When it comes to streaming, Netflix is the undisputed king. The streaming service is available in nearly every country on earth, whether it’s a major market like Canada or a remote country like Zambia. There are also notable exceptions, like China. The Netflix library boasts some 7,000 titles, which amounts to one of the largest for a streaming service. Users can stream any of the titles anytime. But not from everywhere, unfortunately. Only the Netflix U.S. library has all 7,000 titles. If you try to access your account from any other country, you will only get access to a select number of titles. This article will explain why this is so, and explain how to unblock US Netflix with Smart DNS Proxy.
Why Does the Netflix Catalogue Differ from Country to Country?
Netflix, like all other digital content distributors, needs copyright licenses to distribute media to different markets. The U.S. is Netflix’s native market. All original content the streaming service products is available in the U.S. If Netflix acquires a new title, it will immediately become available to all users accessing from the U.S. This is, however, not the case for Netflix users located outside the U.S.
Let’s consider a favorite Netflix show like “House of Cards.” If you are accessing Netflix from the U.S., you can watch the show without any restrictions. But if you try to stream “House of Cards” from Germany, for example, you will probably get an error message saying “content not available in your country.” This is called geo blocking. Netflix restricts access to shows depending on the user’s location. So while someone accessing Netflix from the U.S. can have access to about 7,000 titles, someone who accesses the streaming site from Australia will only have access to about 2,500 titles despites paying roughly the same amount in subscription fees.
The policy is discriminatory, but Netflix doesn’t have a major say in it. Netflix needs regional copyright licenses to stream shows outside the U.S. For Netflix original content, the streaming service acquires licenses for most countries, but not all. Netflix’s biggest hit “House of Cards” is not available in France and Germany, for example. This is partly due to legal issues. Also, the streaming service assesses market demand for shows before buying licenses. If a show, say Orange is the New Black, doesn’t have much consumer interest in a country like Tanzania, Netflix won’t bother buying the license. And Tanzanians who want to stream the show won’t be able to.
You don’t get full access to the Netflix catalog just because you are American either. Content is restricted based on location, not where you purchased the subscription. For example, you may have bought a Netflix subscription in the U.S., But if you travel to China, you won’t be able to access the streaming service at all. If you loved watching “House of Cards” back home, you wouldn’t be able to catch up on episodes while vacationing in France.
If the content is not produced by Netflix, then the streaming service has to compete with others to obtain licenses. If you cannot stream Rogue One in your country, it could be because some other party has already purchased the licenses to stream Rogue One so Netflix cannot. Complicated legal and business issues play a major role in lack of Netflix’s global availability.
Overcoming Geo Blocking
As frustrating as Geo blocking can be, there’s a way to bypass this issue. Netflix blocks your access to content solely based on information provided by your IP address. When you access the internet using your computer or smartphone, the device you are using is assigned a number called the IP address. This number helps computers identify your device in the vast network of the Internet. The IP address contains information on where it originates from. It’s generated by the server owned by your Internet Service Provider. The IP address tells websites where the server is located, which is a good indicator of the country you are from.
If the IP address doesn’t show the website where you are from, then the website won’t be able to discriminate against you based on your location. So, if you want to access Netflix’s complete catalog, then you have to make the Netflix website believe you are from the U.S. regardless of where you are located. You can easily accomplish this trick with a tool called Smart DNS Proxy.
What is a Smart DNS Proxy?
As mentioned above, when you connect to the internet, your traffic request goes through the ISP’s server. Netflix website can intercept where this server is located and then block access to content not licensed in your area. When you try to access the net with Smart DNS Proxy, you won’t be directly connecting via your ISP. The software creates a proxy server to send your requests through. You can select this proxy server to be anywhere available with the service. To access Netflix’s full library, you can use a U.S. based proxy server using Smart DNS Proxy. It will make Netflix believe you are connecting from the U.S., and you will have unrestricted access to all 7,000 titles.
You can get access to all titles regardless of where you got your original subscription from. For example, if you are a French web user who subscribed to Netflix from France, you can still use Smart DNS Proxy to trick the streaming service to believe you are accessing the site from the U.S. Netflix will then automatically make all U.S. titles available to you. You don’t have to pay more or upgrade your subscription. The same effect will happen if you traveled to the U.S. and accessed Netflix there. Except with Smart DNS Proxy, you can save up on expensive travel costs and easily stream any available Netflix title.
How to Unblock Netflix U.S. with Smart DNS Proxy
You don’t need to install any bulky software to use Smart DNS Proxy. You can get near instantaneous access by connecting your computer, smartphone, tablet, gaming console or any other streaming device to with the smart DNS server. You can do this easily on the network settings panel of your device. Smart DNS proxy provides the device-specific DNS addresses you can use.
First of all, you will need to sign up for an account with Smart DNS Proxy. If you are a first time user, you can use the 14-day free trial. Then you can decide if you want to subscribe for longer periods of time.
To start, go to Smart DNS Proxy website. Go to the “How to Setup” tab on the top of the homepage. On the tab page, you will find a list of query boxes. Specify the device or the number of devices you want to unblock Netflix on. It could be your PC and smart TV. The site will automatically direct you to the setup page with instructions on how to proceed. On PCs, for example, you only have to go to Control Panel, Network Settings, and specify a DNS server address. Smart DNS Proxy offers several DNS addresses from different countries. The U.S. is always included so you can unblock Netflix now from anywhere using any device.
Smart DNS Proxy doesn’t require software, so the tool is very fast. You can set it up in less than a minute, and then you can browse the net as usual without internet speed getting affected. You can stream any one of the 7,000 titles in the U.S. Netflix library without any unusual buffering. The tool does not slow down your regular internet connection.
With Smart DNS Proxy, you can access Netflix securely as well. There are many free web proxies out there, but many don’t allow streaming, and none are secure. When you use Smart DNS Proxy, your information will be sent via a secure encrypted network. Your Netflix account name or password will never be vulnerable to theft or hackers.
Is This Legal?
Yes, using Smart DNS Proxy is perfectly legal. You are not using the tool to pirate copyrighted content. You are accessing content that Netflix already owns. Also, you are doing it on your own, paid account. The Geo blocking of Netflix is caused by licensing issues that have nothing to do with users such as yourself. If you travel to the U.S., you will get free and unlimited access to the full Netflix library without any legal repercussions. The same applies to accessing Netflix with a Smart DNS Proxy.
In addition to unblocking Netflix, you can use the tool to unblock other streaming sites like Pandora, BBC iPlayer, and Hulu as well. You can connect securely using multiple devices quickly and easily.
