If you’ve been using a VPN to watch BFI Player and it’s stopped working, don’t panic. There are a few methods you can try to fix this issue.
The reason your VPN has stopped working is because BFI Player has been able to identify that a VPN has provided your IP address, and it’s blocked it.
I’ll explain some methods you can try to resolve this issue, and if you read to the end of the article, I’ll explain how you can prevent BFI Player not working with your VPN in the future.
See also:
- Rakuten TV not working with VPN? Try these EASY fixes! (September 2023)
- Apple TV not working with VPN? Try these EASY fixes! (September 2023)
BFI Player not working with VPN: Fixes
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Delete Cookies
Cookies are small files that online services use to make your experience better. You may have noticed some websites or apps ask you to accept Cookies.
They aren’t malicious. However, they sometimes contain information about your location. If the location stored on this information is different from the location you’re using with your VPN, BFI Player will see this difference and know you’re using a VPN. It will then block your connection.
A good place to start when trying to fix BFI Player not working with VPN is deleting your Cookies. It’s a good idea to do this, even if you don’t remember accepting Cookies.
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Change to a different server
If your VPN is no longer working with BFI Player, try changing to a different server.
The reason you’re suddenly running into errors watching BFI Player with your VPN is because BFI Player is constantly monitoring and trying to block VPN IP addresses. In this case, the streaming service has been successful in doing so.
Changing to a different server will give you a different IP address and if this one hasn’t been blocked by BFI Player, you’ll be able to watch the streaming service again.
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Update your VPN
If your VPN has suddenly stopped working with BFI Player, you may have inadvertently downloaded an error that’s interrupting the software.
A good way to get rid of these issues is to reinstall your VPN.
This ensures you have the latest version of your VPN, including any bug-fixing updates. It also means you’ll have a fresh installation of the software, so any errors or bugs you may have picked up will be erased.
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Try a different VPN Protocol
VPN protocols are sets of rules that determine how your data is rerouted through your VPN servers.
Check and see if your VPN supports multiple protocols and change to the one you’re not using.
Your VPN might not be working because the protocol you’re using isn’t fast or secure enough to work reliably with BFI Player.
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Upgrade to a VPN that works with BFI Player
If you’ve made it this far in the list and you still haven’t fixed BFI Player not working with VPN, unfortunately all the IP addresses your VPN can provide have been blocked.
This has happened because your VPN doesn’t have measures in place to ensure it can work reliably with the streaming service.
Fortunately, there is a VPN that has these sorts of measures. ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) is an incredibly reliable VPN that works well with BFI Player.
If an IP address provide by ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) gets blocked by BFI Player, this VPN will close that IP address and open a new one.
This will ensure you can watch BFI Player reliably with a VPN and will also ensure you don’t run into the same issues you’ve come across with your current VPN.
Why is BFI Player not working with VPN?
The reason your VPN is no longer working with BFI Player is because the streaming service has managed to identify and block the IP address your VPN has given you.
Most VPNs have measures in place to stop this from happening, but if you’re running into problems watching BFI Player with your VPN, then your VPN either doesn’t have these sorts of measures or the measures it does have are no longer working.
How does BFI Player detect your VPN?
BFI Player TV is not the first streaming service to blacklist a VPN. Other streaming services such as Netflix, HBO Max, Hulu and basically all of the others have been doing it for years. They all use the same techniques to detect and block VPNs:
- Streaming services constantly monitor for IP, DNS and WebRTC leaks. This test is basic. But cheaper VPNs will fail it, meaning your connection isn’t fully secure and will be blacklisted. Good VPNs such as NordVPN, Ivacy and ExpressVPN will not fail this basic test.
- There are GeoIP databases that collect IP information and verify the IP address you are connecting from. If your VPN is using an IP address that is in one of these databases, you won’t be able to stream on BFI Player TV.
- BFI Player TV makes its own IP checks. If BFI Player TV detects a large number of connections coming from the same IP address at the same time, they will blacklist that IP address as well.
Does BFI Player still work with VPNs?
Although your VPN may have stopped working with BFI Player, other VPNs like ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) or Private Internet Access ($2.03/month) still work.
These VPNs work with BFI Player because they play a game and cat and mouse with the streaming service. Inevitably on occasion, BFI Player will identify an IP address provided by ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) or Private Internet Access ($2.03/month) however, its the way they react that makes them the best VPNs out there.
When these IP addresses are blocked, ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) or Private Internet Access ($2.03/month) will close that IP and open a new one.
This means there will always be an IP address for you to connect to, allowing you to stream BFI Player from anywhere in the world reliably.
The best VPNs for BFI Player
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.
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2. 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%
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3. 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.
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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.
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(30-day money-back guarantee)
