Chromecast use outside of USA - Access to USA restricted IP addresses

Rileycat

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Hi,

I am currently living outside of the USA. We watch a lot of USA content by logging onto Netflix, Hulu+,and other service providers utilizing an VPN/IP changing service that makes it appear as if we are in the USA. While this works well and I am comfortable with it, my wife finds it very cumbersome to set up and use. (she just wants to turn on the TV and watch what she wants too....even the remote control has too many buttons).

Has anyone out there tried Chromecast to access USA content from outside of the country? Did it work without issue or did you have to specially configure it?

Any useful thoughts or feedback on the this topic are appreciated.
 

fabiantm

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I'm living outside the USA and I ordered one but it arrives in a few weeks. I can give you more info about that when I get it. I guess you can't change the IP or something like that so you can't use a VPN. It must probably work with a DNS like unblock us. I use this and it also works on the Playstation and the Apple TV

Gesendet von meinem Nexus 4 mit Tapatalk 4 Beta
 

fabiosan

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I bought a router that allows you to setup a vpn permanently on it. That way all devices on your network (including chromecast) will be working as if they were in america. I haven't tried it yet but the theory is sound...
 

MissyHaney

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Hi,

I am currently living outside of the USA. We watch a lot of USA content by logging onto Netflix, Hulu+,and other service providers utilizing an VPN/IP changing service that makes it appear as if we are in the USA. While this works well and I am comfortable with it, my wife finds it very cumbersome to set up and use. (she just wants to turn on the TV and watch what she wants too....even the remote control has too many buttons).

Has anyone out there tried Chromecast to access USA content from outside of the country? Did it work without issue or did you have to specially configure it?

Any useful thoughts or feedback on the this topic are appreciated.

Can you tell me which VPN service you use? I can't seem to find any good, reliable ones. THanks!
 

Richard Frost

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I just read on the xda-developers forum that the Chromecast has Google's DNS servers BAKED IN ! - which means you wont get Netflix working outside the USA using DNS redirect services or VPNs etc. Even if you do that I assume you need to login to your Google account to activate the Chromecast which would then look at your Google Wallet details to verify your real home address. I am predicting that this is one of the most locked-down streaming devices ever to come to market.

You will need to either capture and redirect the DNS traffic bound to Google (and knowing Google they are probably probing their DNS servers for validation records to verify its Google's DNS server) OR wait until the Chromecast is rooted (which I heard people have done now) and login into it and reset the DNS servers to your own or your Router's.

Keep an eye on the xda-dev forums for info.
 

fabiosan

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According to this guy in the XDA forums (Chromecast in Canada! - xda-developers), most of the chromecast features work in Canada except for some Netflix content. He says that you should be able to get that to work as well by setting up the VPN directly in your router.

EDIT: See #43 in the XDA thread for the router setup.
 
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skullx

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Guys that's right, I posted the info, as I came across this problem the second day of usage. I guess what can be done is capture the packet coming from chromecast or via a mac address reroute the traffic from your router to force the usage of a smart dns. I think that a mod for the device which allows you to enter your own dns would be the best option
 

smackYYZ

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I have Chromecast running fine here in Toronto.

I use a router with Tomato firmware, it has a feature that you can activate to intercept any DNS query and it uses it's own dns routers to return the query results. I have this feature enable and use openDNS servers and have not had any issue with using my ChromeCast.

I do use the VPN feature on the router also ( but for a corporate network ) so I can't see why this combination would not work with another VPN service.
 

smackYYZ

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Chris,

First off you need a router which you can install Tomato on. Go here Welcome to the Tomato USB web site - TomatoUSB and you can see which hardware is compatible. Your looking for ones that say ALL or VPN. I'm using a Netgear WNR3500L I got from TigerDirect, once you get that installed you'll be able to enable set up the everything you need. The extra things you need to do, is in Basic/LAN set the static DNS servers to OpenDNS (or tor or whoevers your using) , then in Advanced/ DHCP.DNS check the intercept DNS port, this will intercept the CC from calling Google DNS servers.

Then if your using a VPN you can set up the VPN connection under VPN tunneling, just follow your providers instructions, this supports openVPN & PPTP.

There are lots of ways to tweak Tomato for QOS, bandwidth limiting and device access, but that will take a bit of reading. You can look here:
Tomato FAQ | polarcloud.com
TomatoVPN
Tomato Firmware - Wikibooks, open books for an open world

Good Luck!
 

bal027

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Hi
RE: installing Chromecast outside the country -- does Chromecast still see computers/tablets on the LAN despite the Google DNS issue? If so (and if you were running a VPN on that computer/tablet) why couldn't you use the Chrome browser 'Cast Whole Desktop' experimental feature and use not only Netflix but iTunes as well? I guess audio would then be coming from the computer/tablet, but until I get a VPN-capable router (and to use iTunes!) why wouldn't this work?
 

