I am what many people would call, a “cord-cutter”. In my living space I don’t subscribe to cable, and generally watch my TV online with services such as Netflix, Hulu, and Youtube. A few years ago I lived in England and loved watching BBC iPlayer, but now that I live back in the US, I can’t do so since it’s blocked from any location outside of the UK. I was really bummed and have tried using free VPN services online, but they are all super slow with lots of advertising that get in the way. Along came the chance to review UnoTelly, a DNS and VPN service that lets you bypass geo-targeted content online. They gave me a trial run of their services, so let’s see how it went.
Note: Images can be clicked on to view a larger size.
UnoTelly has two services that helps you view online content outside of your area. They have a SmartDNS service, which allows you to simply change your DNS (Domain Name Service) and route your content through their servers, and a SmartVPN service, which allows your to “dial into” a certain location specifically.
UnoTelly advertises a huge assortment of websites you are able to stream online (some websites require email registration). Here’s a screenshot of just a few that they support:
UnoTelly also supports a huge amount of devices. Basically anything that has an internet connection, including computers, smartphones, smart TVs, gaming consoles and routers.
Since the main thing I wanted to try out was BBC iPlayer, I decided to try out the DNS service on my TV-connected Chromebox. I logged in, and their website gave me simple instructions on what to change. On the Chromebox it was quite easy; I went into the internet connection settings, and changed only the “DNS” IP address with the one they gave me. I also had to change my timezone to GMT on my device. With much surprise, I visited the iPlayer website, and had no problems watching content. It was super smooth with no lag and no warnings of content not being available for my area. I also tried websites such as Channel 4 on Demand (UK), some French channels (2-5), as well as an Australian and New Zealand website. The only thing I needed to change were the time zones. All played extremely well, with no lag-a great way to spend some lazy Sundays!
A last thing worth mentioning is that UnoTelly has a good knowledge base for answers. I was trying to figure out how to test the UnoVPN service, since they didn’t give me specific server names to enter into my devices, but I did find the answer I was looking for.
Overwall, UnoTelly is awesome. I personally preferred the DNS service over the VPN service, since my TV connected device has a web browser, but the VPN service might be for you if you have a tablet or other device that you want to connect that uses apps rather than a web browser to listen or view content. There are two pricing plans for UnoTelly; premium at $4.95/month and gold at $7.95/month, with 100% moneyback guarantee, with no contract.
UnoTelly offers a trial run for 8 days with no credit card. This won’t replace basic cable, but will give you access to channels online that you wouldn’t get because of geo-fenced restrictions. It’s definitely worth it if you are like me and a cord-cutter who prefers to view their media online!
Update 02/13/15
Source: The service for this review was provided by UnoTelly. Visit their site for more info.
Product Information
| Price: | $4.95/month or $7.95/month |
| Manufacturer: | UnoTelly |
| Requirements: |
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| Pros: |
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Can you provide a $ comparison for how many basic cable channels you can get (like A&E) on Uno or with other services or how much the basic cable would cost.
In NYC with Time Warner I get my basic cable pretty much for free as long as I have TWC’s telephone and internet service.
You’ve got to pay something for your cable and unless you’ve cut the cord and use on VoIP for telephone, something for phone.
I just don’t see the financial benefit for “cutting the cord.” I imagine there is a satisfaction of “sticking it to the man.” But it’s not a real benefit. (Or show me wrong.)
HI Sandee,
This won’t replace basic cable, just give you access to online services that you wouldn’t normally get if living in another country that doesn’t offer that service.
Hi. Can it be integrated into existing media PC software such as Windows Media Center, XBMC, etc.?
Also, if I already had a dedicated media centre designed to download and play content from iTunes or uTorrent for example, does the DNS or VPN service interfere or mess up any other download or software on a media PC?
Hi Armand,
I cannot speak on behalf of Unotelly, so I would recommend shooting them an email, but from what I noticed it would work just find with pc software such as Windows Media Center or XBMC, since that software is ontop of the hardware of the box you are using (PC, or Raspberry Pi etc). If you download/play content from another software service, I can imaging it only having trouble if it was region-locked content. The best thing to do would be to give the free trial a go and test it.
Can I just point out that watching BBC as a non license player is illegal.
If watching BBC as a non-licence payer is illegal then there are a million households in Ireland breaking the law.
