VPN usage

[Anonymous User]

Hi,

I am using VPN on my PC but as long as I use it I got problems with my internet connection.

My router keeps disconnecting.

Does NOW TV ban all VPN usage ?

[RoyB · Accepted solution]

@Anonymous User 

Any that it can detect, yes.

VPNs can be used to overcome geographical restrictions, and that is a NowTV no-no.

Anyone using a VPN for other reasons gets caught in the backwash as a result.

[Anonymous User]

I was told a VPN was good for additional security for online purchasing and banking so I thought I would check a couple of providers. I was frustrated when I could not access the sites and spend 2 hours looking for a fault. I think it would be helpful if you could inform your service users when they are refused access that it is now TV that is doing the blocking.

I do appreciate the straight answer I eventually found on the community forum. 

[RoyB]

Hi @Anonymous User 

We are all just customers here, like you, on this Community.

If you want to make your comment above where Now are most likely to see it, try posting it on their Twitter feed.

[ukbobboy]

Or @Anonymous User 

You could send 'em an email:

 UK Bob

[RoyB]

@ukbobboy @Anonymous User 

He could. But people can’t ‘Me Too’ an email 😛

[ukbobboy]

@RoyB 

Hey Roy

You're probably right, Me Too-ing is too hard.

UK Bob

[RoyB]

@ukbobboy 

Indeed so. But can you see the special difficulty an email presents for this? 📧

[ukbobboy]

@RoyB 

Well Roy

Yes I can, but unless @Anonymous User  tries then how is he going to find out?

UK Bob

[stevenharris]

hi there and thank you for confirming that nowtv do INDEED block vpn's, just been sat here for two days straight trying to figure out why my pc would not play anything in the player, the website would load, i could log in and see everything im subscribed to watch but when selecting i just got a black screen in the player then a message ooopps you appear to be offline, erm no i aint.  Then spent half hour in screen chat with a NOWTV rep who wanted to take remote control of my brand new 3 day old PC, hahahahahahahaha yeah right that aint happening. so i came on here read your comment and as soon as i turned off my VPN app on my PC oh look it working. suppose thats my latest idea of buying a router with VPN pre installed out the bloody window then hahaha because if i do that i presume im gonna lose access to now tv on my roku box and my tv as well.  NOWTV if you are reading this you may want to take note that some users like myself and others in this forum actually use a VPN to protect ourselves against the internets undesirables whom like to take all your info, give it to their uncle in some far out country and next thing your identity been nicked, you got 6 wives and debt collectors chasing you down from every corner of the planet.  Anyway peeps in this forum, thank you for doing such a wonderful (and may i add FREE) service for people like me. Still sitting here wondering why Barry even gets paid for his job 🙂

[RoyB]

@stevenharris 

Now don’t allow access over VPNs because they don’t know where the requests are coming from, geographically, and the deals they have with content providers, and even the deals Sky have with streaming providers they licence their own programming to, require that georestrictions be in force,

So you have to be coming in from a UK IP address, and not one used as an outlet by a VPN provider. And there are other ways of detecting VPNs…

So you have to decide if you trust Now enough to open up a non-VPN channel between them and you.

This is something that any decent VPN will let you do; whitelist (kind of) any trusted channel so it goes direct, and not over the VPN.

And it’s also essential to have this for any VPN built into a router, or there will be all sorts of websites you just can’t reach. 

So it isn’t that Now will stop you using a VPN at all; just that you need to access Now’s content from outside it.

I think you will find most legitimate content providers will do the same.

[Anonymous User]

Thanks for contacting NOW TV, you are talking to Barry. How can I help?
Barry
Hi ... I will receive my kit today and will be online on the 21st ... Question: Will I be able to contact my work through VPN?
08:37
I can guarantee anything like that, the VPN would be third party software and you would need to speak to them about it
Barry
08:39
Does NowTV Broadband block VPN? your "community" forum seems to think so. If so this is a big problem.
We don't block them we just don't offer any support for them

[RoyB]

@Anonymous User 

Barry needs some further training - chase this link and expand the question shown.

This tells you that NowTV do indeed block VPN usage on NowTV, which the question I answered above was asking about.

But this is not quite the same thing as blocking VPNs on NOW Broadband, though they do indeed do this by default.

Chase this link and expand the fifth issue, the one that mentions VPN, to see what you need to do to reach your VPN at work, when you are working remotely.

Sheesh, and Barry is getting paid, while I’m just doing this out of the goodness of my heart...🎻 🎻🎻 💓💓

[Anonymous User]

HI,

Log onto your NowTV Broadband Buddy and select custom settings and unblock "Anonymizers, Filesharing & Hacking" or turn off the buddy and your VPN should work.

[KingUSA]

hi it wont let me into my broadband buddy settings it just goes straight to parental pin for my tv im not happy with them as surely you should have to request a broadband buddy not get one forced on you. They closed so cant even ring them can you help me

[gavs82008]

@KingUSA 

This link should point you in the right direction.

https://help.nowtv.com/article/set-up-and-manage-broadband-buddy