Last night something happened that caused me to remember an article I had read somewhere (sorry I can\u2019t remember where) that was about how OpenDNS can actually help speed up Internet connections \u2014 or at least the rendering of pages and videos. Of course, being a skeptic and having fast cable internet connection, soI sloughed off the article as just so much drivel.<\/span><\/p>\n But last night \u2014 pages \u2014 even pages like PayPal, Accuweather, and other pages were either not opening or not opening all they way. Email was working normally and I was connected to the Internet \u2014 but apparently one of Spectrums servers or one of the servers from which they acquire Internet bandwidth was having problems and so, therefore, I was too. This went on for about an hour before I finally decided to take matters in my own hands.<\/span><\/p>\n Remembering the article that I had scoffed at several weeks ago, I decided to give OpenDNS a try. When I was finally able to get to\u00a0www.opendns.com<\/a>\u00a0 \u2014 I followed the instructions and reset my domain name servers (DNS) to theirs \u2014 and I\u2019m telling you, if everything continues as it is, I\u2019ll never go back to allowing Windows to automatically detect DNS.<\/span><\/p>\n I have to be careful because my IP address is tied to several accounts \u2013 where, for added security, I can only log into if I\u2019m using my computer from home and my IP address matches. I took a chance that OpenDNS would not affect my IP address \u2013and I was correct. The IP address I use is assigned to me by Road Runner and it usually is the same for about four to six months (I\u2019m too cheap to pay for a static IP address). But four to six months is static enough for my purposes \u2014 so I only have to contact the companies whose web sites use my IP address as another level of security for login two or three times a year.<\/span><\/p>\n It took me less than five minutes to set up OpenDNS on my Windows 8 computer (Open DNS works with all versions of Windows and Mac \u2014 and they provide step by step instructions for each operating system.)<\/span><\/p>\n If you have noticed pages opening slowly or your Internet connection seeming to be slow, you really should try OpenDNS. It can\u2019t hurt anything and resetting your computer back to its normal configuration is as easy as ticking a checkbox.<\/span><\/p>\n We\u2019re going to show you how to set up OpenDNS on your computer.<\/span><\/p>\n First you\u2019ll need to go to\u00a0www.opendns.com<\/a>\u00a0 and sign up for a free account ( you will be sent an email to activate your account and verify your email address.)<\/span><\/p>\n Once you get your account you see a page where you can choose instructions for Windows XP, Vista, Windows 7, Mac. If you\u2019re using Windows 8 \u2014 follow the instructions for Windows 7 \u2014 they are identical.<\/span><\/p>\n Here\u2019s an overview of how easy it is to set up OpenDNS on your Vista, Windows 7\/8 computer (if you\u2019re using XP see\u00a0www.opendns.com<\/a>\u00a0 for instructions).<\/span><\/p>\n Open Control Panel and go to Network and Sharing Center<\/span><\/p>\n Click on Change Adapter Settings<\/span><\/p>\n Click on your active connection\u00a0 (See image below):<\/span><\/p>\n Now, you’ll see the following dialog:<\/span><\/p>\n Click “Properties” and you’ll see this:<\/span><\/p>\n Highlight “Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP\/IPv4) and click “Properties”:<\/span><\/p>\n Uncheck \u201cObtain DNS server address automatically\u201d, check \u201cUse the following DNS server addresses\u201d, and enter the two OpenDNS server addresses given to you by OpenDNS (they may be different than those shown above) in the boxes next to Preferred DNS server and Alternate DNS servers. Now click, OK.<\/span><\/p>\n You\u2019re almost done. Rather than rebooting your computer \u2014 open a Command dialog (press the Windows Key plus the R key and type CMD and press Enter). At the prompt type the following command:<\/span><\/p>\n IPCONFIG \/FLUSHDNS<\/span><\/p>\n Now press Enter.<\/span><\/p>\n If you did it right (and left a space between IPCONFIG and the slash) you\u2019ll see \u201cSuccessfully flushed DNS resolver cache\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n If you see this message then your DNS resolver cache has been cleared, and you\u2019re now be using OpenDNS<\/span><\/p>\n I\u2019m a skeptic by nature and had it not been for Road Runner\u2019s DNS problems last night, I\u2019d have never bothered trying OpenDNS, having already assigned it as one of those things that just makes everything slower and more complicated. I\u2019m amazed and at least for now, I\u2019m going to continue using OpenDNS because pages do open faster \u2014 and that makes my internet connection seem faster even though it isn\u2019t really. I am sold on OpenDNS and I think if you try it you will be too. Videos open faster, animated weather radar seems instant now (there used to be a delay) and all pages I open seem more zippy. Take it from a skeptic whose mighty resistant to believing that simple things can make such a difference.