For quite some time, when you speak of fast DNS service, any person with a knowhow would either point to OpenDNS or Google DNS as among fastest, with a query speed which does not exceed 35 milliseconds.
But not anymore — Cloudflare has just released its own rendition of consumer Domain Name System (DNS) which promises not only to keep consumers’ browsing history safe but also do so at the fastest speed.
Cloudflare, a company which came to fame by providing solutions against DDoS, launched the DNS resolver 1.1.1.1 and 1.0.0.1.
Not only is this DNS service a fresh entry on the internet, it also made its entry with a record-breaking height which toppled leading DNS service brands. When Google DNS and OpenDNS’ average querying speed were set at 34.51 ms and 20.64 ms, respectively, Cloudflare’s 1.1.1.1 was recorded at 14.01 ms.
Although this difference in milliseconds may not mean much, particularly between 1.1.1.1 and OpenDNS, this miniscule number easily adds up in real-world setting. For those who are working at a rapid pace in the office, this implies being able to look up at anything on the internet with “neck-breaking” speed or with very little chance for delay.
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A domain name service actually plays a big role when it comes to the internet, essentially as a foundation. In fact, much of the happening on the internet go through its protocol.
When the vast network of the internet is working with a string of numbers called the IP address, the DNS is essentially an interpreter which attributes names like “Google.com” to a particular IP address.
In light of the issue which compromised users’ personal information for monetary gains involving giant tech companies like Google, Cloudflare seemed poised at differentiating itself from the malpractice.
According to Cloudflare CEO Matthew Prince, it considers its consumers as a “toxic asset.” Meaning, anything that its users leave behind, particularly sensitive or personal information, is not something that benefits it and thus must not be collected or, let alone, be left in the log for more than 24 hours.
That is a bold approach to a type of business which could actually reap it lots of cash if it chose to sell its client’s information towards entities that are interested about them like, say, Big Brother.
But, of course, claims such as what the company CEO said is hard to give credit by simply leaving the overall process by themselves. To counter this suspicion, Prince claimed to employ an “external monitor” which is given a task of ensuring to protect the privacy of its users.
Switching to Cloudflare DNS 1.1.1.1
Jumping to the new DNS bandwagon may be an easy decision to make for those who are aware of the goings-on about manually changing DNS. While it may sound dissuading to those who are not, the process is actually pretty simple and straightforward, regardless of which operating system you’re running your computer or smart device with.
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Windows
Step 1: Open the Control Panel by clicking it on the Start Menu.
Step 2: Choose to click Network and Internet.
Step 3: Click Change Adapter Settings.
Step 4: Hover over the cursor to the Wi-Fi network you’re connected to (if you’re going wireless), right-click on it and then choose Properties.
Step 5: Choose Internet Protocol Version 4 or Version 6 according to your current setting.
Step 6: Click Properties.
Step 7: For security measure, write down the default entries as displayed on your monitor.
Step 8: Choose to configure it by clicking Use the Following DNS Server Addresses.
Step 9: If using an IPv4 address, simply replace your existing with the following successively: 1.1.1.1 and 1.0.0.1. Otherwise, if assigned with an IPv6 address, use the following setting: 2606:4700:4700::1111 and 2606:4700:4700::1001.
Step 10: Click “Ok” and “Close” to finalize your setting.
Step 11: Restart your browser.
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MacOS
Step 1: Open System Preferences.
Step 2: Manually search for something called “DNS Servers” and choose it from a dropdown option.
Step 3: Press the visible “+” button to add a DNS Server and type in “1.1.1.1”.
Step 4: Do the same thing again and type in “1.0.0.1” for redundancy.
Step 5: Finalize your setting by clicking “Ok” and then “Apply”.
iOS
Step 1: Go to Settings.
Step 2: Tap on Wi-Fi and choose from the available network which you are using.
Step 3: Manually configure the DNS by clicking on Configure DNS and then Manual.
Step 4: In an instance that there is already an existing entry, delete it by tapping on the “-“ button.
Step 5: Follow the same procedure as MacOS.
Step 6: Finalize on it by tapping on the Save button.
Android
Step 1: Connect your device to a preferred wireless network.
Step 2: Access the browser and navigate through your router’s gateway IP address.
Step 3: Log in your credentials if prompted.
Step 4: In the router’s configuration page, navigate to DNS Server settings.
Step 5: Follow the same procedure as Windows.
Step 6: Finalize by saving your new configuration and restart the browser.
That’s it! It’s fairly easy, right? As always, if you have any trouble following our tutorial, simply leave a comment below and we’ll gladly help you out.
To learn more about this new DNS from Cloudflare, visit the official website here — https://1.1.1.1.