Another VPN question

[sirineou]

There is another VPN thread running and i read most pages but I did not see the question I have addressed, and I did not want to derail tge tgread by asking my question there, So here I go.

I have Nord VPN that I use on my looptop where I turn it on and off as needed. 

I just got around to hooking  up  my ROKU ultra, (I had list the remora and finally got a replacement)  and of course I cant get access to the US version of my Amazon Prime,  Netflix content. and  Roku content.

I have 3 BB internet and we are located in Khon Kaen

How do I enable my Roku Ultra box to use the VPN ?

I suspect I would have to enable the 3BB box to use the VPN , Does anyone have any experience with 3BB and VPN? 

Should I call 3 BB and ask them? from my research, it looks like I would have to change the router, to a VPN enabled router, but I don't know all that much about routers, and I have a pretty good internet connection and Wi-Fi coverage that I don't want to mesh up. 

I appreciate any advice.

[KannikaP]

You need to sort your keyboard/typing problems first!   555

 

You need to install your VPN (Express in my case) onto each device. You cannot put it on 3BBs router.

Edited June 4, 2021 by KannikaP

[WhiteBuffaloATM]

Yes, installed on my Ipad , Express VPN which has country settings by user to prevent getting blocked by Amazon Prime etc...... ever any problems not cured by reloading/ country resetting the VPN......

[sirineou]

1 hour ago, KannikaP said:

You need to sort your keyboard/typing problems first!   555

 

You need to install your VPN (Express in my case) onto each device. You cannot put it on 3BBs router.

Not a keyboard problem, Mostly a me problem LOL

my eyesight is going to sh*t and my fingers are losing their aim to mention a few. Nothing that 20 more years (if I am lucky) will not short out on it's own. 

I thought the 3BB router might not be programable, but I don't know, what I don't know so I thought I would ask. 

[KannikaP]

31 minutes ago, sirineou said:

Not a keyboard problem, Mostly a me problem LOL

my eyesight is going to sh*t and my fingers are losing their aim to mention a few. Nothing that 20 more years (if I am lucky) will not short out on it's own. 

I thought the 3BB router might not be programable, but I don't know, what I don't know so I thought I would ask. 

I must be doing OK at 73!    555

[Mutt Daeng]

1 hour ago, sirineou said:

Not a keyboard problem, Mostly a me problem LOL

my eyesight is going to sh*t and my fingers are losing their aim to mention a few. Nothing that 20 more years (if I am lucky) will not short out on it's own. 

I thought the 3BB router might not be programable, but I don't know, what I don't know so I thought I would ask. 

I don't think(pretty sure really) you can load NordVPN onto your 3BB supplied router. One solution may be to put your existing 3BB router into bridge mode and connect a VPN compatible router to it. Thats what I've done. I have a Huawei Echolife HG8145V GPON/Router combo supplied by 3BB in bridge mode, so it is effectively only converting the fibre optic signal to ethernet, feeding an ASUS RC-AC86U router. You can then set up profiles on the ASUS router to connect to NordVPN. Once the profile is active, ALL devices going through the router will be tunneled through the VPN defined in the profile. 

 

Edited June 4, 2021 by Mutt Daeng
correction

[phetphet]

6 minutes ago, Mutt Daeng said:

I don't think(pretty sure really) you can load NordVPN onto your 3BB supplied router. One solution may be to put your existing 3BB router into bridge mode and connect a VPN compatible router to it. Thats what I've done. I have a Huawei Echolife HG8145V GPON/Router combo supplied by 3BB in bridge mode, so it is effectively only converting the fibre optic signal to ethernet, feeding an ASUS RC-AC86U router. You can then set up profiles on the router to connect to NordVPN. Once the profile is active, ALL devices going through the router will be tunneled through the VPN defined in the profile. 

 

Same me. 3BB in Bridge mode ans Asus RC AC86U.

But be aware. you still might not be able to view Amazon Prime. They seem to be able to detect when I am using a VPN so still won't stream. BBC iPlayer streams no problem though for me.

[Mutt Daeng]

5 minutes ago, phetphet said:

Same me. 3BB in Bridge mode ans Asus RC AC86U.

But be aware. you still might not be able to view Amazon Prime. They seem to be able to detect when I am using a VPN so still won't stream. BBC iPlayer streams no problem though for me.

