If you’ve been streaming AT&T TV with a VPN you may have started running into problems where the service no longer works.
This can be frustrating, especially if you have subscriptions to both AT&T TV and a VPN provider.
Don’t panic, in this article, I’m going to show you a simple fix to this problem that will allow you to watch AT&T TV anywhere in the world.
See also:
- Peacock not working with VPN? How to fix!
- Hulu not working with VPN? Here’s how to fix that!
- ESPN+ not working with VPN? Here’s how to fix that!
AT&T TV not working with VPN: Quick Fix
There are three steps you can take to try and get your VPN working with AT&T again. If one doesn’t work, move onto the next one and see if it resolves the problem.
If you want to find out why AT&T TV has stopped working with your VPN, and how you can prevent it from happening again, read the full article below where I go into more detail
Total Time: 5 minutes
-
Delete cookies
When you connect to certain websites, they ask you to accept cookies. These cookies aren’t malicious and are actually designed to streamline your online experience however they do retain information about your current location.
It’s important to delete these cookies so you know for sure that AT&T TV isn’t using them to figure out where you’re connecting to the internet from. And subsequently blocking your VPN because you’re outside of the US
-
Connect to a different US server
The reason AT&T TV is no longer working with your VPN is because AT&T TV has identified your IP address has been provided by your VPN and has blacklisted it.
If you change to a different US server you will be provided with a different IP address. This IP may not have been blacklisted by AT&T TV and the service will work for you again.
-
Upgrade to a better VPN
If the first two steps didn’t work, AT&T TV has managed to block all of the IP addresses your VPN can provide.
To fix this you need to upgrade to a better VPN. I recommend using a high-end streaming VPN such as ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) as it has the best setup for unblocking major streaming services like AT&T TV.
ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) has numerous servers and IP addresses for you to use, and it plays a game of Cat and Mouse with major streaming services, where they replace any blacklisted IP addresses with fresh, undetected IPs – therefore allowing users to stay one step ahead of streaming sites’ blacklisting techniques.
There is also a 30-day money-back guarantee with ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) and it has an excellent support network so that you can be comfortable upgrading to their service.
Why does AT&T block VPNs?
AT&T TV blocks VPNs because of international broadcast rights and licensing.
AT&T TV only has the rights to broadcast its content in the US, it doesn’t have international broadcasting rights. These rights are expensive and AT&T protects its investment by blocking users from outside the US from accessing its content.
To do this, AT&T uses geo-restricting technology which prevents anyone from outside the US from accessing its content.
How does AT&T TV block VPNs?
Although your VPN may have only just stopped working with AT&T TV, streaming services blocking VPNs isn’t new. Other streaming services like Hulu, Amazon, Netflix, Disney+ and HBO Max have been doing this for a long time.
Streaming services block VPNs using three main techniques.
- The most common way streaming services block VPNs is by monitoring for an abnormal (more than your average household) amount of connections coming from the same IP address. VPNs have more customers than IP addresses and this results in IPs being shared between users. When AT&T TV sees hundreds or thousands of connections coming from the same IP address, it knows this is an IP provided by a VPN and it blocks it.
- AT&T TV monitors for IP, DNS and WebRTC leaks that can tip the service off that you’re using a VPN.
- AT&T TV teams up with GeoIP databases like Maxmind to identify IP addresses. If the IP address your VPN provides is on one of these databases, AT&T TV will be able to find out where in the world you’re connecting to the internet from and it will block you.
Does AT&T TV still work with VPNs?
Yes, it does. But you need a VPN that is still compatible with the streaming service. You need a VPN like ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) or Private Internet Access ($2.03/month)
Lesser VPNs won’t always work with AT&T TV because they don’t have measures in place to get around AT&T TV’s VPN blocking techniques. Higher-end VPNs like ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) or Private Internet Access ($2.03/month) do have measures in place to get around them.
