I have a Mi SmartTV running on Meihua VPN router but the TV blocks me from installing YouTube apk. I’m thinking about getting Roku or Fire Stick so I can watch free YouTube vids. Do these US devices work in China? Thanks.
We have YouTube running on a Roku stick, with a VPN at the router level, no issues.
Not sure, but the vast majority of modern MI Smart TV’s allow you to stream from your device. Having said that I have only tried Apple Ariplay but I presume Windows and Android work fine to. So in other words YouTube on your device, then stream that into your TV.
If you have a vpn router then it works fine.
Yes, I have a Google TV stick and YouTube works just fine, but you still need a VPN though
I’ve got A*trill on my Fire Stick and got Youtube playing in the background as I type. Netflix and Amazon Prime Video work fine as well. Heard that a VPN router is better but don’t have the technical know-how to set it up; also I suspect it would break Chinese apps (like Baidu Pan) that my partner uses.
If you connect to the Meihua VPN router (something I’ve never heard of) with your phone or computer, can you use youtube without issue? If so, then your Roku should work. If not, then it won’t work. The way these little devices connect to third party services like YouTube is going to be the same as a regular device.
Yes, I have a Firestick and Astrill, Youtube works fine.
Same with fire stick, confirmed.
I got one a while back, pre-loaded a VPN on it outside of China and it still wouldn’t work here. Seems like it requires a connection to Google just to initialize, so you’d need a VPN router for it to work - unless I’ve done something wrong 
My solution was to have 2 separate routers, with the “special router” daisy chained off the regular provided by the internet provider. My wife or I could easily switch between them. There’s also the option of turning off wifi on your phone and using the data plan when local internet is needed.
Did you buy the Fire stick in China?
Yes you need a router or activate it outside of China first
Yeah that makes sense, I might look into it since A*trill isn’t exactly cheap and the reliability has been leaving a lot to be desired recently.
No, I brought it with me.