Netflix and Roku

We used Roku and Netflix without a hitch for 5 weeks, then upgraded our internet to a faster speed and wouldn't you know it, we lost the ability to watch the tv series in Netflix.  We have ordered a VPN router to use with our VPN service and were told by Netf;ix support that this would fix our issue.  (We can still watch movies as is now, but I guess licensing agreements prohibit the tv series).  All in all.....very happy with ROKU 3 ...in fact cant wait to get router from Flashrouters.com so we can watch HuluPlus!

We use PIA (Private Internet Access) as a VPN service.  $39 a year!

Scott,
I am also in Cuenca, and never had an issue with receiving the full services of Netflix. Hmmmm? Another conundrum. I watch the series with no problem. I also recently got a VPN, but was watching Breaking Bad before I set up the VPN. Go figger.

You can skip the VPN and retain a faster speed by using a DNS proxy service. It can be used with most devices like Roku and Apple TV. You just manually change your DNS server to the server provided by the SP.

Check out acevpn.com.... There are others too. Works with Hulu, Netflix and countless other providers around the globe.

And NFL GamePass too

My movie service doesnŽt need a VPN either. I only  wish I could understand more of the dialog.

http://cinegrande.blogspot.com/

I am in the process of testing a vpn router for an ex neighbor who recently purchased a Roku and supposedly they have been limited to what they can watch in some cases.

Well, I know I have heard from time to time that expats are unable to watch Netflix here.  So I signed up for a Netflix account tonight and was able to stream movies to my computer without having the VPN router turned on. I asked why?

Well I was reading an article where this was stated:

Netflix does have streaming available in some other regions, including Latin America and Europe as you can see from these pages, but I guess the settings for U.S. customers restrict access elsewhere.

So it seems that if you signed up in the states your account may not work here, but if you signed up here there is no problem streaming movies using Netflix.

On the otherhand, I could NOT watch a movie on Hulu.com without having the VPN router turned on.

Finally, I should mention I am seeing about a 33 percent reduction in my bandwidth when I have the VPN router turned on, using the vpnSTRONG service. It sort of depends what servers you connect to in the U.S., but I have experienced no less that a 33 percent hit and sometimes as much as 80% with other servers.

I may try the private Internet Access vpn service next, which is about half of the annual subscription price of the strongVPN service.

P.S.
I have noticed with the STrongVPN service that my bandwidth is much improved if I use the client software that I can install on my PC in lieu of using the VPN router.  I think for many people having a VPN router in overkill since you can simply connect your laptop to the tv. HOwever, with the ROKU device you have to have the VPN router to get certain content, since there is no VPN client software integrated into the device.

I should mention that I am setting up the VPN router using a low-bduget cisco e900.  Maybe some of the other more expensive routers perform better.

Guys, you do not necessarily need a VPN router. DNS proxy will accomplish the same thing without the need for equipment.

http://www.acevpn.com/dns-unblock-tv-ch … ng-videos/

Also, I have a Netflix account in the US. I am not able to watch Netflix without a VPN or DNS proxy on my computer. However, my iPad and Apple TV function fine on Brazilian Netflix. AND THE MOVIE SELECTION IS A LOT BIGGER THAN IN THE UNITED STATES with Portuguese, Spanish, English languages.

usmc_mv wrote:

Guys, you do not necessarily need a VPN router. DNS proxy will accomplish the same thing without the need for equipment.

http://www.acevpn.com/dns-unblock-tv-ch … ng-videos/

Also, I have a Netflix account in the US. I am not able to watch Netflix without a VPN or DNS proxy on my computer. However, my iPad and Apple TV function fine on Brazilian Netflix. AND THE MOVIE SELECTION IS A LOT BIGGER THAN IN THE UNITED STATES with Portuguese, Spanish, English languages.

You know, I researched that option a little bit the other day and it looks like it may be the way to go in many cases. While maybe I need to look it over again, I got the impression that I needed to configure each indiviual device or computer for this to work. You cannot configure a ROKU to use an alternative DNS server, hence the need for a VPN router. Do you disagree?

