Unblock Hulu Without a VPN (Using Smart DNS)
Hulu made a big splash when they decided to block popular VPN services from accessing their content. This move likely occurred because they were facing pressure from their content providers, who aren’t receiving license royalties from countries outside their distribution area. Hulu, however, was still receiving the benefit of some of these subcribers, even without paying royalties, thanks to VPN technology, which could be used to make an IP address from a country like Australia (where Hulu is not available) appear to be coming from inside the USA (where Hulu is allowed).
Clearly, the movie and TV studios had had enough of the free ride, and put pressure on Hulu to stem the tide of illegal subscribers, so Hulu has manually blocked the known IP addresses of many of the most popular VPN providers.
The problem is, Many legitimate Hulu subscribers use a VPN for all internet activity!
There are plenty of legitimate reasons a person would use a VPN 100% of the time for their internet connection. With the widespread security breakdowns of the past year (The target credit card theft, The Heartbleed Bug, etc) many internet users are opting to protect their identity by using a VPN at all times. The downside is these same people are now finding themselves blocked from accessing their favorite streaming service at Hulu.com.
The good news, is there’s an easy way to Unblock Hulu Without using a VPN. It’s called SmartDNS
What is SmartDNS?
SmartDNS is a service to unblock certain geo-restricted websites and programs. It is a privacy service, but it is not an anonymity service. It does not encrypt your data like a VPN. It doesn’t even change your IP address or cloak your traffic. It does, however, make your internet connection appear to be coming from whichever SmartDNS server you choose.
How Can SmartDNS Unblock Hulu?
SmartDNS is a pretty ingenious technology. It works like this:
When you type a website into your web browser and hit enter, your web browser sends a request to a DNS Server to find out the IP address where that website is located. If you haven’t manually configured your DNS servers (most people haven’t) then you will probably be using the DNS servers chosen by your Internet Provider. If you go to Hulu.com, these DNS Servers will tell your computer where on the internet Hulu is located. It will then load the web content from that IP address and display it as a web page on your screen.
DNS can be a two-way street, however. Hulu (because it’s only offers service to certain countries) will ask your DNS server where exactly you are located? The DNS server than passes the geo-location to Hulu, who will then allow/deny you access based on where you are currently located.
SmartDNS is a bit more advanced. If you subscribe to a Smart DNS service, the majority of your DNS requests will be routed through your normal DNS server. However, DNS Requests from specific sites (like Hulu, Netflix, Pandoroa, Twitter, HBOGo, etc…) will be routed to the Smart DNS Servers. The SmartDNS service will route you to whichever SmartDNS server you choose based on the service you are trying to access.
For example, if you wanted to access bbc.com, you would use a SmartDNS server in the United Kingdom, but for Netflix you would likely use a server in the U.S.
Is SmartDNS Better than a VPN To Unblock Hulu?
SmartDNS has some definite advantages over a VPN:
- Hulu is actively trying to block some VPN Services, by blocking IP address. The VPN’s are trying to work around this, but your access may be spotty at best if you are using one of the more popular VPN services.
- SmartDNS uses your own internet connection. Your data doesn’t need to be routed through a 3rd party server like a VPN, so you don’t have to worry about trusting a VPN provider. The SmartDNS service can’t access your data, they only know which websites you’re requesting.
- Because SmartDNS doesn’t encrypt your data, it will be much faster than a VPN. You will experience no speed loss whatsoever!
- SmartDNS requires very little bandwidth for the service provider, so costs are much lower, usually around $3-$5 per month
What else can SmartDNS Unblock?
Hulu is not the only website that your SmartDNS provider can unblock. Most of the best services will unblock all the popular video and music streaming and social media sites including (but not limited to): Facebook, Twitter, Pandora, iHeartRadio, Hulu, BBC, HBOGO, Showtime, MaxGo, WWE, NHL Network, MLB, NBA, NFL GamePass, NBCSports, Fox, ABC, NBC, CBS, FX,VH1, MTV, USA, Bravo and more!
For a complete list, just the website of your favorite SmartDNS service. Here’s a look at the streaming services that Cactus SmartDNS Can Unblock:
Cactus SmartDNS
We’re a big fan of Cactus SmartDNS. Their service is reliable, and annual pricing is under $3.20/month. Even better, Cactus offers a 7 Day Free Trial of their SmartDNS Service.
The Best SmartDNS Services for Hulu
Though the technology is pretty new, there are a ton of SmartDNS services to choose from. Here are some of our favorites:
#1 – iBDNS Smart DNS by Invisible Browsing VPN
IBVPN is one of the world’s most popular VPN Providers so it should be no surprise that they were one of the first VPN’s to launch their own SmartDNS service. I’ve tested it out personally, and found it to work flawlessly. You can activate their smartDNS service with 1 click in their easy to use software. Plans start at $3.08/month for a year of service or $4.95 for month-to-month. Try iBDNS Now!
#2 – Overplay VPN and SmartDNS
Overplay is a great value for anybody looking to unblock Hulu or Netflix because they are including their SmartDNS technology for free with their VPN service. That means, you can SmartDNS and VPN encryption for one low price of $4.95/month. Get Overplay VPN + Free Smart DNS Service!
#3 – Cactus Smart DNS
Cactus SmartDNS is great! They offer both SmartDNS services and VPN Service (sold separately) at around 4 bucks per month. Even better, they have an industry leading 30-day money back guarantee and on top of that they still offer a 7 Day Free Trial of their Smart DNS Service.
#4 – Torguard SmartDNS
The leader in anonymous VPN service brings you their own anonymous Smart DNS Service. Prices start and $4.95 for month-to-month and drop to under $4 as subscription length increases. As with their VPN service, Torguard promises: no logs, ever. Get Torguard SmartDNS.
