North American catalogues
Netflix US, Hulu and HBO Max are the most IP-sensitive, so prefer a US IEPL dedicated route. 20:00 to 24:00 is the dividing line: a route that holds up in that window will rarely fail during the day.
Streaming · Region notes
Streaming region unlock guide
The same platform serves different catalogues in different regions. Whether a title opens depends on where the exit IP is registered, and on whether the platform reads that route as a data-centre address. This page lists current support by platform and region, then explains native IP, residential IP, 4K bandwidth and the order to work through common errors.
Region support
Platform and region support table
The table below lists current availability by platform and region. Supported means a route in that region opens the platform's regional catalogue normally; Partial means you can sign in, but some catalogues, devices or time slots are restricted; Not supported means that region has no such catalogue at all, and changing routes will not help.
- Supported
- Partial
- Not supported
| Platform | United States | Japan | Singapore | Hong Kong | United Kingdom | Recommended route |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Netflix | Supported | Supported | Supported | Partial | Supported | US · IEPL dedicated |
| Disney+ | Supported | Supported | Supported | Partial | Supported | US · IEPL dedicated |
| HBO Max | Supported | Partial | Partial | Not supported | Partial | US · Relay |
| Hulu | Supported | Not supported | Not supported | Not supported | Not supported | US · Direct |
| YouTube Premium | Supported | Supported | Supported | Supported | Supported | Japan · Relay |
| Prime Video | Supported | Supported | Supported | Partial | Supported | Japan · Relay |
| BBC iPlayer | Not supported | Not supported | Not supported | Not supported | Supported | UK · Relay |
The table above covers only the regions most used for streaming. VPNUJ covers 110+ countries / 160+ routes; for anywhere else, the route list shown after you log in is the reference.
Notes
Status in this table changes with each platform's own regional policy and is not a permanent commitment. When a platform reshuffles its catalogue, changes its risk rules or withdraws service from a region, the same route's status changes with it.
When a status changes, first switch to another route in the same region inside the client; if that still fails, open a ticket with the platform name, the error code and the route you were using.
How it works
What unlocking actually means
Matching the region is only the first step — platforms also check whether the address looks like an ordinary user.
Platforms work out where you are not from your account details but from three things: where the exit IP is registered, what DNS resolution returns, and the path the request actually takes. Only when all three point to the same region does the catalogue switch to that region.
Unlocking is the work of lining those three layers up: putting the exit IP in the target region, sending resolution down the same path, and making that address look to the platform's risk engine like an ordinary user rather than a server in a data centre.
Three layers of checks — miss one and you snap back
- Exit IP location — the heaviest weight. Whichever country the IP block is registered in is the country whose catalogue the platform serves.
- DNS resolution path — some platforms cross-check resolution results against the exit IP, and flag a region mismatch when resolution lands somewhere else.
- Account and payment region — a few platforms look at sign-up country, subscription method and usual login location; logging in from another region within a short window can trigger a second verification step.
So when choosing a route, matching the region is only step one — the type of IP matters just as much. Within one region, different routes' IP blocks score differently in platform risk engines, which is why one viewer opens a catalogue first time and another keeps hitting errors.
Picture quality
Bandwidth for 4K and Dolby Vision
The bandwidth figures on platform help pages are thresholds, not a guarantee of experience. What really decides whether you see a spinner is link stability: a route that peaks high but jitters every few dozen seconds is worse for 4K than one with a modest but steady ceiling.
| Playback tier | Typical platform guidance | What matters more |
|---|---|---|
| 1080p | Single-digit Mbps | Start-up time, steady bitrate |
| 4K UHD | Mid-teens to low-twenties Mbps | Peak bandwidth, buffer depth, peak-hour behaviour |
| 4K Dolby Vision | Headroom on top of 4K | End-to-end stability, Dolby Vision support on the device |
Figures differ between platforms; the latest note on each platform's help page is authoritative.
Variables beyond bandwidth
Route type decides peak-hour behaviour: dedicated lines run on their own channel and are less affected by contention; relay routes cost less but are shared more; direct routes are cheapest and suit cases where stability matters less. Your local network counts too — an old router, a weak Wi-Fi signal or several devices playing at once all push real throughput below the speed-test number.
