Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Swampfox10mm]

A lot of people are interested in learning how to do this. I am going to update this thread with a step-by-step process on what to do so you can view services like Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, etc., easily and conveniently from your computer or home TV. With a Roku, for example, you can watch over 400 channels -- many of them free! People are buying these things back home and "cutting the cable" to drastically save money on cable bills. Yes, some of the best content still needs to be paid for, but it's not so expensive, and you can CHOOSE what you want:

http://www.roku.com/

Services like Netflix are paid (about $8/month), but you can currently watch up to 3 streams at once from up to 3 locations. This means, if you have a family account back home, you could borrow the password and access it from here. Only problem is, IP's from Korea are blocked. To get around this, you need a VPN (Virtual Private Network). This is also a paid service. I have used a few, and have had great luck with StrongVPN. Prices start around $55/year, or you can pay more month-to-month. Currently, I enjoy the cheapest package.

A VPN will make your computer appear to be in another location. You choose where, depending on the package you buy and what servers are available. A VPN also has the added plus of encrypting your communications and avoiding blocks on certain websites that the gov't does not want Koreans looking at (Porn, etc).

Once you purchase the VPN service, you can watch Netflix and other blocked services from a computer. In my next post, I will detail how, followed by using a router to run a VPN service so you can use Roku boxes, Smart TV's, or other devices to see hundreds of other blocked channels.

[Swampfox10mm]

After you purchase your VPN service from StrongVPN, you can run it directly from your computer using their client, or follow their Windows set-up instructions to create a way to log in without running the client at all. In either case, your computer will then have an IP address listed in the country of your choosing (we'll assume USA) and will be able to access blocked video services like Netflix, news sources like major TV networks, etc.

But the main point of this post is teaching you how to watch it from a TV without having to use a computer...

First, you'll need to buy a few things:

1. A DD-WRT capable router, which must be plugged into an out port on another router (that's right... 2 routers) already picking-up Korean internet from your cable modem and ISP. We're going to assume you already have another wifi router in your house that broadcasts your original Korean internet signal. If you don't then you need to buy 2 routers and set the first up to broadcast your regular signal, then plug the 2nd one into the outputs of the first one. The 2nd one will be used to load DD-WRT firmware. You don't need DD-WRT on the first.

2. A video streaming box that plugs into your TV, such as those made by Roku, D-Link, or Western Digital, AppleTV, or Google TV. Make sure you buy the model that is compatible with whatever TV you own.


As for the router, I suggest the following:

http://www.emart.com/display/item.do?method=getItemInfoViewDtl&item_id=6935364090883&ctg_id=6511963&emid=search

Model number TL-WR740N(KR) v.4.2

The (KR) seems to only mean the firmware is in Korean, as the rest of the router is identical to the base TL-WR740N v.4.2

This is the cheapest TP-Link model, and it is plenty sufficient for what we're doing. You can get it off of G-market (not sure what version they'll send you, but they all seem to be DD-WRT capable). E-mart at Wangshimni sold me the newest v.4.2 off of the shelf for 20,000 won.


This router is capable of streaming HD from the other side of my villa now using PPTP from Strong VPN. I don't even need the more expensive OpenVPN package, which is awesome.


TP-Link has gotten very good reviews from people on the DD-WRT forums, and it's been working GREAT for me -- better than a Buffalo router costing 4x as much. E-mart also has the next model up by T-Link, which has 2 antennas and does 300mbps. It's 29,900. There are higher models than that available online, but this cheaper little guy seems fine to me. I'm only planning to run probably one thing on it at a time, though.


After buying the router, you must replace the stock Korean firmware with DD-WRT, which also happens to be in English. Replacing the stock Korean firmware with DD-WRT (English) was not difficult. What I did learn, after some reading, was that the newest version of DD-WRT listed for this router has a few bugs that a previous version didn't. They are updating these things all of the time, but I read the latest version doesn't allow WPA2/AES... only WPA2/TKIP, which slows things down a bit. So I backed-up and chose a previous version that was more stable. I did not install any of the software that came with the router... just plugged it all in and followed these simple steps:

1. I got my firmware from here (this is not the newest build -- I installed the older 07-20-12-r19519 build from 2012):

http://dd-wrt.com/site/support/other-downloads?path=others%2Feko%2FBrainSlayer-V24-preSP2%2F

2. Download both of those files on that link, then go to the area on the router where you upgrade the firmware. Choose factory-to-ddwrt.bin and upgrade to that first. That will take about 1 to 2 minutes. After it was done, it changed the router address to 192.168.1.1 (it was an odd http://tplinklogin.net code before). I had to close and re-open IE, then type the new address and I was there.

3. I then updated DD-WRT to the 2nd file on the list: tl-wr740nv4-webflash.bin . That took about 3 or 4 minutes.

Done. Easy-peasy! (Note: The only issues I had was that I had to set-up the VPN service via hardwire to the router input. I had some issues connecting to my router's firmware page wirelessly, at first. I think there might have been a port conflict in between resets, as I have it connected into the back of another router which has a clean internet signal. Once I unplugged my newly-updated router and swapped to a different port in the back of the old router with internet, all was well. For all I know, it could have just needed a clean reset, anyway. Not sure, but it works fine now and I can access the firmware page via wireless just fine. Am running WPA/2 with AES and streaming HD video, as mentioned. It's still up and running fine).

After you have installed DD-WRT on that 2nd router, you simply go to the StrongVPN page which details how you enter your account information into your 2nd router.

