OpenDNS

For those who don't know what a DNS is, all sites on the internet are actually server systems connected to the internet with an IP address. A DNS is what converts the domain names we enter into the IP address of the server. Usually, when we connect to the internet (Dial-up, DSL, etc.), our service provider returns a DNS server. The usual problems with DNS is that, they can sometimes go down even if the internet connection is fine. Also, when there are typos in the entered domain, the DNS is not intelligent enough to redirect you to the correct site.

OpenDNS is a free DNS provider. They have been around from 2006. They run on a geographically distributed servers. Thus, there are very little chance of the DNS server going down. Also, from my experience, they are really hi-speed owing to the fact that many DNS domains are actually cached well.

It is also quiet intelligent. If there are typos when you enter the domain, they are intelligent enough to forward you to the correct site most times. For example, if you enter google.om instead of google.com, the server will automatically redirect you to google.com .

One question that remains is, what does the company get by providing free DNS service? Well, when you enter a domain that is not accessible, normal DNS actually fires an error. But in the case of OpenDNS, you are forwarded to their search page containing advertisement links. The revenue they gain from these links are used to sustain the server.

To use OpenDNS, simply point your change the DNS settings of your connection to:

208.67.222.222
208.67.220.220

The below button would indicate weather you are currently using OpenDNS or not: