# PureVPN



## piersuk (Nov 13, 2015)

Anyone else using and experiencing issues with Pure VPN? 

iPlayer was fine but now the dreaded overseas warning.


----------



## tebo53 (Sep 18, 2014)

I use 'hola' VPN. It works and it's free


----------



## sat (Jul 20, 2008)

Seems like the UK broadcasters are slowly blocking VPNs. Each month another one seems to be having issues.
Over the past year or so I have been using a smart dns service (such as smartydns) instead, with (touch wood) no issues. 
They say smart dns services are faster (due to less encryption) than VPNs, and are less likely to be blocked due to how they work.


----------



## Simon22 (May 22, 2015)

tebo53 said:


> I use 'hola' VPN. It works and it's free


You might like to read this


----------



## tebo53 (Sep 18, 2014)

Simon22 said:


> You might like to read this


Thanks for that. I've uninstalled it.

Do all the free VPN work the same way?


----------



## Simon22 (May 22, 2015)

tebo53 said:


> Thanks for that. I've uninstalled it.
> 
> Do all the free VPN work the same way?


I gave up and paid for Tunnel Bear, you get a free quota of 500mb each month and can upgrade if you need to. Currently $59.88 (USD) for 12 months https://www.tunnelbear.com/pricing

I am sure there are good ones but after reading the T&C of many of them I decided I would rather pay with money!


----------



## Guest (Aug 3, 2017)

I find A Smart DNS the best option for iPLAYER Et


----------



## chrisnation (Mar 2, 2009)

piersuk said:


> Anyone else using and experiencing issues with Pure VPN?
> 
> iPlayer was fine but now the dreaded overseas warning.


Uh-oh! I signed up for Pure VPN as it was rated as a fast VPN and I have to say that the sub was on special offer and very cheap - $2.50 pm or so for a 2 year contract. But you say that iPlayer now blocks PureVPN? That holes my TV requirements below the waterline.

I have Tunnel Bear [paid for sub] on this laptop and my phone and still get iPlayer OK. 

I was going to get Pure VPN 'installed' on a dedicated router running something [an o.s. ?] called 'Tomato', with my TV taking content via that. Will this system now not work with iPlayer?


----------



## bob_bob (Jan 5, 2011)

Opera browser now comes with a built in VPN, I've not tried it myself but it might be worth a look at


----------



## chrisnation (Mar 2, 2009)

sat said:


> Seems like the UK broadcasters are slowly blocking VPNs. Each month another one seems to be having issues.
> Over the past year or so I have been using a smart dns service (such as smartydns) instead, with (touch wood) no issues.
> They say smart dns services are faster (due to less encryption) than VPNs, and are less likely to be blocked due to how they work.


Does this mean that you would not now recommend going this route ? [from your website]

_"We can provide UK TV Routers, that connects to your existing ADSL Broadband Internet modem, and set up a VPN service for you that will enable you to connect your Sky+HD or Freesat+HD satellite receiver to the internet to be able to receive and download programmes "_


----------



## sat (Jul 20, 2008)

chrisnation said:


> Does this mean that you would not now recommend going this route ? [from your website]
> 
> _"We can provide UK TV Routers, that connects to your existing ADSL Broadband Internet modem, and set up a VPN service for you that will enable you to connect your Sky+HD or Freesat+HD satellite receiver to the internet to be able to receive and download programmes "_


If you go further down the page you will see that i mention there are growing issues with VPNs being blocked more and more by the uk broadcasters, and that a smart dns service seems to be much better and reliable


----------



## chrisnation (Mar 2, 2009)

sat said:


> If you go further down the page you will see that i mention there are growing issues with VPNs being blocked more and more by the uk broadcasters, and that a smart dns service seems to be much better and reliable


As far as PureVPN is concerned it looks as if_ all is not lost_. The VPNReviewz.com review of PureVPN [one of 5 listed as 'Best for UK'] lists as an add-on .... "SmartDNS for $2.99 per month".


----------



## chrisnation (Mar 2, 2009)

chrisnation said:


> As far as PureVPN is concerned it looks as if_ all is not lost_. The VPNReviewz.com review of PureVPN [one of 5 listed as 'Best for UK'] lists as an add-on .... "SmartDNS for $2.99 per month".


Whoops! Update ... I have just had a chat with PureVPN tech support. 

1] PureVPN no longer offer _smartdns _as an add-on. When asked the reason for this I was told that it does not work [to access regionally restricted content]. When asked if this was particular to PureVPN or common to all _smartdns_ services I was told it was common to all. 

Would anyone using a _smartdns_ service confirm or refute this statement, please?


----------



## chrisnation (Mar 2, 2009)

sat said:


> If you go further down the page you will see that i mention there are growing issues with VPNs being blocked more and more by the uk broadcasters, and that a smart dns service seems to be much better and reliable


As you see from my other note, PureVPN no longer offers smartDNS _because they say it doesn't work - that none of the smartDNS services work. _

I imagine, judging by your comment about smartDNS, that this is a porkie?


