Improve Both Web Browsing Speed and Security with Alternative DNS

Did you know that a simple configuration change might be able to improve both your Internet browsing performance and security? It's free and takes only about a minute of your time! We're talking about "change your DNS server". Here's a brief introduction to what DNS is, how it affects your connection speed, and how you can easily change your computer's settings to use the fastest DNS possible. The Domain Name System (DNS) may easily roll off the tongue of your nearest network administrator guru, but the average user probably doesn't know or care what DNS is, or what it does for them. DNS is the glue that binds domain names and IP addresses together. Every internet service provider usually has their own DNS server, but it's not always the fastest. ften, the fastest DNS server is the one that's physically closest to your location. If you switch to a faster one, that means it looks up those IP addresses and gets you where you want to go faster than before. Users that are not known to the term DNS needs to understand that DNS servers are used to resolve the domain name to an IP address of the website requested. Whenever a website a requested through a browser, the request is sent to the DNS servers to translate the domain name to an IP address so that request can be sent to the IP address of the website servers. This is how DNS works and yes DNS does affect the browsing speed, because if your current DNS service takes hell lot of time to resolve the domain name and get the website server IP address then you will feel that your Broadband connection is working slow. Best of all, many alternative DNS providers are free for the public to use. Third-party DNS servers can also have other perks, like content filtering. We've talked about alternate DNS servers before, like OpenDNS, Google Public DNS and Norton ConnectSafe, but if you want to find out which one's right for you, you can do so with a simple program.

The best way to switch DNS providers is at your router, this way you only have to change it in one place. Once you change it on your router, all the clients on your network (assuming that you are using DHCP to automatically assign IPs to client devices) should point to the new DNS servers automatically.

Check your router's help manual for details on how and where to change your DNS resolver server entries. Mine were automatically set by my cable company and I had to disable the automatic DHCP IP grab on the WAN connection page and set it to manual in order to be able to edit the DNS resolver IP addresses. There are usually two to three places to enter the DNS Server IP addresses.

Before you make any changes, you should check with your ISP and your router manufacturer for specific instructions for your situation. You should also write down current settings or screen capture the settings page before you make any changes, in case the change doesn't work.

How to Determine and Set Up the Fastest DNS Server for Your Connection

On Windows: You can change Windows' DNS settings deep in the Control Panel, but the free DNS Jumper makes it a lot easier:

• Download DNS Jumper, and extract it to any location on your hard drive. It's a portable application, so there's no need to install it—just start it up.
• If you know what DNS server you want to use, pick it from the drop-down menu or type it in the boxes at the bottom. If not, hit the "Fastest DNS" button on the left. It'll check a number of different servers to find out which one is the fastest for you.
• When it's done, click the "Apply DNS Servers" button to use the fastest server.

On OS X: If you're on a Mac, you can change your DNS servers in your Network settings (see step 3 below). If you want to find the fastest DNS server, try a utility like Namebench. It isn't quite as fast as the Windows alternative, and you'll still have to apply your DNS settings manually, but it works:

• Download Namebench and start it up. Again, you don't need to install, just double click on it to run it.
• Make sure the top two checkboxes are checked, and choose your location from the "Your Location" dropdown menu. Then, hit the "Start" button to run the test. Mark down the result when it's done.
• Head to System Preferences > Network. Select your network connection in the left sidebar (AirPort if you use Wi-Fi, Ethernet if you use Ethernet), and go to the DNS box on the right. Type in the the two IP addresses you want to use (the ones Namebench came up with), and then close System Preferences.

If you don't feel that one service is doing a good job with filtering, you can always try another provider to see if they are any better.

Free & Public DNS Servers list
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Best Practices to Secure Your Wireless (Wi-Fi) Home Network

Wi-Fi home networks with Web access are particularly vulnerable to viruses and hackers. Securing a wireless network is very important because if you don't, your neighbors can not only borrow your Internet connection, but also access your files and check up on what you're doing. Wireless Networking has made it so easy for you to use the computer, portable media player, mobile phones, video game consoles, and other wireless devices anywhere in the house without the clutter of cables. Here a few simple things that you should to secure your wireless network: Open your router settings page You need to know how to access your wireless router’s settings and then enter the correct user name and password for the router. This is different for each router, so first check your router’s user manual. To find your Gateway IP Address and connect to it in Windows: Click Start > Run > type 'cmd' > Click 'Enter' Once the Command Prompt window opens, type 'ipconfig /all' and hit 'Enter' Locate the line labeled 'Gateway' and make note of the number that follows. It will look similar to '192.168.1.1' Open Internet Explorer (or your favorite browser) Enter the Gateway IP Address into the address bar and click 'Enter' To find your Gateway IP Address and connect to it on a Mac Open your Finder and run 'Terminal' inside of Applications > Utilities Once the terminal window opens, type 'ipconfig -a' and hit 'Enter' Locate the line labeled 'Gateway' and make note of the number that follows. It will look similar to '192.168.1.1' Open Safari (or your favorite browser) Enter the Gateway IP Address into the address bar and click 'Enter'

