VPN Director solves Netflix “password sharing”

[treeskygrass]

Using VPN Director between homes seems like a great way to have Netflix, YouTube TV, and all that other streaming services all use the same IP to get around “cracking down” on password sharing. I was able to select just the Roku devices which is great, all other traffic goes out locally.

My question is, is there any point in using OpenVPN compression? I'm ONLY doing streaming video over UDP. Would it make sense to turn off encryption on OpenVPN as it’s really unnecessary for streaming video (passwords are already over ssl) where performance is the priority.

 

[heysoundude]

Here's another possible tack to take:

Wireguard - Standalone wg-quick alternative (no Entware/USB Drive required)

WG-TOOL.SH Wg-tool.sh is a wg-quick (8) replacement tool for Asus-Merlin firmware based routers that support the Wireguard user space tool. The script does not require Entware to be installed or a USB drive to be used. I built this script - in part - as over the last couple of years I have...

www.snbforums.com

 

[treeskygrass]

Here's another possible tack to take:

Wireguard - Standalone wg-quick alternative (no Entware/USB Drive required)

WG-TOOL.SH Wg-tool.sh is a wg-quick (8) replacement tool for Asus-Merlin firmware based routers that support the Wireguard user space tool. The script does not require Entware to be installed or a USB drive to be used. I built this script - in part - as over the last couple of years I have...

www.snbforums.com

I’m told the RT-AC68 doesn’t currently support Wireguard.

 

[drinkingbird]

I’m told the RT-AC68 doesn’t currently support Wireguard.

Probably never will.

You can disable anything you want in openvpn since you're just using it to route between two trusted locations and aren't looking for the privacy/encryption aspect.

Make sure you have no leaks though, as even a brief period where the Roku goes direct could get it locked down, restricted, or totally blacklisted. There are various reports of weirdness happening in different regions and countries as they toy with how to prevent these workarounds.

One way is to block the Roku from even getting an IP from your home network so it can't communicate at all unless it is via the VPN. There are various add-ons to do similar too, i.e Killswitch etc.

 

[treeskygrass]

Make sure you have no leaks though, as even a brief period where the Roku goes direct could get it locked down, restricted, or totally blacklisted. There are various reports of weirdness happening in different regions and countries as they toy with how to prevent these workarounds.

That’s not how it works. It’s not like a torrent, a leak is fine, you’re ALLOWED to use to account anywhere you like. It’s simultaneous use from different IP’s they’re looking for.

 

[drinkingbird]

That’s not how it works. It’s not like a torrent, a leak is fine, you’re ALLOWED to use to account anywhere you like. It’s simultaneous use from different IP’s they’re looking for.

That is exactly how it works with the new password sharing limitations. If they see logins from two different IPs within a certain time, they log you out and disconnect you, and in some regions are even banning people. That's the entire point of using the VPN, otherwise why did you even start this discussion?

That short leak is all they need to detect abuse.

 

[treeskygrass]

That is exactly how it works with the new password sharing limitations. If they see logins from two different IPs within a certain time, they log you out and disconnect you, and in some regions are even banning people. That's the entire point of using the VPN, otherwise why did you even start this discussion?

That short leak is all they need to detect abuse.

You literally have it backwards, it’s ok to “leak” and use your account anywhere you want, as long as you log back into the “primary” household location (IP). That’s the whole point.

Social media discovers way to get around Netflix's password crackdown

A popular VPN app offers a service that non-paying customers can use to trick Netflix into thinking they are logging in from the same home as the main account holder.

www.dailymail.co.uk

 

[drinkingbird]

You literally have it backwards, it’s ok to “leak” and use your account anywhere you want, as long as you log back into the “primary” household location (IP). That’s the whole point.

Social media discovers way to get around Netflix's password crackdown

A popular VPN app offers a service that non-paying customers can use to trick Netflix into thinking they are logging in from the same home as the main account holder.

www.dailymail.co.uk

Unless you leak while someone is also watching from the main household. But no skin off my back if your Roku gets blacklisted, was just giving a tip to be careful.

 

[treeskygrass]

Unless you leak while someone is also watching from the main household. But no skin off my back if your Roku gets blacklisted, was just giving a tip to be careful.

No, that wouldn’t matter. You can use anywhere. They’ve made that clear, at least to everyone else.

 

[drinkingbird]

No, that wouldn’t matter. You can use anywhere. They’ve made that clear, at least to everyone else.

