# OpenDNS lifesaver!!



## NdMk2o1o (Feb 5, 2011)

So in December I started having issues with my internet which until then was really quite solid, it's the 50mb package from Virgin and for the most part I do get my advertised speeds with little interruption. 

It started around the 19th Dec my net got cut off for a whole 5 days solid!!!  after this I have had intermittent problems on a daily basis, the straw came when they came and installed their new "superhub" the same day this was done and the engineer left I was on the phone to them for over an hour due to loss of connectivity, this cycle has continued for the last 4 weeks and 3 "superhub's" later with no change, my net is effectivly worse than it was before the so-called "superhub" !!! 

Well tonight I got so fed up of talking to useless indian call centre agents I decided I needed to get to the bottom of the issues myself. Lately I have had DNS issues and although Windows was reporting I had internet access and this was apparent with things like uTorrent and Steam, I can't view webpages. So after a lot of time on to indian call centres, a lot of swearing and a moment of clarity I finally decided to use my old friend Google to see if that would help me more than the incompetant tech suppoirt I had been receiving over the last 2 months. 

I found some links between my DNS issues and uTorrent, though when I went a little deeper I found out that a lot of other Virgin users had similar issues with DNS and came to the conclusion the Virgin Media DNS servers were crap based on mine and many other peoples experiences. With that I set out to fix the problem myself. 

I stumbled upon OpenDNS and after a little reading decided I would sign up and see if it helped my issue, heres what wiki has to say about OpenDNS: 



> OpenDNS offers DNS resolution for consumers and businesses as an alternative to using their Internet service provider's DNS servers. By placing company servers in strategic locations and employing a large cache of the domain names, OpenDNS can process queries more quickly.[4] DNS query results are sometimes cached by the local operating system or applications, so this speed increase may not be noticeable with every request but only with requests that are not stored in a local cache.



Basically after changing a few simple settings for my network adaptor (LAN) in Windows, I am now using OpenDNS DNS servers and not Virgins and almost instantly there is a huge improvement, firstly in my connection, it seems stable and I can view all webpages without disruption, though secondly and more importantly it has indeed sped browsing up by a noticeable amount, now web pages you have never visited no longer suffer from a 1-2sec delay as they have done previously but open almost in an instant. 

I was so close to fucking Virgin Media off though didnt want to sacrifice the speed of cable 50mb Vs ADSL 20mb and hopefully now looks like I wont have to. 

Moral of the story if you have similar issues with your ISP then have a look at OpenDNS it may well just be your saving grace. 

P.S F**k you Virgin


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## ktr (Feb 5, 2011)

I find Google Open DNS to be even faster in response time and updates.

However, you don't get the options as you do in OpenDNS.


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## micropage7 (Feb 5, 2011)

yap open dns one that you can rely on


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## FreedomEclipse (Feb 5, 2011)

I have issues with my ISP as well (talktalk) I would get micro lag/stuttering in games but once i switched DNS it was all gone


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## newtekie1 (Feb 5, 2011)

Whenver I set up a networ I always set it up to use a google DNS server as a backup to the ISPs.  I know google's DNS servers are going to be reliable, even if they aren't always the fastest.


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## Mussels (Feb 5, 2011)

i dont like openDNS because it seems to alter behaviour of the browsers - EG, typing something into the address bar normally results in google taking me directly to the website it thinks i'm after, once on openDNS it takes me to a google search page instead.


i dont know if the google DNS does the same thing or not.


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## 95Viper (Feb 5, 2011)

There are quite a few dns servers out there you can use.

Right now I am using a Norton DNS beta, which, has been quick(not the fastest all the time) and has not failed yet.
Yep, OpenDNS is nice and has quite a few configurable options, but as Mussels pointed out... some of them do have their foibles.

This has been brought up before and GRC (Gibson Research Corp.)has some nice DNS Server testing sites and software, also, loads of info to read:
DNS Nameserver Spoofability Test
Can you trust your Domain Name Servers?

Domain Name Speed Benchmark
Are your DNS nameservers impeding your Internet experience?

Alternative DNS Nameservers
A simple change could make a world of difference.


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## Jstn7477 (Feb 5, 2011)

I use Google DNS. I used to use OpenDNS but got tired of them flagging and blocking sites such as eBay from time to time, which was very annoying.


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## ktr (Feb 5, 2011)

FreedomEclipse said:


> I have issues with my ISP as well (talktalk) I would get micro lag/stuttering in games but once i switched DNS it was all gone



Lag is not caused by your DNS server. 



Mussels said:


> i dont know if the google DNS does the same thing or not.



Nope. 



Jstn7477 said:


> I use Google DNS. I used to use OpenDNS but got tired of them flagging and blocking sites such as eBay from time to time, which was very annoying.



Yea, that is why I switched to Google DNS. OpenDNS gets false postives (even when all security is disabled) and you're out of luck until it gets resolved.


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## FreedomEclipse (Feb 5, 2011)

ktr said:


> Lag is not caused by your DNS server.



maybe not - but going back to talktalks own DNS still gives me micro stutter and latency is WORSE with talktalk DNS. so I use open DNS


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