The best way to get around the regional restrictions of streaming sites like Netflix, Hulu, and BBC iPlayer is to use the best VPNs. However, these service providers have known this for a long time and employ a variety of tactics to prevent people from using them.

VPNs allow you to watch content from other countries and your favorite shows while traveling abroad; using a VPN is a good way to protect your It is also a good way to protect your online privacy. If you plan to use a VPN to stream content from different countries, we recommend taking a look at our pick of the top streaming VPN services.

This article discusses the most common methods streaming sites use to block VPNs.

DPI is an advanced method used by streaming services like Netflix to monitor incoming network activity from VPNs. if DPI reveals that traffic is coming from a VPN instead of a regular Internet connection, access to the website will be blocked.

This is similar to the technique China employs to restrict Internet access (check the Best China VPN Guide for more information), and the best way to avoid being blocked by DPI is to make your VPN activity look like normal traffic.

Many VPN services are well aware that streaming sites use DPI and have already taken steps to further encrypt and disguise their activity. If you are having trouble accessing blocked streaming services, you may need to switch to a high-quality VPN that specializes in streaming.

Blocking the IP addresses used by VPNs is another common way to prevent streaming websites from accessing services. Streaming service providers can simply find out the IP address used by the VPN server and prevent access to the site.

The best way to avoid IP blocking is to choose a quality VPN that updates the IP addresses it uses frequently; VPNs change these details regularly, making it more difficult for streaming sites to catch up and block new address information.

Some VPN providers offer the option of using a dedicated IP address with the VPN. This helps to avoid blocking streaming services because steady traffic from one IP address is less likely to be flagged as suspicious, but it sacrifices some of the anonymity offered by a shared IP address.

DPI and IP blocking are the most common ways websites prevent access to their services, but some sites also display and compare GPS data with IP addresses. If your GPS is in a different location than the VPN server you have selected, you will be flagged as a VPN user and may be blocked.

Some VPN services can not only bypass your Internet activity, but can also spoof your GPS location. Fake GPS VPNs can spoof location information to make it appear that you are in the same location as the VPN server, thus bypassing the few VPN blockers that use this tactic.

When using a VPN, the best defense against being blocked from accessing streaming websites is to invest in a high-quality option. If you are currently using a free VPN, a safe bet to access all the streaming content you want is to upgrade to a paid service like ExpressVPN, NordVPN, or Surfshark.

When purchasing a paid VPN, you want to look for one that uses a high level of encryption, such as one that always gets a new IP address to avoid IP blocking or an option that uses an obfuscated VPN server to overcome DPI.

Streaming service providers are eager to find new ways to block access to their content, and Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, and others are constantly adapting the way they discover VPN traffic. Therefore, it is also important to choose a VPN provider with good customer service. That way, if the streaming site blocks you, you should be able to access it again.