Skip to main content

Speed Up Your Internet Connection With A Simple Tweak: Replace your ISP DNS Server with OpenDNS

When we type a web address in our browser [like www.google.com] and hit go, the request goes to our local ISP servers who translate that domain name into a hard-to-remember IP address [like 66.102.7.104]

While this address resolution mechanism is transparent to the average internet user, it can sometimes be the main reason for slow internet access if the DNS servers of your ISP are acting choppy or not working at all.

To overcome these problems, you can consider changing your DNS server name to a more reliable but free service called OpenDNS. There's no software to install, just a small tweak in your internet connection settings.


We just replaced the default DSN server address of our ISP with the OpenDNS servers which are :
     208.67.222.222
     208.67.220.220
The DNS server can be changed from the TCP/IP Properties section. [Control Panel -> Network Connections -> Local Network Connection -> TCP IP Properties]

Why OpenDNS is good ? Your domain resolution request to OpenDNS is executed from the nearest physical location and the address are also cached at their end. Therefore you notice faster internet browsing.

Second OpenDNS would auto-correct misspelled domain names [or typos]. For instance, if you type www.gooogle.com by mistake, you'll be redirected to www.google.com without any interventation. The other advantage is that you have a much safer browsing experience since OpenDNS would prevent you from visiting a scam website by error.

Some precautions before using OpenDNS

1. In the extreme situation when OpenDNS servers go down, you should keep the address of your ISP DNS servers handy.

2. You can turn off the phishing protection or auto typo correction by visiting the OpenDNS preferences page.

3. Some users might have privacy concerns with OpenDNS while some dislike seeing ads when they mis-spell domain names. The choice is completely your's here.

Related: Tweak Windows Hosts File

OpenDNS Tutorial | OpenDNS CEO Interview

Popular posts from this blog

How to Download Contacts from Facebook To Outlook Address Book

Facebook users are not too pleased with the "walled garden" approach of Facebook. The reason is simple - while you can easily import your Outlook address book and GMail contacts into Facebook, the reverse path is closed. There's no "official" way to export your Facebook friends email addresses or contact phone numbers out as a CSV file so that you can sync the contacts data with Outlook, GMail or your BlackBerry. Some third-party Facebook hacks like "Facebook Sync" (for Mac) and "Facebook Downloader" (for Windows) did allow you to download your Facebook friends' names, emails, mobile phone number and profile photo to the desktop but they were quickly removed for violation of Facebook Terms of Use. How to Download Contacts from Facebook There are still some options to take Friends data outside the walls of Facebook wall. Facebook offers the Takeout option allowing you to download all Facebook data locally to the disk (include
Read more

Firefox Keyboard Shortcuts for Power Users

All features in Mozilla Firefox browser are accessible through the use of the keyboard. You can use shortcut keys to view and save Web pages, search the web, open new webpages, work with bookmarks, or find text on the current webpage. Some of the most common keyboard shortcuts in Mozilla Firefox are Ctrl+N (to open a new Firefox window), Ctrl+T (to open a new tab), Ctrl+F4 (to close the current tab) and Ctrl+S to save the current webpage. Mozilla Firefox supports many more powerful keyboard shortcuts. For instance, by pressing a simple key combination, you can manually delete autocomplete entries from the Firefox location bar or Web forms. I am sharing a list of my favorite Mozilla Firefox Keyboard Shortcuts that make web browsing with Firefox even more fun . And you also save your precious time as navigating through several layers of Firefox Toolbar menus is no longer necessary. 1. Web Search Ctrl+K moves the cursor to the Search Bar. You can then type in the terms you wish to fin
Read more

Digital Inspiration

Digital Inspiration is a popular tech blog by  Amit Agarwal . Our popular Google Scripts include  Gmail Mail Merge  (send personalized emails with Gmail ),  Document Studio (generate PDFs from Google Forms ) and   File Upload Forms ( receive files  in Google Drive). Also see  Reverse Image Mobile Search , Online Speech Recognition and Website Screenshots , the most useful websites on the Internet.
Read more