VPN for Streaming
How to Watch Hulu Outside the US
Fix Hulu Proxy Error and find the Best VPN for Hulu
Summary – Hulu, one of the most popular TV streaming platforms in the world, has gained an increased surge in popularity after releasing the hit futuristic-drama show HandMaid’s Tale in April 2017.
Ever since people all around the world are seeking to watch Hulu’s signature TV shows.
The only problem is that Hulu is restricted to the US and Japan only.
If you try to watch Hulu from outside the US you would simply be blocked.
The only way around this Geo-restriction is by using a VPN for Hulu.
My recommendation for the best VPN for Hulu is: ExpressVPN
Is Hulu available in my country?
Many people who live in Europe, Asia or even Americans who plan to go abroad are trying to figure out how to watch Hulu outside the US.
Unless you actually reside in the US or in Japan, however, you simply cannot access Hulu.
Hulu, much like any other legal streaming platform is restricting Counties with whom they don’t have commercial agreements with.
Basically, if Hulu cannot charge for royalties, or ensure they don’t facilitate copyright law violations, they will not allow people to use their platform.
Hulu has yet to have signed commercial agreements with any Country except Japan.
If you try to watch Hulu in Italy, for example, you would see the following error message:
When you connect to Hulu, the platform ‘pings’ your server and retrieves your IP address.
Your IP address is your online fingerprint, which among other things contains your physical location.
This is how Hulu can identify where you are trying to access it from and therefore whether you have permission to enter or not.
How to watch Hulu in Europe and Asia
In both European and Asian Countries (Japan excluded) there is a growing demand for Hulu.
The reason I will specifically discuss solutions for European and Asian Countries is that this is where the demand for Hulu is highest.
The map below shows the Countries where most people are looking for solutions to watch Hulu.
You can obviously disregard the US (being #1 in searches related to Hulu)
If you are looking to watch Hulu in Canada, Australia, South-Africa, France Italy, Spain, Germany, Philippines, Belgium, Indonesia, or India you would need a VPN for Hulu.
How does a VPN for Hulu Work?
As I mentioned earlier, the way Hulu blocks unauthorized users is by targetting their IP address.
Your IP address contains, among other things, your location.
A VPN will spoof your location by assigning you with a different IP and will fool Hulu to think you are from the US when in fact you could be in any other Country in the world.
What actually happens when you connect through a VPN is you go through a ‘tunnel’ which reroutes your server to a server in a different Geo-location.
In addition, VPN’s are using security protocols which encrypt your connection and keeping your safe and anonymous.
After you are connected through a VPN, you become untraceable.
Not even your ISP (Internet Service Provider) can know which websites you are in and where you are actually from.
You simply disappear from the internet’s radar.
This obviously has some more perks than just unblocking Hulu.
With a VPN you also get:
- Improved online security and privacy
- Access to blocked sites with Geo-restrictions
- Ability to safely download torrents.
How to set-up a VPN for Hulu
The best and easiest way to unblock Hulu outside the US is by using a VPN.
- Get a VPN for Hulu – See my recommendations to make sure you get the right VPN.
- Connect to a server located in the US or in Japan – If you are in Europe you should connect to a US server and if you are from Asia connect to a server in Japan. The physical proximity of the server you connect through would affect your browsing speed.
- Connect to Hulu and start watching —
Now, that your Hulu VPN is activated and the US server is connected you should be able to watch Hulu from anywhere in the world.
I put an emphasis on the word should because there are 2 reasons why that might not work.
VPN for Hulu not working – Here’s what to do
#1 The VPN you use does not support unblocking Hulu – Not all VPNs are able to unblock Hulu. See my recommendations for the best VPNs for Hulu to make sure you get a VPN that’s best for your needs and also guaranteed to unblock Hulu’s Geo-restrictions.
#2 Hulu identifies you as a VPN user – Yes, fooling Hulu is not that easy. Hulu has been investing a lot of efforts towards preventing VPN users from unblocking their service. In some cases, you might be able to connect to your Hulu VPN and get immediate access, though in most cases you will get an error:
The Hulu Proxy error essentially says that since they were unable to authenticate your full IP address and location they conclude that you are making it using a VPN service.
