I thought it was time for an updated version of this guide so I took some from the old and added in a bunch of new stuff. IPTV has evolved and this guide should too. So here we go. I will add to this as time goes on with the goal of making this the ultimate IPTV guide.
If you expect and want channels with 100% uptimes then IPTV is not for you. You are better off with Sling TV or PS Vue or Amazon Prime or Youtube TV or something similar, or sticking with your current cable or satellite service.
Many different services restream from the same sources. That means, generally speaking, if there's an issue from the source, a lot of different providers are going to be having issues and it's out of their hands. Most good services do have multiple sources for the same channels, so if there's an issue with one source, they just switch the channel over to the other. However, you do need to come in with lowered expectations. You're paying likely somewhere between $12-$15 a month for your service. These providers don't have a call center, a team of dedicated professionals taking shifts, and the most expensive equipment and technology out there like the cable providers do. It's usually one or at most two or three people behind the scenes maintaining things, and then a bunch of resellers. Point is, if you're expecting perfection, you're going to be disappointed. Every service has hiccups. Every. Single. One. There's downtime, there's buffering, there's incomplete EPGs, there is always something and it's impossible for there not to be. Yes, there are providers that are more "stable" than others, but anyone who tells you there is 100% no buffering, never any issues, and never any down time, is 100% lying to you.
First and foremost, DO NOT BELIEVE ANYONE HERE. If you post a request for IPTV provider recommendations, you will surely get re sellers and providers pimping their warez. There are many providers and resellers shilling their product here. I do not have to name specific usernames but if you been here long enough you will see certain providers propped up here time and time again.
If you post a request for an IPTV providers, you will surely get re sellers and providers pimping their warez (repeating this again for emphasis)
My best advice is to do your own research. Start by reading here https://www.reddit.com/r/IPTVReviews/ Then Google research the provider you are interested in, then join the provider forums and a READ as much as you can.
IPTV has many variables affecting the stability of the channels
- Source channels providers (content generators) <--- Your provider is only as good as the content generators. Not much you as a customer can do here.
- IPTV provider this is who you are looking for
- ISP <--- they might throttle you which might require a VPN (more on this in a moment, because everyone should be using one). They might block the IPTV provider all together using something like. Sky Shield or BT websafe. You want to disable these blockers. I see people saying they have a gigabit link but still buffering.. Sorry it's most likely you. You have a gigabit link to the next hop and thats about it. A provider that buffers continuously usually does not last long. Customers will leave in droves.... so chances are it is probably your issue.
- Customer Network <---- Your home network might not be up to par. Do you have wifi/wired? Do you live in a apartment building with a lot of WIFI competition? Get a wired link.
- Customer device <--- is your device underpowered? An old enigma or a cheap android box might not cut it for HD or FHD.
- Customer application<--- is it updated or have known bugs? VLC is the best test application on a wired computer.
This means what works for someone may not work for you. A certain provider may work great for one person (most likely a shill) but it may not work well for you.
… which leads us to TRIALS
TRIALS TRIALS TRIALS
Do as many as you can.
Keep in mind, the larger and probably more established provider will not offer free trials since they do not have incentive to. Out of a hundred trials they get maybe 1 reals sub. So out of that free 100 trials is countless request for help and configuration help that yields to wasted effort. A nominal cost ($2 USD to $5 USD) for trial for the bigger more established providers is normal.
Resellers and newer providers do offer free trials but usually on the weekday since they are trying to establish their base.
WEEKEND TRIALS are usually never free due to the large amount of sporting events on.
As some many have mentioned, instead of doing trials, buy a month at one provider then go to another provider.and cycle through them .. after about 4 months or so you will be an expert.
