If you just want to access the free trial for a VPN/Proxy that allows you to watch Hotstar anywhere in the world and lots of other channels like the BBC iPlayer too then you can access it on the link below.
Free Trial for Hotstar VPN/Proxy
Most VPN and proxy services tend to keep their servers in European and American countries. The market is usually bigger but it can be frustrating for people trying to unlock content in other locations. This means that free proxies are even more difficult to find too, sure they exist but anyone connected to them will realise that they’re incredibly slow and overloaded – it’s like surfing using a 14.4k modem again. There’s one thing you need from a proxy/VPN if you want to stream video and that’s speed.
The guys at Smart DNS Proxy seem to be an exception though and appear to be trying to get a proxy server in just about every country on the planet. Their latest one is an Indian Proxy server and VPN server housed in a datacentre in Maharashtra. I think this will be one of their more popular servers for a very important reason – cricket !!! Last year the IPL (Indian Premier League) broadcast their tournament on an official YouTube channel. However most countries couldn’t get access to this channel, in fact you were only guaranteed access by watching from an Indian IP address.
Of course this wasn’t much help if you were a cricket fan living outside India. In fact even if you were an Indian cricket fan but were connecting from the wrong place – you’d get blocked. I’m not sure what will happen with the IPL this year, the YouTube channel is still there where you can still watch some of previous tournaments and their premium content. Of course it will probably be on a few other channels as well as Indian IPTV and other Indian streaming sites.
I actually get lots of requests about where people can find an Indian Proxy server because of the cricket and another sport – Premiership football. This used to be broadcast free of charge on Hotstar an Indian sports channel which you can get online or via Indian IP addresses (see note below). You can also watch Hotstar in certain other countries by subscribing directly, however there are a lot of regional variations. If you want the original Hotstar outside India you’ll definitely need a way to hide your location.
However until now I didn’t really have a good suggestion for a decent Indian proxy/VPN server – there certainly aren’t loads of free Indian proxy sites about. So I’m glad that Smart DNS Proxy have launched this extra service and added loads of servers in India (at no extra cost too).
If you’ve never looked at them, the two reasons they stand out are really the sheer number of servers they have in different countries, plus that you get them all included in the standard subscription. There are loads of companies which charge per country which I think is a complete rip off. It’s the easiest way I’ve found to the question how to get Indian IP address and of course access to a whole network of other useful countries included too.
Indian Proxy Server for Hotstar Plus Loads More
The problem is that there is so much of this IP blocking going on, you encounter it around every corner – one minute you need to be from US, then the UK and later India to access Hotstar. Want the cricket fine, but next month it may be Wimbledon and you’ll be looking how can I watch UK TV abroad instead. virtually every single web site in the world that streams TV shows or events will block access. Sure using a VPN works but you need to ensure your VPN services support each particular country. To buy a separate subscription for each one would be ridiculous but fortunately Smart DNS Proxy just let you use any of their proxies in 40 different countries.
This Indian proxy will also attract many Bollywood and Indian TV fans I suspect, there are lots of dedicated media channels which are only accessible to Indian IP addresses. Here’s a quick video with a demonstration of what’s involved –
Hotstar India Proxy via DNS
If you watch the video you can actually see that the prosy here is enabled in a slightly different way using their special DNS servers. This is a new technology called Smart DNS which has revolutionized the way we can access streaming services like Hotstar and BBC iPlayer. In many ways it’s exactly the same, you still redirect your connection through the right country – matching the server location with the right country. However this is done automatically through something called Smart DNS, which only redirects your connection automatically but only when needed. So instead of manually enabling the connection, Smart DNS will only reroute when it sees a steaming service that operates geo-blocking. It has lots of benefits however probably the best advantage over a standard VPN/proxy connection is that it is generally faster as most traffic is routed directly to target server. It’s also cheaper as it doesn’t require hundreds of servers with unlimited bandwidth.
It’s easier to use than a traditional VPN service, easier to install as it requires no software – you just change your DNS servers. It basically acts as a selective Hotstar VPN when you visit the Hotstar website, and sits in the background until needed. It can help you watch other Indian TV shows plus the vast majority of online stations like the BBC, Hulu, NBC and ITV.
You just click the server you need and then your real IP will be obscured and the Smart DNS used instead. While connected you will browse with an Indian address. If you use their Smart DNS settings instead you don’t even have to directly use the proxy as your traffic will be routed automatically when required – the result complete transparency and faster speed too.
So you could watch a little of the IPL one minute via an IP address in India, then click through to a US server and watch an episode of The Simpsons on Hulu without even having to change to a fast proxy server in the UK to watch the BBC news – excellent huh ? There’s no need to just search to buy Indian proxy on it’s own, the best services will include a whole host of servers.
The Smart DNS service demonstrated above still has the normal VPN client as well if you need it. Remember if you want security and AES encryption you’ll need to use their standard VPN connection.
Just Try the Indian Proxy Server for Hotstar Free of Charge for 14 Days !
It’s becoming an essential tool for anyone online and I’m just glad there’s a few companies like Smart DNS Proxy not trying to overcharge people with ridiculous pricing structures. Check at the end of the post for a link to a free trial with an Indian proxy server included.
In the end all these media companies will I hope switch to some global model so we don’t have to go through these lengths. It’s creating a two tier internet society, although 10 bucks a month doesn’t sound expensive – it’s a lot of money in many countries of the world. Until then applications like this are essential for those of us lucky enough to be able to pay for them.
If anyone knows any better IP cloaker which include an Indian Proxy server or VPN then please let me know.
Note: although this will give you an Indian address for Hotstar, I believe the Premiership football has been moved to their premium account. This means you’d also have to subscribe to this to watch the football online, which I believe is about $3 a month (but please check for yourself). Make sure you enable the high speed Indian proxy server before you subscribe for an account too.