11
5
I just heard from an australian guy that it is possible to watch hulu.com from Australia (which is actually restricted by country IP checks) by using certain DNS servers.
Now I was wondering, how this works, since the IP stays the same regardless of what DNS server I use!
How does that work technically, is he surfing through DNS as a proxy?
JohnnyFromBF
Posted 2012-05-10T08:06:21.807
Reputation: 4 298
10
It sounds like the service he's using might be UnoTelly
Their FAQ has an entry for how it works, but it's not very enlightenning:
UnoTelly DirectDNS, like its name implies, utilizes properitory DirectDNS technology to give you access to blocked websites. Unlike VPN or Proxy, UnoTelly DirectDNS only shields the relevant traffic so you can access blocked websites.
VPN or Proxy is like a big-net that catches every fish in the water but sometimes it is not desirable because you might not want some of the fishes ! On the other hand, UnoTelly DirectDNS functions like a laser-guided net that only catches the relevant fish you want and let other non-essential fish pass.
More instructive is actually looking to see what their DNS returns as the address for hulu.com:
Using my regular DNS, nslookup reports that hulu.com is 24.143.196.24, which is an Akamai CDN - makes sense
Using their DNS (http://currentdns.unotelly.com reports 23.21.182.24, I get :
> server 23.21.182.24
Default server: 23.21.182.24
Address: 23.21.182.24#53
> hulu.com
Server: 23.21.182.24
Address: 23.21.182.24#53
hulu.com canonical name = www.hulu.com.
www.hulu.com canonical name = ec2-usa.unostructure.com.
So yes: you can see that when you use their DNS, hulu.com becomes a UnoTelly server, that is proxying the connection through a server that's probably stateside.
ckhan
Posted 2012-05-10T08:06:21.807
Reputation: 5 689
1
You can use my service ProxyDNS wich I created exactly because had the need to access my favorite (but otherwise blocked) websites from outside the US.
All you have to do is configure your DNS to the ip specified in http://www.proxydns.co/
This is how it works:
It's just like any other DNS, but when you go to a website that you wouldn't be allowed to access because of your location, the DNS takes care of that using a Cloud-based Proxy (a proxy is like a "tunnel" that bypasses any restrictions) in a way that you don't even notice it.
ProxyDNS works mostly like a normal DNS, not altering your normal browsing in any way, but only for those sites that are blocked for you. It all happens so transparently that you just notice the fact that there is no blocking anymore.
Being a Cloud Based Proxy has many advantages:
If you need help to configure it on Linux, Windows, Mac, Roku, Xbox, can get it here.
If you cant to contact me or request a new site to unblock, you can do it on the support section.
guerrerocarlos
Posted 2012-05-10T08:06:21.807
Reputation: 111
So they are proxying all these millions of terabytes of data that being streamed outside of USA? That does not sound cheap enough to make sense. – Andrew Savinykh – 2015-04-02T02:47:20.837
@zespri - They don't actually proxy the video stream - just the initial connection to the content provider (which is when the location check happens). From unotelly: " We do not proxy or intercept stream links for Netflix. You are connected directly to Netflix servers when a movie starts. " . See here for some more details: http://help.unotelly.com/support/solutions/articles/182353-heavy-buffering-in-south-africa
– Lawrence – 2015-10-12T16:32:22.967@Lawrence that means that hulu/netflix etc chose not to block it, because surely they can detect where they are streaming to. I wonder why then they block it on the UI level.... – Andrew Savinykh – 2015-10-15T03:04:25.997
It may simply be a result of a technical decision. The location detection/blocking service may be distinct from the streaming service. The hook in for when its run may only happen at the start of the stream - simply for performance reasons. – Lawrence – 2015-10-16T08:57:00.433