How to watch Xfinity outside the US
Chris
Chris, a UK-born media connoisseur, is an expert in watching international TV. Known as "The Global Screen Wanderer", he has travelled extensively across the globe with long stints away from home. With over 10 years of experience he has become the go-to guru for streaming content from home and abroad.
Xfinity from Comcast has plenty of great TV shows but if you’ve ever tried to watch outside the United States like I did then you’ll be disappointed.
Xfinity is a subscription service but unfortunately it’s only available to view if you’re in the US. I’ve always thought this was a little strange considering you have to pay for the service.
What does it matter if you’re on vacation or travelling outside the US? You should still be able to watch your favourite TV shows. Well, it seems it does matter to Xfinity.
Undeterred by this I started to look for a way to avoid this block and came across a really easy solution that will let you watch Xfinity outside the US from anywhere in the world. I’ve put together a simple guide below to show you how you can do it too.
How to watch Xfinity outside the US
If you visit the Xfinity website directly or launch one of their apps outside the US then you’ll be blocked from viewing and rather than be able to stream your favourite show you’ll see a block message similar to the one below.
A sample block message you may see.
The reason Xfinity is able to block you when you’re outside the US is because they check something called your “IP Address”. An IP Address is a set of numbers unique to your internet connection but unfortunately for you it also gives away your location.
The good news is it’s possible to get an IP Address from another country using a tool called a VPN.
A VPN is a small piece of software for your desktop or app for your tablet or phone that allows you to get an IP Address from another country. In the case of watching Xfinity outside the US, you’ll want a US IP Address.
This means for example that if you were in the UK then you could use a VPN to get a US IP Address and then watch any Xfinity show you wanted. The same for any other country in the world.
So let’s find out where to get a VPN and see how easy it is to use.
Where to get a VPN
VPN services are originally intended to protect your privacy online and as online privacy has become big in recent years it means the number of different VPN companies on offer is now huge.
Simply type the term “VPN” into Google or any other search engine and you will find page after page of results.
Unfortunately not all VPN services are created equally and ending up with a bad service is a possibility.
I’ve been testing a selection of VPN providers to find out who is the best to watch Xfinity outside the US. I found the following three all offered good prices, a good service and most important fast speeds which when streaming video is critical.
Just click on one of their names to visit their website and sign-up. A good VPN service should cost you no more than US$10 per month.
Once you’ve visited one of the providers above keep reading below where I’ll show you just how easy it is to use the VPN service to watch Xfinity outside the US.
How to use the VPN
Once you’ve signed up and either selected or been provided with a username and password the process is really simple.
Firstly download the software or app for your computer or mobile device and install it. Login when required.
Next select an option in the United States also known as a “Server”. You can choose any location as long as it is in the US. Press Connect and wait for the software or app to connect.
Once connected visit the Xfinity website or launch the Xfinity app and watch as normal as if you were in the US.
That’s it, there is nothing more to it.
Below I’ve put together a step-by-step guide using my favourite VPN provider ExpressVPN on a Windows PC but it’s the same using a Mac too.
ExpressVPN:
- Visit the ExpressVPN website.
- Click Get ExpressVPN and select a subscription length.
- Complete the payment process.
- Visit the Products section of the ExpressVPN website and download the Windows software.
- Install and Run the software.
- Press Selected Location and then United States.
- Then press Connect.
Stream Xfinity anywhere.
The ExpressVPN software will now take care of connection for you. All you need to do is wait until it tells you it is connected which should take anywhere between 15 and 30 seconds.
Once connected you can simply visit the Xfinity website or launch the Xfinity app. You’ll now be able to watch Xfinity outside the US from anywhere in the world.
It really is that simple! If you get stuck feel free to post in the comments section below and we’ll be glad to help you out.
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By using VPN to access Xfinity when outside the USA, can I watch Xfinity both live and access sports and programs I have in the dvr cache.
Hi,
A VPN wouldn’t work directly with a DVR. However, if you can usually access these via an app or website then it should (in theory) work.
Can you recommend any FREE obviously limited bandwidth VPN to use with Xfinity outside US??? not a trial, some 1gb or so free per month?
Your best bet would be to try VyprVPN who offer a free 3-day trial or TunnelBear although they limit you to just 500mb of data which wouldn’t allow you to watch much.