Note: despite the main subject of this post being the ability to set up an Xbox One to watch UKTV in Portugal, it does also cover watching UKTV, On-Demand services and Netflix on other devices (such as iPads, tablets, laptops etc) while NOT in the UK.
Please do read on if this is what you are looking for!
It’s no secret that, earlier in the year, Sky switched many of the free to air channels over to their new satellite: a satellite with a significantly smaller footprint, which resulted in the loss of a lot of mainstream UK TV channels for a lot of non-UK residents. We lost all of the BBC channels, including HD, all non-HD ITV channels (although we did lose ITV1 HD), Channel 4 and its other channels (Film 4, More 4, E4 etc although we did keep E4HD) and the Channel 5s (5USA, 5* and suchlike we had already lost, but we did lose standard definition Channel 5).
Personally, we weren’t particularly bothered because much of what we watch is on subscription Sky channels anyway, but it did prompt us to look at other ways in which we could access these channels.
Everyone in the UK with internet access (and that’s everyone, right?) has probably, at some point, used BBC iPlayer, ITV Player, 4OD or Demand 5. What you may not realise though is that these services don’t work outside the UK, so, with the loss of live TV on the BBC, ITV, 4 channels (including E4, More 4, Film 4 etc) and Channel 5, there isn’t a simple way to just “Catch up” another time. The websites know that you’re not in the UK and block streaming. Ditto if you have a device, such as an iPad, SmartTV or Game machine (Xbox, Playstation etc) many of which offer these “on demand” catch up services.
There are lots of VPN sites out there, of course, promising to open up the world of UK TV to you again, and these are great if you’re happy to watch TV on or through your laptop of PC, but they’re less useful for other means.
Tunnelbear is great if you use an iOS device. It’s not particularly expensive, but it is a little restrictive. We’ve used it though, for a while, and it works well (and is, crucially, simple to set up and use)
Our biggest gripe, and certainly something that was a challenge for us, was the lack of any sort of “fix” that we could use on our Xbox One. The Xbox One, as does its predecessor the Xbox 360, has many media apps such as 4OD, Demand 5 and Netflix, all of which are in lockdown if you happen to be outside of their broadcast zone. The Xbox One is much more than just a games machine, it’s a media centre, and we were frustrated with being unable to find a working method of using a VPN on it unless we wanted to risk paying out for a router onto which we could have a VPN installed (and hope that it worked with out Portuguese internet provider)
Image credit to http://www.techradar.com/news/gaming/consoles/first-set-of-xbox-one-tv-and-entertainment-apps-revealed-1197751
The Xbox 360 had many options available. The Xbox One less so. We spent, in fact, several months searching the web until one day I came across a post from Overplay.net claiming that their SmartDNS service worked on the Xbox One. Having hunted through their website, I couldn’t find setup instructions for it but, having read up on the service, we decided to take a chance on it.
At $4.95 a month, it was worth the punt.
And it really WAS worth the punt!
It works a treat! When you sigh up for SmartDNS, your internet IP address gets “permissions” which enable you to, by editing, adding or changing 2 DNS settings, open your media device – ANY media device in your home! – to worldwide, non-restrictive TV viewing.
Like I said, we’d found plenty of ways to do this on laptops, the Xbox 360, Apple and Android devices but, on the Xbox One, SmartDNS is definitely the way to go! It has opened up our Xbox One devices to enable us to use all the on demand services AND Netflix, and, what’s even better is that, for just $4.95 a month, we can use these settings on EVERY DEVICE IN OUR HOME!
Laptops, PCs, Xbox Ones, Xbox 360s, iPads, iPhones, Android tablets, all opened up to worldwide viewing!
AND IT’S AWESOME!
They also offer an affordable VPN service if you need something a little more (it includes SmartDNS too) substantial, but for our needs, which are just TV viewing, the SmartDNS service is just fine.
Oh, and it’s a month-by-month subscription. So if you want to try it out, you can do so for the cost of a single month’s subscription. Perfect if you aren’t sure what service you need.
Want to take your Netflix on holiday?
Don’t want to miss out on your favourite on-demand shows?
SmartDNS is ideal if you only need it for a short period of time. Take out your subscription before you go, and cancel when you get back!
Disclaimer.
All SmartDNS links are affiliate links, but I am receiving no payment or recompense for this post. I just think that the service they offer is awesome and everybody who lives (or even holidays) outside the UK should have it!
The Hand Family in Portugal 