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Create a unique password on your router

The first thing you should do to secure your network is to change the default password of the router to something more secure. Don't use easily guessed passwords for your WPA2 or router access passwords. The best way to generate a secure key is to use an offline random number generator or write the entire alphabet in uppercase and lowercase and numbers 0-9 on separate pieces of paper, mix the paper up and randomly pick up pieces and return them, mixing them up again each time; each character you pull out becomes a character in your key.

Change the Service Set Identifier (SSID) from the default to something unique

This setting is usually under the basic wireless settings in your router's settings page. The SSID (or Wireless Network Name) of your Wireless Router is usually pre-defined as "default" or is set as the brand name of the router. The default SSID for ease of configuration is a simple name, which the hackers can easily determine.

Enable Network Encryption on your access point

To enable encryption on your Wireless network, open the wireless security settings on your router’s configuration page. This will usually let you select which security method you wish to choose; if you have older devices, choose WEP, otherwise go with WPA2. Enter a passphrase to access the network; make sure to set this to something that would be difficult for others to guess, and consider using a combination of letters, numbers, and special characters in the passphrase.

Filter MAC addresses on your Access Point or router

MAC Address filtering will register the hardware MAC Address of your networked devices, and only allow devices with known MAC Addresses to connect to your network.

To enable MAC address filtering, first make a list of all your hardware devices that you want to connect to your wireless network. Find their MAC addresses, and then add them to the MAC address filtering in your router’s administrative settings. You can find the MAC address for your computers by opening Command Prompt and typing in “ipconfig /all”, which will show your MAC address beside the name "Physical Address". You can find the MAC addresses of Wireless mobile phones and other portable devices under their network settings, though this will vary for each device.

Disable wireless administrating

Change the setting that allows administrating the router through a wireless connection to 'off' (meaning that you need to connect with a LAN cable for administration).

Reduce the Range of the Wireless Signal

Minimize leakage of wireless signal by placing router and access points in the center of your home. Setting up these devices in a balcony or near a window/door sends the signal outside, where it can be easily used by other appropriately configured devices.

Upgrade your Router’s firmware

You may need to upgrade the Firmware of your Access Point or Router to make sure that your router is running the latest firmware.

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Easy Tips to Boost and Increase Your Internet Speed

Having a fast and efficient Internet connection is a vital component of your daily life. Slow speeds and weak connections can be frustrating and even costly.

There are a number of tips out there that will enable you to maximize your system’s performance and likewise, there are lots of things you can do to boost and increase your Internet connection speed.

Speedtest.net is a good place to test your internet speed. They operate through servers all over the world, so you can connect to a server near you, which increases the accuracy of your result.

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Here are a few tips to Increase the Speed of Your Internet Connection:

• Most Internet Providers have flaky DNS servers (no citation necessary, it's a given) - so, instead of using those provided by your ISP, switch your DNS servers to use those of OpenDNS. OpenDNS is far faster, and more reliable, simply using 208.67.222.222 and 208.67.220.220 as your domain name servers will speed up most flaky DNS problems (may even speed up your networking since OpenDNS has large caches).
• Sometimes, viruses, spyware, adware or malware can slow your Internet connection. Malware on your computer can eat up your bandwidth. Make sure you have an up-to-date malware protection program.
• Don't expect dial up or moderate speed service to be fast. The Internet is primarily geared towards Broadband Connections, which is about 512kbs or higher Sometimes, you have to wait a little.
• Download programs that make browsing faster
• Avoid offbrand, lesser known, free-/share-ware software download-sites which "might be good", but should be checked, as best you can, as unknown ones might contain "unwanted or bad add-ons" such as viruses that may damage computers and disrupt software.
• Call your ISP and have them verify all of your TCP/IP settings if you are concerned. Ask them to verify that your Proxy settings are correct.
• Keep current, updated anti-spyware, anti-virus and firewall programs, but you can have too many toolbars trying to verify and block the same sites.
• Use the Stop button to stop loading pages once you've gotten or seen what you want.
• Make sure your system memory can handle the load! If you want to browse fast, you will need to close other applications in case your RAM is maxed out.
• You can also try a program such as TCP Optimizer to fine-tune your Internet connection.

Source: http://www.wikihow.com