If you’re using a VPN to watch Foxtel Now outside Australia and it’s stopped working, Foxtel Now has managed to identify and block the IP address your VPN has given you.
This has happened because your VPN either doesn’t have measures to prevent Foxtel Now from doing this, or the measures it does have are no longer working.
The good news is there’s a number of fixes you can try to resolve this issue.
This article will explain how you can fix Foxtel Now not working with VPN.
See also:
- How to watch Foxtel Go outside Australia: The EASY way! (March 2023)
- How to watch Foxtel Now outside Australia: The EASY way! (December 2021)
Foxtel Now not working with VPN: Quick Guide
Here is a list of fixes you can try to resolve Foxtel Now not working with VPN.
Try these fixes in order, if one doesn’t work, move on to the next until you can watch Foxtel Now with a VPN again.
Delete Cookies
Some websites and apps use Cookies to streamline your online experience.
Foxtel Now is one of these services. It uses Cookies to keep you logged in, remember your preferences and more.
Cookies are small files used to make your online experience better with Foxtel Now. The problem is, on some occasions these Cookies contain information about your location.
Foxtel Now can potentially access this information to find out where you’re located. If it finds you’re outside Australia it will block your connection.
A good place to start when trying to fix Foxtel Now not working with VPN is deleting your Cookies.
Change to a different Australian server
Because VPNs are a well-known way to watch Foxtel Now outside of its broadcast zone, Australia, Foxtel Now tries to block VPNs.
Your VPN is potentially not working with Foxtel Now because the streaming service has been able to identify and block the IP address that your VPN has given you.
Foxtel Now does not have the ability to block a VPN in its entirety it can only block the IP addresses your VPN provides.
Just because it’s blocked your current IP address it doesn’t mean it has blocked all of your VPNs IP addresses.
Changing to a different Australian server will give you a different IP address and if that one hasn’t been blocked by Foxtel Now you’ll be able to watch its content with your VPN again.
Reinstall/update your VPN
If your VPN has suddenly stopped working with Foxtel Now, 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 the VPN may have released. 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.
If you don’t want to fully reinstall your VPN, make sure it’s updated to the latest version.Change to a different protocol
Check and see if your VPN supports multiple protocols. Protocols are the set of rules that define how your VPN reroutes your data via its own servers.
Not all protocols are created equal, some prioritise speed, some prioritise security and others try and achieve a mixture of both.
The reason your VPN may have stopped working with Foxtel Now could be because the protocol you’re using is no longer compatible with the streaming service
If possible, try changing to a different protocol and see if that resolves the problem.
Upgrade to a VPN that works reliably with Foxtel Now
If you’ve made it this far in the list and you haven’t resolved the problem, Foxtel Now has managed to block all the IP addresses your VPN can provide.
You can wait for your VPN to release new IP addresses that Foxtel Now hasn’t blocked, however, there’s no telling how long this will take. Also seeing as you’ve run into this problem already, it’s obvious your VPN doesn’t have measures in place to stay ahead of Foxtel Now’ blocks. And inevitably the new IPs will get blocked by Foxtel Now as well.
The best way to fix Foxtel Now not working with VPN is to upgrade to a VPN that’s still compatible with the streaming service.
ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) or Private Internet Access ($2.03/month) both work well with Foxtel Now. When Foxtel Now identifies an IP address provided by these VPNs’ ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) or Private Internet Access ($2.03/month) will close that IP address and open a new one.This will prevent you from running into the issues you’ve come across with your current VPN and it will allow you to watch Foxtel Now reliably anywhere in the world.
Why isn’t Foxtel Now working with my VPN?
Foxtel Now isn’t working with your VPN because the streaming service has managed to block the IP address your VPN has given you.
If you can’t get your VPN to work with Foxtel Now then all the IP addresses your VPN can currently provide have been blacklisted by Foxtel Now.
The best VPNs have measures in place to ensure they can get around this issue. If your VPN doesn’t work, it doesn’t have measures in place to ensure it works reliably with Fotel Now or the measures it does have are no longer working.
How does Foxtel Now block my VPN?
This is all to do with the amount of IP addresses your VPN can provide.
Foxtel Now constantly scans the IP addresses that connect to its platform. It does this for two reasons, first its looking to make sure the connection is coming from within Australia, and secondly its looking for an abnormal amount of connections coming from the same IP address.
Usually only a household of devices will connect to Foxtel Now via the same IP address. This is deemed normal usage.
Most VPNs cannot provide each customer with their own individual IP address. Lesser VPNs and especially free VPNs will force their customers to share IP addresses (unbeknownst to the customer).
This means there could be hundreds or even thousands of people using the same VPN IP address. When all these people connect to Foxtel Now via the same IP address, the streaming service deems it as abnormal, it knows it’s an IP provided by a VPN and it blocks the connection.
Over time, if your VPN doesn’t have the financial backing to release new IP addresses, all the IP addresses it has will be identified and blocked by Foxtel Now.
Why does Foxtel Now block VPNs?
Foxtel Now blocks VPNs because they allow customers to access the streaming service in locations where it doesn’t have the rights to broadcast its content.
Someone using a VPN to watch Foxtel Now outside Australia could result in the streaming service being found guilty of copyright and licensing breaches.
These sorts of breaches are often met with severe financial punishments. So to protect itself, Foxtel Now blocks VPNs from accessing its service.
Does Foxtel Now work with VPNs?
Yes, you can watch Foxtel Now with a VPN. I’ve been watching Foxtel Now in New Zealand with ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) or Private Internet Access ($2.03/month) reliably for years.
What you need to do is ensure you’re using a good enough VPN to work reliably with the streaming service.
This means you need a VPN that’s fast, that has reliable Australian servers, that’s secure and most importantly has measure in place to stay one step ahead of Foxtel Now’s VPN blocking methods.
Foxtel Now is getting good at blocking VPNs so you need one that can play a game of cat and mouse with the streaming service. If Foxtel Now blocks an IP address provided by your VPN the best VPNs will close that IP address and open a new unblocked one for you to use.
This seems simple however, it requires a substantial amount of infrastructure and financial backing. Most VPNs simply can’t do this. Fortunately, ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) or Private Internet Access ($2.03/month) can.
The best VPNs for Foxtel Now
1. ExpressVPN 🥇
Why You Should Use ExpressVPN? It’s the fastest and MOST reliable VPN of 2022
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
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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).
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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.
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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
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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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