There is an increasing number of internet using populace that is facing the issue of geo-restricted data. Some internet content and websites are restricted for viewing of people living in a particular region while not allowing people of other regions to access them. Services like Netflix and BBC iPlayer are restricted to being accessed by only the people in USA and UK respectively.
This poses a problem for the people living in other areas who wish to access such content. Many a times people face error messages like so and so content is not available in your country. Streaming blocked content overseas is, therefore, something that many people want to do, but only some can actually do.
How to unblock content?
Geo-restriction is exercised by checking a user’s IP address and using it to find his or her geographical location. Access to the content is granted or denied based on the findings. So all one needs to do is hide their true location from such trackers and trick them into believing that they are accessing the internet from a region where the content is available. In this article, we list some methods to do just that.
- HideMyAss/TunnelBear VPN
VPNs connect you to the internet via an encrypted pathway or tunnel. They encrypt all the data exchanging between your system and the internet as well as protect your identity from being discovered. You can connect to the internet through one of their servers, so when a tracker seeks your IP address, the address of the server of the VPN will be shown.
To use this feature for streaming blocked content overseas, you need to choose a VPN that has servers in the region where the content is available. That way, all you need to do is choose to connect to a server in that location, which would trick the tracking agent into believing that you are accessing the internet from elsewhere and voila, access is granted!
VPNs are available for desktops and other devices as well. While TunnelBear is one of the cheapest and easiest to use VPNs that supports all platforms and devices, HideMyAss is the frontrunner as it has the best global coverage in the world. So you can access almost any blocked content using HideMyAss as it is more likely to have servers in that location than any other VPN service.
- SmartDNS
SmartDNS is another option for streaming blocked content overseas. It works in a similar way to how VPNs work, but it does not encrypt all internet traffic for your system. Statistics shows that SmartDNS servers provide a higher connection speed than VPNs as they connect you to your destination through a shorter path than VPNs do.
- Unblock-Us
While the previous two methods deal with streaming blocked content on your desktops or mobiles, Unblock-Us is a service for any device that connects to your router; even your set-top boxes and gaming consoles. It helps you stream content on your Television with a set-top box, supports many other devices, and is one of the cheapest services available.
End Note
Popular streaming services like Netflix restrict the availability of their content to some regions. Given the popularity of such services, users look to access it but are faced with a brick wall. Using the methods discussed here, you can stream blocked content overseas without a hassle.
