author Written by Thomas Fals
Posted in Apple TV2 DD-WRT Netflix Sabai Technology VPN Router
28 comments

How to Unblock Netflix Outside the US on the Apple TV

Update: This method works on Apple TV from 2012 too. The Apple TV is just awesome. One of the coolest features is the Netflix integration that brings streaming to the flat screen in a very affordable and stylish way. If you live in the US you will be streaming away in no time, but if you live outside the US in Europe, Asia or anywhere else for that matter you will quickly discover that Netflix access is blocked outside the US.

How to fool Netflix into thinking you are in the US

Luckily for us there is a way to fool Netflix into thinking we are within the US when in fact we are not. The keyword here is VPN. VPN stands for Virtual Private Network and will connect you to a remote server that will act as a middleman between you and Netflix. If the VPN server is located in the US, then Netflix will think you are too and thus allow you to stream.

There are several VPN providers on the market, but frankly only a handfull is any good. I recommend Hide My Ass as they have great speeds for streaming and a whole range of servers to choose from.

Signing up for Netflix Without a US Credit Card

You don’t need an American credit card when signing up for Netflix – just make sure that you use a 5 digit zip code (90210 comes to mind) and you can use any valid card you like.

How to connect the Apple TV to VPN

So now you have a VPN account with Hide My Ass and you are ready to go – almost. See the problem is that the Apple TV does not have a VPN client build in. So in order to connect to VPN we need to do it outside the Apple TV.

Connect Apple TV to VPN

The trick is sharing a VPN connection from a device that is already connected to a VPN. There are 3 options you can use:

Last but not least you need to set your Apple TV location to United States in the setting in order for the Netflix app to turn up at all. Of course you will still need the above setup in order to stream from outside the US on your Apple TV 2.

When signing up for Netflix from your computer you need to be connected to VPN too in order for the signup to work. Netflix will check your location on the last step, and if they detect you are not in the US, then the signup will fail. That is about it – so get cracking and enjoy your Apple TV the way it was intended. Just to clarify this of course also work for all of you who recently got an Apple TV 2 after Apple started selling them in Belgium, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Finland as well.

How to setup VPN on Windows

HideMyAss on Windows

Watch this quick video to learn how to setup and use the VPN application on Windows.
Play Video
How to setup VPN on OSX

HideMyAss on OS X

Watch this quick video to learn how to setup and use the VPN application on OS X.
Play Video

Setup VPN Manually on Windows

If you want to use the build in VPN client in Windows you can simply use settings from Hide My Ass and setup a connection manually.
Setup VPN on Windows

Setup VPN Manually on OS X

If you want to use the build in VPN client in OS X you can simply use settings from Hide My Ass and setup a connection manually.
Setup VPN on OS X
  • Leonard

    Just wanted to thank you for the tip. I bought an Apple TV on a trip to visit my sister in the states and I felt pretty stupid when I came back and found out I could not use Netflix. After reading this I got one of the custom routers and have not looked back ever since. Sweeeeet

  • Robert

    Thanks man – got the link from a friend on facebook. Will try it out for sure.

  • http://twitter.com/allan_45 Allan Green

    Will this solution work for the recent apple tv upgrade for MLB blackout restrictions?

    • http://twitter.com/VPNinfo VPNinfo

      According to MLB FAQ no blackout restrictions apply for international viewing. However, if you are connected via VPN when watching MLB you need to make sure that the city server you are connecting to is not restricted by the blackout policy – simply change server if you run into this problem. A VPN connection can be used to get around the blackout restrictions if you connect to a server in a city not affected by the blackout. Read more about blackouts in the MLB FAQ: http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/help/faq_subscriptions.jsp#q10

  • Adam Becker

    Thomas,

    I followed this advice and it is working great for me, so many thanks. I came across an improvement after an hour of tech support from Sabai, who I have to say are super nice people and very knowledgeable too.

    My problem was this: my normal connection from Rome, Italy is very fast – however my VPN connection to NY much less so. So I was reluctant to connect anything but my Apple TV to the VPN router.This made it impossible for me, however, to use the Apple TV to watch both Netflix and stream stuff from my computer. Either I had to connect my pc to the VPN router (and get slower speeds) or put it on a different subnet than my Apple TV. Not optimal…

    There is a solution to this problem. If you connect the VPN router to your local router and configure it so that it has a static ip address, rather than an automatically DHCP generated one, then you can use this fixed ip address to do a manual configuration of your Apple TV.