Statically add the DNS server to the router/residential gateway. Restart router (or DHCP server device) and it  will propagate the DNS server via. DHCP across all devices.

usmc_mv wrote:

Statically add the DNS server to the router/residential gateway. Restart router (or DHCP server device) and it  will propagate the DNS server via. DHCP across all devices.

Okay Thanks. I will be researching and testing it out today and report back here.

P.S.
One of the websites I am looing over said the following, which reinforces what you just said:

PROXYDNS WAS INITIALLY CREATED FOCUSED ON ROKU, A DEVICE THAT DOESN'T ALLOW ANY NETWORK CONFIGURATION, SO ALL THE CONFIG MUST BE MADE ON THE WIFI ROUTER OF YOUR NETWORK.

IN ORDER TO MAKE IT WORK, PLEASE REFER TO: ROUTERS SETUP

http://proxydns.co/roku/

Well that was easy. It took 3 minutes to configure. It has no impact on my bandwidth, unlike the VPN solutions I tested. This service costs only $35 a year, although there may alternatives cheaper that I have yet to find.

I donŽt why the so called "Technology Consultants" in Cuenca are pushing VPN routers, unless they simply donŽt know about this alternative approach.

Thanks USMC_MV

We are in South America. They generally are behind the times.

In any event, you are welcome! Glad you got it working.

usmc_mv wrote:

We are in South America. They generally are behind the times.

In any event, you are welcome! Glad you got it working.

Well, I am referring to the Gringos who sell their services as "Technology Experts" in Cuenca. While there are additional benefits to VPN, 99% of the expats who have implemented one of these things does so to watch movies and listen to Pandora.

There still may be  an instance where a person in Cuenca may need a U.S. IP address to do some transaction. In such a case, there are free proxy or VPN options available that somebody can turn on and off as needed from their computer. There is no reason to invest in a vpn router in my opinion.

I use AceVPN because they provide both VPN and proxy. I genuinely need VPN because of issues with my banks. 95% of the time I'm just using proxy DNS and the remainder I'm using a VPN for banking or government transactions in the USA.


Matt-

usmc_mv wrote:

I use AceVPN because they provide both VPN and proxy. I genuinely need VPN because of issues with my banks. 95% of the time I'm just using proxy DNS and the remainder I'm using a VPN for banking or government transactions in the USA.


Matt-

So, it appears if you buy the VPN service you get the proxy DNS included for free? That seems to be a good price at $55 a year.

That is correct. With the premium you get access to IPs throughout the US and have options available in the UK and France at no additional cost.

During this process of testing the VPN server and then proxy DNS, I picked up on something that improved my internet browsing experience.

Ever since I got ETAPA internet service, I was experiencing fairly slow page loading.  All the DSL speedtests I were running were coming out as expected, but those tests donŽt test how quickly the DNS server is resolving the domain name you enter into your browser.

To make a long story short, in the modem/router configuration page for my ETAPA supplied TP-LINK modem, I replaced the ETAPA specified DNS servers with Google Public DNS which recommends you used 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.8.4 for your DNS servers.

My page loads are now faster.

Just be advised, if privacy is a concern you may want to use another DNS server as Google does Ad matching based on your DNS resolution.

I am digging being top member of the week, but I digress,

I installed the proxy service at my ex-neighbors yesterday successfully, which was verified by starting a movie from Hulu.com on his PC.   However, he hadnŽt yet figured out how to get the Netflix or Hulu icon to appear on his Roku and I needed to go, so he was left to resolve that issue.

In any case he went to "add the Channel"  for Netflix from the Roku website today and received the message  that there was a geographical limitation and the channel couldnŽt be added.

It appears based on this article that the problem is he created his ROKU account before having setup the DNS proxy. So to resolve,  he will need to delete his Roku account and recreate.

P.S.
It is interesting that while he has NO problems playing Netflix on his PC, that he was prevented from using Netflix on his Roku. This probably has something to do with the fact he bought a Roku intended for the U.S. market and had it shipped over here.  That article I linked to specifically emphasizes that the instructions apply to Rokus purchased in the U.S.