When AT&T identifies an IP that has been provided by one of these VPNs, ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) or Private Internet Access ($2.03/month) will close that IP and open a new one. This cat and mouse game allows you to stay one step ahead of AT&T’s blocking techniques and it allows you to watch AT&T from anywhere in the world reliably.
How to fix AT&T TV not working with your VPN
To get AT&T TV working with a VPN you need to upgrade to a better VPN.
I recommend ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) or Private Internet Access ($2.03/month). Both of these VPNs are compatible with AT&T TV, they have fast US-based servers and they allow to stay one step ahead of AT&T’s VPN blocking techniques to ensure you can stream the service reliably and won’t run into this issue again.
Below is a list of VPNs that are compatible with AT&T TV. All of them play that game of cat and mouse with the service and all of them will work reliably with AT&T TV
The best VPNs for streaming AT&T TV
1. ExpressVPN 🥇
Why You Should Use ExpressVPN? It’s the fastest and MOST reliable VPN of 2023
Pros
- ✅ Fast servers
- ✅ Thousands of IP addresses
- ✅ 10-simultaneous connections
- ✅ 24/7 Live Chat
- ✅ Easy-to-use app
- ✅ 30-day money-back guarantee
Cons
- ❌ Expensive
Special Offer for you!
Get 3 extra months free when you sign up for a 12-month ExpressVPN plan. That’s 15 months in total for the price of 12.
Number of servers: 3,000+ | Speed: >80% | Bandwidth: Unlimited | IP locations: 160 in 94 countries | Devices supported: 5 | Live chat: Yes | 30-day money-back guarantee: Yes
- $6.66/month for 15 months
- $9.99/month for 6 months
- $12.95/month for 1 month
ExpressVPN ($6.66/month) is still the best VPN. And importantly, it ALWAYS has servers that are open with major streaming sites such as Netflix, BBC iPlayer, Hulu, Disney+, HBO Max, Paramount+, Amazon Prime Video, etc.
ExpressVPN is usually very good at playing Cat and Mouse with online streaming sites. Meaning, whenever one of its servers is blacklisted it creates a new one – giving its users a constant stream of servers that aren’t blocked. Needless to say, this is a valuable attribute if you’re looking for a VPN to unblock streaming sites.
Its app is easy-to-use and free to download on pretty much any device you can think of. Mac, Windows, iOS, Android, FireStick, Android TV, Roku, PS4, Xbox, Linux, even Apple TV (with a workaround). It’s got it all covered.
The app is another main reason this VPN is so good at unblocking TV streaming sites (that claim they block VPNs) is that its software takes a pragmatic approach to user management. While other VPNs tempt customers by promising them access to hundreds/thousands of servers in multiple countries, ExpressVPN does things differently.
With ExpressVPN you only have a handful of server locations to choose from. Once you select your location the app takes care of the rest. Assigning you to the fastest available server that’s not oversubscribed. This simple technique is so important, as it keeps ExpressVPN’s servers operating at lightning-fast speeds and prevents its IPs from getting blacklisted for “abnormal” usage in the first place.
Check out our full ExpressVPN review.
Special Offer for you
(30-day money-back guarantee)
2. NordVPN 🥈
A very quick and trustworthy VPN
Pros
- ✅ Fast servers
- ✅ No logs
- ✅ Thousands of IP addresses
- ✅ 6-simultaneous connections
- ✅ 30-day money-back guarantee
- ✅ Easy-to-use app
Cons
- ❌ No refunds for purchases from iTunes/App store
Special Offer for you!
Sign up for a 3-year plan with Private Internet Access and save 83% + 3 months free. That works out at $2.03/month.
Number of servers: 5,000+ | Speeds: >80% | Bandwidth: Unlimited | IP locations: 62 countries | Devices supported: 6 | Live chat: Yes | 30-day money-back guarantee: Yes
- $3.49/month for 2 years
- $6.99/month for 1 year
- $11.95/month for 1 month
NordVPN is the most widely-used VPN in the world. And it’s easy to see why. It’s a polished app that delivers fast connections (more on this later) to a massive network of VPN servers.
