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4 reasons you should use a custom DNS on your PC or router
We’re always looking for ways to improve our internet speed, whether it’s picking up one of the best Wi-Fi routers, upgrading our internet service, or even just optimizing our configurations. But it’s easy to overlook some of the tech happening behind the scenes, such as DNS, that can affect the speed of our network. A DNS is like a reference sheet that takes in the plain English hostnames we type into our browsers, like xda-developers.com, and converts the URLs that we use into the numbers that will actually bring you to the page.
While caching will help speed things up for repeated visits, your DNS is still an integral part of your browsing experience, so you’ll want to use one that’s fast, reliable, and private. It's also worth keeping in mind that if your DNS cache gets corrupted, you may just need to clear your DNS. While ISPs do a generally good job with their DNS, there’s still room for improvement for many people.
Improve speed
Those milliseconds add up
One of the main reasons someone might want to change their DNS is to speed up browsing the web. The DNS adds precious milliseconds every time it’s used, so finding one that’s even just a few milliseconds faster can make your internet experience feel a lot smoother. You can use a tool like DNS Speed Test to get an idea of your options. While the speed differences likely won’t be huge, you can still give your connection an edge by switching to a faster option.
Keep in mind that these results will vary if you connect through a VPN, for example. One of the reasons a DNS like Cloudflare is so fast is just how many servers it has, so there’s likely one in pretty close proximity to you. You should also be open to the possibility that your ISP is already providing the fastest option. Some smaller ISPs may not even run their own DNS.
Privacy
Control who sees your queries
While they likely aren’t terribly interested in the sites you’re visiting, if your ISP controls its own DNS, it could see which sites you’re visiting and when. While using a different public DNS simply relocates that concern, if you’re willing to set up your own private DNS, you could handle requests locally by caching results from previous connections, improving performance. A local DNS also allows you to map local hostnames to IP addresses, which can make accessing your local network quicker and easier than memorizing IPs.
Reliability
Don't let a DNS outage keep you offline
DNS failures aren’t all that common, but they happen. Internet outages resulting from DNS failure can be especially frustrating, since the most common troubleshooting steps don’t work, like restarting your modem and router. From your end, it looks like the internet should work fine with all the right lights on your modem, but nothing will load when you get into your web browser.
If your ISP has a DNS problem and you need to get back online, it’s a good idea to have some DNS configurations saved, or at least some common addresses, like Google’s public 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4 addresses noted down somewhere. If you’re seeing frequent issues with DNS, or spikes in the amount of time it takes to resolve your request, switching to a new DNS could be a good way to improve your internet experience.
Content and ad-blocking
Please, no soliciting
Some DNS providers offer more than your typical DNS, with the ability to block access to specific sites. For example, you could use a DNS from NextDNS that allows you to set up parental controls, such as blocking adult sites and gambling, as well as see logs of which sites are being visited, and which ones are being actively blocked. Naturally, you can also disable logs and delete them.
Ad-blocking works in the same sort of way, by blocking domains known to host ads. They may also provide further protections, such as blocking domains with misspelled web addresses attempting to fool people. Blocking content and ads is a bit of a double-edged sword, however, with some sites detecting and ad-blocking as desired, and other sites which may not work as you'd hope with ad-blocking enabled. That’s why you may want to use a custom DNS in your web browser or on your PC, so you can quickly switch back if you need to. Google Chrome even offers several DNS options by default, with options like NextDNS, CleanBrowsing, Cloudflare, and Google’s public DNS.
Should you just use a VPN?
If you’ve got a paid VPN service, there’s a good chance it comes with a DNS of its own. If you're concerned about the privacy aspects of using your ISP’s DNS, that is, the possibility that your ISP can see the domains you’re visiting, you’re already avoiding that by using a VPN. Check your VPN app, or if you set up your VPN manually, you can find information about your VPN’s DNS. Some, like Mullvad, even offer content blocking, including ad-blocking, using the DNS.
That being said, using a custom DNS can still make your internet experience feel faster than using the DNS provided by your ISP. With Cloudflare, Google, and more offering free public DNS options, you can try out a few options to see what works for your needs.
Start out by changing the DNS on just a single device, like a PC, to do your testing before heading into your router’s settings. You'll find the option to add a DNS in the Network settings on Android, in Wi-Fi connection settings on iOS, and in System Settings on Windows and Mac.
On Mac, go to the Wi-Fi section in the System Settings app. Click Details, then DNS on the left-hand side to add a new DNS server, or remove one you've previously added.
On Windows, there are a couple more steps, but it's still a fairly quick process. Open the Settings app and select Network & internet on the left. Select Wi-Fi (not the blue toggle), then select Hardware properties, then click edit next to DNS Server Assignment. From there, you'll be able to add a manual address.
Setting a new DNS in your router affects all the devices connected to it, provided they aren’t using their own VPN or DNS settings. You'll need to check your router's documentation to find the DNS options, though it's usually in a section labeled internet connection, or similar. It’s also quicker and easier to change the DNS on your computer than connecting to the router’s software and updating it from there.
