First a quick update: I have been busy for a little while. Actually still am, but I am going to try to make a little more time to get more posts out. I also plan on making some video tutorials like I originally had.
If you have never set your DNS server, or don’t even really understand what it is, you are probably using your ISP’s DNS Server. DNS stands for Domain Name System. It basically translates the “Word-like” name that you type into your browser or other web client into an IP address for connecting a computer. As humans we like to talk in our normal language (at least most of us), we don’t usually talk in terms of numbers or mathematics but computers do.
DNS basically works like a phone book. You look up someone’s name and you are given their phone number and address. Their name is basically a means to contact them. DNS works similarly. Google.com is very easy to remember, but is IP address is probably not that easy. Plus, it could change over time.
You may be wondering why should you consider changing it. Everything seems to work well right now. And there are some reasons for using your ISP’s DNS. First, it will probably be the fastest. However, some ISPs aren’t always the most ethical and don’t always have your privacy as their first priority. There is no reason why you have to use their server. You can easily replace the DNS server IP addresses in your router or your network configuration for your computer.
DNS Settings in the Router
There are lots of options for servers out there. Personally, I use OpenDNS personally, but you can use Google’s servers as well or any other. Usually you can set a primary and secondary server. This way if one goes down it will fall back to the other one. There is no reason why you can’t set your primary to your ISP and your secondary to Google’s or another one. This way if your ISP goes down it will fallback to the other; although, most DNS providers have multiple servers that you can use. Some DNS providers also provide some form of safety if you accidentally mistype a domain.
If you are looking for utility to pick a fast DNS provider, there is a DNS benchmarking tool that was created by Steve Gibson. It can be found here: https://www.grc.com/dns/benchmark.htm Be aware that you should only use servers that you trust, as a malicious server could direct you to a fake site.
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