Open DNS is it worth using?

[the8thark]

OpenDNS | Internet Navigation And Security

I am having a few issues of certain internet sites at times just not loading. Not all the time mind you only at times. I think it is my ISP. When it's servers are full of users come servers can cut access to certain rarely used areas on the internet so the popular sites get more bandwith. And I think the sites I use are being affected.

And I have looked into the link above about open DNS. it has a free user option too. My question is, would open DNS fix the issue I am having of not being to open certain internet sites when I need to open them?

And secondly has anyone here have any experience with Open DNS? And could they tell me if it's a good or bad thing to try and use? Or in other words should or should not I try this?

Thanks

 

[bobtomay]

I think there are quite a few here using OpenDNS. I've been using it for about 2 years now. There was a definite improvement when I made the switch.

It only takes a few seconds to set it up. Go for it.

 

[the8thark]

Thank you. I'll try this with a free account and see how it works for me.

 

[the8thark]

A new post but I tried this and edited my DNS server list by following the instructions here:

https://store.opendns.com/setup/operatingsystem/apple-osx-leopard

And then I clicked on test your new settings and it says I am not using open DNS. Maybe there is something else I need to dunno? I dunno. I just followed what that page told me to go and it did not work. And I tried to add in my IP as a network on the account settings page. And it just said you can not add that IP because it is a private IP.
And yes I have registered a free account with them too.


What should I be doing to get this to work. And thanks for your advice so far .

 

[Davanw]

I have my entire organization using openDNS and we are happy with it.

That said, why not try Google's public DNS? Google Public DNS

 

[the8thark]

Thanks for the information.

As strange as this sounds. But I have put in the OpenDNS into into my computer. And my internet seems to be really fast and I can access the sites I could not access before. But according to the openDNS website it says I'm not using it. Very strange. Anyways it is doing the job I need it to do.

And about the Google public DNS, after how chrome logs every you go and sends that info back to google I'm very wary of using their public DNS. I'd have to be 100% sure Google does not log any info from me if I used it. Anyways it's an alternative to look into if the OpenDNS stops working for me.

Thank you for te information.

 

[vansmith]

I use it here and think it's a great service. Highly recommended.

If you execute the following in Terminal, what do you get:

nslookup www.google.com | grep Server

I get "Server: 208.67.222.222" which signifies that I am using 208.67.222.222 (an OpenDNS server) as a name server.

 

[bobtomay]

I put the IP addresses in my router rather than in the individual systems. Much easier since I still have 4-5 computers being used here.

It was totally free at the time I started using it. Wasn't even aware they had a paid side until about a month ago. At that time all the directions they had were router based and had directions for about 20-25 different brands of routers on their site.

If I do the above from terminal, I get my router's IP address.

 

[vansmith]

Good idea bobtomay. Have you tried putting the settings into your router as opposed to your Mac (unless of course you only want the settings for your Mac)?

 

[dtravis7]

For sure using OpenDNS here.

Much faster than what my ISP uses.

 

[the8thark]

I only have one computer hooked to the internet in my house so I do not have to fiddle with my routers settings. So I just fiddled with the computers settings. I thought it was the easier way as I only have one computer to set up with OpenDNS.

Even though the website says it does not work, I know it is. So thanks everyone for the advice. And as a side, I'm getting quite a lot less lag in World Of Warcfart with my DNS changed. So it's all good

[edit] I tried what you said in terminal vansmith and I still get my old dns info there. Strange. I dunno why.

[edit 2] I worked out the issue. Now I get the openDNS's dns in terminal. I had to reorder the dns servers in system prefs. As it seems to use them in order from top to bottom. So how with the 2 OpenDNS ones on top it uses those first. Thank you.

 

[Kevriano]

No experience of it personally (yet!), but this certainly solved a problem that a friend of mine had with not being able to access one forum in particular.

 

[vansmith]

[edit] I tried what you said in terminal vansmith and I still get my old dns info there. Strange. I dunno why.

[edit 2] I worked out the issue. Now I get the openDNS's dns in terminal. I had to reorder the dns servers in system prefs. As it seems to use them in order from top to bottom. So how with the 2 OpenDNS ones on top it uses those first. Thank you.

Yeah, I can see that getting a few people.

As for you bobtomay, I can only assume you're getting your router IP since you set up OpenDNS with your router and not your Mac.

 

[chscag]

As for you bobtomay, I can only assume you're getting your router IP since you set up OpenDNS with your router and not your Mac.

Depends on the router. When I was using a D-Link, all I had to do was set in the primary and secondary DNS for OpenDNS. It then showed the IP for the router as grayed out in System Preferences, Network, Airport.

Now that we use FIOS and a Verizon supplied router (ActionTec), DNS settings can not be programmed into it as before with the D-Link. However, placing the DNS settings in System Preferences - Network - Airport, seems to work just fine. What I have noticed is now the IP address for the router no longer shows up. But I'm definitely using OpenDNS.

Regards.

 

[Kevriano]

Depends on the router. When I was using a D-Link, all I had to do was set in the primary and secondary DNS for OpenDNS. It then showed the IP for the router as grayed out in System Preferences, Network, Airport.



Regards.

I just looked into this yesterday, and that definitely applies to my D Link as well. Very simple set up. Hopefully it will be worthwhile.