I prefer to install NordVPN on each of my devices, as I want to connect to different countries on each device. Also don't want to potentially impact Mrs MDs access to Thai soaps etc.

[catturd]

Get yourself an Asus router (RT-AC86U is PERFECT) and available for less than 6,000 baht online at invaedit-it in Hua Hin or in the IT marts in BKK and elsewhere.

 

Someone mentioned setting up Bridge mode with 3BB and although this is ideal and doo-able (just need to call them), it is not an absolute requirement. You can connect your new Asus router to the LAN port of your current 3BB router, set up NordVPN on the Asus router and use "policy rules" feature on the Asus to route your devices thru the WAN or the ROKU thru the VPN tunnel. It is very flexible and idiot proof.

As well there are some critical DNS settings offered on Asus /Merlin firmware for DNS configurations that might resolve your Amazon and Netflix streaming issues. Also, check out Diversion the complete ad blocking solution for websites, including Youtube. Diversion is available ONLY for Asus routers with Merlin firmware.

https://www.snbforums.com/threads/diversion-the-router-ad-blocker.48538/

 

See this:

https://support.nordvpn.com/Connectivity/Router/1047410562/How-to-configure-your-Asus-router-running-original-firmware-AsusWRT.htm

 

NB: be sure to get the Asus RT-AC86U or your OpenVPN speeds will be in the toilet.

 

 

[sirineou]

10 hours ago, Mutt Daeng said:

I prefer to install NordVPN on each of my devices, as I want to connect to different countries on each device. Also don't want to potentially impact Mrs MDs access to Thai soaps etc.

That is my concern also.

If I got the RT-AC86U and did the bridge thing with my 3BB router, will there be two Wi-Fi signals in the house, One from the 3BB router that will show a Thai IP that my wife can use to log on to for her Thai content, and another Wi-Fi signal form the RT-AC86U with a US (or what ever country) IP address, that I can log on with my devices to access the content of that countries content? 

Will be going to the mall to get an RT-AC86U later this day, should I call 3BB to come and configure it? I would not mind paying a bit to have it done right. 

 

PS: I like to take this opportunity to Thank everyone in this thread for their help and  suggestions, I have read every single one of them and  learned a lot. I apologize for not responding to every one of them, but we had been away for over two years and I am busier than a one arm paperhanger trying to do all the things that need to be done, Just finished getting my Thai drivers license, and yesterday got my yellow book. My Koi pond was green, birds were nesting in my A/C units, painting to be done everywhere,  , etc. 

Anyway, Thank You All ????

 

Edited June 5, 2021 by sirineou

[jackdd]

In case you don't mind learning something new and investing some time (but therefore saving some money as well), you could also setup a Raspberry PI and add it to your existing network for this purpose, as explained for example here: https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/raspberry-pi-vpn-gateway,6103.html

[Mutt Daeng]

17 minutes ago, sirineou said:

<Snip>

That is my concern also.

If I got the RT-AC86U and did the bridge thing with my 3BB router, will there be two Wi-Fi signals in the house, One from the 3BB router that will show a Thai IP that my wife can use to log on to for her Thai content, and another Wi-Fi signal form the RT-AC86U with a US (or what ever country) IP address, that I can log on with my devices to access the content of that countries content? 

Will be going to the mall to get an RT-AC86U later this day, should I call 3BB to come and configure it? I would not mind paying a bit to have it done right. 

</Snip>

 

If the 3BB router is in bridge mode, I'm not sure you will be able to access the WWW via the 3BB WiFi. I've switched off WiFi on my 3BB router, so don't know the answer for sure. I would do more research on that BEFORE buying the ASUS router.  

[sirineou]

15 minutes ago, vidra said:

You can't install a VPN in to Roku as far as I know. You could do it on an Android TV based box though. However Netflix is doing some complex DNS checking for your location and sooner or later will figure out that you are using a VPN and disable your service.

The really good way is to install the VPN on a second router like a Mikrotik for example which is after your 3BB box.

The only downside is that then all of your traffic will go via the VPN, so website might load slower.

Yea I was kind of trying to avoid having all of my Wi-Fi enabled devises go through the VPN . Right now only my lop top is running the VPN which is good because I can suspend it whenever I don't want it, which is most of the time. 

