How to change your DNS server and which public DNS server you should use
| In this article we will explain how to change your default DNS server to one which you choose to manually set and why you may want to do this. What is DNS. First thing first we should probably explain what the heck a DNS server is. DNS stands for Domain Name System, and the purpose of a DNS server is to keep track of the thousands if not millions of website domains and where on the internet they are located. When we think of a website we know them most of the time by a www. and the name of the site followed by .com or co.uk or any other suffix, however this isnt how the internet sees them. Each computer on the internet, including yours, is assigned what is called an IP address. This is kind of similar to a phone number. A DNS server will keep track of all these IP addresses and the websites they belong to, so when you type in www.google.com it knows to send you to the right IP address when all you see is the website name at the top of your page. Just like when you set a contact in your mobile/cell phone which relates a number so instead of dialling the number you would look up "mum" in your phone and hit dial, your phone knows to dial the right number and a DNS server knows the right IP address. Hope that makes sense. |
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| So why would we want to change our default DNS Well, just like everything else in life, not everything is created equal, some DNS servers are better than others. The majority of internet users will have their default DNS server which is most likely provided by their internet service provided, and in almost all cases this is fine. However on the odd occasion there could be a very valid reason for wanting to change your DNS. You may have been the victim of a malware attack which has force changed your DNS server, your ISP could be having server problems, a site could be blocked or censored in your current DNS which for whatever reason you want to access, some DNS servers offer improved security or whatever other reason you may wish to change the question is who to change to. Choosing a DNS provider I would only recommend choosing a DNS server provided by a very trustworthy source, so here are a few big names that can be relied upon. Google public DNS, 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4 (super fast performance) Level 3 public DNS: 209.244.0.3 and 209.244.0.4 (super fast performance) Norton Connectsafe DNS: 199.85.126.10 and 199.85.127.10 (Provides some protection against virus/malware) OpenDNS 208.67.222.222 and 208.67.220.220 (provides some protection against Phishing attacks) |
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How to make the changes Look for TCP/IP ipv4 right click and again select properties. On this page chances are you will see a box with "obtain DNS server address automatically" selected. To set this manually click the option below labelled Use the following DNS server addresses and type in the numbers listed above for the choice you wish to use, or another if you already have a specific server you wish to use that is not listed. Click apply/ok/close and your done, your new DNS is set. |