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Watch Hulu from outside US without proxy or VPN

hulu-logo Stop press! A Reddit user has discovered a way to watch streaming content on Hulu from outside US without resorting to any of the typical methods users employ – proxy connection or VPN network. Rather, he has invented an indigenous method that involves an addon for Firefox and blocking of a few ports. Sounds unbelievable, right? So lets get this thing working. Ready?

Configure Modify Headers

  1. Download Modify Headers Firefox addon and install it
  2. Go to Tools > Modify headers and from the drop down menu on the left select “Add”
  3. In the first input box enter: "X-Forwarded-For" without the quotation marks
  4. In the second input box enter any US IP address.*
  5. Leave the last input box empty, and save the filter, and enable it
  6. Click the 'Configuration' tab on the right then proceed to check the 'always on' button.

modify-headers

* To get an US IP address, get the URL of any US based website and get the IP address from this tool. To check that the IP address really belongs to the US, use this tool. Alternatively, go to BlockACountry and select United States from the menu and click on GO. Now grab any IP address from the list.

Note: This method could disable flash video on other sites. It's probably best to disable the rule when not watching Hulu.

Block Ports

Windows (instructions from MarshallX)

Block tcp/udp ports Hulu uses within Microsoft Management Console. This seems like a lot of stuff but it's not too bad :P

Section A - Add an "IP Security Policies on Local Computer" snap-in to MMC

1. In Windows 7/Vista you can just click Start and type "mmc" minus quotes and hit Enter, but in XP you click Start > Run > type "mmc" minus quotes and hit enter.
2. Click File and then Add/Remove snap-in
3. Select "IP Security Policy Management" and click the Add button in the middle.
4. A wizard will pop up, leave it on "Local Computer" and click Finish.
5. Back in the Add/Remove snap-in window, click OK.

Section B - Create an IP Security Policy for Hulu

1. Back in the main MMC window, click to select "IP Security Policies on Local Computer"
2. Click Action at the top and then "Create IP Security Policy"
3. In the wizard, click Next.
4. Create a name for the policy, I chose "Hulu IP Security Policy". Click Next.
5. Requests for secure communication? Whatevs, click Next.
6. Uncheck the edit box and click Finish.

Section C - Create an IP Filter List of tcp/udp ports you wish to block.

1. Back in the main MMC window, click to select "IP Security Policies on Local Computer" again.
2. Click Action at the top and then "Manage IP Filter Lists and Filter Actions"
3. Under the "Manage IP Filter Lists" tab, click Add.
4. Give the filter a name. I chose "Hulu TCP/UDP Block".
5. Click Add. When the "Welcome to IP Filter Wizard" comes up, click Next.
6. I didn't bother with a description...click Next.
7. For the source IP address, choose "Any IP Address" and click Next.
8. For the destination IP address, choose "Any IP Address" and click Next.
9. For protocol type, choose "TCP" and click Next.
10. Choose "To this port" and enter 1935 in the box and click Next.
11. Click Finish.
12. Back in the "IP Filter List" box you should have 1 IP filter for TCP port 1935.
13. Follow steps 5 to 11 once more, substituting UDP instead of TCP.
14. Back in the "IP Filter List" box you should have 2 IP filters for TCP and UDP on port 1935.
14. Click OK.

Section D - Add an IP Filter Action so MMC knows to block the above tcp/udp ports.

1. You should now be back in the "Manage IP Filter Lists and Filter Actions" window.
2. Click the "Manage Filter Actions" tab at the top and then click the Add button.
3. Welcome to the IP Security Filter Action Wizard, click Next.
4. Give the action a name, such as "Hulu Block" and click Next.
5. On the "Filter Action General Options" screen, select "Block" and click Next and then Finish.
6. Back in the "Manage IP Filter Lists and Filter Actions" click Apply and then OK.

Section E - Create an IP Security Rule combining the IP Filter List and IP Filter Action from above.

