DNS is the phonebook of the internet. Without it, everyone would be typing in numbers to access websites. DNS does a lookup from a name to an IP address – like http://18.62.1.6/ is the same as http://eecs.mit.edu/ – which is easier to remember? Thank you DNS!
Your Internet Service Provider (ISP) offers you use of their DNS servers, but is often not the best DNS servers available – both in speed, reliability and security. I’ve told you in the past about OpenDNS, and while Google DNS service does not come with the content filtering that OpenDNS has, it is extremely fast, secure, and very reliable – MUCH more than your ISP’s (especially if you have Charter Communications).
Google’s DNS servers IP address are:
- 8.8.8.8
- 8.8.4.4
For instructions how to configure your computer to use Google’s DNS servers, visit Google’s Help website: http://code.google.com/speed/public-dns/docs/using.html. They provide excellent instructions for Windows, Mac, Linux, and even your router and mobile device.
To sum up, I like the idea of Google having public DNS servers. Providing you are not using the content filtering aspect of OpenDNS, or not using OpenDNS at all, Google’s DNS is a no-brainer. Start using it today, and you will probably see a difference in your browsing speed!
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