The coronavirus pandemic has forced millions of people indoors, which means we’re watching more TV than ever before. Undeniably, this puts a huge strain on streaming services such as Netflix, who has made the decision to lower its video quality and reduce data consumption by up to 25%.
Unfortunately for viewers, this means lowering bitrate and video resolution, which leads to pixelated and blocky-looking films and TV shows. Thankfully, there’s a way to still enjoy your favorite films and TV shows without compromising on quality.
How to Bypass Quality Reductions
With Netflix traffic at an all-time high, implementing lower quality connections is an important part of minimizing network strain and ensuring streams aren’t interrupted.
As Netflix works with ISPs all over the world, the broadband strain the company is dealing with will also depend on the limitations of your own ISP, as well as the strength of the signal emitted from your router. As such, using a VPN is an easy way to bypass the quality reduction issues that many Netflix users are currently facing.
VPNs allow you to connect to thousands of servers located all over the world. By connecting to servers in smaller countries where there’s less strain on local ISPs, you’ll still be able to enjoy your usual Netflix content without the frustration of staggered buffering or blocky visuals.
Netflix has imposed stricter traffic restrictions on certain countries. Avoid connecting to servers in the following locations if you want to avoid poor quality streaming:
- Most countries in Europe
- New Zealand
- India
- Israel
- Argentina
- Chile
Another benefit of using a VPN to change your location is you’ll be able to bypass any geo-restrictions that Netflix is imposing on your location. Geo-restrictions or geo-blocking is restricting access to certain content depending on your geographical location (which is determined in this instance by your ISP).
Sure, your Netflix library already has thousands of films, TV shows, and documentaries, but did you know the content that you can access in your Netflix library varies significantly depending on where you are in the world? Changing your location using a VPN will provide you with access to films and TV shows that you never knew existed.
As well as being able to access new content, there are lots of other benefits to using a VPN that extend way beyond streaming services.
The Top Three VPNs For Netflix
The number of servers you can connect to, as well as the number of countries, will depend on which VPN client you choose – and there are hundreds to choose from! Netflix has made it more difficult to bypass geo-restrictions but there’s a strong list of VPNs out there that know what to do. Thankfully, we’ve tried nearly all of them and can confidently say these are our top three VPNs for Netflix:
ExpressVPN
ExpressVPN makes bypassing geo-restrictions as simple as it should be. It’s one of the fastest VPNs out there and with over 3000 server locations providing access to over 90 countries, you’ll never struggle to find something you want to watch.
Monthly subscription prices are more expensive in comparison to other VPNs, but enhanced security features such as DNS protection on each of its servers combined with an easy-to-use interface more than justify the additional cost.
NordVPN
NordVPN regularly updates its platform to make sure its users can access servers that aren’t blocked by Netflix. With prices starting from $2.99 a month, NordVPN is one of the cheapest ways to bypass Netflix’s geo-restrictions and get your chill on, whether you’re using a Mac, Windows or Linux device.
CyberGhost VPN
CyberGhost is one of the best VPNs for streaming thanks to its exclusive ‘Unlock Streaming’ feature. This allows users to identify and access specific servers that haven’t been flagged or blocked by Netflix, meaning you’ll never have to endure a trial and error process until you find a server that works.
Prices start at just $2.75 a month and CyberGhost’s focus on bypassing Netflix’s geo-restrictions has made it the VPN of choice for many Netflix fans.
No buffering. No suffering.
When you’re paying a monthly fee for a service, you want that service to be delivered to the quality you expect. Netflix continues to impose video quality restrictions with no signs of the coronavirus outbreak slowing down.
Utilizing one of the many VPNs that are out there is the easiest way of ensuring that nothing slows down your streaming.