USE A VPN. Just do it. I use Nord and many people use IPVanish. You can buy 3 years for pretty cheap and it encrypts your internet traffic with 256 bit encryption. On top of that, your actual IP address will never hit the providers panel, meaning if you've taken other proper security measures (more on that in a second), you're safe and you don't need to worry about the scary things you read about services getting into legal trouble. Honestly if you are in the UK you should be using a VPN for everything, not just streaming, in my opinion, and I live in North America and use it for everything anyway. Providers get taken down or threatened to be taken down all the time. Your information is stored on their panels, or their websites. Use fake information when you sign up on websites. Now a good provider has failsafes in place so if they do start to feel the heat, everyone's information is wiped, but the reality is most providers aren't as smart as people give them credit for. Even user names are important. If you sign up on their website with your real name and your service username becomes your name, or a variation of your name, it just makes it that much easier for you to be identified. Sign up as "John Smith" or "John Doe" or "Supercalafradulistic Expealadocious" while connected to your VPN, and if that service ever ends up under investigation, how much time do you think they're going to spend trying to figure out who YOU are among likely thousands of other users? Not likely.
RECOMMENDED ISP IN CANADA:
Reason -- 5 referrals gets you free internet service.
Reason -- they're fighting Bell and Rogers on internet censorship.
LEARN HOW TO PAY WITH BITCOIN. It's really not that hard, and believe me I was intimidated when I first tried to figure it out but it's simple. All you do is sign up for a BTC wallet with a provider like Coinbase (or if you're in Canada I suggest Shakepay). From there, you can buy Bitcoin with your credit card (or with Shakepay by e-transfer). If a provider accepts Bitcoin or Etherium or another cryptocurrency, you select that payment method at checkout, follow the instructions and you've just paid with Bitcoin which is virtually untraceable. I think if people weren't so hung up on the slight learning curve, more people would use this method, but there's really not much to it and after a transaction or two you'll have it down pat. You can also earn Bitcoin for free with a tool like Crypto Browser which mines coins as you browse. You won't get rich but you might earn a few bucks a month to go towards your subscription and all you really have to do is use the browser or leave it open when you're not at your computer.
CHANNELS Don't be wowed by services with 5000+ channels just because they have a lot of channels. You will not watch all 5000 channels, in fact most of them will be in languages you don't speak. You will not watch Disney JR in Greek. Pay attention to the channels/categories that matter most to YOU, and judge the services based on those. A service may work great for American channels, but if Italian channels are important to you and they don't work, your experience isn't going to be as good as the guy who pays no attention to those.
VOD This has become less important especially if you own an Android device, as there are tons of free apps that have more VOD on them for free than any IPTV provider could ever hope to offer. Think of VOD as a bonus only. If the provider has it, great. If not, you would probably have a better experience with an Emby service anyway and there are plenty of those too who's sole focus is VOD.
SD OPTIONS Wooo hoo my provider has all FHD channels! and you will buffer all day everyday until your subscription expires. Keep in mind if you watch on your mobile you want a provider with some SD options. If you have data transfer caps you will want SD channels. FHD/HD left on is a crap load of traffic. Ideally ones that have HD and SD options for your favorite channels.
SUPPORT How responsive is your provider? Do they respond quickly? Do they treat you fairly? Are they reasonable? Do they fulfill these requests? Do they help you configure your device and offers post purchase support help? Honestly, this is one of many reasons why it's smart to use a good reseller versus going direct to a provider. Yes you might pay a couple dollars extra, but resellers have way more time to give you (good ones at least) and it's yet another layer of security because again, if a provider gets taken down, and the reseller is SMART (that's key) they've taken measures to at least be more difficult to hunt down than the average person -- coupled with your own security measures like the VPN, fake personal information and maybe you've even taken the time to learn to use Bitcoin, you're safe.
COMMUNITY Do they have a community of other users that can help each other with support and tips and tricks or does your IPTV provider leave you isolated on an island. I see people come here to ask question they should be asking their provider directly.
PRIVACY Are they protecting your privacy? Do they need your personal information Facebook Support group? AVOID if possible. Facebook requires you to request help with you real information. Do you want your Aunt Sally asking why you are posting to "HellonEarthHOSTINGSolutions"? Facebook tracks all your post to request help on IPTV. IMHO, it is plain lazy on the providers part to only have Facebook. There are plenty of other ways to build a community (Discord, Telegram, etc).
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