HideIPVPN SmartDNS Review

HideIPVPN is a SmartDNS service that will help you unblock popular steaming media sites in the US, UK, and Poland.  Their service will allow you  to watch your favorite content from Hulu Plus,  Netflix US,  Netflix UK,  BBC iPlayer,  HBO Go Poland, and many other steaming media channels that are geo-blocked from your country.  Their service works transparently so you will not notice any change in your connection speed. HideIPVPN Review

HideIPVPN SmartDNS Free Trial

HideIPVPN understands that you want to test the performance of their service before you decide to pay for it.  Thus, they are offering everyone a 7 day free trial.  Signing up for their free trial is easy to do. From their homepage, click on “Smart DNS” in the site main menu.  Next, click on the “Try SmartDNS for Free” link just below the pricing image on this page.  Then, simply enter your “First Name”, “Last Name”, and “Email Address”.  Note, you are agreeing to their terms of service so read it to make sure they suit you. Finally, click the “Create Free Account” button.

Their support staff will send you a welcoming message along with the instructions needed to use their service.  If you do not see this email in your inbox, check your spam folder to see if it was placed in it.  Follow these instructions to setup your device to use their service. The trial gives you a week to thoroughly test their Smart DNS service.  During this time, you will be able to access all of the sites that they unblock in the US, UK, and Poland.  Make sure to fully test their service during this trial period to be sure is the right fit for you.  Test it with all the devices that you will want to use it with including your router to make sure that they are all supported.  Also test it with any channels that you want to access to make sure that they are supported.  Make sure that you are happy with both the quality and speed to their service.  I suggest that you test it by watching an HD movie, listening to some of your favorite music, and taking in a live sporting event.  Since no credit card is required to sign up for their free trial, you do not have to cancel it.  It simply ends after the trial period is over.

HideIPVPN also offers paid members a 30 day money back guarantee.  This guarantee is applicable if you are not able to access their service.  Speed or specific channel accessibility can not be reasons for a refund so be sure to address these issues during your free trial period.  Also, Windows, Mac OS, and Linux are the only systems eligible for this refund.  So if you are using another device (such as iPad , iPhone, Android, router,…), be sure to test your device during the free trial period.

Pricing and Special Offers

HideIPVPN offers Smart DNS bundled with some of their other services or in stand alone plans. Their stand alone plans come in three different term packages: 1 month, 3 months, and 1 year.  Package discounts are based on the sign up term length.  The pricing starts at $4.95 a month for their stand alone service with greater discounts offered for longer term plans.  You can enjoy a full year of their SmartDNS for $38.95.  That works out to just $3.24 a month.  This makes HideIPVPN a good value, especially for those who opt for the yearly plan.

HideIPVPN Pricing

Payment options include PayPal, Bitcoin, Visa, Master Card, Discover, American Express, Alipay, Webmoney, Yandex Money, Boleto Bancario, and Qiwi.  You can cancel anytime by logging into the client area of the HideIPVPN homepage.  Next, select the “”VPN & SmartDNS Packages” from the client area main menu.   Then select the package to be canceled and click the “Request Cancellation” button on the package details screen.  Follow the instructions on this page to complete the cancellation process.  Remember to cancel your PayPal subscription payments if that is how you signed up for the service.

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How Does HideIPVPN SmartDNS Work?

Whether we’re referring  to the HideIPVPN SmartDNS or another service it helps to familiarize yourself with how the process works.  These services focus on helping to unblock geo-blocks placed on streaming media content.  This allows you to enjoy movies and other content that may not be available in your country from providers such as Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Instant Video.  You can use the service to view content from anywhere in the world.  That differs from a VPN which adds privacy protection through encryption which can slow down your connection. Here’s an explanation of how SmartDNS works taken directly from the HideIPVPN site:

Unblock USA, UK and Poland with simple change of DNS server. Works on (almost) any device. Watch Netflix, BBC (and more) on your TV, PC, Mac, game console, phone, tablet, media player (and more). Even devices without access to any networks settings can benefit from SmartDNS if you change DNS on your network router.

Simple one click setup. Works with almost any device from PC to Smart TV and game console. Use simultaneously on unlimited number of devices which are using the same IP address.

The HideIPVPN SmartDNS service supports a large number of devices.  They have set up tutorials for these devices on their site.  Once you sign up they will send you a welcome email with instructions to help you setup their service on your devices.   Using their service will help you access popular sites like Netflix, Hulu, BBC iPlayer, and Canal+ Sports Online from anywhere in the world.

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Supported Devices

The HideIPVPN service supports a wide range of devices.  They have a “SmartDNS” tab on their support page which contains all of their setup tutorials for the devices that the service supports.  They have guides for computers, gaming consoles, mobile devices, set top boxes, and routers.  Their “Support” page is accessed by clicking on its link in the main menu.

