If you’re trying to watch Neon outside of NZ, you’ll run into an error saying, “you’re not in New Zealand,” and you won’t be able to use the streaming service.
This can be frustrating, especially if you’re a paying subscriber to Neon. Fortunately, there’s a simple way to fix this error.
You need to make Neon think that you’re accessing it from inside New Zealand. And to do that, all you need is a VPN.
See also:
- How to watch Hulu in NZ: The EASY way!
- How to Watch Spark Sport abroad: Stream Spark Sport Outside NZ
- Watch Sky Sports Now outside New Zealand: The EASY method!
How to watch Neon outside NZ: Quick Guide
To make Neon think you’re watching it from inside NZ, you need an NZ-based IP address.
Follow these simple steps to get an NZ IP address and watch Neon outside NZ:
Total Time: 2 minutes
Create a new account with ExpressVPN ($6.67/month)
Download and install the new VPN app
Open your new app and connect to a server in NZ
Watch Neon anywhere in the world
Note: Before you go any further, I feel duty-bound to tell you that there’s no silver bullet for unblocking Neon outside NZ (yet). This is because the market (aka Kiwi expats) is too small for VPNs to dedicate the resources needed to constantly monitor and provide working connections. With that in mind, I recommend only signing up for a VPN on a month-by-month basis. All major VPNs offer a generous 30-day money-back guarantee that entitles you to a full refund.
Can you watch Neon outside NZ?
Officially, you can’t watch Neon outside NZ.
The reason for this is because Neon is a NZ-based streaming service exclusive to NZ-based customers
Although Neon has the rights to broadcast content within NZ, it doesn’t have the rights to broadcast its content internationally. This is why it prevents you from accessing its content when overseas.
The good news is a reliable VPN like ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) or Private Internet Access ($2.03/month) allows you to watch Neon outside NZ.
Why can’t I stream Neon outside NZ?
The reason Neon isn’t working outside NZ is because it has blocked your connection.
Neon uses geo-blocking technology to block connections connecting to the service from outside NZ. It does this because it only has the rights to broadcast its content in NZ.
Neon stops anyone outside its broadcast zone (NZ) from accessing its content to protect itself from possible licensing and copyright issues.
These geo-blocks work by scanning IP addresses that connect with Neon.
The internet needs to differentiate between different computers, routers, and websites and to do that it uses IP addresses.
To differentiate devices, IP addresses contain information about your location when you go online. Think of it as an area code for a landline phone number.
Whenever you go online, you’re allocated a unique IP address based in the country where you accessed the internet. Neon scans this IP, and if it finds you’re outside of NZ, it blocks the connection.
Is there a way to get around Neon’s geo-blocks?
Yes, and it’s pretty simple. All you need to do is use a spoof IP address based in NZ. This will make Neon think you’re accessing the service from within NZ, and the content will be unblocked.
The easiest way to do this is by using a VPN. Reliable VPNs have servers all around the world that you can connect to. When you connect to a VPN server, you’re not only given an anonymous internet connection. They’ll also provide an IP address from the country where the server is based.
VPNs work by encrypting all of your online data and rerouting it through one of their servers, which you can choose. This initial step makes it impossible to identify your location when going online. Once the data reaches the VPN server, it’s decrypted and sent to a local service provider in the country where the server is located. This second step grants you an IP address from that country.
Basically, all you need to do is create an account with a reliable VPN like ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) or Private Internet Access ($2.03/month), connect to an NZ server, and you’ll have an NZ IP address.
Now when Neon scans your IP address, it will think you’re in NZ, and Neon will work.
Will any VPN work?
Because NZ is a small market, a lot of lesser VPNs don’t have servers based there. The VPNs that work with Neon are the ones that have a lot of IP addresses, have servers based in NZ and have measures in place to stay ahead of Neon’s VPN blocking techniques.
Yes, Neon tries to block VPNs, and it does this using one main method. Neon monitors for an abnormal amount of connections (more than an average household) coming from the same IP address.
For a VPN to be successful, they need to have more customers than IP addresses. It’s simply how their business model works. However, this discrepancy can be an issue. Because of this model, VPN customers often have to share IP addresses. Neon knows this, so when it sees hundreds of connections coming from the same IP address, it knows it’s a VPN, and it blocks it.
For lesser VPNs, this blocking technique is hard to get around. However, the best VPNs like ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) or Private Internet Access ($2.03/month) have measures in place to stay one step ahead of these blocks.
First, these VPNs have a lot of IP addresses meaning the potential for sharing an IP address with another customer is minimised.
Secondly, when Neon identifies and blacklists an IP address provided by ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) or Private Internet Access ($2.03/month), these VPNs will close that IP address and open a new one. This cat and mouse game allows these VPNs to stay ahead of Neon’s blocks, and this means you’ll be able to watch Neon anywhere in the world reliably.
Also, ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) or Private Internet Access ($2.03/month) have servers based in NZ, which a lot of lesser VPNs, especially free VPNs, don’t have.
Below is a list of the best VPNs to watch Neon outside NZ. All of these VPNs have servers in NZ, they have a lot of IP addresses and they all play that game of cat and mouse with Neon allowing you to watch the service reliably.
The best VPNs to watch Neon outside NZ
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
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. 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)
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.
SPECIAL OFFER – SAVE 70%!
(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)
What is Neon?
Neon is a 100% Kiwi owned entertainment streaming service.
It curates a number of the most popular TV-series and movies from around the world, and puts them in one place, so you can binge watch your favourite genres.
How much does Neon cost?
A Neon subscription costs NZD$13.95/month
What are the most popular shows on Neon?
Neon’s top 10 most popular shows as of July 2021:
- Succession
- Big Little Lies
- Westworld
- Euphoria
- The Handmaid’s Tale
