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DNS (Domain Name System) is something most people using a computer on the Internet take for granted. When you type in a URL in the address bar in your browser it is DNS that translates this into numbers that computers understand. DNS is like a huge phone book for the Internet. You want to get to ReelSmart.com and it is DNS that does the lookup to find what IP address ReelSmart.com resides at. Without DNS you go nowhere.
DNS is usually done by your ISP. Unfortunately, many ISPs do a horrible job of it. They sometimes run DNS on older under powered neglected servers that are way too busy. This can slow your browsing down. Some people blame this slowness on their broadband connection when it is actually a slow DNS service from you ISP that is to blame.
OpenDNS is a free service that you can use that can speed up these lookups and offer many other features. All you need to do to get started is use these IP addresses 208.67.222.222 and 208.67.220.220 in your Network settings or just click on the icon above. OpenDNS has a easy to follow guide, the entire process of adding the new DNS settings and creating an account will tale less than two minutes.
It Is Not Just Faster, Its Safer and More Convenient
OpenDNS does offer faster DNS lookups than many ISPs, but they do more:
I have been using OpenDNS for about 8 months and have been very happy with the results. Verizon does a nice job with DNS, I must say. Even though I have a Verizon FiOS connection at home I like the features of OpenDNS.
I tried OpenDNS several times against Verizon FIOS. I found for me Verizon was much faster. I could notice the difference, did not need to time it. I tried it a couple of times, because everyone kept saying how much faster it was and I was having some problems with certain web sites.
I’m back to Verizon FIOS – but it’s nice there is an alternative for those who find it works.