Changing your DNS settings is often postponed as a way to speed up your internet browsing. But I suspected that a simple DNS server change could actually affect my browsing speed – until I tried it.
Did I consider changing my DNS
My internet connection is normally quick and stable, but I still get dull internet from time to time. I am streaming a video or browse my favorite sites, and will pull the time to load suddenly. I also conducted a speed test and confirmed that my bandwidth was fine, which confused me even more.
After some excavation, I came to know that my ISP’s DNS server may have problems. DNS (Domain Name System) is like a phonebook service that translates domain names into an IP address that guides you for a service. For example, when you type Makeuseof.com In your browser, the DNS server sees this IP address and directs your request to one of the closest servers to Maccoff.
Problem? Many ISPs run overloaded and sometimes a poorly created DNS server is maintained which make bottlenecks. Even with rapid internet speed, slow DNS looks slow the lookup browsing because your browser wait for a long time to determine where to send the request.
Once I realized this, I tested my ISP’s DNS performance against options. I downloaded GRC’s DNS benchmark toolWhich allows me to compare the performance of my current DNS with over 200 public DNS providers. The results were clear. Google’s DNS Server (8.8.4.4) Constantly given the fastest reaction time in my place, followed by closeness Cloudflare 1.1.1.1,
In fact, my attention was attracted that my ISP’s DNS server was given very little space on the chart, confirming my suspicion that it was contributing to my topical browsing recession. The DNS benchmark showed the response time in the milcecond, and while the differences may look shorter, they add recession, especially on services that require many DNS lookups.
Unlike my previous doubt about “Internet Speed Hack”, DNS looked valid. The concept created a technical meaning: rapidly, using a more reliable DNS server can eliminate the unnecessary delay I have when browsing the web.
How do I set a custom DNS on both my router and PC
I wanted to see if the switching DNS could really make a difference, so I decided to set a custom DNS on both my router and my main PC. I installed both my router and PC to test, which approaches the approaches better and ensure that my laptop will also use DNS rapidly on public networks.
Set DNS on my router
First: Router. You can change DNS for each device of your network using your router’s web interface.
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I opened my browser and typed in my router’s IP address (for me, 192.168.1.1).
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Once logged in, I navigated Network> Interface> Van> Advanced Settings,
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I uncontrolled the “Use DNS server advertised by Peer” labeled box. Depending on your router brand and firmware, you can’t see this option (or uniform option)
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In Use Custom DNS server Field, I recorded two addresses:
- Primary DNS: 8.8.4.4 (Google)
- Secondary DNS: 1.1.1.1 (Cloudflair)
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After saving and rebooting the router, every device on my network, such as smartphones, laptops and smart TVs, started using these sharp DNS servers automatically.
Setting DNS on your router setup is very good because you only have to do it once, and every device connecting your router benefits – there is no need to repeat the process on each gadget.
Set DNS on my PC
There are also some examples where setting DNS directly on your PC is useful, such as when using public Wi-Fi or when using special DNS service like Smart DNS, which allows you to unlock Geo-restricted materials.
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Go to setting , Network and Internet> Hardware properties.
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Now, with your Wi-Fi or Ethernet connection, search DNS server assignment And select edit,
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Selected manual Options, IPV4 togle, and input turn on:
- Favorite DNS: 8.8.4.4
- Alternative DNS: 1.1.1.1
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Kill save.
If you like the path of the old school then you can also do the same through the Classic Control Panel:
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Open control PanelAnd for head Network and Sharing Center> Change Adapter Settings.
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Right-click on your network, choose Propertychoose Internet protocol version 4 (TCP/IPV 4)And enter DNS addresses above.
The entire process took less than ten minutes, and in the same way, my PC started using the new DNS server.
Compare internet speed before and after switch
To accurately measure the effect, I tested various online activities before and after switching the DNS. The results were promising.
Before switching to Google’s DNS, Dnsperf When solving a standard domain lookup, my ISP’s DNS server responded to about 76ms. After Google’s implementation of DNS (8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4), the same test dropped the response time to only 32ms. Further tests at various sites provided similar results.
The most noticeable improvement occurred when browsing image-ivory websites that load materials from many domains. My local shopping site, which used to take 5-6 seconds to fully loaded, is now loaded in about half time (after flushing DNS cache). Images, buttons and product descriptions now appear almost immediately, making the browsing experience feel very snapper.
Video streaming showed mixed results. Netflix and YouTube were not any low buffer than before (likely because they use large content delivery networks (CDN) that reduce the DNS effect), but browsing their libraries and jumping between videos seemed slightly more responsible.
The interesting thing is that the reform looked the most dramatic on my old equipment. My old Amazon Fire HD 10 Tablet suddenly browse the web with great responsibility, suggesting that efficient DNS especially benefits equipment with limited processing power.
Additional benefits to replace your DNS (and minor deficiencies)
Apart from increasing speed, there are other benefits of switching my DNS that I did not feel at that time.
Another reason for changing your DNS is to improve privacy and security. With Google’s DNS, my ISP can no longer track every website observed through DNS requests. Google’s privacy policy for their public DNS is evident from my ISP’s unclear terms about data collection (you may be different; check your ISP’s privacy policy).
Google’s DNS also has an underlying rescue against a series of online hazards. For the beginning, it supports DNSSEC, which helps hackers to prevent you from redirecting in fake versions of websites, called cash poisoning. It also blocks access to known malicious domains and fishing sites, so if you accidentally click on a sketch link, there is a good chance that Google DNS will stop the connection before anything is spoiled. In addition, with DNS-Over-HTTPS and DNS-Over-TLS, your DNS query is encrypted, making anyone snoop on their browsing or tampering with their requests, while they are in transit.
He said, the switch was not completely comfortable. After replacing my default DNS, some location-specific services stopped functioning expected. For example, my weather app, sometimes shows data for cities where I really was, until I did not access it to the location, which I usually survive. Some streaming services also temporarily believed that I was in a separate field. These issues only occur, so they do not bother me much, but your experience may vary.
