IPTV - blocked

One thing that you should try is to change the DNS Server entry to use Google's instead. Specific instructions on how to do this will vary by router type.

First of all, you gave us zero information on who your IPTV provider is. That would be important enough.

IPv6 has nothing to do with this .. (somebody suggested it. It's wrong)

You also did not tell us, who your internet provider was before and who you are with now. Again. Important information.

How do you expect anyone to help on a whole lot of guesswork?

/M

Firstly you shouldn't be running iptv without a vpn. You're just leaving yourself open to trouble.

IPTV comes in all sorts of shapes and sizes. Blanket statements around it, of any nature, will often cause confusion. Wrote a "like I'm five" for a relative asking about it recently, so thought I'd drop an edited version in here in case it helps anyone.


IPTV includes all sorts of free services (e.g. RTÉ Player) and paid services (e.g. Netflix).

Sometimes those services offer content globally (e.g. RTÉ show The Late Late Show globally as they have the international distribution rights for it) and sometimes it's only locally (e.g. RTÉ have a deal with Sky for international distribution of GAA coverage via GAA Go, so GAA matches aren't available internationally via RTÉ Player only here in Ireland). Sometimes the service is entirely locked by location (e.g. BBC iPlayer) and in some cases the offerings differ based on location (e.g. Netflix) based both on the library of content and the cost of the service.

In lots of those cases people have been known to use VPNs or Smart DNS (streaming services tend to identify most larger VPNs and block their IP ranges pretty quickly, so DNS services tend to be a better solution there) to workaround restrictions to alter pricing or to access additional content. In some cases that's irrelevant to the provider, some it's breaching terms and conditions with potential to be blocked or banned and in some it will be outright illegal. You'd need to look at the rules around a specific service to know for sure, and even then in many cases the rules haven't actually been tested yet in courts.

Often when people say "IPTV" they're speaking of IPTV Subscription services. Paid services which package together content from multiple providers of streamed content. These can vary from entirely legal repackaging of non copyright infringing material to full blown access to everything under the sun, copyright be damned. Needless to say if you're dealing with the latter, having a VPN might be a little more than advisable (anyone interested in that end of things can check out Dish's legal cases against IPTV providers, resellers and subscribers in recent years. They're the ones setting most of the precedents there. A clear example of why VPNs, and more anonymous payments via crypto currency rather than PayPal, are strongly advised by many in that field).

IPTV isn't a single thing. In many cases it's perfectly legal and above board, why we can speak about it here on boards, and in some cases it's copyright infringing and illegal (you can't talk of that side of things here. You'd need to find a different forum if you intended to reddit up on that stuff).

In all of these cases, and just generally, having a VPN is great for improved privacy, anonymity and security (coming from someone with a marketing background that frequently uses the type of data collected). It provides a layer of anonymity between you and the sites you access (especially important if you frequently use public wifi) and it helps prevent your ISP controlling content you view (from throttling speeds on specific services to ad injection).

A VPN isn't required for all IPTV usage, in many cases it would simply introduce lag and reduced speeds to your network, but there's plenty of upside to using one and in some cases it would be foolish not to.

As for which VPN?
Hard to advise without knowing specific needs. Number of connections/devices, specific use cases (where location of servers becomes a big factor) and the likes all play a part. Changing the server you connect through can make dramatic differences to the speed and performance you experience, so be ready for lots of trial and error speed testing with any new setup.

If you keep an eye on Bargain Alerts here on Boards or search for VPN on HUKD you'd be able to see a few of the deals available and discussion around them.