<\/span><\/p>\n You\u2019ve got nothing to lose \u2014 if you don\u2019t notice a difference, just go back and check \u201cObtain DNS server address automatically\u201d, then flush your DNS resolver cache, and you\u2019re right back to the way you were before you started using Open DNS.<\/span><\/p>\n Here are a few words from OpenDNS that explains how OpenDNS works:<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cSpeed up your Internet experience<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n OpenDNS\u2019s 12 global data centers are strategically located at the most well-connected intersections of the Internet. Unlike other providers, OpenDNS\u2019s network uses sophisticated Anycast routing technology, which means no matter where you are in the world, your DNS requests are answered by the datacenter closest to you. Combined with the largest DNS caches in the industry, OpenDNS provides you with DNS responses faster than anyone else.<\/span><\/p>\n Make your Internet more reliable<\/span><\/p>\n With our extensive data center footprint and use of Anycast technology, the OpenDNS network has built-in redundancy ensuring zero downtime. SmartCache technology, an OpenDNS innovation, enables you to access sites that may otherwise be inaccessible due to authoritative DNS outages, providing you with the most reliable Internet possible.<\/span><\/p>\n Improve your security<\/span><\/p>\n OpenDNS owns and operates PhishTank, the largest clearinghouse of phishing information on the Internet. OpenDNS incorporates PhishTank into its services to protect you from fraudulent websites that attempt to steal your personal information and money. In addition, OpenDNS provides protection against two of the most pervasive Internet security threats that continue to infect millions of users \u2014 Conficker, the largest botnet, and Internet Explorer exploits\u2026.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n OpenDNS does boost your Internet speed. That\u2019s up to your ISP. But I tell you this: pages will open faster, videos and other multimedia content will be smoother and faster, and your Internet experience will be improved. It worked for me \u2014 and I\u2019m a skeptic. I didn\u2019t believe I\u2019d notice a difference. Now I\u2019m an OpenDNS fan \u2014 I think, if you try it, you will be too.<\/span><\/p>\n Get started right now, visit\u00a0http:\/\/www.opendns.com<\/a>\u00a0to download or get more information.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Using OpenDNS to improve and speed up your Internet experience Last night something happened that caused me to remember an article I had read somewhere (sorry I can\u2019t remember where) that was about how OpenDNS can actually help speed up Internet connections \u2014 or at least the rendering of pages and videos. Of course, being a\u2026 Read More »<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thundercloud.net\/infoave\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6281"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thundercloud.net\/infoave\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thundercloud.net\/infoave\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thundercloud.net\/infoave\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thundercloud.net\/infoave\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6281"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.thundercloud.net\/infoave\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6281\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18752,"href":"https:\/\/www.thundercloud.net\/infoave\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6281\/revisions\/18752"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thundercloud.net\/infoave\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6281"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thundercloud.net\/infoave\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6281"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thundercloud.net\/infoave\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6281"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Cloudeight](\"http:\/\/thundercloud.net\/infoave\/images\/2913\/opendns.png\")
<\/span><\/p>\n![\"OpenDNS\"](\"http:\/\/thundercloud.net\/infoave\/images\/2913\/opendns1.png\")
<\/span><\/p>\n![\"Open](\"http:\/\/thundercloud.net\/infoave\/images\/2913\/opendns2.png\")
<\/span><\/p>\n![\"Open](\"http:\/\/thundercloud.net\/infoave\/images\/2913\/opendns3.png\")
<\/span><\/p>\n![\"Open](\"http:\/\/thundercloud.net\/infoave\/images\/2913\/opendns4.png\")
<\/span><\/p>\n