How I Watched Hulu from Istanbul

The night before the latest season of The Bear dropped, I was in Istanbul's Karaköy neighborhood staring at a Hulu geo-block screen. Turkish ISPs throttle some VPNs and Hulu itself hates obvious tunnels. I tinkered for an hour and eventually streamed the premiere in 4K without a hiccup. Here's the recipe so you don't waste your evening debugging DNS.

Photo: Unsplash / JESHOOTS.COM

Step 1: Baseline Your Connection

• Hotel Wi-Fi: 70 Mbps down / 18 Mbps up (tested via speedtest.net).
• Latency to U.S. East Coast: ~140 ms.
• Packet loss: 0.8% (acceptable).

I still routed through my GL.iNet Slate AX router to control DNS and VPNs. All devices connected to its private SSID.

Step 2: Choose the Right VPN Exit

Not all VPN servers are equal for streaming. I cycled through three Mullvad WireGuard exits (New York, Chicago, Washington D.C.). Hulu blocked them instantly. The fix was using NordVPN’s Meshnet to route traffic through a U.S.-based Raspberry Pi I keep at my friend’s apartment in Seattle.

• Meshnet peer: Raspberry Pi 4 running NordVPN Linux client.
• Connection speed: 52 Mbps down after tunneling—enough for 4K.
• Bonus: Hulu saw a residential Comcast IP, not a datacenter range.

Step 3: Override DNS

Hulu checks DNS resolution for location spoofing. If your DNS queries still originate in Turkey, you’re toast.

1. On the GL.iNet router, under Network > DNS, set primary to 103.86.99.100 (NordVPN’s DNS) and secondary to 103.86.96.100.
2. Enable “DNS over TLS” pointing at dns.nordvpn.com.
3. Flush DNS on Apple TV: Settings > System > Restart.

Step 4: Configure Apple TV (or your streaming box)

• Set region to United States.
• Disable “Match Content Frame Rate” temporarily to avoid handshake delays.
• Install the NordVPN Meshnet profile via the TV’s network settings (if not supported, share from router).
• Sign into Hulu with 2FA (Authenticator ensures new device trust).

Step 5: Handle Geo-Blocked Payment

Hulu occasionally wants a U.S. payment method. I maintain a U.S. Wise virtual debit card with a U.S. billing address (friend’s address). Works fine as long as you keep the account active with small charges every few months.

Step 6: Optimize Router QoS

Under Network > QoS, I created a rule prioritizing the Apple TV’s MAC address. That kept other devices from hogging bandwidth during the live stream. I also disabled unnecessary background sync (Dropbox, iCloud) via TripMode on my laptop.

Step 7: Alternative Without Meshnet

If you can’t borrow a residential IP:

• Try ExpressVPN MediaStreamer. It’s a smart DNS service that unblocks Hulu without full VPN. You enter the MediaStreamer DNS on your device; ExpressVPN routes the traffic.
• Shadowrocket + personal VPS on iOS if you’re streaming from an iPad. Configure WireGuard to a U.S. DigitalOcean droplet, then use smart routing to send only Hulu traffic through the VPN.

Troubleshooting Checklist

| Problem | Fix | | --- | --- | | Hulu error code P-EDU125 | Hulu detected VPN. Switch to residential IP or ExpressVPN MediaStreamer | | Buffering every 10 minutes | Lower stream quality to 1080p, run speed test, ensure QoS prioritization | | Captions out of sync | Clear Hulu app cache on device, reboot router | | Account login errors | Verify 2FA, sign in via browser first, then app |

What Didn’t Work

• SmartDNS Proxy service: worked for 15 minutes, then Hulu flagged it.
• Surfshark dedicated IP: recognized as commercial.
• T-Mobile International Roaming via iPhone hotspot: limited to 2 Mbps after fair use cap.

Bonus: Watching on Laptop

If you’re streaming on macOS:

1. Run NordVPN Meshnet or your chosen VPN at the system level.
2. Use the Brave browser with “Use hardware acceleration when available” enabled.
3. Install the Hulu Chrome extension for better player controls.
4. Plug in via HDMI to the TV, but disable HDR if your VPN bandwidth dips.

Final Recap

• Router: GL.iNet Slate AX with NordVPN DNS.
• VPN path: NordVPN Meshnet → Residential Raspberry Pi in Seattle.
• Device: Apple TV 4K set to U.S. region.
• QoS: Prioritized Apple TV, paused heavy downloads.

The result? Hulu streamed in 4K with no buffering, even during peak evening hours. Take the extra time to line up the right VPN exit and DNS settings, and you’ll spend the night watching Carmy obsess over beef instead of staring at “Sorry, Hulu is available in the U.S. only.”