Web browsing with OpenDNS

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When you access any domain name, your browser then resolves the easy name you remember, like yahoo.com, into an IP address of the server the web page is located on, so that it can be downloaded along with any files you’ve requested. In order to do this, Windows uses a DNS, or domain name system server to look up the information. By default, Windows is set to use your ISP’s DNS server. The performance of all DNS resolving servers varies, depending on several factors. Many large national providers are knownÂ to provide unreliable DNS servers.

The performance of your DNS server is one of the main factors that affects the speed of your web browsing. Each domain name you type has to be resolved so it can be accessed, so the amount of time it takes will delay the loading of your web pages. Many users who’s ISP’s have overloaded DNS must wait several seconds before the web page they’ve chosen to access starts to work.

This is where OpenDNS comes in. Open DNS provides free alternative DNS servers which anyone with an Internet provider can use. OpenDNS’s servers are fast and reliable, and will likely help you speed up your web browsing by cutting your load times in half. This works by cutting down the time needed to actually resolve the web page so your browser can download it. Here’s how to configure OpenDNS instead of your ISP’s in Windows Vista:

Open your start menu and type in ‘ncpa.cpl’ and hit Enter.

Right click on your network connection that you use to connect to the Internet and select Properties.

Once there, click on the Networking / General tab and select Internet Protocol. Select Properties.

Once there, select ‘Use the following DNS server addresses’ and then type 208.67.222.222 in the preferred slot and 208.67.220.220 in the alternate box.

This should significantly speed up your web browsing. If you’re curious about more features, visit the OpenDNS site to learn more.