Unblock-us Review (Watch Netflix, Hulu and more outside the US)

Discussion in 'Reviews' started by Nimrod, Dec 9, 2012.

  1. Nimrod

    Nimrod Exotic Vendor

    Joined:
    Jun 1, 2007
    Messages:
    1,991
    Likes Received:
    533
    Location:
    London, United Kingdom
    unblock-us.jpeg

    What is Unblock-us and how does it work?

    Unblock-us is a great service which allows any device to access media streaming services like Netflix, Hulu and iPlayer from anywhere in the world without needing to use a VPN. It's a paid for service (and a little expensive in my view) but works with more devices than a VPN does (Apple TV's, Xbox 360, Playstation 3) as well as all your traditional devices like Phones, Tablets and PCs.

    Interested in an account? Get one here: http://www.unblock-us.com (They offer a 7 day trial with no payment information needed)

    The service works by switching your DNS server on either your device (via network settings) or on your router (to cover all devices in the house) then when a request is made to Netflix (or another media service), the DNS switches the IP to a reverse proxy which is hosted by Unblock-us which hides your real IP and makes the service think your from the desired region. You may think well a VPN does this to, but the key difference between a full VPN and unblock-us is once you actually stream a video from the service, the connection is direct (not via the reverse proxy which is only used for the logging in / browsing of content) so your get a much faster service. In most cases with Netflix, your get full HD (8mbit streaming) which is hard to acheive in peak times with most commercial VPN's which are oversubscribed (I know, I've tried a few including BlackVPN and PrivateInternetAccess which at the time of writing are the two most recommended services).

    Now don't get my wrong, if you are only using it on your PC or Laptop (or even iPhones or 2.2+ Androids) where you can easily install and connect to a VPN, its still the better option as it hides the entire journey. Also a VPN is guranteed to work long into the future as its not tricking the service like unblock-us as there is a risk this loop hole could be blocked by updates to Netflix / iPlayer. But for some devices like Xbox 360's its just not possible to install and connect to a VPN client (well, you can use a VPN but it involves connecting to a VPN on your computer or router if supported and then sharing it to your Xbox, but thats not viable for most people).

    I've used Unblock-us for the past month and I've found the service to be excellent. But don't take my word for it, with a free 7 day trial with no payment information needed (all it asks for is an email address) you can give it a try yourself. If you like it, keep it or feel free to do nothing after your trial and your account will simply disable. I can confirm with my UK netflix account that I can watch content from Netflix US, Canada (infact, any region netflix has content) and my american friend can access BBC iPlayer (UK IP required) out of the box to.

    If you want to use the service but don't wish to change your DNS, we also have a great guide for that at:
    https://digiex.net/guides-reviews/g...hing-dns-server-watch-netflix-outside-us.html
     
  2. John G

    John G New Member

    Joined:
    Dec 21, 2013
    Messages:
    1
    Likes Received:
    0
    Thanks for the review. I hope it works with my roku. UK netflix is terrible.
     
  3. Greg

    Greg New Member

    Joined:
    Jan 20, 2014
    Messages:
    1
    Likes Received:
    0
    Another recommendation for unblockus. Netflix usa is much better than Netflix UK
     
    Last edited: Jan 20, 2014
  4. Culpepper

    Culpepper New Member

    Joined:
    Aug 19, 2014
    Messages:
    1
    Likes Received:
    0
    The DNS option is better than using a VPN regarding content streaming because you can achieve direct connection with the media station ex. Netflix and avoid the “middle-man”.
     

Share This Page