Altering your DNS settings is one of the easiest and most efficient methods that you can use to improve the defense and innocence of your internet connection. The Domain Name System or DNS forms a very important component of the internet. It converts readable web addresses into IP addresses which are used by computers to be able to get a location of websites.
Out-of-the-box, a majority of your internet providers will give you their own DNS servers when connected to the network, yet these may not be the most secure or quickest alternatives. However, switching to a reliable third-party DNS system can lead to faster browsing and greater security of your web activity more often than not.
Changing DNS settings is a potent decision that can help people enhance their internet performance in their houses or exercise greater control over the information that is handled with their data. It is not too technical and it can be done in a few minutes.
This may be done in one computer or at the router itself depending on whether you want to have the same in one computer or any device attached to your network. Whichever the case, understanding how and why to switch up your DNS can make you feel more secure and safe when web surfing.
Understanding How Dns Impacts Performance And Privacy
DNS is often referred to as the internet’s phonebook. Whenever you enter the name of a web site in the browser, your computer sends a DNS record request to convert the name into an IP address. This speed will influence the speed of website access.
Other DNS servers are focused on speed and reliability giving quicker resolution times and fewer breakdowns as compared to the default values that the internet providers have to offer. The delay that the users get to open web pages can be reduced by moving to a more efficient DNS service (especially when they move between pages distributed across websites).
The other useful feature of the DNS, which many people disregard, is privacy. As provided by almost all internet providers, default DNS services keep records of the queries made by its users and might sell such information to advertisers or other parties.
DNS providers may have better privacy policies Third-party DNS providers frequently provide superior privacy policies, some even providing encrypted DNS queries to potentially protect browsing session tracking. You can minimize the extent of your internet activity that can be seen by other people by choosing the DNS service yourself thus protecting your personal data.
Choosing A Suitable Dns Provider
The number of the free and reputable DNS providers available is also large and they have various focuses, including speed, privacy, or content-filtering. The most popular types of services, which are most trusted by the tech community, include Cloudflare, Google Public DNS, and OpenDNS.
A good example is Cloudflare, which takes a strong focus on privacy and does not record the IP address of the user. Google Public DNS is also more oriented on speed and reliability that is why it is a suitable option when a user is interested in enhancing performance.
The choice of the DNS provider must be based on a trade-off of quality and taste. Other providers provide additional functionalities such as parental controls or malware blockings.
These extra features have the potential to make your internet safer and even give you a sense of still having privacy, even at home with kids or sharing devices. You may want to learn about the specific policies and coverage benefits of the individual providers so as to determine the one that best suits your requirements.
Changing Dns Settings On A Single Device
To alter your DNS settings on an individual device like a computer, phone, or tablet is one of the methods of doing it. This method can be quite handy when you would like to explore the new settings and apply them at a network level. In most devices, the setting of DNS can be done in the network or wifi settings page.
By choosing the secondary option which is to configure network settings manually, you can fill in the details of the primary as well as secondary DNS server that you have received after choosing your provider.
Once you have been able to update the DNS entries, restoring your device or disconnecting and connecting back to the network will be useful. This ensures that the new settings are applied. After the configuration is complete the device will start resolving through the configured DNS servers as opposed to using the default assigned ones.
It can result in the visible increase of loading speed and privacy, particularly, on those sites that the consumer visits on a regular basis. In case any strike happens then there are easy means of reverting settings and even making them change.
Changing Dns Settings On A Router
The best way to implement new DNS settings on all the devices using a home internet connection would be to change the DNS settings on your router. By doing this all your phones, computers, smart TVs and gaming consoles on your internet will start using the new DNS servers instantly without having it configured separately.
This is particularly convenient in case you have a large number of devices or users in the same household.
To access device settings on the router you have to log into a web-based control-panel by using any web browser. This usually requires you to input the IP of the router in the address bar of the browser and then login into it using your log in details.
After getting in you may find the part concerning the network or WAN settings and type the addresses of your preferred DNS servers manually. Once you have rolled the changes and restarted the router, your internet network at home will be using the new provider to offload all DNS requests on it.
Monitoring Results And Making Adjustments
Following the alteration of your DNS settings, you might receive a faster connection or recognize the more steady loading rates, especially on the sites that you visit regularly. Other DNSs store caches of popular websites, thus enabling it to resolve addresses quicker than the default setting offered by the internet providers.
The change can be more substantial with time when you keep on browsing and the system is getting accustomed to the new service.
In case you stumble upon some problems (i.e., there are problems accessing websites, connection is slow, etc.) you can check the performance of alternative DNS providers or use free online tools. There are services, which have DNS benchmarking services that analyze speed and recommend the best servers to use specific to your location.
The ability to switch the settings in the DNS means that the change can be performed at any point in time, which gives one the freedom to test different providers until they get one that suits the speed, reliability, and privacy of the home internet.
Conclusion: Changing Dns Settings
A simple method of increasing the control you have of your experience online is to change your DNS settings. No matter what you want, be it faster browsing or something that works better privately or maybe has a better and more reliable service switching off the standard servers that the internet providers offer can have a visible impact. This procedure can be quickly reverted in case of necessity, and the list of providers that can be trusted is large.
Through the purchase of skills on how to manipulate the DNS settings, either in individual devices or your home internet router, one can get to experience the internet in a safer and smoother way. Improved performance and the enhanced protection of the digital activity can make any user better in a few easy to go steps with the help of the proper information.