Extra requirements for Dolby Vision
Dolby Vision needs the source, the playback device and the display to support it. Most phone and laptop screens top out at HDR10; if your TV or box does support Dolby Vision, set quality to Auto or the highest option in the client. When the device does not support it, the platform falls back to HDR10 or plain 4K — the picture is still watchable, and there is no need to change routes over it.
Troubleshooting
Common error codes and the order to handle them
Each platform numbers its errors differently, but the order of handling is much the same: try another route in the same region, clear the client cache, then test on another device. The table below uses common Netflix codes as examples.
| Error code | What it usually means | What to try, in order |
|---|---|---|
| NW-2-5 | The client cannot reach the playback server | Another route in the same region → restart the client → reproduce on another device |
| M7037-1003 | The platform treats the current network as a proxy | Switch to a dedicated route → disable other proxy extensions → retry in a private window |
| E100 | Playback drops mid-stream, usually link jitter | Try a lower quality → change route type → avoid peak hours |
| Region mismatch message | The exit IP is not registered in the catalogue's region | Confirm the route's region → flush DNS cache → sign in again |
| Constant buffering or a black screen | Resolution or link problem | Change route type → change resolution strategy → open a ticket |
If the same error code appears on several routes, it is most likely a rule change on the platform side rather than a fault in one route. Send the platform name, the error code and the route you used in a single ticket and it will be handled much faster.
Choosing a route
Choosing a route by catalogue region
The route should sit in the region where the catalogue lives. The three common cases call for different priorities.
East Asian catalogues
Netflix Japan, Prime Video and YouTube Premium refresh their catalogues quickly; Japan and Singapore relay routes have lower latency and start faster, which suits everyday binge-watching and several devices at once.
European catalogues
BBC iPlayer is only offered in the UK and is a single-region platform, so availability follows the platform's own policy. For platforms like this, use the 14-day money-back guarantee for a trial round before committing to a long-term plan.
Billing
How data is counted and how to pick a plan
Streaming traffic is driven by video bitrate, and 4K runs at several times the bitrate of 1080p. If most of your viewing is 4K, the 60GB tier suits occasional watching, while the 250GB and 500GB tiers fit people who stream every day.
| Type | Price | Data |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly plan | ||
| Monthly plan | ¥9.9 / month | 60GB |
| Monthly plan | ¥18 / month | 250GB |
| Monthly plan | ¥28 / month | 500GB |
| Data pack | ||
| Data pack | ¥158 | 300GB |
| Data pack | ¥358 | 1000GB |
| Data pack | ¥658 | 3000GB |
Monthly plan data resets each month on the activation date, and mid-cycle upgrades are prorated against the remaining days; data packs last until used up and never expire. Every plan allows unlimited simultaneous devices, supports Windows / macOS / iOS / Android / Linux, accepts Alipay / WeChat Pay / USDT, and comes with a 14-day money-back guarantee.
FAQ
Four questions that come up most when streaming
A platform worked yesterday and now says the region is wrong
First check whether the route's region has changed: the exit region shown in the client must match the catalogue region. If the route has not changed and it suddenly stopped working, the platform has most likely tightened its risk rules for that region, or the route's IP block has been re-flagged.
Switching to another route in the same region usually restores it; if several routes fail at once, the platform is tightening its checks and the route side needs to swap IP blocks.
Several routes all fail to open the same platform
When the same error code repeats across several routes, it is usually a rule change on the platform side rather than a fault in one route. Send the platform name, error code, route name and time of failure in one ticket — the handling differs from a single-route fault.
4K keeps buffering — is the bandwidth too low?
First check whether other devices are downloading or streaming at the same time. If a single device still buffers repeatedly on 4K, link jitter is more likely than a low peak bandwidth.
Compare against a route one tier higher and you can tell whether the problem is the route or your local network.
It works on the phone but not on the TV
Clients on TVs and set-top boxes update slowly, and both region detection and decoding differ from phones. Check that the client is the latest version, then check whether the TV's traffic actually goes through the same route — a TV wired straight to the router often ends up on the local network by itself.
Next steps
The route list is grouped by region and marks each route's type and best use; the plans page has full pricing, data packs and refund details.