# Hola VPN and casting catch up British TV



## Gfplux (Jun 27, 2016)

Hello,
I am posting this question here in hope some smart person can help me.
I am sure it is a problem that has been solved in Spain but I need help for France and Luxembourg.
I have been using (paying) for Hola VPN for nearly two years. I am very happy with it as it allows me to watch catch up TV outside the Uk using my IPad.
One problem is that it will not let me cast the programme to my TV using my google dongle.
I get the message "content not available in your location".
I understand why as it would appear to me that when I cast the content it recognises my router which of course is saying it is in either France or Luxembourg.
How easy is it to get the router in each Country to work with the VPN.
There must be a work around.
Help please.


----------



## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

I can't help - I don't use a VPN but I know lots of other members do

& I'm sure our resident tele expert, sat will have some info when he sees this


----------



## sat (Jul 20, 2008)

Gfplux said:


> Hello,
> I am posting this question here in hope some smart person can help me.
> I am sure it is a problem that has been solved in Spain but I need help for France and Luxembourg.
> I have been using (paying) for Hola VPN for nearly two years. I am very happy with it as it allows me to watch catch up TV outside the Uk using my IPad.
> ...


As far as I know, when you "cast" the content does not go from your device to the TV. Rather it simply tells the TV where to go. So although you may be able to access the content using Hola on your iPad, when you cast it to your TV, the TV is going directly to the internet (and the Uk) , and not via Hola.
So to watch the content on your TV, you need to route your TV content through a router using Hola or other such service, (eg connect your TV to another router with a VPN like Hola installed, connect that router to your existing router) or reconfigure your TV for a smartDNS .
onto your Tv.


----------



## piersuk (Nov 13, 2015)

sat said:


> As far as I know, when you "cast" the content does not go from your device to the TV. Rather it simply tells the TV where to go. So although you may be able to access the content using Hola on your iPad, when you cast it to your TV, the TV is going directly to the internet (and the Uk) , and not via Hola.
> So to watch the content on your TV, you need to route your TV content through a router using Hola or other such service, (eg connect your TV to another router with a VPN like Hola installed, connect that router to your existing router) or reconfigure your TV for a smartDNS .
> onto your Tv.


Correct - Done this myself, you may find it easier to go down the router route  rather than DNS via the TV.


----------



## Gfplux (Jun 27, 2016)

Thank yo Sat and Piers.
So how do I do it. How did you do it Piers. Should I buy a new router just for this purpose?


----------



## piersuk (Nov 13, 2015)

Which TV do you have...? Which router are you using?

Do you have abase in the UK still?


----------



## sat (Jul 20, 2008)

Note that "Hola does not yet support routers".
Only paid VPN services support routers, so you may have to change VPN service to a paid service... get a router, flash it with ddwrt, set up your vpn details on the router, connect it up to your existing router... and so you have the option of connecting to your existing router or your vpn router.


----------



## piersuk (Nov 13, 2015)

That's the reason I asked if you have access to a UK place. I have my own VPN created with a Raspberry Pi and therefore my router in Spain connects directly to my own VPN back in the UK. It's very cheap and little effort. OP I can send you the image and instructions if you need ?

Hola is fine if you have an out of the box problem, slightly deviate from that, as you are and you will need a more bespoke solution like mine.


----------



## ccm47 (Oct 15, 2013)

sat said:


> As far as I know, when you "cast" the content does not go from your device to the TV. Rather it simply tells the TV where to go. So although you may be able to access the content using Hola on your iPad, when you cast it to your TV, the TV is going directly to the internet (and the Uk) , and not via Hola.
> So to watch the content on your TV, you need to route your TV content through a router using Hola or other such service, (eg connect your TV to another router with a VPN like Hola installed, connect that router to your existing router) or reconfigure your TV for a smartDNS .
> onto your Tv.


Sat, I appreciate your thoughts on this but...

I use an Android 3G tablet or my 4g smartphone to access iplayer and other sites through Secureline VPN, when need be.
I download my content to ensure that buffering is nor a problem (my OH hates that with a passion). I then plugin my Miracast dongle to the USB port on the TV and cast my downloaded programme to the TV. I am convinced that at no time does my TV access the internet for itself as I have no fixed phone/broadband anywhere and can remove my sims from my devices at will. The TV is simply an enlarged wirelessly connected monitor.

This question is also on the France forum, where I made comments about daisy chaining the routers. when using satellite internet.


----------



## sat (Jul 20, 2008)

ccm47 said:


> Sat, I appreciate your thoughts on this but...
> 
> I use an Android 3G tablet or my 4g smartphone to access iplayer and other sites through Secureline VPN, when need be.
> I download my content to ensure that buffering is nor a problem (my OH hates that with a passion). I then plugin my Miracast dongle to the USB port on the TV and cast my downloaded programme to the TV. I am convinced that at no time does my TV access the internet for itself as I have no fixed phone/broadband anywhere and can remove my sims from my devices at will. The TV is simply an enlarged wirelessly connected monitor.


