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23-03-2020 11:16 PM
I have the Vodafone Wi-Fi Hub, the new square one with a dedicated WAN port. I have been experiencing issue's with streaming services amongst other things ever since I received the upgraded router. Such as Amazon Prime saying I'm behind a VPN & blocks me. BBC iPlayer saying service isn't available to people outside the UK, all the way to delays when loading websites at random points of the day, even on google.co.uk, in the status bar when you attempt to load the page, it says connecting for about 5-10 seconds before it actually loads. This is also problematic when trying to game online.
Anyways, after 3 months of back & forth with Vodafone that resolved nothing. I remembered something I usually check when on the devices I’m connecting to the internet with, but never thought to check the routers settings.
So, in the routers settings in expert mode, head over to internet tab, then click DNS & DDNS in the list on the left. Then on the right, change DNS configuration from automatic to manual. Then in the 2 boxes that appear, put in 8 8 8 8, One number in each box in the top box’s. Then put 8 8 4 4, one number in each of the bottom boxes. Click apply & for safe measure, restart your router by going to settings at the top, then configuration on the left. Then click restart for perform restart & then apply.
When your router restarts & re connects, you should now be using googles public DNS which is safe, secure & a miles faster from whatever the automatic settings were using issued by Vodafone.
Yes, your IP search may still show that you’re in another part of the UK, but all services limited to residents of the UK will now work without issue’s & the delay when loading websites or intermittent speeds will also be resolved.
Hope this helps!
24-03-2020 12:15 AM
It's actually your IP that is checked against a database that companies use to try to figure out (sometimes incorrectly) where you are, and not the DNS servers that you are connecting to. Doing anything that disconnects you from the network can change your WAN IP, but not always, and doing this too often can cause line management to kick in!
Currently my IP suggests I'm in Durham, which while I'm not, it's not too far away. Interestingly though the IP of the Vodafone datacentre has been suggesting it's in France for the last 4 days or so - ever since it stabilized after constant switching back and forth between Manchester and London datacentres! Tending to think this is a "repurposed" IP as the delay is far too short for it to actually be a server based in France!
24-03-2020 12:56 AM
That is partly true, however I have a satic IP with Vodafone that I've had for over a year now & since I set my DNS manually in the router, I can once again watch the streaming services without issue. If I set it to automatic, it goes back to saying I'm behind a VPN or not in the UK. So for me at least, the DNS was the problem!