unblock-us vs hma?

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Karandras

[H]ard|Gawd
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Hey,
Not sure if this is against the forum rules but wondering if anyone has used these services before? Trying to access the US version of Netflix as the Canadian content sucks. Also, maybe someone could explain how unblock-us works since it's just DNS? Doesn't netflix or other such sites check your IP and match it to your country? Then a DNS service wouldn't work? That service confuses me.

Thanks. Also, if this is against the forum rules then mod please lock this or pm me and I'll delete it or whatever ;-) I like to follow the rules...well most of them ;-)
 
I've used unblock-us and another DNS altering site found on google. Works pretty good for US netflix.
 
Well, if you're talking about this site: http://www.unblock-us.com/ then you're referring to a VPN which is completely separate from DNS. DNS alone cannot do what you're thinking AFAIK, but a VPN can by routing the traffic between you and the VPN service where the VPN provider acts as a middle man between you and anyone you're trying to reach. Basically depending on the IP range the provider has and their locations throughout the world they can make the traffic look like it's coming from any nation they offer.

Downside to a VPN is the speeds can be dramatically slower depending on the provider's plan, their data center backbone and resources, and if you're using the newer L2TP/IPSec encryption vs the old outdated and insecure PPTP/MS-CHAP protocol. Most give you the choice which to used based off the security you require depending on what you're connecting to.

This is why you can be from Canada and have access to Netflix by masquerading as an American geolocated IP. Unless of course Netflix keeps track of your information in billing statements to know you're not American then they might be able to limit it via login authentication. I don't use Netflix so I couldn't tell you that, but that's basically what's going on. You pay a small fee to have a secure connection where someone else is forwarding your request through their server and the reply is always propagated back to you, again from their server. Speeds can be iffy so it's always best to do research on the VPN provider.
 
From what I'm reading the unblock-us is a DNS service, not a vpn service specially since the only change that site makes is a DNS server change. Hidemyass is a vpn service.
 
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Liger88 said:
Well, if you're talking about this site: http://www.unblock-us.com/ then you're referring to a VPN which is completely separate from DNS. DNS alone cannot do what you're thinking AFAIK, but a VPN can by routing the traffic between you and the VPN service where the VPN provider acts as a middle man between you and anyone you're trying to reach. Basically depending on the IP range the provider has and their locations throughout the world they can make the traffic look like it's coming from any nation they offer.

Downside to a VPN is the speeds can be dramatically slower depending on the provider's plan, their data center backbone and resources, and if you're using the newer L2TP/IPSec encryption vs the old outdated and insecure PPTP/MS-CHAP protocol. Most give you the choice which to used based off the security you require depending on what you're connecting to.

This is why you can be from Canada and have access to Netflix by masquerading as an American geolocated IP. Unless of course Netflix keeps track of your information in billing statements to know you're not American then they might be able to limit it via login authentication. I don't use Netflix so I couldn't tell you that, but that's basically what's going on. You pay a small fee to have a secure connection where someone else is forwarding your request through their server and the reply is always propagated back to you, again from their server. Speeds can be iffy so it's always best to do research on the VPN provider.
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Setting the DNS address that they provide you into your router will give access to material from the states (ex: US netflix), how would this be a VPN service?
 
techtips said:
Setting the DNS address that they provide you into your router will give access to material from the states (ex: US netflix), how would this be a VPN service?
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Well the site is specifically selling it as a VPN service. That's pretty much all you're doing with any VPN provider. Some offer an app to make switching between servers/ip countries easier and the configuration process simple, but generally they are all the same.

You're changing your DNS settings so that all your requests are going to their server farm. There server farm in turn gives you a internal IP range that they have reserved and that are public IP addresses. That's what IP connects to a website when you do a "whats my ip" to see the change. It's your machine but it's their public IP.
 
Liger88 said:
Well the site is specifically selling it as a VPN service. That's pretty much all you're doing with any VPN provider. Some offer an app to make switching between servers/ip countries easier and the configuration process simple, but generally they are all the same.

You're changing your DNS settings so that all your requests are going to their server farm. There server farm in turn gives you a internal IP range that they have reserved and that are public IP addresses. That's what IP connects to a website when you do a "whats my ip" to see the change. It's your machine but it's their public IP.
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Hey,
You've done a good job at describing what, generally, a vpn will do but the connection process is much more involved than just changing your DNS server to theirs. If I'm incorrect, please someone correct me.
 
Pulled this from another site...poorly copied over but still readable.

From http://forums.boxee.tv/showthread.php?t=61859

Whilst I'm not entirely certain what HMA does, unblock-us is NOT a full VPN, its a sort of discount system, which works by replacing your DNS servers, and return 'fake' addresses for specifically chosen sites.Normally if you enter the symbolic address say for BBC, your computer talks to your ISP's DNS, to find the IP address of the BBC computer (you could call it it's phone number), once it gets it it connects to it. The BBC can see where you are coming from and if its outside the UK it might deny you access.When you use unblock-us, you replace the DNS addreses from your ISPs DNS with the ones run by Unblock-us.So now when you enter the address of the BBC computer, unblock us intercepts that, and instead of giving you the real IP address of the BBC computer they return an IP address for one of their computers. That computer then routes through a computer in the UK - so now the BBC computer sees another UK computer and is fine with that.If all you want is access to the Uk computer then ublock is fine.But what if you want access to a computer that Unblock-us does not have in its list? Well then they won't replace anything and just give you the real address. ie, the remote machine sees who you are.If you use a full VPN, ALL connections to anywhere are routed through the remote computer.So you need to know what you need - if unblock supports the sites you want to visit and you don't plan on visiting any other sites, then you are fine.

So if that is correct this isn't a vpn service to you as the client but they have an address redirection to a server in that country.
 
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Liger88 said:
Well the site is specifically selling it as a VPN service. That's pretty much all you're doing with any VPN provider. Some offer an app to make switching between servers/ip countries easier and the configuration process simple, but generally they are all the same.

You're changing your DNS settings so that all your requests are going to their server farm. There server farm in turn gives you a internal IP range that they have reserved and that are public IP addresses. That's what IP connects to a website when you do a "whats my ip" to see the change. It's your machine but it's their public IP.
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No. This is not how DNS works and it's not how VPN's work. Further, when you're assigned an IP address, that's DHCP that does that, not DNS. The service linked appears in no way to be a VPN provider, only a DNS provider.

And yes, services like youtube (and I'd guess Netflix) are getting your location from your dns service.
 
I use unblock-us and it works great. I also live in Canada. Well worth the $5 a month IMO.
 
+Eric said:
No. This is not how DNS works and it's not how VPN's work. Further, when you're assigned an IP address, that's DHCP that does that, not DNS. The service linked appears in no way to be a VPN provider, only a DNS provider.

And yes, services like youtube (and I'd guess Netflix) are getting your location from your dns service.
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Based off the newly added information I see what the service is doing now. It's kind of BS that they're trying to sell it as a VPN with how severely limited the service is, but whatever. I was referring to DHCP assigning you an address when in reality it was intercepting your DNS request and assigning it to one of their specific servers (hence the half-VPN).

Kind of an odd service for $5 when a few bucks more could get you a full blown VPN.
 
TCM said:
Umm, what? Google GeoIP.
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They translate the DNS to their own reverse proxies. Netflix checks the country location via the proxy and then their CDNs stream to your regular IP. No streaming traffic goes through their servers, just the IP checking.
 
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