Streaming with VPNs

[LindaH]

In preparation for our trip south in the fall, I've been doing research into how to continue streaming our favorite apps (HBO Max, Sling, etc.) while on the road.  Seems that many (all?) streaming apps don't work once you're out of your Home area and the recommended fix is using a VPN.  In my research, each website I've looked at when Googling "How to change location on XXX" recommends a different VPN.

I know there are lots of people here who stream while on the road and I'm wondering what VPN you use and if it works across many different streaming apps?  (We don't really watch location-specific programming such as locals (which we can get with an OTA antenna) or regional sports, so I'm not really understanding why apps such as HBO Max won't let you view programming such as movies or series when out of your Home area.)

Thanks for your help.

[RioRichard]

I use a VPN at home, but not for any streaming.  It was too much of a pain getting different VPN servers to play with the different streaming apps.

I don't know where you heard that streaming apps won't work outside your home area.  There may be some specific ones that I don't use that maybe is the case, but the major networks like Netflix, Hulu, etc don't have a home service limitation.  I've heard some countries do limit streaming and then a VPN can work for those.

We have an AT&T hotspot that streams our smart TV's and phones with no VPN while on the road.  We still use a VPN on the computers and phones even outside our home area.

[LindaH]

1 hour ago, RioRichard said:

I use a VPN at home, but not for any streaming.  It was too much of a pain getting different VPN servers to play with the different streaming apps.

Thus my question because that was the impression I got about using  VPN with a streaming app.  Probably why each article I read recommended a different VPN.

 

1 hour ago, RioRichard said:

I don't know where you heard that streaming apps won't work outside your home area.  There may be some specific ones that I don't use that maybe is the case, but the major networks like Netflix, Hulu, etc don't have a home service limitation.

That's what I picked up from my reading, but perhaps I misunderstood what they were talking about.

We're going to be going on a short trip later in May to visit family, so we'll have a chance to try it out.  We'll just be using our tablet to stream this time rather than taking our Fire Stick with us...mainly because we haven't decided what we're going to do about WiFi.  Although we have Visible phones, because they limit hotspot usage to 5 Mbps, we get too much buffering when trying to stream.  We are considering the 5G device from Calyx Institute, but I have concerns about it working in various places because it uses T-Mobile's towers.  It's an expensive device which can't be returned if it doesn't work satisfactorily.

Edited April 30, 2022 by LindaH

[Rover]

We are fulltime and watch all of our TV by streaming apps over cellular service. We don’t use a VPN and have not had a problem with any app yet outside of our domicile/billing address area. We just have to be sure to login every 3 months in our domicile area to YouTubeTV and I can have my son do that for me. Other apps such as Netflix, Prime, Disney, Paramount or HBOMax doesn’t seem to make any difference location wise except when we were out of the country. Then we had to use a VPN and with some apps we had to use certain locations for it to work, at least with Nord VPN.

Vicki

 

[LindaH]

1 minute ago, Rover said:

We are fulltime and watch all of our TV by streaming apps over cellular service. We don’t use a VPN and have not had a problem with any app yet outside of our domicile/billing address area. We just have to be sure to login every 3 months in our domicile area to YouTubeTV and I can have my son do that for me. Other apps such as Netflix, Prime, Disney, Paramount or HBOMax doesn’t seem to make any difference location wise except when we were out of the country. Then we had to use a VPN and with some apps we had to use certain locations for it to work, at least with Nord VPN.

Vicki

 

Thanks for the info.

We also have YouTube TV and you can change your Home Area twice a year.  Of course that doesn't work for fulltimer's who move a lot, but since we're snowbirds, it would work out fine for us.

[Second Chance]

We stream Prime Video and Netflix all over the country without any issues on a ROKU TV and our laptops using a Verizon hotspot on a grandfathered unlimited data plan.

Rob

[Dutch_12078]

I think some of those VPN recommendation sites are getting click-thru payments from their links, so take their recommendations with that in mind. We use NordVPN as needed when we want to stream from locales other than where we currently are. During hurricane season for instance when we're up north,  we might want to watch the local CBS station in Miami on Paramount+ to get better coverage than what the national news is showing.

[jbh]

We've streamed at a large variety of locations and services with and without a VPN; no problems. We have no "live" subscriptions such as Youtube TV or Hulu Live, therefore no home location and no location to change.

[Darryl&Rita]

The location restrictions mentioned are more for Canadian services, I think. Canadian streaming services typically don't work outside of Canada, so a VPN becomes the only way to use a service that is paid for. The reason is the same as for Canadian satellite services. Money. The Canadian services run Canadian advertising, even though they're distributing an American production. Bell satellite services stopped providing service south of 49 years ago, Shaw is in the process of doing the same. There's no VPN work around for satellite, but streaming is still the wild west. Give it another couple years, and you won't be able to connect via a VPN, as some have done.

[trailertraveler]

On 4/30/2022 at 11:59 AM, LindaH said:

Seems that many (all?) streaming apps don't work once you're out of your Home area

The only app I have encountered that does this is the Xfinity app. The app on Roku only works when you are connected to your home network. The app for android phones/tablets works on the devices, but will not let you cast or mirror to a smart TV or Roku. Not all channels are available through the app. Some individual network apps like ABC, NBC, CBS. Fox, ESPN, etc., let you log in using your Xfinity or other provider's credentials if you subscribe to those channels.

Edited May 2, 2022 by trailertraveler