Most people use the default DNS settings provided by their ISP, and
while they are usually sufficient for most purposes, there are plenty of
free options out there, like OpenDNS and Google DNS. Namebench is a
free app that checks to see whether your current settings are optimized
and, if not, which free option is best for you. Here's how to use it:
Download and install Namebench
Fire it up and choose your settings. Keep the top two boxes checked. If
you're concerned about network censorship, check the third box, and if
you want to help the developers, check the last box. You can tweak the
rest if you're outside U.S. or want to experiment with different
browsers.
Click
Start Benchmark and wait while Namebench runs its tests. It should
take several minutes. A browser tab should pop open when Namebench is
done and give you a list of DNS servers and how much faster they are
than the one you're currently using, unless yours are already the
fastest possible.
Namebench
does not change your settings, but it's generally pretty easy to do it
yourself. Check with the instructions you got from your ISP to set up
your modem and/or router and just substitute the DNS addresses you
received from Namebench for the addresses given by your ISP. It's best
to do this with your router, as it will assign that DNS address for all
the devices attached to it.
That's it! This can dramatically improve your browsing speed, and it's fairly easy to work through.
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