Thanks for sharing. I'll keep my Apple TV

I was back over at ex-neighbors, and finally got Roku working with Netflix and Hulu.  I had a lot of problems and tried a lot of things, but I am going to summarize my conclusions. Of course, things can change with a software update by Roku, but as of today these rules apply.

1. You can use the Roku 3 device (or a computer) here in Ecuador to watch Netflix without a VPN service or DNS Proxy Service.  However,  if your Roku device was made for the U.S. market, your Roku account needs to have been created or be created with a U.S. IP address.  To create an account with a U.S. Ip address you can use a free VPN service such as Spotflux. Alternatively, if you are going to subcribe to a DNS Proxy service such as ProxyDNS to watch Hulu, you can turn on that service before creating your Roku account.

2.  To watch Hulu on your Roku, you do need either a VPN router  OR subscribe to a DNS Proxy Service, like the one I linked to in an earlier comment.    The DNS Proxy is the better approach since it only requires a small configuration change to your existing wifi router, and has no or minimal impact on your bandwidth.

3.  When adding the Netflix or Hulu channels to your Roku from the Roku.com website using your account that was created with a U.S. IP address, the DNS Proxy and/or VPN service should be turned OFF. This may seem counterintuitive since you need one of them to be turned ON when watching HULU, but that is the way it is.

Nards Barley wrote:

I was back over at ex-neighbors, and finally got Roku working with Netflix and Hulu.  I had a lot of problems and tried a lot of things, but I am going to summarize my conclusions. Of course, things can change with a software update by Roku, but as of today these rules apply.

1. You can use the Roku 3 device (or a computer) here in Ecuador to watch Netflix without a VPN service or DNS Proxy Service.  However,  if your Roku device was made for the U.S. market, your Roku account needs to have been created or be created with a U.S. IP address.  To create an account with a U.S. Ip address you can use a free VPN service such as Spotflux. Alternatively, if you are going to subcribe to a DNS Proxy service such as ProxyDNS to watch Hulu, you can turn on that service before creating your Roku account.

2.  To watch Hulu on your Roku, you do need either a VPN router  OR subscribe to a DNS Proxy Service, like the one I linked to in an earlier comment.    The DNS Proxy is the better approach since it only requires a small configuration change to your existing wifi router, and has no or minimal impact on your bandwidth.

3.  When adding the Netflix or Hulu channels to your Roku from the Roku.com website using your account that was created with a U.S. IP address, the DNS Proxy and/or VPN service should be turned OFF. This may seem counterintuitive since you need one of them to be turned ON when watching HULU, but that is the way it is.

I am very glad I kept my Apple TV and tossed my Roku before moving to Brazil. I knew a Roku required DHCP, but I had no idea how complicated it is. I have my ATV on WiFi and wired. When I watch Netflix I unplug the Ethernet cable to remove SmartDNS (far more movies using Brazilian Netflix) and when I watch Hulu, plug Ethernet back in so I get SmartDNS.

While I was able to work around the problem for my neighbors, this thread suggests that the strange behavior with respect to Netflix might also be solved by creating a firewall rule on your router  that blocks access to 8.8.8.8.

http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/archive/2184544

I have the Roku 3 and use have used unblock-us without issue for a couple of years. Netflix and amazon work great, that is until today. I found that the Roku insisted in querying google DNS (8.8.8.8) rather than the unblock-us DNS I provide via DHCP. Reseting roku didn't work. Querying the unblock-us service status using my browser showed I should be fine. However, both Netflix and amazon could tell that I'm in Australia.

I finally created a firewall rule (I use pfSense) that blocked destination 8.8.8.8. Now Roku works fine.

dave

I am currently in the US and would like to ask someone for information about what I should buy if anything to bring with me to Ecuador so that I can watch USA TV.  I will be living on the coast in Canoa and there is not much in the way of TV Cable or Directv there.  But there is hi speed internet.  I am not accustomed to using Netflix or Hulu or anything remotely like that.  But after reading this blog and all of the above conversation about VPN, Roku, DNS, etc. I am a bit confused about what should work. 