It’s the most reliable at unblocking popular streaming services too – US Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, BBC iPlayer, HBO Max, Amazon Prime Video, etc. This is because NordVPN hired a full-time technical team (that’s responsible for monitoring its servers’ connections with popular TV streaming services) and has been aggressively investing in its network of IP addresses in key locations.
Another interesting thing to note is that NordVPN is an industry leader in its development of Nordlynx technology. Nordlynx is built using the WireGuard, a new VPN tunneling protocol designed to outperform current standards (OpenVPN and IPSec). The benefits, according to NordVPN, are dramatically faster transfer speeds while connected to a VPN. My tests – New Zealand to London – confirm that Nordlynx is currently the fastest VPN on the market. However, the difference isn’t dramatic, a few Mbps is all.
Read our NordVPN review.
SPECIAL OFFER – SAVE 70%!
(30-day money-back guarantee)
3. Private Internet Access
The BEST low-cost VPN for streaming!
Pros
- ✅ Fast and reliable servers
- ✅ Thousands of IP addresses
- ✅ 10-simultaneous connections
- ✅ 24/7 Live Chat
- ✅ 30-day money-back guarantee
Cons
- ❌ Only 48 server locations
Special Offer for you!
Sign up for a 3-year plan with Private Internet Access and save 83% + 3 months free. That works out at $2.03/month.
Number of servers: 25,000+ | Speed: >75% | Bandwidth: Unlimited | IP locations: 70 in 74 countries | Devices supported: 10 | Live chat: Yes | 30-day money-back guarantee: Yes
- $2.03/month for 3 years
- $7.50/month for 6 months
- $11.99/month for 1 month
Private Internet Access is one of the leading no-log VPN services with over 1-million paying customers.
This VPN is one of the best in the industry at beating streaming sites’ VPN bans. It provides reliable connections with US Netflix, BBC iPlayer, Hulu, HBO Max, Disney+ Amazon Prime Video, etc. It also allows 10 simultaneous devices to be connected to its servers at the same time, so you can share the account with your close friends.
If – for whatever reason – you’re not happy with Private Internet Access, there’s a 24/7 live chat support available to assist you with your problem. PIA also offers the industry-standard 30-day money-back guarantee.
From my tests (from New Zealand) I was able to get download speeds of 70 Mbps while connected to a UK server using the Private Internet Access VPN (my non-VPN speed is 100 Mbps).
Special Offer – Save 83%
(30-day money-back guarantee)
4. Ivacy
A very quick and trustworthy VPN
Pros
- ✅ Fast servers
- ✅ Thousands of IP addresses
- ✅ Dedicated streaming servers
- ✅ 5-simultaneous connections
- ✅ 30-day money-back guarantee
- ✅ 24/7 Live Chat
Cons
- ❌ Only 5 devices
- ❌ Sometimes runs slow
- ❌ Occasionally block by streaming sites for several days
Special Offer for you!
Sign up for Ivacy and enjoy a 7-day trial with no strings attached
Number of servers: 1,000+ | Speed: >65% | Bandwidth: Unlimited | IP locations: 275 in 100 countries | Devices supported: 5 | Live chat: Yes | 30-day money-back guarantee: Yes
- $1.16/month for 5 years
- $3.50/month for 1 year
- $9.99/month for 1 month
If you’re looking for an excellent VPN, with an even better price tag, Ivacy ($1.16/month) is a great option.
This VPN has all the features you need to stream BBC iPlayer, in HD, from any country in the world. I’ve been testing the app recently on Mac, PC, Android, iOS and FireStick and the results have been impressive – unlocking BBC iPlayer, US Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, HBO Max, Amazon Prime Video, etc. with ease.
