You Can Now Unblock Hulu When Outside the U.S.

Ravi Kolhe | 4/20/2013 | | | | |
Play the Victory Dance – You Can Now Unblock Hulu When Outside the U.S.

I can live without American music, food and even without many forms of entertainment... But the thing that I miss most is American TV. Living outside the United States has brought many joys, lots of fun and has been very educational, but I can't help it – I just get tired of foreign TV. Watching dubbed television shows in another language offers a significant lesson in patience, lip-reading and analysis of slang terminology. While this can be enjoyable once in a while, it certainly doesn't make for relaxing TV watching.

For many, watching TV in a foreign language is excruciatingly painful, so much so, that when living in a foreign country, many American ex-pats opt to eliminate TV viewing altogether. During one of my TV trauma moments, I started looking online for alternative TV watching options. That's when I found out what a VPN service does.

The Web and T.V.
In the US, there are more than a few websites that allow you to watch TV programs. Among these are Hulu, NBC, ABC and Netflix. Friends of mine had always suggested I turn to Hulu for my TV viewing needs. "What a great idea" I thought, until I tried to access the Hulu website. That’s when I found out these sites don’t work when you live outside the U.S. Once you enter the Internet address, the website simply comes back with a message stating that Hulu is unavailable to audiences outside the United States. What a bummer! I tried everything to get it to work, and my disappointment was notable to my family and all my foreign ex-pat friends too, I really thought I had a solution to our needs. So, for a while, it was back dubbed TV for me!

Then one day, when my frustration reached more than its usual level, I turn to the Internet for options and came across information on VPN services.

The IP Address and How it Factors In
Apparently, every computer has a specific IP address. This identifies the computer or device, much like a VIN number identifies the vehicle. It tells a website where the computer is connecting from, what country it is in and even how and where you surf. Websites that use geographical blocks (like Hulu,) identify Internet connecting devices that are located internationally, and consequently, block these from accessing the site. To prevent websites like Hulu from detecting the location of your computer you can use a VPN. This is an application that offers encryption services, which protect your IP address. A VPN makes Hulu and all other websites see your device as coming from the United States. Ahaa! You say! That’s right, with a VPN, Hulu sees you as being from the United States.

When a website like Hulu sees your computer or web device connecting from Florida, California, Washington or any other state in the United States, you can access the media, movies and TV shows the website has to offer.

For an inexpensive monthly fee, a VPN tunnels your data through its US server. Basically, this means that VPN service provider changes your IP and a geo-blocked website like Hulu will see your computer as being from one of the U.S. states.

What does this tech-data mean to you?
Even when you're not tech savvy, you can understand that the installation of a VPN service means you get access to the American TV programs you miss so much, when you live outside of the United States.

How difficult is it to install?
A VPN can be as difficult or as easy to install as you wanted to be. The best VPN providers come with an easy to install software, so all you have to do is click download, install and enter the username and password the VPN provider gives you. Now, if you are a little more tech experienced, well then, you can install your VPN on the router, or make customized VPN configurations using PPTP, L2TP or OpenVPN.

As a novice, you shouldn't worry, your VPN provider will offer easy-to-follow installation instructions and 24-hour customer service support to help you with the installation.

Bottom line
Enjoying the life of an American is no longer difficult. You can still have great American TV no matter where they live thanks to computer technology. You just have to tweak that technology a little, and went websites like Hulu use geographical blocks.

Author bio: CactusVPN – the best way to change IP.

If you enjoy this post, do us a favor: Share it!

No comments:

Subscribe to Get Free Tech Tips And Quality Tutorials Straight in Your Inbox.


We Hate Spam! Really, It's terrible and we never do it.