Netflix now requires users to designate their household. If you are not in their home, you cannot use their Netflix account. You can get around this restriction by remotely tunneling your web activity through a Netflix account owner’s network—that is, by turning their home into a VPN. But this workaround isn’t really worth the effort.
The Netflix password-sharing crackdown is now in full swing. If you’re extremely crafty, you can get around Netflix’s new rules through a VPN. But a VPN isn’t a realistic workaround—most people will not understand the setup process, and besides, you need to find a Netflix account owner who’s willing to inconvenience themself.
If you’re desperate for Netflix, you should probably just pay for it. And I’ll try my best to explain why.
Can a VPN Get Around Netflix’s New Rules?
When you need to access restricted content on a streaming service, a VPN may be your go-to solution. It’s the easiest way to obscure your location, IP address, and identity. But can a VPN get around Netflix’s password-sharing crackdown?
Unfortunately, the answer is a bit complicated. Netflix is forcing account owners to designate their household. If you are outside of an account’s designated household, Netflix will see that your location data and IP address don’t match up, and you’ll see a popup explaining that you aren’t in the correct home.
Firing up your VPN client and connecting to a random server won’t solve this problem. When you connect to a VPN server, you take on its IP address, which won’t match the details associated with your family member’s account.
What’s the next logical step? Well, if you and your family member connect to Netflix from the same VPN server, it’ll look like you’re the same person, right? Can’t your family member just set their household to a VPN? The problem is that public VPNs regularly cycle through new IP addresses (which are shared by a ton of people), and Netflix is very good at identifying public VPN servers.
You and your family member might get away with using a virtual private server (VPS), rather than a public VPN. In basic terms, a VPS is just a pretend network that lives in the cloud. But the setup process here is somewhat difficult, and there’s a chance that Netflix will identify VPS traffic using deep packet inspection. More importantly, I’m not sure why you’d pay for a VPS (and force your family member to use it) when a Netflix subscription is about the same price.
So, we’re down to just one option. You need to route your internet traffic through your family member’s home. A VPN will achieve this task—you can turn grandma’s home into a personal VPN server for free, although it probably isn’t worth the trouble.
How to Share a Netflix Account Using a Home VPN
Alright, let’s pretend that your grandma (or whoever) supports your decision to route internet traffic through her network. There are several different ways to go through this process. But there are also several problems that you need to consider—and I’m not just talking about a nerdy setup process.
By enabling remote access to a home network, you will reduce the security of that network. Basically, you’re creating a backdoor that someone may attempt to exploit. Not to mention, tunneling your traffic through another home requires a lot of bandwidth. If you turn grandma’s home into a VPN, you will contribute to her data cap (assuming that she has one), and her home internet may be noticeably slower while you’re connected.
If you still want to go through with this, then it’s time to visit grandma’s house. The first thing you need to do is check her router. Some routers have built-in VPN capabilities, which you can access by typing the router’s LAN address (located on the bottom of the router) into your browser. From here, the process is pretty simple—enable the router’s VPN (you may need to select a protocol), and your router will provide the software needed for your computer or phone to make a connection. (As for your smart TV—well, that’s its own mess.)
A router without VPN capabilities can be flashed with new, more capable software (which may void its warranty). And, if the router isn’t an option, you can set up a home VPN on a PC or Mac. Both the Windows and macOS operating systems offer some very straightforward VPN settings. You can even turn a Raspberry Pi into a home VPN through PiVPN.
I should clarify that home VPNs are a useful and fairly common thing. If you set up a home VPN on your personal router, for example, you can use it to remotely access home computers, security cameras, printers, or NAS devices.
At This Point, You’re Better off Paying for Netflix
If you’re a Netflix subscriber who’s feeling generous, you may be inclined to set up a home VPN server and provide access to your friends and family. But because you’re reading this article, I assume that you’re trying to use someone else’s Netflix—I’m not sure why you’d ask them to go through all this nonsense.
The cheapest Netflix subscription, at least at the time of writing, is $7 a month. This isn’t a small amount of money. It adds up to $84 after one year. But if you’re so desperate for Netflix that you’re willing to do all of this VPN stuff, maybe it’s worth paying for.
Instead of looking into workarounds for Netflix’s new rules, I suggest looking into bundles and discounts. Most carriers, including Verizon and T-Mobile, offer a variety of streaming promotions. And you can find plenty of Netflix coupons on Google and Groupon (although coupons aren’t always guaranteed to work, I know).
And for what it’s worth, you can probably live without a Netflix subscription. Free streaming platforms like Tubi and Pluto TV offer some of the same content that’s on Netflix. You can also buy digital versions of most movies and shows through Amazon, Google, or Apple. And old-fashioned DVDs or Blu-rays are always an option—you can grab a player for about $10 at a thrift store if you don’t own one already.
Netflix Plans and Pricing
Netflix recently introduced an ad-supported plan that costs $7 a month. Ad-free Netflix starts at $15.50 a month.
