Good reminder. Do you get the same channels/content in Taiwan with these devices or you’ll need VPN? Getting both because the channels don’t overlap much?
Can’t speak to Google. For Roku: I ordered through Amazon, and had it delivered to Taiwan. But setting it up didn’t go well since I wasn’t in a supported country - I wound up just mirroring a lot of stuff from my iPad (maybe I couldn’t even put Netflix and Disney on it? This was a while ago - I forget). But then I took the Roku to Canada, reset it there and set everything up again, and now all those channels also work in Taiwan. Well, assuming they’re accessible here. Things like BritBox don’t work.
So, if you buy a Roku in North America, set it up in North America, not in Taiwan.
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Ok so in hindsight I would’ve just gone with the GoogleTV over the Roku. I’ve got three TVs in this house so just wanted to try something else for the guest room.
@lostinasia is spot on. Whichever one you buy, download and set up all the apps in the US, Canada etc. before you come back to Taiwan. The advantage with GoogleTV is you also can download a VPN app and run it through that. You can’t use a VPN on a Roku (easily).
I had family members share and sign into their HBO, Prime, Disney etc. and set it all up in the US. Now with the VPN it works perfectly.
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Thanks for the tip!
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Interesting. Do you need to buy a VPN service, such as ExpressVPN? Can you use your own VPN server with the Google TV VPN app? I have a VPN server at home in the US. I’m thinking about connecting the home LAN in Taiwan to that VPN server using a dedicated VPN client device, and putting Roku behind the VPN client.
As for what I bring back: it depends on what iHerb’s supplying these days. So not currently French lentils, or harissa sauce, or dried [Mexican] black beans, or Better than Bouillon broth concentrate, although those have often been in my bags in the past.
Still usually purchased:
- Different Mexican hot sauces (although iHerb now has a bunch of Cholula varieties, to my surprise).
- Guajillo & ancho chiles.
- Dried hominy, if I can find it (not always the case even in Vancouver).
- Deodorant/anti-perspirant of my choice.
- My default dull style of shirt, basically “hiking” / travel short-sleeve collared shirts that are somewhat able to handle heat and sweat (e.g. North Face or MEC or other brand), and are insanely over-priced if available at all in Taiwan.
- Clif bars (in iHerb, but a lot more expensive).
- Big blocks of aged / vintage cheddar & pepper jack from Canada Costco, and whatever other blocks there look likely to last a plane trip (Taiwan Costco currently has decent triangular blocks of smoked Gouda and a somewhat processed cheddar that make this less important than it usually is).
- Replacement Cat-It water filters, since currently Amazon charges to have those shipped, although sometimes they’ll shift into the “free shipping with $60 of purchases” category, and then I’ll stock up.
- Pomegranate molasses. I don’t believe I’ve ever seen those in Taiwan.
- Cheese-flavored snack mix / Chex Mix (called Bits & Bites in Canada) / nuts and bolts, since that’s my favorite salty snack and it very, very rarely is available in Taiwan, and when it does show up every few years, it’s somehow a caramel flavor or something weird like that.
- Nuun drink crystals (i.e. a Gatorade type mix for sports drinks).
- Occasional types of booze that I’ve been unable to find in Taiwan. Bitters last year, I think?
Yes I use ExpressVPN. You should be able to use any VPN available on the google play store. I’m not sure about using your own VPN with GoogleTV, but basically yes you have to do a workaround to get Roku to work since there aren’t any native VPN apps
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Wait can you bring these into Taiwan?? Or you just buy them on iherb?
I went scouring the Mexican grocery stores to see if they possibly had it in cans because I want to make a birria. I could only find the dried chilis which I thought you couldn’t bring back.
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Um … I’ve always thought they were OK to bring in, since they’re dried, and the regulations are mostly about fresh produce. I’ve been bringing them back for many, many years.
iHerb used to sell dried ancho chiles, but I believe they no longer do. Every so often I’ll investigate a North American retailer that does ship dried chiles abroad, but the prices have always been far, far too high.
Someone on Shopee is selling Wispa bars. It’s almost a flake!
Salt Spring Island Kombucha! I may have apostated politically but I am still a Vancouver Island boy.
They are a classic too. Never heard of anyone eating a Wispa with ice cream but they are good. And Wispa golds are S tier.
I looked that up.
I then immediately booked a dental appointment. 
Guy