Netflix and Roku

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.

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?

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/

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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.