Roku/Netflix app Update

[GinBoy2]

FYI for anyone running a Roku3 and using a DNS service. The Netflix app was updated over the past week and now forces the DNS to 8.8.8.8 regardless of whatever you have entered into your router, so you may be encountering the deadly 'Netflix hasn't come to your part of the world' error message. If you haven't already the way around this is to enter a command line in the advanced section of your router setup, to re-route the 8.8.8.8 lookup to the DNS service you are using

[DrDave]

As a follow-on to the information above, my Roku 3 box is able to connect to Netflix without any entries in the static route table to block 8.8.8.8

In my case (once the connections are initially made), all that's needed is to swap out your ISP's DNS server with the DNS service you're using for Netflix.

Here are the details:

I replaced my TOT-issued ADSL router with a new D-Link DSL-2750E router because the TOT router includes firmware that prohibits changing the DNS server(s). I set up the D-Link router and verified that the wireless and internet connections were working for the PCs on my network. I then added a static route for 8.8.8.8 to loop back to my router's IP address, effectively blocking it. I also replaced TOT's DNS servers with my DNS service (Trickbyte).

The Roku, however, could not see the new D-Link router, even though is was just a few meters away. The solution was to change the Country/Region setting in the Wireless (Basic) setup from "Thailand" to "United States". As soon as I made that change, the new router was visible in the available networks list on the Roku.

At this point, the Roku could connect to the new router and local network, but would not connect to the internet when booting up. The solution to this was to remove the static route I had setup, and restore the DNS servers back to "obtain from ISP". Once I did this, the Roku was able to connect to the internet.

The final step was to go back into the router and substitute the TOT DNS servers with my Trickbyte server so that Netflix would work.

Once this initial setup has been completed (the steps above), nothing more needs to be done. In fact, we had a power outage last night forcing everything to reboot. The only thing that I needed to do in order to make Netflix work after the reboot of the Roku and Router was to "refresh" my Trickbyte IP address via a PC (If you're using Trickbyte, you need to do this every time your IP address, as issued by your ISP changes) and reboot the Roku.

I'm not sure why I don't need to setup a static route to block the public 8.8.8.8 DNS on this router. I was under the impression that the Country/Region code in the Wireless setup was just to set the radio's power level to be in compliance with country-specific regulations, but it appears to be more than that (as evidenced by the Roku's refusal to "see" the router when this parameter is set to "Thailand".

Edited August 19, 2014 by DrDave

[FreedomRouters]

Have you tried installing VPN on your router? Despite the myths, some VPNs deliver excellent and reliable streaming quality for Netflix, Roku and the like. Vypr is our preference. Plus with the VPN on the router, all devices connect to VPN on one account, encrypting all communications to keep all your surfing safe and private. www.freedomrouters.com has a line of Tomato routers with VPN integration which are ready to plug and play with your home or office network. This way, everything just works seamlessly. Hope this helps some users out there!