The difference here is that you are downloading rather than streaming.
You are downloading onto your device that has the vpn.
Once downloaded you are then casting to the TV - no need for the tv do do anything else like connect to the internet and the UK , as it is receiving the data from the device.

But casting directly, without downloading operates differently. your device is simply used to tell the tv where to go onto the internet. so although the device can access uk tv content using hola, when the TV tried to access the content it has been told to, it will be blocked as it has no access to a vpn / hola.


----------



## ccm47 (Oct 15, 2013)

Sat, 
I agree but OP saId "watch" which I take to mean "view in some way" not necessarily live streaming. The quality of a download is often superior. 
One thing I am not is an expert in Apple hard or software, though I've sorted a few out, but I am more than happy to configure a server or six, which not everybody is. Daisy chaining is not for the novice.
In this case we do not know what restrictions Orange France have put on his primary router and Unblock US were very specific in the model of router I needed to buy and configure for use with Ozone France.
A USB stick does not even require a smart TV.


----------



## bob_bob (Jan 5, 2011)

I won't use Apple products but can't you connect to the TV HDMI port?


----------



## fhanrah (Feb 16, 2017)

I have no commercial or financial connection to the following, I'm a customer. I have switched systems altogether IPTV, only because I have good internet so no VPN or DNS required. I ordered a fire stick contacted a supplier in the UK, He sent me the instructions on how to first download an installer app, with that another link to his app, username and password and I was up and running in 15 minutes. I have every channel Sky shows, Irish, USA, Canada, French, German, TV, sports, movies, TV series, catch up, the list is endless. I pay by PayPal, £64.00 for the year. The owner is very proactive helping customers, will send out a message if doing an up grade or if there is an issue he's trying to fix, there is always some slight glitch's but for that kind of money for the year you can't go wrong. You can also order Fire Sticks, TV box's and he'll preload everything for you and because it's over the internet it's not geo-linked. So there are other options out there.


----------



## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

This is probably not helpful as compared to other posts my set-up seems so simple and it works.
But who knows?

My son connected an Android box to the tv (not a smart tv). I have a paid for UK VPN. I think it's about 4 euros a month. The box was 30 something euros. It came with an air mouse.
I get BBC I Player with quality reception and Netflix I share with a friend in Antwerp. I can also get it on my IPad.

I no longer have fibre optic.


----------



## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

mrypg9 said:


> This is probably not helpful as compared to other posts my set-up seems so simple and it works.
> But who knows?
> 
> My son connected an Android box to the tv (not a smart tv). I have a paid for UK VPN. I think it's about 4 euros a month. The box was 30 something euros. It came with an air mouse.
> ...


Yes, that is the simplest solution I think. You just link the box to your Google account then you can download the apps directly to the box from the Google Play Store on your computer. 

You need the VPN because iPlayer TV is not officially available outside the UK so you have the use a fake IP address. 

Another option is TV Mucho, which doesn't need a VPN but gives you live access to all UK channels plus 7 day catch-up for around €50 a year.


----------



## MataMata (Nov 30, 2008)

Thread is a rave from the grave and I know nothing about Hola but..............

I have a Samsung phone and a Nexus 7 tablet.

I have SmartDNSproxy and have configured the WiFi on both devices work through that.

I can view iPlayer etc. on both.

I have a Samsung TV which is hard wired into the router but not using SmartDNSproxy.

With the phone I can use Samsung's Smartview app to cast to the TV (or vice-versa)

With the tablet I can use the display 'cast' function.

The only thing which won't work with either is All4 where the app itself comes up with a message that casting to a second screen is forbidden.


----------



## Simon22 (May 22, 2015)

Hola have never been very well thought of, if you aren't paying money you are paying another way. Article from 2018 but the T&C didn't change.


----------



## DavidKS (Jan 28, 2020)

PIERSUK - I would really like the details of your VPN created with a Raspberry Pi


----------



## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

Alcalaina said:


> Yes, that is the simplest solution I think. You just link the box to your Google account then you can download the apps directly to the box from the Google Play Store on your computer.
> 
> You need the VPN because iPlayer TV is not officially available outside the UK so you have the use a fake IP address.
> 
> Another option is TV Mucho, which doesn't need a VPN but gives you live access to all UK channels plus 7 day catch-up for around €50 a year.


Yes, it’s so simple so why do people need all these (to me) complicated technical fixes?

I can, if I so wish, watch UK BBC tv via IPlayer. No ITv etc but there’s nothing I want to watch there.


----------



## stevesainty (Jan 7, 2011)

MataMata said:


> Thread is a rave from the grave and I know nothing about Hola but..............
> 
> I have a Samsung phone and a Nexus 7 tablet.
> 
> ...


If the router is your own, you can configure the router to the smart DNS settings. 

If not you can do a quick Google search of the make of the router and come up with the likely user name and password, and then alter it to the Smart DNS settings.

If that doesn't work, it didn't with mine, email your ISP provider with the DNS settings you require and ask them to do it remotely. I did with mine and now the whole of my WIFI is covered with the Smart DNS proxy settings.


----------

