How to set up DNS on the modem

Generic guide to set up new DNS on any modem, to open blocked sites or to increase network speed

All Internet connections use a DNS server to manage requests on the sites we intend to visit: in fact they translate our textual websites (www ….) into public IP addresses (192 ….), so that to us users just remember the textual web address to reach a page, a server or a platform. Basically the DNS servers are provided by the fixed and mobile telephony operator: every time we are connected to the Internet the requests all pass through these servers, without even realizing it. Unfortunately, the DNS of Internet providers often get clogged, do not quickly resolve IP addresses or worse block those from particular sites, preventing us from accessing them.
To overcome any problem and to "unblock" all Internet pages, in this guide we will show you how to change DNS directly on the home modem, so that the change is valid on all connected devices.

Change the DNS on the modem

As mentioned also in the introduction, changing the DNS directly in the modem we will not have to replicate this change on all connected devices: all devices connected via cable or via Wi-Fi will navigate with the new chosen DNS servers.

Modem with free DNS

Unfortunately, not all modems supplied by telephony operators allow the modification of DNS: since the block is imposed by them, it would not make much sense to provide the tools so easily to be able to "get around".
For this reason we will have to use a new modem for home connection or connect a cascade router and pass all the devices on it: just so we can use any DNS server we like.
If we don't know which modem to buy, below we have collected a list of devices that we can use for the purpose:

Asus DSL-AC750 Modem Router (€ 39)
Netgear R6220 WiFi Router (53 €)
TP-Link Archer VR400 (€ 55)
AVM FRITZ! Box 7530 (€ 106)

If instead we are looking for a simple router to be connected in cascade, we can take a look at the following devices:

Tent AC6 Wi-Fi router (33 €)
TP-Link Archer C6 Gigabit Router (€ 39)
D-Link DIR-842 Wireless Router (44 €)
Netgear R7000 Nighthawk (€ 149)

All the modems and routers reported are compatible with all the telephony operators available in Italy and with any technology (ADSL or fiber). To learn more, please read our articles Best VoIP modem router with blocking and call filtering included is VDSL, FTTC and FTTH fiber: which differences and which is better?

How to change the DNS on the modem

For this guide we will show you how to change the DNS on a free modem such as the Fritz! Box, but the indicated steps can be easily replicated on any type of modem or router, just find the items related to Internet connection or WAN connection parameters.

Using a PC connected to the new modem or router, we open our favorite web browser (Chrome or Edge are fine), we type in the address bar theIP address of the modem and log in with the credentials in our possession. Once inside we identify the menu with the parameters for the active Internet connection (usually present as WAN, Access data or Internet), open the DNS menu or section and enable the options to provide personal ones.

Once the new DNS have been set, press down on OK or apply to make the changes effective.

If we have a simple router, the modification to the DNS must be made on the parameters it provides to the other devices: we open its configuration panel, we identify the menu with the DHCP parameters (also called DHCP server) and change the fields related to DNS server.

Pressing the confirmation button we will provide all connected devices with our personal DNS servers, ignoring those provided by the proprietary modem.

Note: for best results, we recommend restarting the router after changing the DNS, so that the change can spread to all the devices already connected. If at the moment it is not possible to do this, we can also deactivate and reactivate the Wi-Fi connection on the connected devices or remove and reconnect the Ethernet cable.

Which DNS to use

Now that we know how to change the DNS for the connection, it is natural to ask ourselves which DNS server to use in order to be able to surf quickly, without limits and without blocking. Below we have collected some of the safest and fastest DNS servers, to be used in the fields seen in the previous chapter:

Google DNS: 8.8.8.8 is 8.8.4.4
Cloudflare DNS: 1.1.1.1
Open DNS: 208.67.222.222 is 208.67.220.220
Comfortable DNS: 8.26.56.26 is 8.20.247.20

If we want to discover other DNS servers or test the fastest ones for our line and for our home, we suggest you read our guides to Faster and safer DNS addresses to protect your Internet connection and how Always have the fastest DNS servers with DNSJumper.

Conclusions

Thanks to the new laws on the free modem, we can change the modem supplied by the operator without any constraint and switch to much faster and customizable devices, which allow, among other things, to quickly change the DNS servers in order to be able to surf without limits on the websites that we can visit.

Do we want to change the DNS on individual devices? In this case we recommend that you read our guides on How to change DNS on Android and iPhone, How to change DNS on Fire TV Stick and finally how Change the DNS servers of your internet connection on Windows 10.
To further increase the level of security when we surf the Internet we can consider the use of a VPN, as described in article ai Best services and free VPN programs for safe and free surfing.