Then why the need to set up a VPN if you can use it simultaneously from multiple IPs (hint, because you can't).

 

[DAVID LONG]

Not at the same time, is the key.

If you are leaking, then they can tell 2 or more are using at the same time.

 

[doczenith1]

I'm with @treeskygrass on this one. You are allowed to use multiple devices simultaneously (with the right plan) so that is a non-issue. You are also allowed to use your device wherever you want but need to "check in" every so often at "home".

Unless you leak while someone is also watching from the main household

This could just be your kid watching on their phone and deciding to head to the back yard and out of wifi range thus dropping to cellular (the leak) and then coming back inside and connecting back through the wifi. Nothing wrong with that.

 

[drinkingbird]

I'm with @treeskygrass on this one. You are allowed to use multiple devices simultaneously (with the right plan) so that is a non-issue. You are also allowed to use your device wherever you want but need to "check in" every so often at "home".



This could just be your kid watching on their phone and deciding to head to the back yard and out of wifi range thus dropping to cellular (the leak) and then coming back inside and connecting back through the wifi. Nothing wrong with that.

In Netflix's eyes there is, especially if the IP is not cellular and is in a totally different place according to geo IP.

This is the whole point of the VPN workaround. And they're only going to make it worse.

 

[Thirteen]

I'm with @treeskygrass on this one. You are allowed to use multiple devices simultaneously (with the right plan) so that is a non-issue. You are also allowed to use your device wherever you want but need to "check in" every so often at "home".

This isn't multiple devices simultaneously though. It's a single device connecting from two different locations within a matter of seconds. I think they'll get wise to that.

 

[doczenith1]

This isn't multiple devices simultaneously though. It's a single device connecting from two different locations within a matter of seconds. I think they'll get wise to that.

I agree with this point. It will come down to how much effort Netflix wants to put into policing their new rules.

 

[sfx2000]

I agree with this point. It will come down to how much effort Netflix wants to put into policing their new rules.

Netflix is a bit of a moving target with how they implementing, and more importantly, enforcing the rules for sharing...

Last thing they want to do is annoy customers that travel - e.g. folks at home are watching, and someone on the road for business/vacation wants to watch...

 

[drinkingbird]

Netflix is a bit of a moving target with how they implementing, and more importantly, enforcing the rules for sharing...

Last thing they want to do is annoy customers that travel - e.g. folks at home are watching, and someone on the road for business/vacation wants to watch...

They've been piloting different "strictness" in different regions.

They are not stopping anyone from travelling, but you'll get logged out of your home stuff when you log in from a different IP (at least in some regions). In some cases, if they detect certain patterns, you can end up getting locked out.

They've essentially implied in some things I've read that you are welcome to travel, but when you do, you better bring your whole household with you In other words, they can't use it while you're on the road.

Some regions so far they're being far less strict. You can't simultaneously stream from two different IPs, but neither IP gets logged out, just a message that a stream is already in progress. Honestly I think that is the most reasonable approach but that does still allow a certain amount of sharing, not everyone is watching all day every day and they don't want you splitting the time up between multiple people.

I suspect they're already working on ways to address the VPN workaround. Or who knows, maybe it is a small enough percentage of users who are able to do that and they aren't that concerned.... but regardless you definitely don't want your hardware/app ID associated with two different IPs in two different regions within seconds of each other.

Guess it depends how much they want to balance revenue impact with pissing people off.

 

[FernandoF]

Is there any information regarding a local Dual WAN scenario (say, IP-1 and IP-2), where some devices access Netflix via IP-1 and others via IP-2, both available at the same physical location?

 

[drinkingbird]

Is there any information regarding a local Dual WAN scenario (say, IP-1 and IP-2), where some devices access Netflix via IP-1 and others via IP-2, both available at the same physical location?

That's what VPN director (or VPN rules) is for. You can set it up so that a device gets an IP from the remote site router (the site that is "supposed" to be watching netflix) and routes everything via the VPN, or you can set it up so it gets a local IP and routes netflix only via the VPN, at which point it gets NAT'd to the remote site's internet IP before going to Netflix. Everything else stays local and uses the local NAT to hit the internet directly.

The safer/easier one is to just say that device always uses VPN for everything, less chance of stuff leaking, but if the device isn't dedicated to that, that could cause latency and throughput bottlenecks for non-netflix traffic.