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[Migalot]

I have a BT box and when I stopped BT (as I have a fast FTTP provided by a Swedish company), they assured me that I could still use their box for NOW TV, though which App, my daughter and I can watch F1.

Yesterday, I switched on my Samsung 48" TV and the BT box. I scrolled through to the NOW TV App and selected the F1. Up comes the message "Sorry, but you cannot watch this content in your country". WTF? I am signed in OK on the App.

I go on my PC and watch the content. My daughter can watch on her phone. My house has CAT6 ethernet throughout. The odd thing is that my PC has a different ISP to the TV (obtained automatically and refreshed just now).

Can anyone figure out what's going on?   

 

[TheBoy]

Your PC has a different ISP? So you have 2 ISPs?

[Migv6 le Frog Fan]

Use a lead from the laptop to the telly, or use Wiziwig.
Having said that, its too much effort to watch  F1, which gave up any pretence of being a sport in Abu Dhabi 2021. 

[Migalot]

Your PC has a different ISP? So you have 2 ISPs?

Whoops!
My VPN was going in the background.
Will re-check.

[Migalot]

Stranger and stranger. VPN off on PC.

My IP provider is shown as Internet Bolaget Sverige and the location is shown as London, UK.

Try NOW TV and I get "Sorry, NOW TV content cannot currently be viewed in this country. For more info, check out nowtv.com/roaming."

Turn VPN on again and it works.

With VPN on, it shows a new ISP number and provider (Stumpner Netservice UG (haftungsbeschraenkt), London, UK)

TV does not have VPN and just doesn't work on NOW.

[Varche]

Sounds like a normal day for an expat trying to watch TV from back home!

[Migalot]

Sounds like a normal day for an expat trying to watch TV from back home!

...and I can't even use a VPN on my TV. If it was android-based it would be easy, but I have a Samsung with its own Tizen-based OS. 

[TheBoy]

Right, because you keep using all this pointless shite, you are always going to have hassle.

So, you actually only have one ISP?  Have you enabled any content filtering via your ISP, as it may block some streaming.


Most streaming services are blocking VPNs, both for obvious reasons around geolocation, but also due to security and performance issues.  BBC keep talking about doing similar, but are too scared to piss that many people off in one go.

[Sir Tigger KC]

Right, because you keep using all this pointless shite, you are always going to have hassle.

So, you actually only have one ISP?  Have you enabled any content filtering via your ISP, as it may block some streaming.


Most streaming services are blocking VPNs, both for obvious reasons around geolocation, but also due to security and performance issues.  BBC keep talking about doing similar, but are too scared to piss that many people off in one go.

I thought that the whole point of a VPN is that nobody knows you are using one?   

Or is just that some are better than others? 

[Migalot]

Right, because you keep using all this pointless shite, you are always going to have hassle.

So, you actually only have one ISP?  Have you enabled any content filtering via your ISP, as it may block some streaming.


Most streaming services are blocking VPNs, both for obvious reasons around geolocation, but also due to security and performance issues.  BBC keep talking about doing similar, but are too scared to piss that many people off in one go.

No, no content filtering. Fact remains that the VPN German-owned ISP in London enables NOW streaming, but the standard non-VPN Swedish one doesn't! Will need to speak to Optyx whose bills I pay.

Would be quite happy be blocked by the BBC. It's utter shite these days.

[Doctor Gollum]

Right, because you keep using all this pointless shite, you are always going to have hassle.

So, you actually only have one ISP?  Have you enabled any content filtering via your ISP, as it may block some streaming.


Most streaming services are blocking VPNs, both for obvious reasons around geolocation, but also due to security and performance issues.  BBC keep talking about doing similar, but are too scared to piss that many people off in one go.

I thought that the whole point of a VPN is that nobody knows you are using one?   

Or is just that some are better than others? 

A girl I trained with suggested using a Chinesey VPN for the Far East.

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to understand why this would be a particularly stupid idea

[TheBoy]

I thought that the whole point of a VPN is that nobody knows you are using one?   

Nope, everyone knows you are using a VPN.  But that is the least of your security worries if you are stupid enough to do so

[TheBoy]

No, no content filtering. Fact remains that the VPN German-owned ISP in London enables NOW streaming, but the standard non-VPN Swedish one doesn't! Will need to speak to Optyx whose bills I pay.

So you are currently in Sweden? It could be NOW are geoblocking Sweden, as maybe they don't feel a service there.  Unlikely though, as any paying customer is usually good enough for Uncle R.

[Viral_Jim]

A girl I trained with suggested using a Chinesey VPN for the Far East.

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to understand why this would be a particularly stupid idea

TBH I think it depends, if you're worried about security, I suspect the Chinese will know all they want to know about your digital life, whether you use a VPN or not. Likewise, as TB eluded to, using any VPN is probably giving away more data than you would like, to whichever unknown provider runs the service.