The Ivacy app is a little different in regards to its UX (user experience). Instead of just selecting a UK server, you need to select the specific BBC iPlayer server. Don’t worry, this isn’t a bad thing – by connecting to a dedicated BBC iPlayer server, it simply means that you’re connecting to an IP address that Ivacy knows works with BBC iPlayer.
For an extra $1.99/month (£1.74) you can add-on a dedicated IP. This will buy you sole access to an IP address in a country of your choice, meaning you won’t have to share your IP (and speeds) with any other use. I don’t recommend this though, using the regular Ivacy servers is enough 95 per cent of the time.
Special Offer – 7-day FREE trial!
(30-day money-back guarantee)
5. CyberGhost
A very quick and trustworthy VPN
Pros
- ✅ 1-day free trial
- ✅ Reliable servers
- ✅ Thousands of IP addresses
- ✅ 7-simultaneous connections
- ✅ 30-day money-back guarantee
- ✅ Easy-to-use app
Cons
- ❌ Expensive
- ❌ Average speed scores
SPECIAL OFFER – 1-DAY FREE TRIAL
Take advantage of CyberGhost’s 1-day FREE TRIAL!
Number of servers: 1,000+ | Speed: >65% | Bandwidth: Unlimited | IP locations: 275 in 100 countries | Devices supported: 5 | Live chat: Yes | 30-day money-back guarantee: Yes
- $2.75/month for 3 years
- $3.69/month for 2 years
- $5.99/month for 1 year
- $12.99/month for 1 month
CyberGhost is one of the more established VPNs on the market. It has a well-established, and well-tested global network of servers that perform well.
From my tests over the past several months, CyberGhost has no trouble at unblocking major streaming services – US Netflix, BBC iPlayer, Hulu, Disney+, Amazon Prime Video, HBO Max etc. This VPN performed well at maintaining download speeds, well above 65 per cent of my regular (non VPN) ISP speed.
That said, there’s nothing really unique about the service. Which forces you to look at its price-point. And there’s nothing special here. Its short-term $12.99/month price tag puts is well above the industry average of $10.10/month. Similarly, its long-term $2.75/month for 3 years deal isn’t much of a “deal” either.
Oddly, CyberGhost’s most unique feature is its a 1-day, no obligations, free trial. This is an appealing offer to customers who are new to VPNs. However, it’s important to remember that most reputable VPNs will offer customers a 30-day money-back guarantee, so try not to be too seduced by the offer.
SPECIAL OFFER – 1-DAY FREE TRIAL
(30-day money-back guarantee)
Is watching AT&T TV with a VPN legal?
Watching AT&T TV with a VPN is perfectly legal. The only risk that arises when watching AT&T TV with a VPN is it may go against AT&T TV’s terms of service.
When you sign up for AT&T TV you automatically agree to the streaming services’ terms and conditions. This is a contractual agreement that outlines the conditions and rights you have when using AT&T TV.
This means using a VPN to stream AT&T TV goes against the terms and conditions, meaning AT&T TV is within its rights to block or ban your account for doing so.
This means in theory, if you’re trying to watch AT&T TV in a region where it does not traditionally operate, you risk having your account banned. However, as the best VPNs use military-grade encryption, it’s impossible for streaming services to trace where you’re physically accessing its content from.
Also, given the wide-spread use of VPNs, plus the many legitimate and legal use cases for VPNs, it’s fair to suggest that banning customers for using a VPN would be an extremely costly policy for AT&T TV to enforce. And AT&T TV has never banned anyone for using a VPN to access its service.
It also pays to remember that although watching AT&T TV with a VPN is legal, if you’re in a location where VPNs are prohibited (China, Russia, Iran, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, North Korea, Iraq, Belarus, Turkmenistan, Egypt, Eritrea, Seychelles, Suriname, Namibia, Slovenia, Nicaragua and Tajikistan) it is illegal.
For more information you can check out our article answering Is streaming with a VPN legal?
