Using a third-party DNS server has several benefits, including enhanced security, speed, dependability, and Netgear parental control. Changing the DNS server for your entire home network can be done on the router, or how to set DNS on the NetGear router on a PC, iPhone, Chromebook, and many other devices.
Changing the DNS server for your entire home network requires accessing the router’s configuration page. Unless changed explicitly on each device, the router will supply the DNS server information to every other device on the network. TV streaming boxes, Wi-Fi-enabled light bulbs, and anything else you can think of that uses the network. Your router will automatically connect to the DNS servers provided by your ISP. Changing the router’s DNS server will force all other devices on the network to start using the new server.
Changing your Netgear router DNS settings is the best option if you wish to use a different DNS server on all your devices. If you change your mind and want to use a different DNS server in the future, you only need to adjust once.
Get online and log into the router’s admin page. Depending on your router, the specific actions you must follow may differ. Check your router’s manual or online instructions if you don’t know how to do this. If you’ve never changed the default login and password, this is where you’ll find them, along with access instructions to the online interface.
The DNS server configuration option will most likely be accessible from within the web interface. If you alter this value, it will have a ripple effect throughout the network. Since the DHCP protocol distributes the IP address of the DNS server to devices connected to your router, this option could be found in either the LAN or DHCP server configurations.
Check your router’s manual or do a web search for your model of a router with “change NetGear router DNS settings if you can’t find the option.
If you’d instead use a different DNS server than the one your network assigns automatically, you can do so by following the instructions below for your specific operating system.
On a Windows-based personal computer
The Windows Control Panel is where you’ll make these adjustments. Unfortunately, Windows 10’s brand-new Settings app doesn’t include this feature just yet.
To access the Network and Sharing Center, click the Start menu and type “Network and Internet” Modify the adapter’s settings.
Select “Properties” from the context menu when right-clicking the network connection you wish to modify. There is no global way to modify this setting; instead, you must do so individually for each connection you use. To change the DNS settings NetGear router on a computer that uses both wireless and wired connections, you must make separate adjustments to the settings for each adapter.
Click “OK” after entering the addresses of the DNS servers you wish to use under “Use the following DNS server addresses.”
Select “Internet Protocol Version 6 (TCIP/IPv6)”, then click “Properties,” and input the IPv6 addresses to use a different DNS server for IPv6 connections. Once you’re finished, select “OK” from the menu.
To ensure that Windows uses the records from your new DNS server and not the cached results from your old one, you may need to empty your DNS cache after switching DNS servers.
Android-based mobile device or tablet
If you want to change your DNS server on Android, you can, but it won’t take effect across the board. There are separate configuration options for each available Wi-Fi hotspot. Each wireless network requires a unique DNS server setting if you wish to use the same one everywhere.
Navigate to Wi-Fi settings, then long-press the network you’re currently connected to and select “Modify Network” to edit your DNS server settings.
If you want to configure your DNS server manually, you can do so by tapping the “IP settings” box and selecting “Static” instead of the default DHCP. To access this option, your device may require you to toggle an “Advanced” setting.
This IP address will be obtained automatically by the DHCP server; therefore, you don’t need to change the configuration here. After entering your desired primary and secondary DNS servers in the “DNS 1” and “DNS 2” fields, respectively, be sure to click the “Save Settings” button.
While using a Chromebook
Chrome OS includes this feature by default. However, just as with iOS and Android devices, you may only update the DNS server for a single network at a time. If you wish to use the same password on several Wi-Fi networks, you’ll need to keep changing it.
A Chromebook’s Wi-Fi settings can be accessed by going to the device’s menu and selecting the Wi-Fi option, followed by the network name.
To access the “Name servers” subheading, expand the “Network” tab. To utilize Google’s Public DNS servers, select them from the drop-down menu next to “Automatic name servers” while entering your DNS router settings. NetGear is accomplished by selecting “Custom name servers” from the same menu.
To utilize different DNS servers, fill in the fields below. You’ll need to follow these instructions if you want to use the DNS servers on various Wi-Fi networks.
DNS server configuration settings may already be present on some devices. Check the device’s network connection settings to check if a choice to use a different DNS server is available.