I can play content on my lop top while logged on to the VPN, but for some reason I am unable to mirror my lop top   to the TV or the Roku wirelessly . I have watched the how-to videos, followed all the steps, but in the end it does not happen. I guess I can hook up the lop-top to the TV , vis an HDMI cable, It's not like I watch a lot of TV anyway. 

Anyway, Thank you for your reply. ????

 

 

[elfpattaya]

12 hours ago, sirineou said:

I guess I can hook up the lop-top to the TV , vis an HDMI cable,

That"s what I do, works very well and very easy.

[codemonkey]

20 hours ago, sirineou said:

Yea I was kind of trying to avoid having all of my Wi-Fi enabled devises go through the VPN . Right now only my lop top is running the VPN which is good because I can suspend it whenever I don't want it, which is most of the time. 

I can play content on my lop top while logged on to the VPN, but for some reason I am unable to mirror my lop top   to the TV or the Roku wirelessly . I have watched the how-to videos, followed all the steps, but in the end it does not happen. I guess I can hook up the lop-top to the TV , vis an HDMI cable, It's not like I watch a lot of TV anyway. 

Anyway, Thank you for your reply. ????

 

 

its likely you need to allow apps on the LAN to bypass the vpn before mirroring can work. Or as mentioned previously use "policy rules" on a router. Simple.

[sirineou]

On 6/4/2021 at 11:12 PM, catturd said:

Get yourself an Asus router (RT-AC86U is PERFECT) and available for less than 6,000 baht online at invaedit-it in Hua Hin or in the IT marts in BKK and elsewhere.

 

Someone mentioned setting up Bridge mode with 3BB and although this is ideal and doo-able (just need to call them), it is not an absolute requirement. You can connect your new Asus router to the LAN port of your current 3BB router, set up NordVPN on the Asus router and use "policy rules" feature on the Asus to route your devices thru the WAN or the ROKU thru the VPN tunnel. It is very flexible and idiot proof.

As well there are some critical DNS settings offered on Asus /Merlin firmware for DNS configurations that might resolve your Amazon and Netflix streaming issues. Also, check out Diversion the complete ad blocking solution for websites, including Youtube. Diversion is available ONLY for Asus routers with Merlin firmware.

https://www.snbforums.com/threads/diversion-the-router-ad-blocker.48538/

 

See this:

https://support.nordvpn.com/Connectivity/Router/1047410562/How-to-configure-your-Asus-router-running-original-firmware-AsusWRT.htm

 

NB: be sure to get the Asus RT-AC86U or your OpenVPN speeds will be in the toilet.

 

 

Unfortunately for me , I cant tell the difference between a LAN and a WAN. LOL.

Do you think the 3BB tech would be able to do all these things for me? I don't mind paying.

If I try to do any of these, I am afraid I will do something wrong , cause a rift in the space/ time continuum and either end humanity as we know it ,or even worst.  cause my devises to play only Thai comedies . Ding, Bong, Waa wa Waaaaa. 

[KhunHeineken]

On 6/13/2021 at 9:19 PM, sirineou said:

Yea I was kind of trying to avoid having all of my Wi-Fi enabled devises go through the VPN .

Some VPN companies offer split tunneling.  You can chose which apps / websites go through the VPN, and which apps / websites don't.

[sirineou]

14 hours ago, KhunHeineken said:

Some VPN companies offer split tunneling.  You can chose which apps / websites go through the VPN, and which apps / websites don't.

Thank you for  that. I will look into it. 

[KhunHeineken]

On 7/2/2021 at 6:36 AM, sirineou said:

Thank you for  that. I will look into it. 

 

It's something I am interested in as well.  From what I have read, you get the IP address and anonymity for the websites you want, but keep the speed of having no VPN for the websites that you don't require a VPN for.

[Mutt Daeng]

On 7/1/2021 at 1:03 PM, KhunHeineken said:

Some VPN companies offer split tunneling.  You can chose which apps / websites go through the VPN, and which apps / websites don't.

 

On 7/2/2021 at 3:36 AM, sirineou said:

Thank you for  that. I will look into it. 

NordVPN has the split tunneling feature. Mine is set so apps/software use the VPN by default except for the exclusions I manually add to a list. On my PC I have chosen not to use the VPN for Microsoft Outlook, VMWare Player and Edge. I excluded Outlook because I was getting "Undeliverable" errors when sending some emails to <user>@outlook.com type addresses. I excluded VMWare Player so I can connect to whichever suitable VPN connection I need within a particular virtual machine. I excluded Edge so I can do online 90 day & online TM30 reports via Edge without disconnecting from the VPN, which is permanently on. I use Brave browser for all other www access.

