Changing DNS server to circumvent regional restrictions. A couple of questions!

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Good evening everyone,

I've been reading up on how DNS geolocation when used with sites like Unblock work to circumvent regional restrictions from Netflix, etc. I have a few questions....

1. If I change my DNS settings on a device but my IP public facing (UK based) IP stays the same how does a server say Netflix US not recognize my IP is mapped to a UK based location? How does changing my DNS settings on a device change my geolocation when my public facing IP is still located in the UK?

2. If someone changes their DNS server on a device but leaves their connected router using the default ISP's DNS servers, will the router's DNS 'over rule' the DNS configured on the device?

Thanks

 

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That's what a VPN is for, you would use a VPN client or something like TOR to browse, the issue with TOR however is that it's not really designed for streaming.

As for DNS, your device will use the DNS that it's configured with, that DNS server will then use upstream DNS servers to get results it doesn't know about, this could lead up to ROOT DNS servers but it's not likely these days.

 

You can use a VPN, but a 'DNS service' is seen as a lightweight way to con geocoding websites.

All I can assume is that these 'DNS services' are actually HTTP proxies + DNS services combined and are merely marketed as 'DNS services'.

The proxy part would explain how they con the geo-coder. Some places even call them 'Smart DNS Proxies'.

A VPN will encrypt ALL traffic, thats the point, this is an issue with high bandwidth video.

 

Hi all, I don't have any need to use these services, I was just interested to know how they work from a technical point of view. But surely when the server i.e. Netflix replies with the data it's destination IP would still be the IP address assigned by the ISP regardless of which DNS server is configured?

I'm also interested to know how DNS works when a device from within your home network has it's DNS server changed to what the router has configured, does the router's DNS overrule the device? Would this mean for users to use this Smart DNS proxy the router's DNS would have to be changed rather than the particular device that would be used to stream the data, etc?

 

"An HTTP Proxy is a server that receives requests from your web browser and then makes the request to the Internet on your behalf. It then returns the results to your browser."

The proxy is a separate computer, it has a different IP, the IP can be in a different range causing it to be geocoded to a different location.
Once the proxy has the data it can forward it to your computer even though its in a different geographic location.

The DNS part seems to be used to map the domains to the proxy, and then allow the proxy to forward to the real site.

I'm sure its more involved than that due to multiple locations, multiple proxies, real time streaming protocols etc. Thats why its called a 'smart proxy'.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smart_DNS_proxy_server
https://www.smartdnsproxy.com/news/...-dns-proxy-server-and-how-does-it-work-9.aspx

 

proxy or other tools

 

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