So before I buy anything to bring back to Ecuador I thought that I would ask the blog members what they might suggest I will need in addition to my HDTV and a touchscreen laptop with Windows 8.1.  Again, my desire is to watch some programs on the major networks and programs on a lot of the independent channels such as SYFY, AMC, FX, A&E, etc.

Do I need to join Netflix or HULU here or wait until I am in Canoa.  And other than HDMI cables and Ethernet cables for the routers, what should I buy here that I am not going to find easily once I am back on the coast where nothing is easy to find.

Anyone able to help me with this. Thanks.

those are all questions i have been wondering about as well.

sailorbox wrote:

I am currently in the US and would like to ask someone for information about what I should buy if anything to bring with me to Ecuador so that I can watch USA TV.  I will be living on the coast in Canoa and there is not much in the way of TV Cable or Directv there.  But there is hi speed internet.  I am not accustomed to using Netflix or Hulu or anything remotely like that.  But after reading this blog and all of the above conversation about VPN, Roku, DNS, etc. I am a bit confused about what should work. 

So before I buy anything to bring back to Ecuador I thought that I would ask the blog members what they might suggest I will need in addition to my HDTV and a touchscreen laptop with Windows 8.1.  Again, my desire is to watch some programs on the major networks and programs on a lot of the independent channels such as SYFY, AMC, FX, A&E, etc.

Do I need to join Netflix or HULU here or wait until I am in Canoa.  And other than HDMI cables and Ethernet cables for the routers, what should I buy here that I am not going to find easily once I am back on the coast where nothing is easy to find.

Anyone able to help me with this. Thanks.

Personally, I would buy a Roku or Apple TV to bring with you since it frees up your laptop, but apart from that, you do not need to join Hulu or Netflix before coming over. However, if you want to watch Hulu and/or the U.S. catalog of Netflix, you will need to either turn on a VPN or use a DNS Proxy service.  If you are watching with your laptop, you can turn on a VPN such as Spotflux.  If you are using a Roku/Apple TV, you would need to subscribe to a DNS proxy service or using a VPN router.  If you buy a Roku, you must create your Roku account from a U.S. IP address which can be done from Ecuador behind a VPN.

As far as cables go, sounds like you have it covered.

OK, thanks for the advice on the hardware.  I will buy one or the other or both. The DNS and VPN can both be accomplished over the net from Ecuador?

Can someone tell me the type of wireless router that is used in Ecuador. Does a single or double band N router do the job there or is there something unique in Ecuador.  Thanks.

sailorbox wrote:

Does a single or double band N router do the job there or is there something unique in Ecuador.  Thanks.

The wireless portion of your router doesn't care what country it's in. It's talking to your devices. The other side (what connects to the modem is just plain old LAN (10/100 mbs) international standard (which is actually true for the wireless side).

If you have a N router, you'll be fine. I'm using an Asus RT-N65U. I only got it because, 1) I love new toys and 2) I wanted 2 USB3 ports on the router for NAS storage drives.

Of course if you love new toys also, it sounds like a great excuse, "Honey, darn it... I'm going to have to buy a new router for Ecuador." :-)

symo

Thanks for the advice.  I am carrying so much stuff already that one less thing is better for me, the N router is already in Latacunga. 

Another question though, I assume the internet provider will furnish/sell/rent the modem with the service. Is that an accurate assumption? Thanks.

sailorbox wrote:

Thanks for the advice.  I am carrying so much stuff already that one less thing is better for me, the N router is already in Latacunga. 

Another question though, I assume the internet provider will furnish/sell/rent the modem with the service. Is that an accurate assumption? Thanks.

Two of the three internet providers I have experience with in Cuenca provide routers.  Puntonet does not. Etapa now provides a combo modem router.  A basic router in Cuenca goes for about $40.

Thank you again.  My greatest interest is having enough equipment with me to setup a system to receive Netflix US TV stations or HULU.  I have a new ROKU 3 that has not been initiated so that I can start from scratch in Canoa if I cannot buy a TVCable or Directv service.  I am not really a big TV watcher but just like having it when I want to watch.  In Quito I had TVCable for 15 years and for the most part was satisfied. 