Alain Seys

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i have a solution for this:

netflix outside usa
Prerequisites :
You have a functioning router with DD-WRT firmware running (we used v24 sp2)
You can play youtube movies on your chromecast device
step 1:
• in itunes create a new user who lives in the usa. (at payment method you can choose later)
netflix is free so you dont need to enter this.
• enter a valid USA zip code (google) and a phone number enter yourphone number and just add a 0
• on the ipad go to settings/ itunes and appstore (left column en scroll down)
• the program wil promt with the notification you will go to the store of the usa, in my case , the app need to be closed and restarted.
• download Netflix
• go to setting / itune app store return to you regular account.
step2:
dns modifications on your router
• login on DD-WRT
• add the unblock us-dns server in the setup menu


• search for the ipadress of your chrome cast
• mdofy the iptables rules bellow and enter them in the firewall
iptables -t nat -A PREROUTING -i br0 -s <ip of chromecast>/32 –p udp --dport 53 -j DNAT --to $(nvram get lan_ipaddr)
iptables -t nat -A PREROUTING -i br0 -s <ip of chromecast>/32 –p tcp --dport 53 -j DNAT --to $(nvram get lan_ipaddr)

and click on safe firewall



step3:
• on the laptop go to unblock-us and netflix
• create a account and login
• goto Netflix.com
• add an account (enter the Zip code you looked up before) there is no credicard country validation.

Start Looking netflix outside the usa
 

Adso3000

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I'm using unblock-us.com service installed on my router (Cisco/Linksys E4200) and it works beautifully for PS3, Droids and PCs, and did so even before I installed the Tomato Firmware maybe a year ago, 'cause I want maximum control and it's gonna be Tomato forever for me. :cool: I'm only now really falling in love with it though, since it just happened to allow me US Netflix access on my otherwise halfway useless Chromecast. :-\ Whole point of getting it, other than for the general ease and speed of YouTube without starting the PS3, using BeyondPod video (Pocketcast hopefully soon too), was so that I can play GTA V to my hearts content on my separate monitor and the wife & kid can watch US Netflix on the TV. Also the PS3 uses a lot of electricity compared to a tiny dongle.

Brilliant easy to follow description you gave. It allowed me to get to bed now (01:20 am) instead of 03:00 am because I get overly obsessive when **** doesn't work like it's supposed to.
If you were here I'd feel inclined to give you a big hug and an even bigger beer.

Ah, I can't help but appreciate the irony that Google.com helped me find your post that now lets me screw their annoying intentions with the baked-in DNS of the Chromecast. :cool: Who needs pirated stuff when you can have affordable proper [read: US] Netflix and isn't that what all the rights owners want anyway? O:)

Cheering rant warning not relevant to installation: :p Go Canada. Dose of Buckley & GirlWritesWhat on YouTube & MRA Edmonton etc. :D Only ever been to the lovely Saint John for an afternoon though. New York crazies at the previous terminal charged $400 per person to go ashore. Solution: Wait til Saint John and us 10 guys spent thousands of $ in electronics and security was fine and friendly. That was 2 years ago, a time where you'd think the state of the US economy would make them interested in selling stuff. The term "spends like a sailor" from that old Frankie song still holds true. ;-)
 
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donc13

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You are still a thief, you have not paid to view the content in whatever country you are in.

Sent from my ADR6400L using Tapatalk
 

Adso3000

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Are you slow or something? I PAY for my US Netflix and the same price as anyone else pays (who lives in the US). If I watched local stuff from my country (I never do, it's US all the way) then you could maybe argue those rights owners wouldn't be compensated but the only ones losing out with this setup is possibly the local tax guys (VAT) if that's actually the reason it costs more and not just the general lack of competition in the marketplace here, but exactly what I save goes to pay for unblock-us creating jobs in the UK.

In short I watch the same stuff Joe in Montana watches and I pay Netflix the same as he does. How is that stealing? (hmm, how to make a rolling eyes smiley?) If Joe's employer stationed him here for months and he did the same thing to be able to keep up with his shows (not falling a full season behind his wife by the time he gets back) would you call him a thief too? Better go back to school since some definitions seems to have escaped thy holier-than-thou self.
 

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