Hulu has caught up with the fact that while most VPNs mask your IPv4 they don’t mask your IPv6.
By reading your IPv6 address they can detect your origin location and detect VPN traffic.
What are IPv4 and IPv6 and what is the difference between them?
- IPv4 (Internet Protocol Version 4) is a 32-bit numeric manifestation of your location which most of us still recognize as our IP address. For example 72.229.28.185
- IPv6 is a 128-bit is a hexadecimal manifestation of your location which looks something like this: 2001:0db8:85a3:0000:0000:8a2e:0370:7334
Sorry for the technicalities, but I felt it was necessary to explain as you will need to disable your IPv6 if you get this error in order to unblock Hulu.
How to disable IPv6 (Windows 10)
- Now that you have disabled your IPv6 you need to restart your computer
- Reconnect to your VPN through a US server
- Watch Hulu
What to look for in a VPN for Hulu
When you are looking for a VPN for Hulu, you ought to be looking for 3 main features:
#1 Ability to unblock Hulu from anywhere – Not all VPNs are able to unblock Hulu and override its Geo-restrictions. For starters, you must have the ability to connect to a US or Japanese server.
While US servers are a standard for premium VPNs a server in Japan is harder to come by and it is preferable you connect to a Japanese server if your actual location is closer to Japan than to the US.
For maximizing the speed potential of your VPN connection you should connect to a server that’s closest to you.
#2 High download speed (measured in Mbps. ) for good streaming – No one likes to have to wait for a video to start, not more than 20-30 seconds.
If you want to watch Hulu from outside the US through a VPN, your connection speed would be compromised for sure.
That does not necessarily mean you wouldn’t be able to enjoy your streaming experience.
The VPNs I recommend would still be able to hold a high download speed, but not all VPNs would be able to deliver on that.
#3 Unlimited bandwidth – Most premium VPNs today provide unlimited bandwidth.
Streaming is a heavy task for your bandwidth, and you don’t want it to end in the middle of your favorite show.
A free VPN for Hulu wouldn’t work, as they all have bandwidth limitations.
Best VPNs for Hulu
Here are the best VPNs for Hulu that’ll not only enable access to the platform from anywhere in the world but will also enable a positive streaming experience.
#1 ExpressVPN – Best VPN for Hulu
ExpressVPN is probably the perfect VPN for Hulu.
It is one of the fastest VPNs on the market, offering a large pool of countries and servers to connect to including US and Japan.
Of course, it is able to unblock Hulu.
Highlights
- 85 Mbps. download speed
- Unlimited Bandwidth
- Ability to connect to 3 devices simultaneously
Pricing:
Get ExpressVPN for Hulu – 30 days money back guarantee
#2 Cyberghost – Watch Hulu in 7 devices
Cyberghost exceeds almost any other VPN service when it comes to speed.
In addition to that, Cyberghost supports Hulu and has servers both in the US and in Japan.
Highlights:
- 88 Mbps. download speed
- Unlimited Bandwidth
- Connect up to 7 devices at the same time
Pricing:
Get Cyberghost for Hulu – 30-day money back guarantee
#3 NordVPN – Huge amount of servers and Geo-locations
NordVPN is probably the most robust VPN service when it comes to the number of servers in different countries they offer.
As I am writing this, they have 4331 servers in 62 countries – but this number increases on a weekly basis so it is hard to follow exactly.
Highlights
- 46.5 Mbps. download speed
- Unlimited Bandwidth
- Connect 3 devices at the same time
Pricing:
Get NordVPN for Hulu – 30-day money back guarantee
Bottom Line
People all around the world are eager to watch Hulu, but unfortunately, it is available only in the US and Japan.
If you want to watch Hulu in Europe, Asia, Canada or Australia you would need a VPN.
Only using a Hulu VPN you would be able to override its Geo-restrictions from outside the US.
You might also be required for some more advanced configurations and disable your IPv6, because Hulu is getting more sophisticated and is starting to recognize VPN traffic and block it as well.
If you read my guidelines and choose one of the VPNs I recommend, you would be able to watch Hulu quickly and easily from anywhere in the world.
