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How To: Get Access to BBC iPlayer in the US and Elsewhere

How To: Get Access to BBC iPlayer in the US and Elsewhere


There are numerous resources on the Internet that can only be accessed from particular regions. This can be for advertising, legal, bandwidth or latency issues. One such example of a service that is only accessible in a specific geographic region is the BBC iPlayer. Fans of British programming may wonder, however, if it is possible to enjoy BBC iPlayer outside the UK. Even though it is not directly permitted to use this service in the US or abroad, it is possible to work around this restriction.

StrongVPN is an example of a VPN service. VPN stands for “Virtual Private Network”. It is a means of connecting computers to remote servers through a secure and encrypted “tunnel.” Because this tunnel is often routed through a computer in a remote location, the user’s location can be disguised. For example, by using StrongVPN to connect through a proxy server in the UK, it is possible for a US-based computer to watch and listen to content on BBC iPlayer.

It is important to note that when accessing remote resources through a VPN service, performance is likely to be degraded somewhat. Streams might take longer to start playing. However, once started, they are typically quite smooth. Choosing a different VPN server can help improve the performance. It may also be necessary to change proxy servers frequently as remote sites identify proxy servers.

VPN software can be obtained most readily for personal computers. It is also possible to take advantage of services such as StrongVPN on mobile devices, such as mobile phones, iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch. This is accomplished by using specialized VPN software for the Android and iOS mobile operating systems. This software is less common on mobile devices. However, it is able to access the same proxy server lists.

Depending upon the mobile Internet service provider in use, proxy servers may or may not be usable. When the mobile device is connected through the user’s home Wi-Fi network, however, it should be possible to access any VPN server that is desired. This is partially due to the unusual ports used by VPN traffic and also restrictions upon use by mobile providers. Because some people use VPN for less than legitimate purposes, use of these services might be restricted over 3G or 4G mobile Internet connections. Changing ports, servers and encryption protocols can sometimes work around this.


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