How to View Hulu and Netflix in Israel

Do you live outside of the United States and want to watch Netflix, Crackle, Hulu on your computer or television? All you need is an American IP address, and the best way to do this is to use a VPN. Setting things up on your computer is the easiest. Here are the steps you need to take and you’ll be watching Hulu and Netflix on no time at all!

What you need:

1) A Strong Internet connection

I have a 30MB connection and have not experienced any streaming problems whatsoever. I have friends who have as low as a 15MB connection and have not reported any issues whatsoever.

2) A VPN account

A VPN is a Virtual Private Network. Basically, a VPN allows you to join a private network via your existing Internet connection and use their IP address. This means that if you are in Israel and log in to your VPN located in the United States, your IP address will appear as an American one. So when you go to Hulu, Netflix or Pandora, it will identify you as being located in America.

There are several VPNs available online, but I recommend StrongVPN. They are reliable, provide excellent customer support, inexpensive and provide detailed instructions on how to set up your VPN correctly. You need to sign up for the $85.00 a year plan (About $7.00 a month) which includes PPTP and Open VPN.

Easy. Make sure you are connected to your VPN, head over to Netflix.com and sign up for an account. It’s important to note that a United States credit card is necessary. To view Hulu in Israel, just connect to your VPN and head on over to Hulu.com.

If you have any questions or problems leave a comment and I’ll be happy to help!

I initially set everything up so I can view Hulu and Netflix on my computer. Once I purchased a new television I decided the time had arrived to set everything up so we could rid ourselves of our monthly cable bill and view American television on a big screen. My first question was “Can I use a Roku box in Israel?” After some research, I discovered that the answer is YES.

It’s not quite as easy as setting things up on a computer and a bit more costly, however you still end spending $200 less than you would as a subscriber to cable or satellite the first year. The second year you save even more – $364!

And that’s with subscriptions to Netflix, Hulu Plus and Amazon Prime! Our monthly spend with satellite television was 225 NIS ($60.00). That comes to $720 a year! We are now paying just $518.00 a year and have access to MUCH better content.

Don’t believe me? Let’s break it down.

Year 1

One Time Purchases

• Roku box: $97.00
• DD-WRT Router: $ 65.00

Yearly Subscription Fees

• Hulu Plus: $96.00
• Netflix: $96.00
• Amazon Prime: $79.00
• VPN: $85.00

Yearly Total: $518.00

Previous Yearly Total with Satellite Television: $720.00

Savings: $202.00 a year!

Year 2:

• Hulu Plus: $96.00
• Netflix: $96.00
• Amazon Prime: $79.00
• VPN: $85.00

Yearly Total: $356.00

Previous Yearly Total with Satellite Television: $720.00

Savings: $364.00 a year!

Don’t forget, that’s the cost with a subscription to Hulu Plus, Netflix and Amazon Prime. You don’t need to subscribe to all three.

One thing I’ve heard from friends is “what about local Israeli channels?” Easy. Buy an Idan Plus box. It’s a ONE TIME purchase with ZERO monthly fees. With Idan Plus you have access to the following channels: Channel 2, Channel 10, Channel 1, Channel 33, Channel 23 and the Knesset Channel. The current cost of an Idan Plus box is 280NIS, but they offer several less expensive options. Visit their site for more information.

1) A Strong Internet connection

I have a 30MB connection and have not experienced any streaming problems whatsoever. I have friends who have as low as a 15MB connection and have not reported any issues whatsoever.

2) A VPN account

A VPN is a Virtual Private Network. Basically, a VPN allows you to join a private network via your existing Internet connection and use their IP address. This means that if you are in Israel and log in to your VPN located in the United States, your IP address will appear as an American one. So when you go to Hulu, Netflix or Pandora, it will identify you as being located in America.

There are several VPNs available online, but I recommend StrongVPN. They are reliable, provide excellent customer support, inexpensive and provide detailed instructions on how to set up your VPN correctly. You need to sign up for the $85.00 a year plan (About $7.00 a month) which includes PPTP and Open VPN.

3) A DD-WRT Router

A DD-WRT Router is a device with preinstalled software that allows easy setup of a VPN. You will use this router alongside your current modem/router provided by your internet provider. A DD-WRT Router can be purchased from Amazon.com. I recommend ordering it to someone you know in the states and have them bring it when they visit. I purchased a Buffalo AirStation and am very satisfied with it.

Any of the following routers are recommended:

BUFFALO AirStation HighPower N300 Gigabit Wireless Router WZR-300HP

BUFFALO AirStation HighPower N600 Gigabit Dual Band Wireless Router – WZR-HP-AG300H

BUFFALO AirStation HighPower N450 Gigabit Wireless Router – WZR-HP-G450H

4) Roku Box

Here’s where the fun begins. A Roku Box is a media streamer with hundreds of channels. It’s works seamlessly with Netflix, Hulu Plus and Amazon Instant. It also has a Crackle channel which streams quality movies for free and VUDU, a channel where you can order recent HD movies. You can also set up HBOGo and use your parents (or friends) account and view all HBO shows and movies. If sports is your thing, you can subscribe to a number of live streaming sports channels for an additional fee.

There are four Roku Box models, with a price range from $48.00 to $98.00. The more expensive models enable HD as well as include a USB port. Check out the options below and choose which suits you the best. Again, I recommend ordering it to someone you know in the states and have them bring it when they visit.

Roku HD Streaming Player

Roku 2 XD Streaming Player 1080p

Roku 2 XS 1080p Streaming Player

Ok, so I now have a DD-WRT Router, a Roku player and have signed up for a VPN account. What’s next?

Once you have tested your VPN, you need to set up your new DD-WRT Router. You can find instructions here. Your DD-WRT Router will be physically connected to your original router. What you’ll be doing is creating a separate network that will ALWAYS be connected to your VPN. This means that you can connect to your VPN with ANY device in your home – iphones, ipads, etc. Once you have successfully created the new VPN network connection and have tested it with your computer or another device you are ready to setup your Roku device. Important: You should only register the Roku box AFTER you connect to the US-based VPN.

Pretty simple. The setup process might sound a bit complicated but it took me less than 15 minutes. StrongVPN has EXCELLENT customer support and will be more than happy in assisting you in setting things up.

If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment below and I’ll get back to you.

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links.

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