But in Canoa I just don't know what is available, there is one cable service but it is 100% Spanish and mostly local.  So I need something better than that.  After reading this blog about Netflix and Roku I am just trying to stuff enough things in my suitcases to cover the bases if I have to depend on the internet for my television viewing.

Any suggestions???

OK, lets get this resolved, if you want anything on ROKU to entirely be available you need an American ISP address.
Hers what you'll need
ROKU 3 my personal preference      $97 bucks @ Amazon
ASUS RT-N66U router     this is top rated by CNET and runs 2.4 and 5 GHZ which you want. Again @ Amazon $127.00

Here is why. You then call HMA or hide my ass no kidding run the search.
You buy a 12 month subscription from them for like $6.50 a month. They get you up and going.
The beauty lies in the ISP's they have and the worldwide server network so you can nail down the American ISP allowing complete access to all ROKU or others features while hiding in mum frucht Egypt or elsewhere.

The beauty is you are untraceable VPN is virtual private network and HMA hides you from NSA and all others trying to hack you. Periodically change your ISP's just to add insurance, no costs what so ever and easy easy to do.
The other beautiful part of this is even if your messages or banking are picked of they're encrypted military version so, who cares you're hidden and transparent.

Thats it$225 bucks and you're good to go.
HMA will walk you through the set up using your lap top, tablet whatever just like you set up accounts on Roku.
This should end the confusion and dialogue Find HMA, chat with them or rad their sites material, buy the ASUS I listed  if you think I am wrong??? Read CNET's review! Best VPN out there for the bucks and with capabilities most neophytes and mid level users will never use. and God Bless

Now that is what I can use, a schematic to setting up Roku so that it will work.  I thank you very much.

Thanks again.

tfpob wrote:

OK, lets get this resolved,

I think a VPN router is overkill for the majority of the people.  Partly, because VPN routers have a significant impact on bandwidth, which means you have to be prepared to pay for a higher level of bandwidth.

That is why a DNS Proxy service is a better option, since it has less impact on bandwidth.  If somebody wants privacy, they can install an application on their computer and activate as needed.

What is the name of the DNS Proxy service that you are using or one that you can name as being reliable. Thanks.

No need for proxies....save your money.

Have a family member or friend in the us to set up a good Slingbox 500 Media Streamer with HDMI & Wi-Fi  and then send you the link to download the app to be able to safely log in from anywhere in the world to watch US cable tv on every channel your friend is subscribed to.

This device was made for people who wanted to watch their tv from their smartPhones, Electronic pad and laptops anywhere in the world by logging on the device with their password.

You can visit specialized forums where members advertise to trade access between subscribers from different countries such as UK, US, Canada, New Zealand and Australia..

Wikipedia on SlingBox: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slingbox
SlingBox site: http://slingbox.com/
Slingbox video: http://ca.slingbox.com/go/slingbox?disp … Q7qXmd3tmo

This forum where if you create a second "guest user account" on your SlingBox and exchange it with someone in Australia, UK, Canada, USA and etc... who will create a guest account on his for you.
http://placeshiftingenthusiasts.com/for … -exchange/
You will be able to watch English tv from all over the world. ^^

Also, there seems better streaming quality on another box that I heard is slightly better than SlingBox called "Vulkano" http://www.myvulkano.com/index.html
Vulkano do several things SlingBox cannot, like multiple lan users and one remote user at same time, can take PAL and NTSC in the same device whereas SlingBox do NTSC or PAL separately,

Recording live streams which SlingBox cannot, remote reboot which sling doesnt have, rollback to an earlier firmware version without using a hex editor as with sling.

Plus they use UDP which means better streaming internationally whereas sling uses TCP which suffers with latency affecting remote streaming speeds, something not afflicting Vulkano.

This year there seems to be more and more better Media Streaming devices that has good quality of streams...worth to check out...hope this helps people who are looking into this topic of watching US cable tv.

If it is just for netflix ...then please disregard my post

Kind regards.