If you’ve been watching Optus Sport with a VPN and it’s no longer working, all your VPN’s IP addresses have been blocked by Optus.
This has happened because your VPN can no longer stay one step ahead of Optus’ VPN blocking techniques.
This is obviously frustrating, but don’t worry, there’s a few fixes you can try to resolve this issue.
This article will explain how you can fix Optus Sport not working with VPN and how you can prevent these issues from arising again.
See also:
- How to watch Optus Sport outside Australia: The EASY way! (2023)
- NBC Sports not working with VPN? Try these EASY fixes! (2023)
- The best way to put a VPN on your router! It’s EASY! (2023)
Optus Sport not working with VPN: Quick Fixes
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Delete Cookies
Some websites and apps use Cookies to streamline your online experience.
However, in order to make your online experience better, these Cookies contain information about your location.
Optus can access this information and if it finds you’re outside Australia, it will block your connection.
When trying to fix Optus Sports not working with VPN, a good place to start is deleting your Cookies.
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Change to a different Australian server
Try changing to a different Australian server if you’re still running into issues watching Optus Sports with your VPN.
The current IP address your VPN has given you has probably been blocked by Optus. Changing to a different Australian server will give you a new one and if Optus haven’t blocked it, you’ll be able to watch Optus Sports with your VPN again.
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Upgrade to a better VPN
If you’ve made it this far in the list, Optus has managed to block all the IP addresses your VPN can provide.
You can wait for your VPN to release new IP addresses that Optus Sports 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 Optus’ blocks. And inevitably, the new IPs will get blocked by Optus as well.
The best way to fix Optus Sports’s not working with VPN is to upgrade to a still compatible VPN with the streaming service.
The best VPN for Optus Sports is ExpressVPN ($6.67/month). ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) has fast servers all over the world, and most importantly, it has measures in place that will stop all of its IP addresses from being blocked by Optus Sports.
On the off chance your IP address is blocked by the streaming service, ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) closes that IP address and opens a new one ensuring you can use the VPN to watch Optus Sports reliably wherever you are.
This will stop you from running into the same problems you’re coming across with your current VPN.
Why has Optus Sport blocked my VPN?
Optus Sport only has the rights to broadcast its content in Australia.
Because VPNs are well-known ways of watching the streaming service outside Australia, Optus blocks VPNs from accessing its content.
It does this to protect itself from potential copyright and licensing issues.
The agreements that Optus has with its content partners stipulate that it can only be broadcast in Australia. If Optus breached these agreements, it could potentially face severe financial repercussions.
How does Optus Sport block VPNs?
Optus Sports blocks VPNs using three main techniques:
- The most common technique is to do with the IP addresses that your VPN can provide. VPN providers have more customers than the number of IP addresses they can provide; this means that customers can use the same IP addresses. Usually, only a household with a few devices uses the same IP address. When Optus Sports sees hundreds or even thousands of connections coming through on the same IP address, it knows that it is a VPN and it blocks it.
- Optus Sports monitors for IP, DNS and WebRTC leaks that can tip the service off you are using a VPN.
- Optus Sports teams up with GeoIP databases like Maxmind to identify IP addresses. If the IP address your VPN provides is on one of these databases, Optus Sports will be able to find out where in the world you are connecting to the internet from and it will block you.
Lesser VPN struggle to get around these techniques and subsequently, all of their IP addresses get blocked. This is what has most likely happened to your VPN.
Does Optus Sport still work with VPNs?
Optus Sports still works with VPNs. However, you need to use a VPN that can stay ahead of Optus’ VPN blocks.
VPNs like ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) and NordVPN ($3.19/month) are very good at this.
These VPNs work reliably with Optus Sports because they play a game and cat and mouse with the streaming service. Inevitably Optus Sports will sometimes identify an IP address provided by ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) and NordVPN ($3.19/month) however when these IP addresses are blocked, ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) and NordVPN ($3.19/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 Optus Sports from anywhere in the world reliably.
The best VPNs to watch Optus Sport
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
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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. 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
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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.
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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).
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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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Is watching Optus Sport with a VPN legal?
Yes, watching Optus Sport with a VPN is legal. So long as you’re in a country where VPNs aren’t banned.
These are the countries that heavily restrict VPN usage: China, Russia, Iran, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, North Korea, Iraq, Belarus, Turkmenistan, Egypt, Eritrea, Seychelles, Suriname, Namibia, Slovenia, Nicaragua and Tajikistan. If you are in one of these locations we don’t advise using a VPN, however if you’re not in one of these countries, using a VPN to watch Optus Sport is perfectly legal.
However, it’s important to know that using a VPN to access Optus Sport outside Australia, goes against the streaming service’s terms of service.
When you sign up for Optus Sport you have to agree to the terms of service. This is a contractual agreement that defines how you can use Optus Sport. In here it says to access the service “You must be an Australian resident, viewing the content in Australia for personal, non-commercial use.”
What this means is if Optus Sports figures out you’re using a VPN to watch its content outside Australia, it’s within its rights to block or ban your account.
However, 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 Optus Sport to enforce.
In theory, if you’re trying to watch Optus Sport 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 Optus Sport to trace where you’re physically accessing its content from.
There’s one final thing to note on the subject: Optus Sport has never banned anyone for using a VPN to access its service.
For more information you can check out article answering Is streaming with a VPN legal?
