Manage your DNS settings for faster web browsing

I tried the test and was using OpenDNS and then switched it to UltraDNS as the test results suggested for a 33% bump in speed. Most sites open instantly now. Excellent..

Using a DNS service that's not your ISP's may result in MUCH slower downloads if you are outside the US. Reason being it may screw up Akamai's system of distributed cache servers, which are used for some of the largest downloads you do -- operating system updates, TV shows from iTunes and so on. If you are in Australia, for example, and you use Google DNS or OpenDNS, your closest Akamai cache server will be selected as being in the US. Then, because of the long international latency between you and the US Akamai server, you'll find content will trickle in at a couple of hundred kilobytes per second, whereas if you were using your ISP's DNS and the truly closest Akamai server to you, you could be getting megabytes a second.

Note: this is not a defence of ISPs' DNS servers -- which are often rubbish quality, under-resourced servers -- but just wanted to point out there is a BIG downside to using DNS servers that are not located close to you, as it may stuff up Akamai server selection.

as a computer professional, I agree with many of the comments here regarding security. I think the real value of the namebench app (if there is one at all) is for tuning DNS sources that you do know and trust. And for most people, the best advice is: leave it alone. A fractional gain in naming services performance is not worth the enormous security risks of compromised naming services.


TUAW: needs parental supervision.

Man, I can't believe the difference this made to my surfing! Not to mention the difference it made to getting all the software updates that I need and haven't been able to get. Thank you, Brett. And people here who have commented about security issues don't need to worry. I recognised the owners of the servers that were recommended for me.

I just use Google's new DNS servers 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4 Mainly because they don't substitute ad filed pages for unknown domains etc. And if you can't trust Google with DNS, who can you trust?

I just did this and it suggested DNS servers that were 175% faster than what I was previously using (OpenDNS). I've noticed a significant increase in speed.


Primary Server
198.6.1.5
UU Cache-4 US

Secondary Server
205.171.2.65
Qwest-2 US

Tertiary Server
68.94.157.1
SBC/AT&T Global-2 U

They all look reputable to me

I did this a couple hours ago, and have noticed that my web browsing is much faster now. Thanks for this article.

I do find it odd every is going of their tits about security.

First of all. I don't know who my default DNS provider is. Most likely my ISP.

Secondly. The argument "you don't know whos running the DNS" is ridiculous. The internet is still vulnerable from physical attacks. I don't mean bombs either. Getting man on the inside at a DNS facility would be worth gold. By that mere idea, my Dropbox is at risk, my email is at risk, my facebook is at risk.

Unless IT workers have a police/federal clearance - it's all at risk.

The app just confirmed for me that opendns is 113% faster than my ISPs dns. I've been using opendns for over a year so that's nice to know.

I don't think there's much concern with this app recommending a spoofed dns server.

I've found the app to be useful in seeing what I could be connecting to. Honestly, my own ISP's servers were just as good if not better than others.

As for the others' comments, they're right if you're on a company's computer. You shouldn't be messing with the settings if you or others are trying to get your work done. At a few of my jobs the computers were filtered to either deny internet access, or if you could get the internet, most sites were blocked to where you still couldn't do your job properly. Besides, they're using Windows computers, and I'm not about to do anything to it other than turn it on, load the apps I need, and get my work done.