It’s a good service if you are streaming TV over Wifi. However if you are out and about on your mobile phone or a 3G/4G tablet, then the only option is to use a VPN. That is why I prefer using ZoogTV VPN (http://zoogtv.com) over a DNS service as it works both on Wifi and over 3G/4G network. I use it to watch US Netflix in UK among others.
Thanks for the write up but there are much better options on the Smart DNS market. The channels list is inflated and many of the channels they list don’t work. I went with Unlocator instead – same service with a much more stable performance.
thanks. With my bad experience dealing with UNotelly I will check Unlocator .
I have a Canadan and American DNS IP address. Do I have to change the IP address each time I change sites?
My suggestion would be caeful before you sign up with UNOTelly. This is teh secodn time I signed just to experience same disappointment with billing and support as there is no one there to help …learn from others!
I get my DNS proxy and my VPN from https://ironsocket.com — they’re really cool. I like them because they’re simple and easy to deal with.
Yes Bhagya Vidhata
These all the providers mentioned in the list are working cool. I am still using multiple vpn tools because i do not believe on any single tool i love to experience variation and right now i have vpnranks where i can choose the latest one 😉
yes it is right
Technology Update
Times Bhaskar
Hi Elizabeth. I saw you had an update in 2015. A year and a half later, are you still using UnoTelly for the iPlayer with success? I tried a few VPNs and they’re very hit and miss. Even the same VPN provider will sometimes work and other times not. I’m looking for something that works consistently. Thanks in advance!
“The review is new but the comments are quite old so not really reflect the current status.
The support is exceptional in quick response time and quality of the solutions offered.
The mac software is a breeze to setup and connects quickly and reliably.
All in all a very good choice for a VPN.”
Proxies are not safe. I am using Hotspot Shield Free VPN to Access all blocked websites. Its Free. Hotspot Shield VPN conceals your IP address and protects your personal data from hackers, including credit card information, online shopping data, passwords, downloads and instant messages from hackers.
Well, I thought service had improved as well since they upgraded their software. Now you just pick a country and you connect to the best server available I have used it maybe three times this month but today was impossible. Of the 12 servers in Canada, only 2 were functioning at high capacity. I could not connect at all. When I talked to them, I got the same old bs about tap and restarting your computer.
If you want a vpn that works like a coin toss and is cheap and unreliable this is the one for you. I can’t wait until my contract expires.
I am going to China (Shanghai, Sichuan, Yunnan provinces) for the month of July. I have a Windows laptop and an iPhone I want connections on, and I really only want to be able to access Gmail and some mobile apps like Facebook and Snapchat. I would like the cheapest one since it’s only for a month, so I was thinking of PureVPN. What’s your input? (I’m totally clueless when it comes to this stuff
I’d rather just set one up on my home computer. Although I guess I’m kind of lucky because my college has a VPN server (I think mainly so students can access on-campus resources from off campus, like network shares and such) so I don’t have to pay for one if I need to use one.
I use PIA on my media server at home, the only complaint I have is that when it’s connected, Plex is unable to automatically connect to my myPlex account. This prevents me and other people I share my Plex server with from being able to discover it. So basically I have to turn PIA off to be able to access my media server with any remote Plex app.
Hi Elizabeth. I saw you had an update in 2015. A year and a half later, are you still using UnoTelly for the iPlayer with success? I tried a few VPNs and they’re very hit and miss. Even the same VPN provider will sometimes work and other times not. I’m looking for something that works consistently. Thanks in advance!
Proxies are not safe. I am using Hotspot Shield Free VPN to Access all blocked websites. Its Free. Hotspot Shield VPN conceals your IP address and protects your personal data from hackers, including credit card information, online shopping data, passwords, downloads and instant messages from hackers.
A VPN uses tunneling protocols to encrypt data at the sending end and decrypts it at the receiving end. The originating and receiving network addresses are also encrypted to provide better security for online activities.
I am concerned about a probable scam email from someone supposedly in Bejing, China. It is a gmail.com address. Can the Chinese people establish such an address and have daily access to it? Is there a way I can check to see if the address given in China is in fact for this person? I am in Canada. Thanks
The originating and receiving network addresses are also encrypted to provide better security for online activities.
Proxies are not safe. I am using Hotspot Shield Free VPN to Access all blocked websites. Its Free.
I have used BlackVPN for a couple of years now and I find it great – servers in US, UK, Netherland and a host of eastern european countries (even one in singapore). No speed issues (have a slowish broadband connection anyway – 2Mb) and cheap (€5 per month for one server up to €9.50 per month for access to all of them. Gets my vote anyway.
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