If you stream Crave with a VPN, you may have suddenly started running into an error that looks like this.
This is frustrating; what once may have been working isn’t anymore. Don’t worry; there is an easy fix to this error that will allow you to stream Crave from anywhere in the world reliably.
See Also:
- How to watch Crave outside of Canada
- How to watch CBC Gem outside of Canada
- How to watch British TV in Canada
How to fix Crave not working with VPN error
Below I have explained three simple steps you can take to try and fix this error. If you find that a particular step doesn’t work, move onto the next one and see if that resolves the problem.
If you would like to understand why Crave has suddenly blocked your connection and how you can prevent it from happening again, read the entire article where I will go into more detail.
Total Time: 3 minutes
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Delete Cookies
When you connect to the internet, some websites ask you to accept cookies. Cookies are not malicious; in fact, they intend to make your web surfing experience easier and more streamlined.
The problem here is that some cookies contain information that discloses your location.
You need to delete all of your cookies to make sure that Crave is not using this information to figure out that you aren’t trying to stream Crave outside of Canada.
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Connect to a different Canadian server
You cannot stream Crave anymore because the IP address your VPN has given you has been blacklisted by Crave.
If you change to a different Canadian server, you’ll be given a different IP address. This IP may not have been blacklisted by Crave meaning you’ill be able to continue streaming its content.
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Upgrade to a better VPN
If the first two steps don’t work, Crave has managed to block all of the IP addresses your VPN provides.
To fix this, you need to upgrade your VPN. We recommend NordVPN ($3.49/month) or Ivacy ($1.33/month). Both of these VPNs have reliable Canadian servers that you can connect to, and they provide additional security measures that prevent them from being blocked by Crave.
Why does Crave block my VPN?
The reason Crave blocks VPNs is because of broadcast rights and international licensing.
Crave only has the rights to stream its content in Canada. The service has paid a lot for these broadcast rights and it protects its investment by not allowing anyone to watch its content anywhere in the world.
Crave protects itself by geo-restricting its content. Anyone outside of the Canadian borders, cannot access Crave’s content.
How does Crave block my VPN?
Although it may have only just happened to you, streaming services blocking VPNs is not new. Companies like Netflix, HBO, Disney and NBC have been blocking VPNs for a long time.
They identify and block VPNs using three main techniques.
- The most common technique is to do with the IP addresses that your VPN can provide. VPN providers have more customers than the number of IP addresses they can provide; this means that customers can use the same IP addresses. Usually, only a household with a few devices uses the same IP address. When Crave sees hundreds or even thousands of connections coming through on the same IP address, it knows that it is a VPN and it blocks it.
- Crave monitors for IP, DNS and WebRTC leaks that can tip the service off you are using a VPN.
- Crave teams up with GeoIP databases like Maxmind to identify IP addresses. If the IP address your VPN provides is on one of these databases, Crave will be able to find out where in the world you are connecting to the internet from and it will block you.
Does Crave still work with VPNs?
Yes, but you need a VPN like NordVPN ($3.49/month) or Ivacy ($1.33/month) that is still compatible with Crave.
Lower-end VPNs will not always work with Crave because they don’t get around Crave’s checks. Higher-end VPNs et around these checks because they play a game of cat and mouse with Crave.
Whenever Crave identifies and blacklists an IP address, good VPNs like NordVPN ($3.49/month) or Ivacy ($1.33/month) respond by closing that IP address and opening new ones. This ensures that there are IP addresses for you to use and it allows you to stream Crave from anywhere in the world reliably.
How to fix Crave not working with your VPN?
The fix is simple. You need to upgrade your VPN to one that plays cat and mouse with Crave and has reliable Canadian servers.
I recommend NordVPN ($3.49/month) or Ivacy ($1.33/month) both of these VPNs are compatible with Crave and have fast speeds so you can reliably stream content.
All of the VPNs below play that game of cat and mouse with Crave and will work with the streaming service.