More details, with diagrams, are here (click on the DIY Routers tab/No Longer Supported Methods for VPN routers tab.. for where to enter the account information):

http://strongvpn.com/vpn_routers_new.shtml


Once your account information has been entered, and your DD-WRT router re-booted, it should soon connect to the StrongVPN service automatically (If it doesn't you can try to connect manually from the Router firmware page -- will detail that later and add the info).

So there... once this router is up and running DD-WRT and is logged-into StrongVPN, you are broadcasting two signals... your traditional Korean internet from your 1st wifi router, and another signal from the 2nd router that you can connect to to appear as if you are in the USA or wherever via StrongVPN.

You can then use your Roku box, Google TV, AppleTV, etc., to connect to the 2nd VPN-running router, then log in and run video streaming services from your home country. You can also connect to the 1st router for other computers and devices at the same time -- faster for websites in Korea.

Special Note: With the Roku, for example, you MUST be logged-into your overseas VPN service from first set-up, or it will see that you are an international user and it will lock you out of Netflix and most other stuff within firmware via instant update.

[singerdude]

A big thanks for that-- I looked into it some more after reading your post and it convinced me to buy a Roku. Bought it from amazon and waiting for it to be shipped here. I also bought the next model up TP-Link router. Looking forward to setting it all up. Thanks again.

[Swampfox10mm]

I want to add something...

This all became a WHOLE LOT easier. It appears that it has been for some time, but I didn't know about it.

A site called unblock-us will allow you a free 1 week trial -- with no credit card -- that will unlock Netflix for you. It doesn't encrypt communications, but they do change your DNS numbers. These 2 easy numbers can be entered into many modems with NO NEED TO FLASH WITH DD-WRT in just a minute or two. They actually have diagrams for multiple popular routers on their site. My TP-Link router is on there, and again, no need to flash the stock firmware!

I have been trying the free trial for a few days, and it's awesome. I get MUCH faster speeds than I was getting with StrongVPN -- nearly equal to my original internet speed.

I went to strong to cancel my subscription, and guess what -- apparently, others are doing this as well, and they are freaking-out. They asked me if I'd like a free trial of THEIR DNS server... of course, they wouldn't tell me about it until I cancelled their more expensive VPN service. So I sort of told StrongVPN off about that... obviously, their goal is to bilk customers for as much as possible with the VPN service, or until they bolt, then offer them a cheaper/easier deal that does what they want.

Seriously... unblock.us is the schnitz.

[philthor]

Excellent info, Swamp.

Quick question: Does unblock.us support multiple devices per contract? I use my S3, iPad, and laptop with my VPN, and I can easily just turn the VPN on for whichever device I need.

For example, I might turn on my VPN for my iPad, start a movie and decide to switch to my laptop, so I'll turn off the VPN on the iPad then turn it on for my laptop.

I'm in a new apartment with the router integrated into the ceiling, so I don't have access to its administrative controls; otherwise I could just alter the DNS number as shown by unblock.us.

I saw unblock.us supports all of these devices, but I can't tell if I can change like my little story above about my iPad and laptop.

Thanks!

[Swampfox10mm]

Unblock US sets up EXTREMELY easily and quickly with many routers. Far easier set-up than a VPN, and many routers you buy in Korea are supported (although Korean ones are not on the list).

Just set up the DNS numbers on your wifi router, and you're done... anything connecting thru that router works with the unblocked signal. So multiple devices will work, and all at the same time. You never have to turn off the signal... I just switch between wifi signals. I have 2 routers now... 1 with the original local signal, and plugged into the back of that, a second one with the overseas IP and the unblock-us DNS numbers.

BUT

for your specific question, you should be able to buy a router that sets up like a repeater and just takes the original signal from your provided router and then re-broadcasts it... you might be able to make that work with the new DNS numbers. Buffalo routers can usually do that, but not sure about if you can also change the DNS numbers. Try their support page... bet they know what to do!

Can you plug into the router in the ceiling? If you can, then you would be doing what I'm doing, anyway.

[Swampfox10mm]

On another note... you're just dealing with DNS numbers with unblock-us, so maybe you can simply set up an IE icon on your computer, including the right DNS numbers. and access with that?

[philthor]

I did have the internet activation/install guy turn on two wall plugs, so I could always install a router to one of them.

However, I do have an additional query: I like to take my VPN on the go, so do you know (I realize I really should be asking unblock-us this but I've liked your answers/info over the past couple of years) if I can use unblock-us via my 4g/LTE connection? I sometimes watch netflix on the train. Also, there are a few stations I listen to on the TuneIn Radio app which require I mask my location.

[smithy]

Even easier than this - Hola Unblocker is a plugin for Chrome which unblocks Netflix, Pandora, Hulu and others. Absolutely free.

[Swampfox10mm]

[Swampfox10mm]

It seems Hola worked over my LTE connection, but causes a Netflix connection error when attempting to access Netflix in the subway using wifi. General surfing works.

[Swampfox10mm]

I don't know if you can take it with you.... Have to ask their site.

[runnershigh17]

Hey Swampfox, I am having some trouble setting up my router and I am hoping you can help. I have the same router that you suggested buying and downloaded the same firmware. However, I can only either access the internet or access the router since the firmware update. If I can access the router, I don't have internet. If I can go online, I can't access the router. It is getting to be frustrating. Do you have any idea what could be causing this?

Thanks!