In this article we will tell you about what is DNS, how it works and how to change DNS adresses on your Windows, macOS and Linux PC or Android, iOS mobile device such as iPhone or iPad.
Optimizing your network and improving your browsing speed may not depend on a single factor such as using the right router or the correct cables. The components that your internet provider puts at your service can also influence. Among them is the optimization of DNS servers.
What is DNS?
To obtain a good Internet browsing experience, it is not only important to have a good network card or a router that allows you to make the most of the connection offered by your Internet service provider, you also have to take into account some parameters that even if you sometimes take for granted that they are optimized, they may not be.
Among these settings to optimize to improve your speed and security while browsing is to modify the DNS servers that you use to browse.
By doing so, you can scratch some performance in your browsing and even improve your security against malware.
If this is the first time you hear about DNS addresses, don’t worry, we will tell you everything you need to know and how to configure it.
The acronym DNS responds to the abbreviation for Domain Name System.
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How does DNS work?
This system is the basis of the current internet and is responsible for “translating” the domain names of the web pages, which are easy for you to remember, to the IP address of the computer where the web page you are looking for is actually hosted.
Simplifying the concept, this system is based on a server of your Internet provider with access to all the domain names of web pages and their corresponding IP addresses. When you type in your browser the name of a website, for example techbriefly.com, your computer sends this name to the DNS server of your internet provider and it responds with the IP address of the server where the www page is hosted. Then, your computer connects with the IP address that the DNS server has indicated and your browser displays the content of the web page.
If this DNS system does not exist, you would have to remember the IP addresses of all the pages you visit regularly. For this reason, it is essential that the DNS server you use responds to your requests immediately, that way the whole process is streamlined and you will be able to access the IP address of the web page faster.
How to change the DNS addresses on your router?
The DNS server of your Internet provider may not be as optimized as you would like, or be as quick to “convert” the names of the domains you are looking for into IP addresses or even censor and redirect some domain names to prevent you from accessing they. This makes your browsing slower than it actually could be.
To try to improve your browsing speed, you can change the DNS server of your internet provider and use a public DNS server.
Given that each brand and model of router uses a different layout in its menus and options, we cannot tell you exactly which sections you should access, although our instructions will not make it difficult for you to find them.
- Start by accessing your router’s settings.
- To do this, open the browser and type the IP address of your router which will be something similar to: 192.168.1.1 or 192.168.0.1. If you do not know how to access your router, consult its user manual or the technical service of your internet provider.
- After accessing your router, look for the section that refers to the DNS server.
- In our case, we find this option in the Advanced Setup section with the DNS statement. Here, access the DNS server options and you will find the IP address of the two DNS servers of your provider.
- Change this IP address to one of the public DNS servers that we show you in the following table and click Apply / Save to save the changes made.
How to check if you succesfully changed DNS servers on the router?
To check if the DNS server change has been successful, the first thing you should do is open your browser and type a domain name in the address bar.
If the browser redirects you to that page without problems, it is a good sign since if the DNS server is not properly configured you will not be able to access it, since your browser would not know which IP address to access.
– Now, check if it is using the IP address of the DNS server that you have chosen or, on the contrary, you have not made the DNS server change correctly.
- To do this, press the Windows + R key combination and type the command cmd.exe. Then the Windows terminal starts.
- Now, type the command ipconfig / all and it will show you a large number of data about your connection.
- Use the side scroll bar of the window to go back to the beginning and look for the DNS Servers entry that will tell you which DNS servers your computer is using. The IP address of these servers must match the ones you configured on your router.
How to modify DNS in Windows?
If for any reason you cannot (or do not want to) modify the configuration of your router, you can also do it directly from your computer. This configuration will override the settings on your router.
That way you can configure the different computers so that each one uses a different DNS server. This option is recommended for equipment used by children or that require special security.
- To modify these settings on a Windows computer, go to the Control Panel and click on the Network and Internet category .
- Next, click on the option Network and Sharing Center.
- Now, from the left side panel, click on the option Change adapter settings.
- Then, right-click on the network connection you are using to connect to the internet and choose Properties.
- On the Networking tab of the Properties box, find and select the Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP / IPv4) option and click Properties.
- On the General tab, check the Use the following DNS server addresses option and enter the IP address of the new DNS server in the Preferred DNS server and Alternate DNS server fields.
- Finally, click OK in the respective boxes to apply all the changes.
How to change the DNS server addresses on your Mac?
Changing the DNS on your Mac to use a public DNS server is even easier than on Windows.
- Go to System Preferences and click on Network.
- Choose the connection you are using in the side panel and click on Advanced.
- Now, click on the DNS tab and modify the IP addresses of the DNS server in the DNS Servers panel. If you want to add several, use the + button that you will find at the bottom of that panel.
- When you’re done, click on OK to save the changes made.
How to change DNS on your Linux PC?
Modifying DNS addressing in Linux is very similar to what you have already seen in Mac.
- Using the graphical interface, click on the Network Connections icon in the upper panel and choose the Edit connections option.
- In the box that appears, choose the connection you are using to connect to the Internet and click on Edit.
- Then go to the IPv4 Settings tab and, in the Method section , choose Automatic addresses only (DHCP).
- Then, in the DNS Servers section , enter the two IP addresses (primary and secondary) of the new public DNS server separated by a space.
- Finally, click on Save to apply the new settings.
How to configure DNS on your Android phone?
In addition to modifying the DNS servers on your computers, you can also modify the DNS of your smartphone or tablet in order to avoid blockades to websites and redirects from your mobile Internet provider.
The options that allow you to modify the DNS server settings on your Android are not very accessible and it can be difficult to do so if you don’t know exactly where to look.
- The first step is to access the Settings menu of your Android and touch on the Wi-Fi option to access the connection options.
- Make a long press on the name of the Wi-Fi network you are using at the moment (for example, your home). A pop-up menu will then appear.
- Tap on the entry Modify network . Now, check the Advanced options box and scroll down until you find the IP Settings option.
- Change the value of that option by clicking on the arrow to its right and choose Static IP.
- New configuration options will now be displayed. Modify the DNS 1 and DNS 2 fields with the IP addresses of the public DNS servers you want to use.
- When you’re done, tap Save to apply the new settings.
How to change the DNS of iPhone / iPad?
As with other devices, you can also modify the DNS server settings of your iPad or iPhone.
- Go to Settings and, on the side panel, tap on the Wi-Fi option.
- Next, tap on the network you are connected to and its configuration details will be displayed. Among these details, you will find the DNS option.
- Tap on it and modify the IP address of the DNS server, separating the primary and secondary addresses with a comma and a space.
