The VPN comes in handy when I absolutely need to view the USA version of a website to check on my "American stuff." For example, I use it when logging into my USA Paypal account or obtaining free yearly credit reports.Īfter signing up with the service, all I had to do was modify the DNS settings on my home router, and I was good to go. Oh, and best of all is that Getflix also includes optional free VPN service, so you can get the best of both worlds for no additional cost. They offer a free trial, have a friendly responsive helpdesk, and support a ton of overseas streaming services. Why did I switch? I switched simply because I'm a cheapskate, and Getflix is a tad bit cheaper. I originally used one called "Unblock-Us," but ended up switching to Getflix. Personally, I went with the selective proxy service because I only really wanted Netflix and Pandora, and I did not want to sacrifice my blazing Internet speed. But in my case I didn't need such a multipurpose solution, so. Albeit more aggressive, a VPN is a more versatile and configurable option. For example, have you ever wanted to view the English / USA version of a website, but the site's overzealous geo-location continuously redirects you to the Japanese version? Yeah, that can be annoying, huh? A VPN would likely fix that. Additionally, you wouldn't have to deal with sometimes-frustrating geo-location. Sites not covered by a selective proxy would probably work with a VPN. However, a VPN could offer certain advantages over the selective proxy since it really looks like you're in another country. While it is possible to configure a VPN to be selective, I didn't see the need to bother since the selective proxy solution would save me the trouble. This service will typically route all of your Internet traffic through a "tunnel," making it look like you are totally and completely located in the USA (or other country). Japan has famously fast Internet service, so this is a key brownie-point advantage in my opinion.Ī VPN is a more aggressive solution. The advantage here is that your Internet connection will not slow down. Netflix, Pandora, etc.), keeping other traffic routing normally. I found 2 approaches that would accomplish this-a selective DNS proxy and a VPN.Īlso known as "Smart DNS," this service will only trigger on certain sites (e.g. Basically, these are services that will make it look like your Internet traffic from Japan is in fact coming from inside the USA (or other location). Step 1: Use a Selective DNS Proxy or VPN Service