----------



## chrisnation (Mar 2, 2009)

chrisnation said:


> As you see from my other note, PureVPN no longer offers smartDNS _because they say it doesn't work - that none of the smartDNS services work. _
> 
> I imagine, judging by your comment about smartDNS, that this is a porkie?


Another 15 minutes chat with PureVPN tech Oscar. Now he tells me that PureVPN does not offer smartDNS as an add-on because it is integrated onto the servers "at the back end". When I asked what this means, it boils down to this: PureVPN is 'bolting' smartDNS onto specific servers where required. 

I put it to him that if the o.p. contacted PureVPN tech, he agreed that they could guide piersuk thru' whatever steps are necessary to add smartDNS to the server or his system or however it works - to unblock the BBC content he currently cannot watch. 

The integration of smartDNS to PureVPN is foc. But - does it work? Over to piersuk.


----------



## chrisnation (Mar 2, 2009)

chrisnation said:


> Another 15 minutes chat with PureVPN tech Oscar. Now he tells me that PureVPN does not offer smartDNS as an add-on because it is integrated onto the servers "at the back end". When I asked what this means, it boils down to this: PureVPN is 'bolting' smartDNS onto specific servers where required.
> 
> I put it to him that if the o.p. contacted PureVPN tech, he agreed that they could guide piersuk thru' whatever steps are necessary to add smartDNS to the server or his system or however it works - to unblock the BBC content he currently cannot watch.
> 
> The integration of smartDNS to PureVPN is foc. But - does it work? Over to piersuk.


Maybe over to me? I just activated my Pure VPN account and after a bit of fairly clueless box-ticking and server-choosing [UK/Maidenhead - why not?] I successfully opened a BBCi programme that previously told me I was out of region so could not watch it.

One of the things that Pure settings wanted me to do was choose the purpose for my VPN. Maybe this, plus the UK location of the server, brought one of these integrated/embedded DNS's into play. Dunno. Not tech enough. But it worked.


----------



## piersuk (Nov 13, 2015)

sat said:


> If you go further down the page you will see that i mention there are growing issues with VPNs being blocked more and more by the uk broadcasters, and that a smart dns service seems to be much better and reliable




I need an option for my DD-WRT router. Is this effective with Smart DNS?

I see t's covered on their site but sometimes this is a sales pitch rather than an effective method


----------



## sat (Jul 20, 2008)

piersuk said:


> I need an option for my DD-WRT router. Is this effective with Smart DNS?
> 
> I see t's covered on their site but sometimes this is a sales pitch rather than an effective method


Not yet tried the smartydns service on a ddwrtrouter yet...thats on the long to do list


----------



## piersuk (Nov 13, 2015)

sat said:


> Not yet tried the smartydns service on a ddwrtrouter yet...thats on the long to do list


Leave it with me - I've just opted for the 3 day free trial!


----------



## chrisnation (Mar 2, 2009)

piersuk said:


> Leave it with me - I've just opted for the 3 day free trial!


I signed up for the 3 day trial and it worked fine but as I discovered that Pure VPN - which I already have a sub with - worked perfectly well for iPlayer - at least on my laptop - I deleted it. I can always go back and sign up. 

The trick will be to get it to work on a router. Looking fwd to you more tech savvy guys reporting on that


----------



## chrisnation (Mar 2, 2009)

chrisnation said:


> I signed up for the 3 day trial and it worked fine but as I discovered that Pure VPN - which I already have a sub with - worked perfectly well for iPlayer - at least on my laptop - I deleted it. I can always go back and sign up.
> 
> The trick will be to get it to work on a router. Looking fwd to you more tech savvy guys reporting on that


Pure seems very unstable/unreliable. I have watched restricted content on it one day, then next I get the 'sorry buy ... ' message. I then switch to Tunnel Bear and all is well.

This was the case last night, after about 2 hrs on Chat and Pure tech Oscar accessing my laptop to fiddle with settings. During the course of all this it emerged that Oscar has no idea how the BBC works. At one point he asked me to 'sign in to your iPlayer subscription.' 

The end was not announced with anything like "There you are. All done. You should be OK now" or any sign-off at all. Just 20 mins of nothing.

At which point I tried Pure and accessed iPlayer. As I didn't want to watch anything at that time, I closed iPlayer. Later, going back, I got the brush-off again. Tunnel Bear to the rescue.

I tried again this morning with the very same programme - all good.

The fact that Tunnel Bear has never failed to 'get through' shows that it is Pure where the problems lie.

Bring on the SmartyDNS + router reports, compadres!


----------



## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

I downloaded a VPN (Windscribe) to my iPad, in order to catch up on the occasional TV show. But Channel 4 on-demand won't work because there is no Flash player on IOS, and BBC iPlayer requires you to confirm you have a TV licence, which I don't. So I'm not sure I will ever use it. What do other people use it for?


----------



## Swerve (Jun 29, 2011)

Just tick the box that you have a licence. It may work.


----------