When I worked for GKN, our driveline business had a joint venture in China, and our aerospace business did a lot of work with the US military & civil aviation OEMs & Tier 1 suppliers. The first few times we visited from the UK our laptops and phones would be taken from us on entry for security checking and then handed back after a couple of hours of waiting.

Once they worked out we were travelling with clean laptops (with only information on them relating to the JV) we were suddenly subject to many fewer 'random' security checks. Either that or they'd planted all the spyware they needed to plant so didn't need our kit any more 

[Mr Skrunts]

if you're worried about security, I suspect the Chinese will know all they want to know about your digital life

Dont they all

Lets face it, Google, Amazon, Ebay etc all do.

Google even puts adverts into your browsing of things you have been chatting about on the phone or from your text messages.

Big Brother is Watching you
Your Life is Not Your Own Any more

[/size]

[Migalot]

Finally got a message back from my ISP:

"Customers that are still experiencing issues with there Sky Go app or similar services. Please do the following go to http://whatismyip.com (To obtain your IPV4 Address) Then take that to enter into http://iplocation.net (LOOK AT COUNTRY LOCATION), Both of which will show your location according to Geo location details. This will state "LONDON".

You need to go on all your devices to clear the Cache of each individual device, As this would still be holding the old geo location information. 90 Percent of all databases used by streaming services should have been updated as of the 20/11/2023.
Please refer to the manufacturer how to clear the cache of your device as we can not provide that information for every device."

Later on today, I'll clear the DNS cache from my PC. Not sure if the old BT box or Samsung TV retain a DNS cache or not. Since it's all on a ethernet, then maybe it can all be cleared from my PC...or maybe not.

Will be a lot of fiddling around I expect.  

[Jimbob]

Prob a 'reset network' button, Ive seen that on my TV.

[TheBoy]

Not sure if the old BT box or Samsung TV retain a DNS cache or not. Since it's all on a ethernet, then maybe it can all be cleared from my PC...or maybe not.

So are you using BT, or this other tinpot ISP (which sounds more like a pisspot VPN provider than an ISP, and I think I know who it is ).  If you are using BT, then stick with the BT Hub, and FFS stop using VPNs!

The BT hub does some, but minimal caching. Restarting hub clears the cache, though it will soon clear itself.  Worth checking if you are using the BT DNS servers, or if you have put something else in - beware that large ISPs can (and often have to by law) hijack the DNS anyway, so it probably won't be going to where you expect anyway.

The device (TV in this case) will have a DNS cache onboard as well.  Clearing them can be a pain, because most are running some form of Linux.  Probably turning it off at the wall is a 95% way of clearing it.

But it's all 'dangle berries' anyway, because streaming services use local content providers, and these all have a short TTL on the DNS, so realistically should not be in any cache.  If it is DNS related, it's most likely to be due to VPNs being used through the router.

In short, stop using internet to internet VPNs.  There isn't a good reason to do so, unless you are freetarding iPlayer, and we know that ain't worth the effort.

[Migalot]

Not sure if the old BT box or Samsung TV retain a DNS cache or not. Since it's all on a ethernet, then maybe it can all be cleared from my PC...or maybe not.

So are you using BT, or this other tinpot ISP (which sounds more like a pisspot VPN provider than an ISP, and I think I know who it is ). 

No, not with BT anymore. The area was selected by the local authority to get FTTP through Open Infra.

Seemed like a good idea at the time...  

[TheBoy]

Ah, right, so a couple of things....


...the BT Hub needs to be removed if its still plugged in.  You should be using your new ISP's router.  If both routers are plugged in, you might be getting DHCP from wrong device.

Your new ISP is probably using CGNAT (convention is your router's WAN IP is 100.x.x.x, but not all do).  This *shouldn't* cause any issues with streaming services, but make sure IPV6 is disabled on the NowTV device (TV) if you can, as the double NAT can bugger up 6to4 tunnels.

[Migalot]

Ah, right, so a couple of things....


...the BT Hub needs to be removed if its still plugged in.  You should be using your new ISP's router.  If both routers are plugged in, you might be getting DHCP from wrong device.

Your new ISP is probably using CGNAT (convention is your router's WAN IP is 100.x.x.x, but not all do).  This *shouldn't* cause any issues with streaming services, but make sure IPV6 is disabled on the NowTV device (TV) if you can, as the double NAT can bugger up 6to4 tunnels.

Have a new router (Icotera) that Open Infra provided.

Anyway, turned off the router for 30 minutes as instructed (same with the new black Nokia box that came with it), flushed the DNS, tried NOW and all is working fine! 

Thanks to all for the advice and suggestions!

Case closed.