[7ewis]

Would this be good for something like connecting the Pi to a VPN for say Canada, then broadcasting an SSID for it.

Then connecting a Fire TV Stick or Chromecast to this AP, and tricking it into letting you stream Canadian Netflix or DAZN etc.

[derefr]

Maybe it was just an arbitrary example, but really, there's no reason to want Canadian Netflix. We only get about half the stuff the US does.

Also, we have the same "content can't be offered here by Netflix because the local IP license has been bought out by a different owner" problem that the US and many other places does; but in Canada's case, most of those local IP owners are conservative dinosaur media companies, who either haven't managed, or haven't bothered, to set up their own alternative streaming services yet. They just... hold the licenses, doing nothing with them. Hoarding them, like a dragon. So there are many shows you just can't stream in Canada at all, no matter who you're willing to pay.

[zxcvbn4038]

During the pandemic I can blaze through new additions to the Netflix US catalog with speed, then its time to go find something new to watch for the next few weeks. All of the regional Netflix get movies and shows that the US does not - I was able to watch Star Trek Discovery in its entirety on Netflix Germany for example. Netflix Hong Kong has an amazing catalogue but I could not get that one to work with my VPN. Netflix UK is the most disappointing because it is more or less devoid of UK movies and shows aside from Monty Python and Peppa Pig (both already available in the US anyway).

[mcbridematt]

The software and/or device you are trying to trick would be able to determine it's true location using the MAC address of other WiFi APs in its vicinity - the same way a map app on your smartphone can without GPS and cellular network assistance.

If you can use Ethernet (e.g with a dongle on the Fire stick) and turn all the device radios off then there are less inputs available for the device to determine it's location.

[gzu]

I was interested in setting up something similar (as a novelty) to cheaply bypass an untrusted network.

Untrusted Wifi > RasPi Client > OpenVPN > AP

How would you go about routing the VPN device between client and AP?

[yeswecatan]

Sounds like it would work. I may give that a try. Now to find a VPN for Canada...

edit: Now that I think about it, what's the difference between using the Pi as an AP and using it as a DNS server?