As I’m sure many of you do, I have a Netflix account. It’s pretty awesome- for a paltry $10 a month, I’ve access to a whole library of movies and TV shows which I can watch whenever and wherever I desire (so long as I’ve a stable Internet connection, anyway). Unfortunately, since I live outside the United States (I’m based up here in the Snowy North) I’ve got a rather considerable problem – compared to the Netflix library Americans have access to, my library of shows is very, very scant. Some might even refer to it as downright pathetic. I have access to less than half the shows and movies, yet I’m still paying the same subscription fees.

Thank you, content licenses. If the dinosaurs who owned the content would adapt and evolve, none of this would be a problem.

But that’s neither here nor there. See, it’s actually quite possible (simple, even) to fool the service into thinking you’re connecting from the States, even if you’re coming in from somewhere else. I wouldn’t necessarily recommend or endorse this, as it’s technically against the Netflix ToS, and you could potentially end up losing your subscription if you get caught. Still, it’s more of a moral and legal gray area than pirating the media, so if you’re frustrated with the selection of videos you’re receiving in your country, it’s still viable.

Setting up a VPN

It’s actually pretty easy to set up a simple VPN service that will effectively ‘fool’ Netflix’s servers into thinking you’re connecting from an American IP address. There are a number of VPN services out there that you could potentially go with, but one of the most highly recommended is Hide My Ass. CryptIP and Unotelly are also great options.

There’s a very large majority of VPNs which actually require an active subscription themselves – so you’re essentially paying an additional $5 or more on top of what you’re already shelling out for Netflix. Still, if you’ve got the money for it, it’s a potential solution to your streaming woes. Truth be told, you don’t actually need a paid VPN for this. You can simply connect to Netflix using a free VPN service, then disconnect it once it’s registered you as being from the US. Enjoy all your media!

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