Youku is a Beijing based video hosting service that offers many of its populace favorite and best kinds of videos, movies, TV Shows etc. for free. This is only for the people that live in the Mainland of China. The access granted to view Youku.com is blocked geographically i.e. geo-blocked and therefore it is not accessible to people outside China.
When trying to access the Youku channel outside of China, the notice “sorry this video can only be streamed within the Mainland China” will be brought up, thereby restricting the view from accessing the desired video of your choice. This is usually the setback for the people that are outside of China walls.
This Youku channel can be accessed by the Chinese population through the use of computers, Android smart phones, laptops, tablets and other internet friendly devices and it is absolutely free to watch.
You can access the Youku channel by the use of an IP address (this IP address is a combination of four distinct numbers that helps to identify your personal computer) which shows that you are in the Mainland China.
The main reason why you cannot view Youku outside China is as a result of the government policy which a geo-restriction of the channel and a needed Chinese IP address is required to access the channel outside the country. Your IP address can also be changed by using VPN which enables the views to bypass the regional restrictions, thereby unblocking the geo-blocked contents. To get an IP address, you have to connect to an available VPN server located in China.
How to unblock Youku VPN
When you have VPN at your disposal, you are able to unblock the server and have access to your best videos from any part of the world. You can simply say that the VPN is less expensive in terms of cost when you want to bypass geo-restrictions. When connected to a server in China,
Your VPN provider hides the original IP address you used, changes your virtual location, and automatically tells the server that you are connected from a website in China.
This is how VPN helps you to unblock the geo-restrictions in your location. The function of the VPN is totally used to hide your IP address but it also helps to encrypt your information online; it protects the privacy of your activities online, which makes it impossible for other people to identify you with the activity you engage in while on the internet. To do this:
- Your VPN app can be installed on your android devices, PC’s, Mac, iPhone or IPads
- For your VPN data to be encrypted, it means no one can know what you are doing online.
- When you are connected to a VPN server in China all your activities and online presence will show that you are connected from China.
- The speed of your VPN when using your internet speed will drop by 15%
- You can also use the VPN to unblock geo-blocked channels in their regions e.g. Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, Instant Video, BBC iPlayer, Sky Go, HBO Go, Showtime etc,
- The VPN also has the ability to unblock other Chinese channels online like PPTV, Sohu, Tudou, etc including blocked streaming sites that are outside China.
There are several ways to unblock Youku channels conveniently and avoid the geographical restrictions which could prevent you from gaining access to your Youku channel from outside China and here are three basic ways that will help you get hooked to Youku outside China and they are:
- Using a Virtual Private Network (VPN)
- Using a Proxy
- Using the Chrome/ Firefox
Now let’s have a detailed look into each of these ways and then you can pick the right choice that best suits you anytime you find yourself outside of China to avoid geo-restrictions.
Using a Virtual Private Network (VPN)
For someone who watches Youku outside China for an extended period of time, it may be better for that individual to use the virtual private network (VPN). VPN is a secure group of computers which are able to connect if you have the right protocols (username and password).
When connected, you can gain access to the site on the internet in which your VPN is connected to securely. What makes the VPN good is that it does not matter the particular place in the world that you are, once connected to the site, your IP address is taken from the VPN and not from your own computer.
For instance, if you are securely hooked up to a VPN that originates from China and that includes Youku, you must take to account that some virtual private network is not really free. Bear this in mind that they are faster and stable, which means you can stream videos from the Youku channel almost or equally faster as you would do normally if connected to the Youku directly.
There are little dangers from people that are able to access your personal computer without your prior knowledge or even viruses attacking your computer which leaves it at the mercy of online threats. Your ideal VPN for your Youku just like TorGuard would have to satisfy some necessary criterions like:
- China servers
- Testing speeds- Turbo speed streaming server
- VPN apps for easy access (either desktop or mobile)
- Open VPN or iKEV2 tunneling protocols available
Using a Proxy
If you visit a website, there are several pieces of information that are sent to the website at the point of you entering it, your IP address is one of such information that is sent to a site as you enter it in your computer device; Youku site then knows that you want to gain access to the available content when you want to access Youku outside China.
The proxy can be used to bypass this barrier. A proxy can be said to be a kind of a half way address that is between your device and the site.
A proxy works as a middle man when it comes to IP address. It serves as the address that you can send and receive your required information from the internet without having to use your own IP address directly. It is then used to cover up your own personal IP address. The best way to use your proxy is by an online proxy site and there are several kinds of such sites available like a proxy, Free Web Proxy, and Aniscartujo.
When at these sites, you have entered the IP address you want to access i.e. www.youku.com and then you have to press the launch button.
Some ads may come up but simply exist them if you are not interested and then the Youku site should come up on your computer browser.
These proxy sites are different in grades and when searching for the right one to use, you have to choose the best for the Youku site which may depend on the online user at the time. To find a proxy site you can search for “free online proxy “.
Using the Chrome/Firefox
Now, for those who are not technically oriented when handling the computer and you want to access the Youku site, the best way to access it is by using the unblock Youku extension for your chrome. Chrome is an internet browser that is created by Google; when you have chrome on your device, you can install the extension to unblock the Youku site.
When you want to use this Chrome browser at the top left corner of the page, you will identify a “+FREE” click on this and a box will appear and with it, you confirm that you want to add the unblock Youku to your chrome for those who want to access Youku outside China.
Once that is done, it will be installed and then you see a green tick in a blue and red circle at the address bar which means the extension has been installed and ready for use. On the other hand, if you prefer to use the Firefox than Chrome, there is also an option to unblock Youku extension.
On a final note, for individuals who just love Youku.com but often find themselves outside of China can utilize these steps to help continue an ever wonderful experience of the movie and TV Shows that are available on this channel. So tell a friend to tell a friend that there are important ways to bypass Geo-restrictions for your favorite Youku.com shows.
