VPNs vs. DNS service

[a_team]

Hi:

I always thought VPNs were the extreme way to get access to American Content with your Boxee Box, however, from recent experience I found that DNS Service from sites like www.unblock-us.com may after-all be better (In the sense that they provide more content and are more focused on media).

I had a recent experience where Unblock's server was having difficulties & it made me look around at VPNs. After much research and reviews of Paid-VPNs I decided that www.hidemyass.com would be the best for media content & works with Boxee. I found VPNs were quite a bit more $ - in the 75-180$/year vs. 55$-70$/year with DNS service, however, that's about two hours pay so I figured lets give it a go.

I was a bit dissappointed that you need to always go into your Boxee settings and log-on to your chosen VPN. Because of this, all your TV shows, movies, and Apps load all the Canadian Content on Boxee Start-up & then re-load everything again once you're logged into the VPN (a bit cumbersome & I question the Wife-Test). I suppose you could always just leave your Boxee running and use the Cpu-On-"sleep"-mode.

What got me was that I tested a collection of the VPN's from across the US with HMA - and yes they did give me access to US-Netflix, Pandora, and US Apps. However, I was getting A LOT less channels than I did with the DNS service. Not only this, but even the different VPNs had these channels - but not those, or this one - but not that one.

In the end, after 8 VPN's, I had access to 29,21,30,31,22,20,28,30 Channels meanwhile with Unblock-US I had 75. The only one I wasn't receiving with Unblock was this CBWTV one which didn't have much content and the popular stuff was carried by other channels.

I was quite happy to have Unblock again once they fixed it :-)

What is your experience with VPN's and DNS's? Your Pro's and Con's?

Am I out to lunch? I just want to pick your brains/experience...

[cypherslock]

I bought a year's worth of Hide My Ass (as I need it for working on various SEO projects anyway) and love it. Easy to set up. So I have to go into settings and hit a button. Big whoop. Though there IS a way you can just make it so its on all the time through your router, which is by Flashing it and putting on Tomato or another different firmware. Too much for me to handle and I didn't want to risk bricking it. So for me VPN is the way to go.

[rtate]

I am very interested in the DNS or VPN services available, however I would like to install this service/app on my router so that all of the devices in my network have access.
My question is: do i need a special router in order to do this?
I thought I read somewhere that a router needed to support VPN or be open source in order to get this to work??

any thoughts???

[a_team]

I am very interested in the DNS or VPN services available, however I would like to install this service/app on my router so that all of the devices in my network have access.
My question is: do i need a special router in order to do this?
I thought I read somewhere that a router needed to support VPN or be open source in order to get this to work??

any thoughts???

My advice would be to go to the VPN service provider's website and check-out their "How to" section. They usually list pretty clear instructions.

Unblock-us.com's one is: http://www.unblock-us.com/how-to-set-up/

Just scroll down to the "Watching on multiple devices and have access to your router?" section and find your router on the list, click the link, see what needs to be done. Voila!

I had configured my router to use VPN service and I found that sites like Quibids went completely American. Bidding wars in the US are much more intense then in Canada, so after loosing one I switched my router back.

[jasmeet_9sb]

On BoxeeBox Unblock-Us or similar service is the easiest, fast & reliable as compare to VPN & saves you some money as well $$$$

[rtate]

Do I need a u.s. netflix account in order to see u.s. content on
my Boxee??...

[a_team]

Do I need a u.s. netflix account in order to see u.s. content on
my Boxee??...

Nope, when you access Netflix while using an american VPN/DNS service, it automatically gives you access to the American library of content.

[johnkim]

I am very interested in the DNS or VPN services available, however I would like to install this service/app on my router so that all of the devices in my network have access.
My question is: do i need a special router in order to do this?
I thought I read somewhere that a router needed to support VPN or be open source in order to get this to work??

any thoughts???

With VPN it is a bit difficult as you have to configure the settings everytime. However with DNS you can change the settings in your router so that all devices can run through it.

[AminB]

DNS
----
- Has anyone used DNS service from [http://unblock-us.com] for over a year ? any issue at all ?
Thanks!

p.s; trying it on Boxee Box / 7-day free trial (http://support.unblock-us.com/custom...rticles/291557) / so easy to set up and access to Pandora / BBC iPlayer / Vudu / Adult Swim/CN / LiveStation has more news channels / US NetFlix / TV SHOW & MOVIE sections have LOT more Channels

also check out "Mister Anonymus Online TV" repository and get access to more APPS :
BBC Live (8 channels) / iTV Live (5 channels)

we could also have access to following content IF Boxee fixes the issues with "Flash & Silverlight" >> * iTV Player * Sky Go Player * Eurosport Player *

- LOVING IT, Highly recommended for users in Canada & UK.

*Supported and Unsupported Sites :
> http://support.unblock-us.com/custom...rticles/291570
> http://support.unblock-us.com/

[mach_y]

I am using HMA (linked above) VPN, configured on my router. This is fantastic, as I never have to think about it, and every device in my network automatically passes all its traffic over the VPN tunnel since it is done at the router.