    You connect the Apple TV to your local router, not the VPN one. Then you manually configure TCP/IP settings on the Apple TV so that you give it some available IP address, subnet 255.255.255.0 and then (and this is the key) the fixed local IP address of the VPN router as the gateway, and finally some reasonable ip address for the DNS. You can look up an open dns for your country for this last setting on Google.

    This puts the Apple TV behind the VPN tunnel. So Netflix works. It also puts the Apple TV on the same subnet as your pc. So streaming from the pc works. And you can connect your pc to your local router. So your pc has faster connection speeds.

    Hope this tip helps!

    Regards,

    Adam

    • Anonymous

      Hi Adam – glad you got it working. That is a pretty cool workaround you have there, and from the looks of it the best of both worlds.

  • Harrisons

    Hi,  I am living in Austria and am trying to get Netflix to work on my apple tv 2.  I have been able to get it to work on my computer, but not the apple tv 2.  Could you give me some very specific steps to take?  I have subscribed to Hide My Ass and have bought and set up the Buffalo router.
    Many thanks,
    Cindy

    • Anonymous

      I suggest taking a look at this tutorial http://forum.hidemyass.com/showthread.php?tid=2700

      • B Ledesmajr

        If I use the router mentioned above, but in a ‘wired’ configuration will it still have the same effect? I live in the Philippines, where internet speeds are not consistent, I am under the impression that wired configuration will still work faster than wi-fi.

        Thanks so much your site has helped a lot.

        • Anonymous

          The router is a 802.11n router meaning that it can produce a throughput of over 250Mbps – which is far more than your Internet connection will provide. So the bottleneck will not be the router but your Internet connection. Therefore it is irrelevant if you connect to the router with ethernet or Wi-fi. Either way the VPN connection in the router will work the same.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1373916004 Peter Kovar

    Perhaps a stupid question. Is there any way how to make a VPN on time capsule? 

    • Anonymous

      Not a stupid question but the Time capsule can not connect to a VPN

  • Anonymous

    Netflix will not check the billing address of the credit card. Instead they check your location by IP – hence the need for VPN. I have only heard about 2-3 users who could not use their local cards to pay for Netflix. It is very rare.

    Setting the region to the US is needed to make the Netflix app appear on the Apple TV. If you are not allowed to sign in with your spanish iTunes account simply change it back when not using Netflix.

  • Mreding

    What if you move out of the country and no longer have a US zip code. Do you continue to use your old Zip Code

    • Anonymous

      Yes just continue with your old zip code.

  • Krayner

    Use Ipad to run Netflix through VPN and mirror to ATV!

    • thomasfals

      You can not mirror the Netflix App so that is not an option.

  • Jjedrasik

    Question : will this work on the first edition of Apple TV ( the larger white box ) ?

    • thomasfals

      Hi there – no Netflix is not available on the first generation Apple TV

  • Chrisfreeman

    Hi, Thomas,
    I am not to intelligent when it comes to computers,but have recently bought hidemyass and signed up for netflix in asia, and all works fine,to my surprise.

    i would love now to buy a machine (roku 2 for example) to stream netflix,hulu plus etc
    to my TV.
    Would this be possible with same set up that Adam mentioned below in his post?

    Any feedback would be greatly appreciated as I am a little confused as what would be my best option.

    Chris

     

    • thomasfals

      Hi Chris

      Glad to hear you got it working. In order to use Netflix on a Roku box you can use the same approach as with an Apple TV. Also follow this post http://vpnfreedom.com/vpn-router/how-to-connect-a-roku-box-to-vpn/

  • LevyJason

    Thomas,

    Just to get this straight, in order to make this happen, I’d have to replace my Airport Extreme with the Asus? 

    • thomasfals

      Hi Levy – yes that is correct. Replace the Airport with the Asus or another DD-WRT compatible router.

  • Snraq

    what VPN router can I use on a Vizio TV ; also the is the speed requirement?
     

  • Frankrye

     I run Netflix in Mexico (there is a Mexican version but limited content) using Hidemyass VPN service.  My Telmex DSL service comes with an Infinitum modem / router.  Can I hook up a ASUS RT-N16 router to my Telmex Infinitum modem / router.  Can routers be piggy backed like that and would that work?  Anyone out there using Apple TV to watch Netflix with Telmex DSL?

  • http://www.facebook.com/chris.hite.507 Chris Hite

    What if I already have a Netflix account and then I add a VPN. Do I need to cancel my current Netflix account and then create a new account after I have the VPN?

    • thomasfals

      No you can use your current Netflix account – no need for a new one.

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