A VPN for Watching the BBC iPlayer in Ireland

So what’s the best VPN for watching BBC iPlayer in Ireland?  Well in my opinion there’s a few key points which you should consider before investing in any VPN for this purpose.  Here’s a summary of the essential requirements –

• UK Servers – without VPN servers based in the United Kingdom you’re not going to gain access to BBC iPlayer from Ireland or anywhere else.
• Fast Network Infrastructure – overloaded or slow servers based in the UK may give you access but the experience will be awful.  Trying to stream video over a slow connection is very difficult, the video will stall and buffer making it unwatchable.  You can use the BBC downloader and watch it offline though.
• Connection Software – most VPNs are accessed through client software this makes it easier to set up on different devices.  Make sure the VPN you choose supports the devices you need.
• Cost – getting a fast, secure VPN service doesn’t need to cost a fortune but it won’t be free.  Carefully balance out the experience with the cost, with the very cheapest services servers are often overloaded to maintain a profit margin.
• Works with BBC iPlayer and Other UK TV stations – it used to be that any VPN service with UK servers would give you access to the BBC iPlayer.  However that is definitely not the case now.  Many services have had their IP addresses blocked or filtered and no longer work with the BBC.  It’s important to check this before paying for any long term contract, at least ensure there’s a money back guarantee before you subscribe.

Unfortunately many of the popular and well known VPN services can be extremely unreliable when connecting to any of the UK television stations including the BBC.  The problem is that most sites now check the number of connections using the same IP address at the same time.   If there are a large number of concurrent connections using the same IP address then it’s highly likely that a VPN or proxy is being used.   This means it’s easy to spot these and what’s more very simple to block. In fact most media companies across the world are starting to do the same thing including our very own RTE from Ireland.

If the BBC detects too many connections on the same address it will temporarily block it’s access.

Many, Many VPNs no longer work reliably with the BBC for this reason ! 

I’ve Found the Best VPN for BBC iPlayer in Ireland or Anywhere in the World

It’s a bold claim but one that I’m 100% convinced is correct. I like many people have become increasingly frustrated at how unreliable these VPNs are. For about 15 years most of them have worked perfectly but this has definitely changed over the last year or so. I have many active VPN subscriptions which I’ve tested over the years (most are cheapest with long subscriptions) and most of them are pretty hopeless. Often it takes many tries to find a server that works, and you’ll often get disconnected half way through.  Some simply don’t work at all, most of their servers are blocked almost permanently.

The problem is as mentioned, the BBC like many other media companies have focussed on concurrent connections to block the use of these VPNs.  It makes sense for them, the method is extremely cheap, easy to block, produces few false positives and can even be automated through network rules and firewalls.   A simple rule that if more than a specific number of connections from the same address occur then that address is blocked for a period of time.  Some large VPNs will have tens of thousands of people using their UK servers to watch the BBC and other channels.  The number doesn’t have to be that low to block the major VPNs services.

The Problem is Simple – We are All using Shared IP Addresses

Thousands of us, and the cheaper the VPN services become the more they share to cut costs and maintain their profits.  It’s hardly surprising and if you use a VPN for the security aspects then it doesn’t really matter.  However most of the people I know use the VPNs for one reason only – to access sites that they are normally blocked from because of their location.

SO the Solution is also simple – a VPN with your own British IP address for your exclusive use.

This would solve all the current issues especially with watching BBC iPlayer and the UK television channels.  All of them rely heavily on detecting concurrent connections and so having your very own unique IP address would instantly negate this issue.  However it sounded expensive, which is why I’ve never investigated that much until I stumbled upon this company and decided to test their service.  They specialise in proxies and IP addresses for marketers on Instagram, eBay but they also support streaming too.

This is the service I tested – Dedicated/Exclusive Proxies

As you can see the costs can get quite expensive, but fortunately we only need the basic plan which is currently at time of writing only $4.58 per month (just over 3 Euros).  When you select the option you can choose the location from about 10 options, we of course want to watch the BBC and ITV etc so select a UK IP address.   So the cost compares favourably with even the lowest cost VPN services you can buy.

Choose the VPN Connection Method for the BBC

Next we have to choose the connection method and this is where you’ll get a pleasant surprise.  Although the service is advertised as an exclusive UK proxy you actually can connect directly using a variety of VPN options which you can see on this screen.

There’s a selection of VPN client software available for all different operating systems and devices.  However I would suggest if you’re using it on a computer/laptop or tablet to use one of the browser extensions as they’re incredibly easy to use.   After installing the software or adding the extension to your browser then you just need to download a file with your VPN credentials (which you’ll find in the user area) and that’s it.

Here’s a picture of how I enable my VPN connection through Chrome –

That’s all there is to it – to enable the VPN connection you just turn it on and disconnect by turning it off.  When connected I have a UK IP address from my account which nobody else in the world has access to.  It works perfectly every, single time with all of the UK TV stations that I’ve tested it with – BBC iPlayer, ITV, Channel 4 , Channel 5, BT Sport and Sky Go.   Over the last few weeks it’s never failed to connect and the speed is far superior to every one of my other VPN services – although I’ve only tested the Chrome extension and the SoftEther VPN client from the selection available.

It’s also easy to cancel which is an important requirement for me, you just click the cancel button from within your dashboard area.

SO if you’ve been frustrated with intermittent access, getting kicked off during the BBC News or frantically tried to find a server that works before Match of the Day give this one a go.  I’m convinced this is going to be the only reliable, hassle free way we can watch our favorite BBC and ITV stations from abroad – when working in Dublin in my case.  You should remember though that this service won’t give you the range of IP addresses in other countries you get with the likes of NordVPN.  So if you want a US address you’ll have to order that or if you want an Irish proxy for RTE too.

Give them a try – they’re called IPBurger – remember you need the –

 Exclusive Proxies Service from IPBurger

Unfortunately although you can test their service out for a month, they charge a setup fee for short term rentals to cover their costs.  It’s actually about the same price to get the service for three months as those costs are waved.