You come home from work and you cannot wait to grab the remote control, launch Netflix and start watching a brand new TV show that you have heard about and that you are excited to check out. You take a shower, make yourself a cup of tea, or grab another drink that you enjoy and you get comfortable on the couch, ready to watch that show. Yet, when you start browsing, you realize that that specific show is nowhere to be seen in your library.
Has it ever occurred to you that this might be due to the country that you are based in? Yes, you have heard me right. Netflix is not the same in every single country, which means that the library of people based somewhere in Europe is very much different than the library of those in the USA.
If you have encountered the problem mentioned above, then it means that you aren’t based in the United States of America, since this is actually the country that has the largest library of them all. In other words, all the content is unlocked in the USA, unlike in the rest of the world. That seems a bit unfair, doesn’t it? Oh well, it is what it is. Netflix has its own policies and you need to adhere to them.
Does this mean that there is absolutely nothing you can do in order to start watching that show that you were so eager to watch, or to generally unlock certain content that’s blocked in your area? Do you have to make peace with the fact that you will always be at least one step behind when it comes to Netflix content and that there is nothing you can do about it? Well, it sure seems to be that way.
The only thing is, it isn’t! The truth is that you can actually do something to unlock all the content you want. I know that you probably have a smile on your face right now and that you are rather interested in learning how to do this, but I also know that you that smile might turn into a frown when you realize that you might not know how to use the solution that I am about to mention. The solution is called a VPN, or a virtual private network.
Let me assure you, though, that there is no reason to frown, since I will explain precisely what it is that you should so in order to watch Netflix with VPNs. In other words, it doesn’t matter if you don’t know the first thing about virtual private networks, because I will provide you with a step by step guide on how to use those to watch the restricted content. First of all, let me tell you how a VPN can help you in this endeavor, and then we’ll proceed to those steps.
VPNs might even be able to help in those countries where Netflix isn’t available at all, and here are the countries in which it actually is available: https://money.cnn.com/2016/01/06/media/netflix-global-launch-countries/
Content List
How VPNs Can Help
Since I am pretty sure that you are curious about how virtual private networks can actually help with Netflix, I am going to start by explaining that. A VPN is like an encrypted connection between you and the server you are connecting to, meaning that you are secured from any prying eyes. In fact, the primary role of this service is to increase your cyber security and protect you against any types of attacks that you might be vulnerable to. That, however, isn’t its sole purpose.
As you might already know, a VPN service allows you to connect to servers that are based outside of your country, consequently changing your IP address and making it appear as if you were located in that specific country in which the server is actually located. Can you see where I am going at with this? If not, let me offer a clearer explanation that you will most certainly understand.
Let’s say that you are located in France, for example. Your Netflix library won’t be the same as the one in the USA and you really want to watch a show that’s available in USA. Here is what you can do. Use VPN to connect to a server located in the USA and you will get access to their library. It all sounds pretty easy and the truth is that it once was, but things are a bit more complicated today, given that Netflix has decided to block VPNs, which is a topic that we will get to later.
For now, all you have to know is that a VPN basically allows you to change your IP address and make it appear as if your device was located somewhere else. I’ve used France and USA above as an example, but you can connect to a server in any country in the world. What’s more, connecting to a closer one will usually allow for better functionality, so make sure to choose your servers wisely. In any case, you’ll never have to deal with restricted content on Netflix if you decide to use this service.
How To Do This
As I have briefly mentioned above, it’s been some years since Netflix has decided to put a stop to VPNs. Fortunately for you, it hasn’t succeeded in doing that completely. Yet, the company has succeeded in making the process of using virtual private networks to unlock the content a bit more difficult. This means that you will have to put a lot more effort into it than you would have, say, a decade ago.
Of course, people have managed to find a way around those new restrictions as well and it basically all depends on the VPN provider that you decide to use. So, you need to be rather careful when choosing your provider, so that you don’t end up paying for a service that won’t help you fulfill your Netflix goals. This is why you should research those providers before going any further and before making any final choices. That should be your first step and now we are going to take a look at it in more details, before proceeding to the next steps you will need to take in this process.
Research Providers
As explained earlier, not every VPN provider will be able to help you unlock the restricted content on Netflix. This, however, doesn’t mean that those providers aren’t good when it comes to cybersecurity and other benefits that come with VPN. For example, TunnelBear has issues with Netflix, but it is actually the perfect tool for staying secure and protected on the Internet. The problem is, Netflix has blacklisted the IP addresses that they offer, which is why you won’t succeed tricking it with TunnelBear.
Of course, the above is a simplified explanation and if you are interested in getting into details about why this particular provider doesn’t quite work with Netflix, I suggest you find more information online. In any case, I just used it as an example to show that not every VPN is great for every single thing. This means that you will have to do your research beforehand and check whether particular virtual private networks work with Netflix before making your final decision.
If you aren’t sure how to do this research, let me quickly explain it for you. The Internet can be of huge help when it comes to gathering information about VPN providers. The best part is, there are a few high quality review websites out there that can give you all the info you need, meaning that you won’t need to spend too much time browsing through the Web and trying to find any pieces of information. So, find a few of those sites and use them to do the necessary research on specific VPN providers before choosing whether to us their services or not.
Of course, the first thing you should check when doing your research is whether a particular VPN works with Netflix. Yet, that’s certainly not the only thing to keep in mind. After all, since you have decided to use virtual private networks, you should also get the security and protection that those can provide. So, research the supplier’s reputation in addition to checking if their service works with Netflix, so that you can get the best value for your money.
Download And Install The App
After you have found the right provider, you should get ready to enjoy all the content on Netflix regardless of your actual location. This next step should be perfectly logical, but let me mention it anyway. Basically, once you find the right VPN for you, it’s time to download and install the app that you will then use to go past those geographical restrictions that might be bothering you. Just follow the installation instructions to complete this process. This step shouldn’t be difficult at all.
Choose A Server
Once you have completed the above two steps, all you will need to do is choose a server that you want to connect to and then start enjoying all the content that you want to watch. Keep in mind that you need to find a country in which the content you want to watch is available and USA is usually your best shot given that it has the largest Netflix library. Still, connecting to a server that’s geographically closer to you might provide you with better speed. So, make make your choice and start streaming.