Try this – Watch BBC iPlayer Abroad Free without VPN for 14 Days
Just Want the Completely Free Trial – Here’s the Link (works for 14 days no cards required)
If you’re reading this then you’re probably aware that all the major UK TV stations like BBC iPlayer don’t work outside the UK. That includes everyone, doesn’t matter if you’re a UK citizen or are a British TV license holder on holiday. If you’re not physically in the UK then you won’t be able to watch.
Here’s the sort of message you’ll get –
BBC Blocked outside UK
It’s often something of a surprise to the British traveller settling down to watch Match of the Day or Eastenders on their holidays. Plus of course the millions of people all over the world who just want to enjoy the world class programmes available or just the news on BBC iPlayer completely free of charge. Everywhere you’ll find that a popular broadcaster limits access to their domestic market and everyone else is blocked. The internet though is of course full of solutions for problems like this and there’s one that actually works too – based on something called a VPN.
Using a VPN to Change Your Location to Anywhere !
A VPN is great for protecting your internet connection and privacy when online. They also work well for bypassing geotargeting blocks, those increasingly common restrictions based on your location. Not only does a VPN encrypt all your internet connection it hides your real location and substitutes the VPN servers instead. Which of course is great if you want to pretend to be in another location.
So switch to a UK VPN server to access UK only sites, choose a US VPN server for USA sites and so on. What’s more most decent VPN service providers will have servers all over the world for you to use. So effectively you can pretend to be anywhere in the world with one simple VPN subscription. It’s pretty neat and makes a VPN one of the most incredible tools for anyone with a computer who spends any time online.
Streaming Service Alternative – Smart DNS
There is a problem though many of us don’t surf the internet on computers anymore. We use our smartphones, games consoles, Smart TVs and media streamers. Some of the best VPNs support Smartphones but it’s difficult to create an application that works on other devices.
Installing a VPN on a games console or Smart TV isn’t easy! There is an alternative though – a way you can watch UK TV abroad without a VPN and it’s called Smart DNS.
Smart DNS works by replacing your local IP address and routing it to a server in another country. So you’re sending the same content, but from an overseas location (which is why some people call Smart DNS “geo-spoofing”). It’s effectively performing a very similar function to a VPN without the encryption. However there is another important factor to consider, it can be enabled without any facility for enabling VPN connections.
Smart DNS Works Without Client Software
This means that Smart DNS doesn’t need any native support for a VPN or any client software to be installed. Which is important as many of us don’t stream directly to a computer anymore. We use things like Play Stations, media streamers and of course directly to the new breed of internet enabled smart TVs. Most of these devices can be configured to enable Smart DNS whereas it’s difficult to use a VPN to hide their location.
So why would people want to hide their IP address? Well one of the most common reasons is to bypass the thousands of geo-targeting blocks that exist all over the internet. They’re certainly on most of the world’s best media sites including all the UK online TV stations. That’s including arguably the two best of these sites from the UK – BBC iPlayer and ITV Hub.
Watch BBC iPlayer Abroad Free Without VPN
If it all sounds complicated don’t worry it isn’t. Anyone can set up Smart DNS and it works on the majority of streaming devices – including those which don’t normally support a VPN like a TV. Here’s a video I did a while ago which explains it all and shows you how to set it up.
A Cut Down VPN to Access Your Favorite Streaming Site
As you can see it’s very straight forward and arguably easier to use than even a VPN. However there are some things to remember and a couple of points that you should consider before using Smart DNS instead of a VPN.
No Encryption/Security or Privacy
Smart DNS is very much a tool for a very specific job – to bypass geo-blocks on specific sites. There’s no encryption layer so your data is not protected in any way when you’re online. If you need the protection to access banking sites, personal email etc when away from your secure internet access then Smart DNS won’t provide it.
Subscription is Linked to IP Address
Most Smart DNS solutions including the one recommended on this page require a subscription and your real IP address to be authorised. This is the best way of authenticating the DNS requests that their Smart DNS server receives. However if you’re using something where the local IP address changes frequently like a Smart Phone then this doesn’t work well. It’s because you’d need to get each new IP address authorized in your account. It’s a small job but very annoying if you have to do it all the time !
IP Address Gives Away your Location
Not everyone cares if their location is hidden online, after all what’s the big secret? However when you find out that your IP address can lead to you being blocked, filtered and even charged higher prices it becomes a little more important. Even if you don’t care if your general location is known – being charged double the price for the same goods or services is a different matter.
Why would anyone be happy with this state of affairs ? Surfing the internet and then being selected for higher prices or stopped from watching a video. It’s not the way most of us saw the internet and the open world wide web operating. Unfortunately this is exactly what is happening and it’s increasing all the time.
How Does the Geo-Targeting Work?
It’s not quite as straight forward as a VPN but the user doesn’t need worry about the extra work. The main difference is that each of the streaming sites and television channels need to be identified on the Smart DNS servers. So you should always check that this has happened – don’t worry though SmartDNS Proxy has enabled thousands of TV sites including all the major UK TV ones like BBC and ITV.
DNS Requests Checked for Enabled Content
Basically any inbound connection to any of these sites is logged and the IP address checked. If the address is registered from the UK then everything works fine, if not then only limited functionality is allowed. For the BBC for example, you’ll be routed through to an international version of the site which sadly lacks any TV streaming both live or archived. It’s not just the UK sites that do this virtually every online broadcaster limits access to their domestic market. You’ll have the same issue trying to watch a US network online from outside the USA.
Geo-Targeting Started with Search Engines
Geo-targeting started at a very low level, indeed it’s first incarnation was relatively benign. Search engines like Google were the first to use this process to ensure your search queries matched your actual location. So you could type in looking for electricians or plumbers and get results which were local to you.
It makes perfect sense and works very well. All your search results are tailored to link in with your physical location. You won’t spend hours searching through lists of irrelevant results based on the other side of the planet. What’s more pages and results can even be displayed in the appropriate languages and dialects too.
Loss of Privacy and Expanse of Targeted Marketing
Then various e-commerce sites started to realize that they could increase their profits by charging different amounts based on your location. Amazon for example will sell the same product at vastly different prices depending on your physical location.
However it’s the media sites which have embraced the technology to the greatest level. Huge international sites like Netflix offer different versions of their platform depending on your location. So if you login to your Netflix account while in France you’ll see very different content that you would if you were in the US. again geo-targeting checks and routes you to a specific version depending on your location.
Smart DNS Bypasses These Blocks
When you connect using a VPN then your real IP address is not detected by any site which you visit. This ensures that if you retain some level of privacy online. However it also gives people like expats the opportunity to opt out of these geo-targeting restrictions. You can effectively choose your location by picking a VPN based in that particular country. Smart DNS does much the same but only for pre-configured sites and the minimum amount of data.
A VPN affects your entire connection, Smart DNS only does enough to gain you access to the website that you’re being blocked from. It’s a cut down version but for many the best solution. It’s easy to setup on almost any device where you can configure the DNS servers.
Enjoy Any UK TV Show Using a Smart DNS Account
So if I’m in Spain and I want to watch Match of the Day from the BBC on a Saturday night all is not lost. I simply start up my computer and as long as my Smart DNS servers are enable in the network settings everything will work anyway. Just like using a UK VPN server before visiting a site like BBC iPlayer. The site will record the IP address of the new computer as directed by DNS server and everything will work just fine. The best Smart DNS services are completely invisible after you’ve set them up.
The result? You can watch BBC iPlayer as if you were back home again!
Click to Try Smart DNS Completely Free for 14 Days
PS:
If you enjoy Crime dramas – check out Shetland Series 7 on BBC iPlayer.