ‘Open File’ and install
Click ‘Install’ again, and Kodi will be installed on your FireTV/ FireStick

Kodi won’t be seen on your home screen, so head to ‘Settings’ > ‘Applications.’ Manage Installed Applications’ > Kodi > Launch.

Installing on iPad and iPhone is more complicated and outside the realms of this beginners guide. As it stands, there is no simple way of installing Kodi on these devices.

Kodi first look and Keyboard Controls.

When you open the Kodi media centre for the first time, you might be wondering how to use it. Depending on your device, you might be using remote controls, but it can be easier to navigate with the keyboard than a mouse on a desktop.

There is a huge number of keyboard shortcuts, but the most common which will get you around the different screens are as follows:

Spacebar or P: Play / Pause
X: Stop
F: Fast Forward
R: Rewind
T: Turn subtitles on or off
F9 or–: Volume Down
F10 or + : Volume Up
Left arrow: go back 30 seconds
Right arrow: go forward 30 seconds
I: Show info on the file being played

Getting started with Kodi Streaming

Every installation of Kodi will have the same skin, and a good number of users might want to begin customizing the look. Here is the most basic way to change the skin on Kodi.

Launch Kodi > Click on Settings (gear-shaped) icon top left of the screen
Click Interface Settings
Select Skin option > A box appears at this point; select ‘Get More options’
You will see a list of Kodi Skins to choose from > Select one and click on Install

Enabling Unknown Sources

When you install Kodi, it is set not to allow anything from an unknown source. Again, from this point, you should be connected via a VPN, so you are protected.

To enable this feature and allow the installation of illegal third-party add-ons, follow these simple steps:

Open Kodi and go to the Settings icon at the top left of your screen
Click on System Settings
Select the Add-ons option
Enable the Unknown Sources slider

Installing Third-Party Add-ons

It is these add-ons that separate Kodi from all other media players that can stream content. For this reason, a VPN should be used, and it should already be installed at this point, but more on that later.

With these Kodi TV add-ons, such as the cCloud add-on and ICDrama, you can watch many TV shows of every genre you can imagine.

Many add-ons come from different repositories, which are basically online folders where these add-ons are stored. Each comes with its own URL, but the general method is as follows:

Open Kodi on your device > Click the settings icon > select the ‘File Manager option.
Click ‘None’ and paste the given URL of the Repository: example http://kdil.co/repo/ then press OK.
Give the repository a name; this can be anything such as Kodil > then click OK.
Navigate back to the Main Menu > Click on Add-ons > Open box icon in the top left of your screen.
Choose Install from Zip File > Click Kodil in the list > Now click on the repository file. In this example, Kodil.zip > Wait while it installs; it can take a few minutes.
Select install from repository > select the repository name you installed. In this case ‘Kodil Repository.’
Now select either Video or Program Add-ons > Select an add-on from the list and click install.

When you see what these add-ons can do, you can see why there is such a clampdown. A prime example being Maverick TV which is one of the best add-ons, and with this, you can view numerous IPTV channels. This gives you access to the Premier League and many more.

The official Kodi repository is already pre-installed when you install Kodi. Here you can find official and legal add-ons to download and install. To access this, here are the brief instructions.

Launch Kodi Krypton 17.6 > Navigate to the Add-ons tab
Select the open Box icon from the top left of the screen
Click Install from Repository
Click on Kodi Add-on Repository

Kodi Builds

One of the best ways new users to Kodi can install add-ons is using a complete Kodi setup wizard, and the most common method for this to happen is installing a Kodi build.

There are many of these floating around the internet, but the best Kodi builds can do almost any configuration, maintenance or add-on installation to Kodi and change the skin without you diving into the Kodi settings menus.

These are installed in the same way as a regular add-on, but they will run you through their inbuilt setup wizard once they have been installed.

Here is a selection of current builds which are working in December

Titanium Build
Indigo – Contains Config Wizard, a one-stop-shop for everything
Durex Build
BK Nox Build – Now back online with a significant update
Kodi Collusion
KHAOS Build
Warlock Kodi Build
Spark Build

Once you have one of these builds installed, you are free to choose any Kodi movie add-ons without searching for working repositories and inputting URLs.

The build has already done the hard work and installed a selection of the most popular add-ons already.

This is the same for sport Kodi add-ons where all the popular sources are listed, such as SportsDevil add-on or Joker Sports. A lot depends on what the developers think are the best solutions for end-users.

Kodi Alternatives

Before looking at the best VPN for Kodi, it is time to mention a few alternatives to Kodi:

Plex – Not free like Kodi and more of a personal media streaming device, so you can aggregate all your files and access them anywhere.
Stremio – Similar to Kodi but doesn’t work on as many devices
Mobdro – Less capable than Kodi and only scans for free streams

Always use protection when using Kodi, Alway use a VPN service

Get ExpressVPN

Exclusive deal | Get 3 months free!

Best VPN for Kodi

With all of the guides for Kodi installation, it is time to take a look at VPN’s that will protect you from spying eyes.

This can include your ISP, who will be checking what you are accessing, so they can see you are watching these dubious streams that infringe on copyrights.

Also, ISP’s are renowned for slowing connections when users are streaming. This can lead to buffering or losing a stream connection altogether.

Feature	CyberGhost	NordVPN	ExpressVPN
Based in 5-eyes	No	Linked to a US company	No
Zero logging	Zero logs, but the site uses trackers	Yes	Yes
Fast speeds to NZ	Average and sessions limited to 3-hours	Above average	Yes
Allows Torrenting	Yes	Yes	Yes
Access Netflix	Yes	Yes	Yes
30-Day Money back Guarantee	45-day offered	Yes, but slow	Yes
Customer support response	Average 24/7 support not yet working	Fast	Fast – live chat
Ease of use	Easy	Very Easy	Very Easy
Supported countries	60+	60+	94+
	Cyberghost	NordVPN	ExpressVPN

VPN’s should offer lots of other benefits than just masking your IP address and encrypting your connection so you can use Kodi.

As you can see in the download speeds, only ExpressVPN delivers continual high speeds to New Zealand. (Read Can Kodi Be Installed On Xbox One)

The best VPN for Kodi streaming is plainly apparent from looking at the above table, and this is just a brief overview of features.

Many users go on price alone for a VPN, but this should never be a means of choosing. But each of the above did have Black Friday sales on their subscriptions, so if there was a time to select the world’s best VPN and pair it with your Kodi installation, that time is now before the offer runs out.

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