I signed up with Netflix pretty much the day it launched in Canada. Having fiddled around with it in the US a few times, I knew what type of movies/shows/ etc. it offered, and you didn’t have to ask me twice if I wanted access to unlimited episodes of Hoarders (when you trip over toys and laundry all day, programs like that are good for one’s self-esteem).
I figured out quite quickly after I signed up that Canadian Netflix was sadly lacking in comparison to US Netflix. For one, US Netflix has Disney animated features like Toy Story 3 and Tangled. They also have interesting documentaries and full length episodes of Glee. Although I was happy with the 3 seasons of Mighty Machines available to Canadians and also delighted to note that there were NO episodes of the Beachcombers on there, I was a bit unhappy that the selection was otherwise lacking.
I wanted to access the US Netflix content, but as I live in Canada, it seemed like it would be difficult to do so. Turns out, it wasn’t. You can do one of two things:
A.) Physically move your computer to the USA and watch US Netflix that way.
Netflix automatically determines your DNS settings and, if you are in a different country, Netflix can tell. So just move thyself to a different country (like Bellingham if you are close by), and ding, you have US Netflix.But you might not want to drive to Bellingham just to catch up on your Netflix viewing (but if you did, you could get groceries at the same time).
B.) Change your DNS settings
There are two options that I know of to change your DNS settings to USA based. UBlock.US is a DNS re-router. It costs $4.99 per month and you gain access to USA based DNS settings. Change your settings on your computer, iPad, or iPhone and instantly gain access to US based Netflix content. Not only that, you can also watch videos online that would normally post that annoying, “I’m sorry, this video is not available from your location.”
Hide My Ass is another re-routing service. I’ve read rave reviews about their service, but it comes in a bit more expensive.
If you do one of these two things (and there could be more, these are the only options I researched), you can watch Netflix the way it was intended. As well, you can sit back and enjoy the unlimited freedom that comes with being able to watch any gossipy web clip on People.com (Nicole Ritchie’s makeup tips! Who knew?) and you won’t be restricted.
Have fun, and be sure to check out my updated post on How to Watch Netflix USA in Canada.
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