HideIPVPN Devices

Here’s a list of supported devices:

  • Computer – Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8, Mac OS
  • Game console – PlayStation, XBOX, XBOX One
  • Mobile –  iPhone, iPod, iPad, Android
  • Smart TV – Samsung Smart TV
  • Set-top box – Apple TV, Roku, Now TV Box
  • Router – D-Link,  TP-Link, DD-WRT

They also include a tutorial for routers using DD-WRT custom firmware.  Once again, the key is being able to configure the DNS settings for whatever device you want to use.  You can use as many devices as you want as long as they are on the same network and have the same external IP.  Making the change on your router can help you use their service throughout your network as well as let you use some devices on it that do not let you change the DNS directly.

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Channel Line-Up

What does HideIPVPN offer?  They have a full list of about 140+ channels on their site that you can filter by type, country, and device. Each of these channels is linked to its provider which makes accessing the channels they support while using their service just one click away.  You can also search for a specific channel to see if it is supported.  Their SmartDNS service will allow access to channel content not available in your geographical region.  However, some premium channels such as  Netflix, Hulu Plus, Amazon Video, and others will still require a paid subscription fee to access their content.

HideIPVPN Channels

Here’s a list of channels unblocked through their Smart DNS service:

Video Channels – Netflix US, Netflix UK, Hulu plus, Hulu, Amazon Video US, Amazon Video UK, vudu, HBO Go USA, HBO Go Poland,   Crunchyroll, NFL Game Pass, CBS, ABC, ABC News, ABC Family, FOX, NBC, tv.com, WB, BBC iPlayer, ITV, Vevo, Crackle, Channel4, 4oD, E4, Film4, Channel5, 5Star, 5oD, 5USA, MTV, MTV UK, Cartoon Network, Food Network, Disney Channel, PBS Video, PBS Kids, STV Player,  USA Network, USA Now, Lifetime, Cinema Now, Blinkbox, Bravo, CWTV, FX, HGTV, TV Land, Blockbuster, Blockbuster on Demand, Vudu, Comedy Central, LoveFilm, Syfy, Syfy Now, TNT Drama, Now TV, wuaki.tv, Sky Go,  Zuus, nextissue, DramaFever, Yahoo Screen, VH1, Disney Junior, Disney XD, Telemundo Now, TV Player, viki, A&E, Oprah, Ondemand Korea, Smithsonian Channel, History Channel, Vidzone, Sky News, iplex.pl, TVP.pl, Player, VoD, Kinoplex, ipla, CHILI, onet,  TBS, TCM, Nickelodeon, Nick Teen, Sprout, Spike, Direct TV, BT Sport, CMT,  Logo TV, Premier Player, Canal+ Sport, Xfinity, Playlist, FOX Soccer 2Go, MAX GO, Oxygen, truTV, Utopia TV, tvguide, MundoFOX, Funimation,  Showtime Anytime, M-GO, FilmOn, radio.com, dishworld, TVCatchup

Music Channels – BBC Radio, Spotify, Pandora, 4Music, MTV, MTV UK, Rdio,  Rhapsody, Songza, Slacker Radio,  iHeart Radio, zuus, Absolute Radio, Beats Music,  VH1, Direct TV, Playlist, CMT

Live Sports Channels – NHL Vault, BBC Sport, NBC Sports, ESPN Player, WWE Network, NCAA March Madness Live,  Direct TV, BT Sport, Premier Player, Canal+ Sport Online, Xfinity, FOX Soccer 2Go,

It should be noted that the HideIPVPN “Unblocked Websites” defaults to all channels in all countries on all devices.  However, they can be filtered by selecting drop downs for content type, country of origin,  and device used to stream.

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HideIPVPN SmartDNS Speed Test

As I mentioned earlier the difference between a Smart DNS service and VPN is encryption.  A VPN helps protect your online privacy and anonymity by encrypting your data.  In doing so it slows down your connection.  You can visit our VPN Fan site to learn more.  A SmartDNS service is different.  It will help you unblock sites in other countries without the need for encryption.  Doing so without the speed loss associated with using a VPN service.  I did not experience any speed loss using their service while streaming from iPlayer content in the UK.

HideIPVPN  Review : Conclusion

HideIPVPN offers a large variety of different channels (over 140) for a good price.  Especially for those who sign up for 12 months of service.  They support many types of devices including routers, game consoles, set-top boxes, computers, mobile devices, and Samsung Smart TV.   Additionally, they have tutorials to manually setup the devices that they support.  They also have nice channel filtering that makes it easy to see which content is supported on different devices.  These features make their service easy to use.  I didn’t have any problems evaluating their SmartDNS service and would use it again. As with any Smart DNS service I suggest you try out the HideIPVPN version  for yourself.  Sign up for their 7 day free trial and put the service through its paces.  Watch content from channels in different areas of the world like Netflix US,  BBC iPlayer in the UK, and perhaps even HBO Go Poland. Also, try streaming some live sporting events during your trial period.  If you decide their service is just what you were looking for,  you can sign up for unlimited access from just $3.24 a month.

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