 

 

Edited August 10, 2021 by Mutt Daeng

[i84teen]

3 hours ago, Mutt Daeng said:

 

NordVPN has the split tunneling feature. Mine is set so apps/software use the VPN by default except for the exclusions I manually add to a list. On my PC I have chosen not to use the VPN for Microsoft Outlook, VMWare Player and Edge. I excluded Outlook because I was getting "Undeliverable" errors when sending some emails to <user>@outlook.com type addresses. I excluded VMWare Player so I can connect to whichever suitable VPN connection I need within a particular virtual machine. I excluded Edge so I can do online 90 day & online TM30 reports via Edge without disconnecting from the VPN, which is permanently on. I use Brave browser for all other www access.

 

 

Nordvpn service blocks traffic over the insecure port 25, so use other commonly used e-mail ports, such as 587 or 465.

Try changing the incoming/outgoing server port settings in OUTLOOK.

https://support.nordvpn.com/Connectivity/Troubleshooting/1047408792/Why-can-t-I-send-e-mail-messages.htm

[KannikaP]

4 hours ago, Mutt Daeng said:

without disconnecting from the VPN, which is permanently on.

It takes ONE CLICK to turn it off, well Express does anyway.

[Mutt Daeng]

4 hours ago, i84teen said:

Nordvpn service blocks traffic over the insecure port 25, so use other commonly used e-mail ports, such as 587 or 465.

Try changing the incoming/outgoing server port settings in OUTLOOK.

https://support.nordvpn.com/Connectivity/Troubleshooting/1047408792/Why-can-t-I-send-e-mail-messages.htm

I never use port 25 for SMTP. I'm currently using 465 on the outgoing SMTP server, but it's not a problem at my end. I can send the emails OK. They are being rejected by the email recipients incoming server. I suspect this is because some of NordVPNs Singapore IP addresses are blacklisted and the emails are being treated as spam.

[Mutt Daeng]

3 hours ago, KannikaP said:

It takes ONE CLICK to turn it off, well Express does anyway.

That may be so, but it turns the VPN off for everything including other running apps, such as a qbittorrent client (running in the background) which I don't want to happen.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

On 6/4/2021 at 11:12 PM, catturd said:

Get yourself an Asus router (RT-AC86U is PERFECT) and available for less than 6,000 baht online at invaedit-it in Hua Hin or in the IT marts in BKK and elsewhere.

 

Someone mentioned setting up Bridge mode with 3BB and although this is ideal and doo-able (just need to call them), it is not an absolute requirement. You can connect your new Asus router to the LAN port of your current 3BB router, set up NordVPN on the Asus router and use "policy rules" feature on the Asus to route your devices thru the WAN or the ROKU thru the VPN tunnel. It is very flexible and idiot proof.

 

 

I have 3BB fiber and a 3BB Huawei fiber router in Bangkok, and have done the same thing as @Catturd above.... by daisy chaining my Asus RT-AC86U router to the 3BB provided router.

 

--When you go the bridge mode method, the end result is you get only ONE wifi signal -- that provided by your own router via VPN, and the Thai 3BB wifi router signal is turned off.

 

--When you go the daisy chain mode, you can end up with two different wifi signals side by side -- one from your own VPN router, and the other from the Thai/3BB router, meaning you can choose device by device which signal and location you want to connect via.

 

Both methods, however, take a modest amount of tech knowledge about how routers work and are configured, including for the daisy chain method which ports you need to connect via Ethernet cable, and then setting the default IP on your own router to a different one from that on your 3BB router, so they don't conflict with each other.  [For example, setting your VPN router's IP to 198.168.2.1 as opposed to the default IP on the 3BB router of 198.168.1.1]

 

3BB's techs MIGHT be willing to help a non-tech savvy person set up a second router via bridge mode, because I believe doing so requires their main office to change your settings in their system. But I don't think they're likely  to be of much help in setting up the daisy chain method, in my experience.

 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

I rarely use a Thai IP connection for anything, but there are times when having one is necessary.

 

Such as in using Thai Immigration's online 90-day reporting website, which won't give you access if you're trying to use it with a non-Thai internet connection.

