Net range 173.194.0.0 - 173.194.255.255 is owned by Google (YouTube)
Net range 206.111.0.0 - 206.111.255.255 is owned by Amazon/XO Communications (Twitch)
These IP addresses are caching servers used for video streaming sites. They are congested and sometimes bandwidth is throttled on them to allow for more connections. Blocking these IP address ranges forces YouTube or Twitch to use a different caching servers that will deliver faster, and smoother video playback.
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Start -> Control Panel--> System and Security --> Administrative Tools > Windows Firewall With Advanced security.
- On the left side of the firewall window click on the "Inbound Rules" option.
- On the right side of the screen click on "New Rule..."
- Click on the "Custom" radio button and then click "Next>".
- Make sure the "All programs" radio is selected then click "Next>".
- On the protocol and ports options leave everything at its defaults and click "Next>".
- On the scope screen you will see two boxes the top one is for local IP addresses and the bottom is for remote IP addresses. In this scenario we are trying to block an outside (remote) IP from accessing anything on the server so we will need to add the IP address to this section only as it will not be a local IP address.
- On the bottom selection "Which remote IP addresses does the rule apply to?" Click on the radio button that says “These IP addresses”
- Click on the "Add..." button.
- Click on the second radio button "This IP address range". Enter either of these ranges.
For Twitch:
From 206.111.0.0
206.111.255.255
For YouTube:
From 173.194.0.0
To 173.194.255.255
- NOTE** You can only do one rule at a time. For me I only picked the Twitch IP range.
- Click "OK", click "Next>".
- Make sure you select the "Block the connection" radio button on the next screen and then click "Next>".
- Leave all of the options on the next screen checked. This will be sure to block the IP no matter the connection they are trying to use. Click "Next>".
- Name the rule on the next screen something you can remember in case you wish to remove or edit it in the future. Click "Finish" and thats it.
- Repeat the steps if you want to make a rule for YouTube. I found that my YouTube videos play smooth without any changes. If you do want to apply the rule for YouTube, You'll need to go through the steps for a new rule separately.
