Many expats living abroad miss having access to the TV programing from back home. Unfortunately all the major networks such at ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX and HULU restrict access to their programs from outside the US. However, there is a way around this problem and this article will tell you how to unblock US TV shows.
The good thing is, that all the networks use the same method to check whether or not you are located in the US. They do this by looking at your computers IP address. Don’t worry if you don’t know too much about computers – and IP address is unique to every Internet connection and it is a dead give away of your location.
Get a US IP to Watch US TV Outside the US
So in order to trick the websites into thinking we are located in the US, we need to somehow obtain an American IP address. We do this by connecting to a Virtual Private Network or VPN for short. This will enable us to connect to a server in the US that in turn will act as a middleman between us and the website we want to connect to. Since the website will only “see” the middleman it will allow us to stream the content.
This all sounds very complicated but trust me it is not – even my mom can set this up.
Setup a VPN Connection to Watch US TV
There are various VPN providers on the market and it can be kind of a jungle to find the right one. Personally I prefer using Unlocator as their speed and pricing is as good as it gets. I also like that fact that they have made an application for PC and Mac that makes setting up the connection very simple.
Once you have installed the application it is simply a matter of selecting where in the US you want to hide from a drop down list and click connect. All the magic then happens behind the scene and in a matter of seconds you will then appear to be located in the US. This opens up access to all the US streaming services and since you get access to servers in 42 different countries you can unblock services from Canada, The UK, Germany and many other places as well.
As an added bonus the VPN connection encrypts your data connection so you will stay safe when surfing Wi-Fi Networks in hotels, airports, cafes and so forth.
Anyhow if you are looking for a way to Watch US TV from outside the US then this is the way to go – have fun.
7 Comments
I followed your advise.
The problem is: Amazon checks your credit card/billing address.
Any suggestions ?
Cheers,
Serge
Simply use a fake but valid us address. Meaning the zip-code etc. should be genuine.
Right, but my credit card is from Brazil and when I try to buy one video from Amazon Prime it is not permitted
ok that is weird. My Danish card works just fine
Do you have any recommendations for free VPNs? Thanks!
Buying and maintaining VPN servers costs a lot of money and so does the bandwidth they consume. Why would anyone be giving this away for free? The VPN solutions on the market are already fairly priced. If you can afford I am sure you can afford a VPN solution as well. The added security alone should be worth the small investment.
Great find – thank you so much. Works great.