 

So that's among the reasons I like to keep a dual wifi (Thai and foreign) setup.

 

[mtls2005]

On 6/4/2021 at 5:47 PM, sirineou said:

I appreciate any advice.

It seems like a major issue with ROKU is that it doesn't support running a VPN natively. So now you're wedged into providing VPN access for it via your home network. Which in turn requires a secondary router, which can run VPN software. Some can do this off-the shelf, others require flashed firmware.

 

https://www.expressvpn.com/vpn-software/vpn-roku

 

IMO, it might be easier, and cheaper, to get a streaming device on which you can run a VPN client natively. 

 

Make sure that device runs apps for the streaming service(s) you subscribe to.

 

Which VPN provider do you use, or do you plan to use?

 

Simply check to see which clients they support.

 

And/or look at which router options may exist with them.

 

 

Both the Firestick and Chromecast with Google TV run VPN apps from most of the top providers. Both devices are available here. Both have NordVPN apps. There may be other streaming devices, on which a VPN providers Android app can run.

 

 

 

I'd like to know which VPN provider has the most reliable solution for geo-blocking: Netflix, Hulu specifically. 

 

 

 

 

Edited August 11, 2021 by mtls2005

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

5 hours ago, mtls2005 said:

I'd like to know which VPN provider has the most reliable solution for geo-blocking: Netflix, Hulu specifically. 

I've used various ones in the past, and have ended up not continuing with those once they no longer were capable of consistently unblocking streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, etc.  (Those have included among others Express VPN, which otherwise was very good, and Astrill VPN. Both of those used to reliably unblock until...they didn't.)

 

The answer to your question is a complicated one, because, even within a particular VPN provider, sometimes, one or two of their city servers MIGHT unblock this or that service, while all the other servers won't. And I've even gotten different results depending on what VPN protocol and connection method (router vs device app) is being used.

 

But right now, I've been using Private VPN and it seems for the present to consistently unblock both Hulu and Amazon Prime without any grief, I can say from personal experience. I haven't had a U.S. Netflix account for a long while, but I suspect if Private works with Amazon it's also gonna work fine with Netflix.

 

 

 

[catturd]

7 hours ago, mtls2005 said:

It seems like a major issue with ROKU is that it doesn't support running a VPN natively. So now you're wedged into providing VPN access for it via your home network. Which in turn requires a secondary router, which can run VPN software. Some can do this off-the shelf, others require flashed firmware.

 

https://www.expressvpn.com/vpn-software/vpn-roku

 

IMO, it might be easier, and cheaper, to get a streaming device on which you can run a VPN client natively. 

 

Make sure that device runs apps for the streaming service(s) you subscribe to.

 

Which VPN provider do you use, or do you plan to use?

 

Simply check to see which clients they support.

 

And/or look at which router options may exist with them.

 

 

Both the Firestick and Chromecast with Google TV run VPN apps from most of the top providers. Both devices are available here. Both have NordVPN apps. There may be other streaming devices, on which a VPN providers Android app can run.

 

 

 

I'd like to know which VPN provider has the most reliable solution for geo-blocking: Netflix, Hulu specifically. 

 

 

 

 

Torguard offers a "residential IP" with US locations that circumvents all streaming services geo-blocking and they provide a guarantee in support of their residential iP service. I used them solely for netflix and Amazon and never had a problem streaming them.

[mtls2005]

On 8/11/2021 at 11:18 PM, catturd said:

Torguard offers a "residential IP" with US locations that circumvents all streaming services geo-blocking and they provide a guarantee in support of their residential iP service. I used them solely for netflix and Amazon and never had a problem streaming them.

Netflix is adding residential IP addresses to its VPN blocklists

Netflix's new "VPN" block policies can catch innocent users in the crossfire.

 

Netflix blocks known commercial VPNs and proxies from accessing its services in order to preserve its geofencing—partitioning access to content based on a user's real-world location. Users who connect to a commercial VPN or proxy provider endpoint in another country can access content licensed for viewing in the endpoint country—but not in the viewer's own.

 

Recently, as reported by TorrentFreak*, Netflix began including putatively residential IP subnets in its blocklists.

 

https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2021/08/netflix-is-adding-residential-ip-addresses-to-its-vpn-blocklists/

 

 

 

*  https://torrentfreak.com/netflix-intensifies-vpn-ban-and-targets-residential-ip-addresses-too-210811/