How do obfuscated VPN servers help with streaming? Here's everything you need to know

Getting around the geo-blocks that streaming services use to keep foreign users from tuning is one of the main reasons you’d want a VPN, but sometimes it’s not as easy as just pressing connect and tuning in. Behind the scenes, it’s a constant cat-and-mouse game between the streaming platforms and VPNs as each of them comes up with new methods to outwit the other.

Streaming services are getting increasingly good at detecting and blocking VPN traffic, and even the best VPNs are occasionally blocked off. You might be wondering if obfuscated servers are the answer, as they’re often advertised as a way to completely disguise your VPN use. The answer isn’t a simple “yes” or “no”, as it depends on what's blocking your access. Read on and I’ll clear up when obfuscation can make your streaming experience better, as well as when you’re better off looking at a different solution instead.

What is obfuscation?

Also known as 'stealth VPN' or 'cloaking technology', VPN obfuscation is a technique meant to circumvent virtual private network blocking. Some providers have even devised their own custom obfuscation technology, like Surfshark's Camouflage Mode and the Chameleon protocol from VyprVPN.

Prompted by companies and authorities, ISPs may use Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) to understand whether or not you're connected via a VPN. In fact, even though your activities are untraceable, a close examination of your traffic might reveal you're using a VPN. In that case, your ISP can block your access to the internet.

As the name suggests, obfuscation technology hides your VPN traffic, making it look like a normal connection. Even the most privacy-unfriendly nations around will struggle to determine that you are surfing the net with a VPN active.

Obfuscation techniques differ between VPN providers. Many rely on “Shadowsocks”, a protocol that tunnels your VPN connection through a persistent HTTPS tunnel to a single server, while some VPN providers have developed proprietary obfuscation technologies, such as Surfshark's "Camouflage Mode" mentioned above.

Read more: What is obfuscation?

Do obfuscated servers help with streaming?

Obfuscation can solve a number of issues you may encounter while streaming with a VPN, but not all of them.

If you’ve ever tried to access Netflix while abroad, you’ll have instantly noticed different shows on offer. There’s a good reason for this: Streaming services implement geo-restrictions to comply with licensing agreements, which are usually enforced on a per-country basis. These restrictions limit content availability based on a user's location. To enforce these restrictions, platforms employ various tactics to identify and block VPN traffic. While DPI isn’t usually one of these, there are several ways DPI can interfere with your streaming that obfuscation can solve.

Avoiding DPI

First, if you’re trying to access a stream using a VPN to circumvent local network blocks or your ISP is banning you from visiting a streaming site, DPI can block your VPN access altogether. Obfuscation will disguise your VPN use, so you’ll be back up and running in no time. This is particularly useful if you’re trying to stream from public Wi-Fi, which sometimes limits access to bandwidth-heavy activities like streaming.

Retaining speeds

Even if you can access a streaming site, your ISP might employ “throttling”. This uses DPI to dynamically identify your streaming traffic and deprioritize routing it to the internet and back. Essentially, your traffic is slowed down so more users can fit on the ISP’s network without them needing to buy more servers. It can be pretty annoying when you’re trying to stream something during primetime hours only to be hit with buffering you wouldn’t normally get. Obfuscation stops your ISP from slowing down your VPN traffic so you can watch your shows with the speeds you pay for.

When can't obfuscation help?

As for streaming sites themselves, they usually check the location a request for their content originates from. If the requester’s IP is in a country that shouldn’t be streaming that content, it’s blocked.

VPNs get around this by hiding your public IP, replacing it with the IP of whichever VPN server you’re connected to. This allows you to access geo-blocked content wherever you are in the world.

However, even if you’re using obfuscation you might run into trouble. Streaming sites block VPN servers based on the IP associated with them, so even if you disguise your VPN use they’ll still know the traffic is coming from a server of a known VPN provider.

In this case, it’s best to reconnect to a different IP or another server in the same country. If that doesn’t work, you’ll either have to alert your VPN provider’s support team or switch to a new VPN altogether.