Have a better internet experience on the go!
Lets talk about DNS. DNS or the “Domain Name System” in short is how your computer knows where to go when you type an address in your internet browser. Say you need to go to www.google.com how does your computer know how to get there. The quick answer is DNS. All computers connected to a network or the internet have an ID called an IP address. (most are unique while some are shared. Read more about DNS here.. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Domain_Name_System) You may or may not have seen an IP address that looks something like 10.23.11.123. In order for create a easier experience for users on the internet a naming scheme was developed that would make it simple to find another computer on the internet. So you may know google.com but the actual address is 74.125.45.100. Try this, open your internet browser be it Safari or Firefox or Internet Explorer if you not so lucky and type in http://74.125.45.100, what do you get? Google.com of course. In order to make this happen your internet service provider has what they call a DNS server on their network that translates google.com for you and fetches the website at 74.125.45.100. It would be pretty difficult for the average person to remember all the numbered addresses for their favorite website.
Now why am I explaining all this? Well not all DNS service servers are the same. DNS servers are updated on a regular basis as domain names and website addresses change. If the internet service provider you are using has a slow or outdated DNS server your experience on the internet can suffer dramatically. You may have encounter slow browsing or may not be able to access the web address you wanted at all. For travelers this can be frustrating, especially while traveling abroad in places where technology is not at an adequate level.
Well there is a solution, you may bring your own DNS service with you wherever you go. OpenDNS at http://www.opendns.com/ provides free DNS services and it is quite simple to set up. OpenDNS is an independent DNS provider that allows you to bypass the default DNS service that is provided with whichever internet service your using. OpenDNS is extremely fast and allows control over your internet browsing not accessible from most Internet Service Providers.
While traveling and using OpenDNS I have frequently seen my colleagues have slow internet access or not have access at all while I am happily browsing away or checking my email with no problems. Having good DNS service while not be something you knew you needed, is key to your internet experience.
Once you have set up OpenDNS take some time to look at all the features it provides. Set is up at home on your router and OpenDNS will give you control with content filtering (yes I mean Porn) and phishing *insert link for phishing* protection as well as the ability to limit access by time. You can also see statistics of where you’ve been or where someone else on your network has been, yes that means “FREE” parental control for the entire house!
