Top Ways to Bypass Geo-Restrictions Online

Top Ways to Bypass Geo-Restrictions – Online Seeing the message, “,” can be incredibly frustrating. You’ve probably met such a message at least once, mainly if you use streaming services to watch your favorite TV shows and movies. They can be infuriating to deal with and are called geo-restrictions.

Fortunately, modern times have given us access to tools such as VPNs, proxies, smart DNS services, etc. You can use these tools to bypass geo-restrictions, and the one you pick will depend on your needs.

Stick with us to see what geo-restrictions are, how to bypass them, how to choose the best method, and what to look for in these tools.

What are Geo-restrictions?

Geographic restrictions, or geo-restrictions, include a list of measures servers and websites use to restrict access to content for specific areas or locations. If you haven’t encountered a geo-restriction before, they ensure that some content won’t be available to particular users worldwide.

Geo-restrictions exist for various reasons. Sometimes it can be due to government censorship, as countries sometimes ban a particular movie or TV show. Other times, it might be due to licensing agreements or copyright laws. Websites also use them to prevent piracy.

How can you Bypass them?

Fortunately, there are ways of bypassing these pesky restrictions, and they come in the form of various tools we can use while browsing the internet. But how do these tools deal with geo-restrictions? Below is a list of popular geo-restriction bypassing tools and how they work.

• VPNs – Short for Virtual Private Networks, these tools connect you to the server through their private, secure, and encrypted tunnel connection;
• Proxy servers – Intermediary servers between you as the client and the server you’re accessing are proxies. They hide your actual IP address and provide anonymity;
• Smart DNS services – These services are similar to proxies. They work by rerouting your internet traffic through a proxy server in another country.

Learn more about how these methods differ and their advantages and disadvantages below.

How do these Bypassing Methods Differ?

Depending on your method for bypassing geo-restrictions, you will deal with different prices, advantages, and disadvantages. Here’s how these tools differ.

VPNs

VPNs offer solid encryption levels, which makes them secure. Using a VPN, you can choose from many server locations worldwide. They’re also a great way to protect your online privacy and security. However, VPNs can be slow, especially if you connect to a server far from your home. Moreover, they also require additional software on your PC to run, which many users dislike.

Proxies

Proxies are usually faster than VPNs, and there’s no need to install additional software for a proxy server to work. They also offer an excellent level of online anonymity. However, some proxies lack the levels of encryption VPNs provide, which means they’re less secure than VPNs.

Smart DNS services

Smart DNS services work on many devices, such as TVs, phones, computers, gaming consoles, etc. These are fast and incredibly straightforward to set up. However, they lack security and don’t offer the same level of encryption as VPNs. Similarly, compared to proxies, they only hide traffic relevant to your location.

Although proxies seem the best option for bypassing geo-restrictions, as they offer great speed, anonymity, and ease of use, your chosen method will depend on your needs.

How to Select the Best Bypassing Method?

What you pick should depend on your needs. Nevertheless, it would be best to research these methods and compare their advantages and disadvantages. Here’s what you need to have in mind before deciding:

• Your needs – What is most vital to you? Is it speed, security, anonymity, encryption, or ease of use? On what device do you intend to bypass geo-restrictions? These questions can help you narrow your options.
• Providers – When you know your needs, look at your regional providers. Research them thoroughly. Ensure you use a reputable one with great reviews and decent customer support.
• Test it out – Fortunately, most providers offer a free trial. Therefore, you can test different options and see what suits your needs best before making the final decision.

For example, you can try a US proxy to access US-based content. With a US proxy, you’ll appear as a legitimate US user on the website, no matter where you are. You’ll easily bypass geo-restrictions and access US content with a US proxy. Click here to see what Oxylabs, a premium proxy provider with 11+ million IPs in the US – has to offer.

Conclusion

Geo-restrictions are pesky methods websites use to restrict access to content in particular regions. They do so for various reasons, such as licensing agreements, copyright laws, piracy prevention, etc. Fortunately, there are ways of bypassing these geo-restrictions, and you can do so with tools such as VPNs, proxies, smart DNS services, etc.

All these tools have advantages and disadvantages, and your choice will depend on your needs. Before you decide, getting to know these tools and their security, speed, ease of use, and device compatibility is essential.