1. Back in the main MMC window, right click the new IP Security Policy and click Properties. (e.g. Hulu IP Security Policy from Section B.)
2. On the Rules tab, click Add.
3. Welcome to the Create IP Security Rule Wizard, click Next.
4. Leave the Tunnel Endpoint on "This rule does not specify a tunnel" and click Next.
5. For Network Type, select "All Network Connections" and click Next.
6. IP Filter List? Select "Hulu TCP/UDP Block" (put a dot in the little circle :P) and click Next.
7. Filter Action? Select "Hulu Block" just like above and click Next.
8. Click Finish.

Section F - Assign the Hulu IP Security Policy and try it out!

1. Back in the main MMC window, right click the "Hulu IP Security Policy" and click "Assign"
2. After closing Firefox and opening it again, I am able to use Hulu!

Linux (instructions from got_milk4)

Third-party firmware routers (Tomato, DD-WRT, OpenWRT) can use these commands:
iptables -t nat -A PREROUTING -p tcp --dport 1935 -j DROP
iptables -t nat -A PREROUTING -p udp --dport 1935 -j DROP

Similarily, Linux users can use these commands (requires the proper kernel modules to be compiled & the iptables package installed):
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 1935 -j DROP
iptables -A INPUT -p udp --dport 1935 -j DROP

Mac OS X

sudo ipfw add 0 deny tcp from any to any 1935
sudo ipfw add 0 deny udp from any to any 1935

[via Lifehacker]

Related: Free HideIPVPN unblocks Hulu, Pandora, BBC iPlayer, Spotify and more

Comments

  1. Get yourself a free account on "ProXPN" with a US IP and that's it! It's simpler and also helps for other US IPs!

    ReplyDelete
  2. It only worked for the first ad then it says "sorry we are unable to stream this video. Please check your internet connection and try again."

    ReplyDelete
  3. Yep Hulu blocked this way of watching outside of the US.

    From what i can tell they are using the source IP reroute and have also gone the extra step of blocking known proxy links (which has blocked some real Americans from using it also).

    ReplyDelete
  4. Worked for a couple of days. Not anymore.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I got the Modify Headers Firefox add-on and tried this out a few weeks ago with Hulu - but no luck.

    But I started playing with the Modify Headers and found this resource that broke down how headers work:
    http://www.httpwatch.com/httpgallery/headers/

    So I changed the Referrer and User-Agent (Browser) and visited my website. I then checked Google Analytics and the faked headers worked. Yet one thing was strange, the X-Forwarded-For did not work, and my actual IP address was blank instead... Also, when I checked my IP with one of those online IP checkers it showed my actual IP address. So I guess the X-Forwarded-For was just a technique to fool Hulu, right?

    Regarding watching Hulu and Netflix, I didn't give up, and I ended up getting a DD-WRT compatible Wi-Fi router and company called VPN Television http://www.vpntelevision.com helped set it up for me with a VPN connection the the US. Now my whole house has a US IP address (we are located in Europe). Even though the VPN service was not free, it wasn't expensive either considering that I get Hulu Plus and Netfix with no problems now.

    Jess

    ReplyDelete
  6. I'd recommend checking out http://www.gettinghulu.com ... they don't sell anything, but tell you how to get hulu/pandora in about 30 seconds! highly recommended...

    Worked awesome for me! just my 2 cents.

    ReplyDelete
  7. great - another good VPN is VPN Authority http://www.vpnauthority.com

    ReplyDelete
  8. I use Streaming VPN ( http://www.streamingvpn.com ) and it's extremely easy to use. The customer support and pricing is unbeatable. More so you get the privilege to have top security on your account which is the most reason why I like to use. I recommend it for everyone. Thank me later.

    ReplyDelete
  9. This is what I always use and no problems so far http://howtohacklife101.blogspot.com/2012/01/how-to-change-your-ip-address.html

    ReplyDelete
  10. I always get:
    "There was an error on this page (500 error)
    Sorry - we've encountered an unexpected error. We've been notified about this issue and we'll take a look at it shortly."

    ReplyDelete
  11. No longer works :(

    Try unotelly.com instead. Not free but definitely worth the 4 bucks !!

    ReplyDelete
  12. I love watching Netflix in USA or Europe when I go there. With streaming VPN I can watch movies on demand. No more boring repeats on TV.
    watching hulu in US

    ReplyDelete

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