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How to change the DNS settings on a Asus RT-N16 router

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Setup Router Staff
(Last Updated: ) | Reading Time: 4 minutes

This page shows how to change the DNS settings on the Asus RT-N16 router.

Other Asus RT-N16 Guides

This is the dns guide for the Asus RT-N16 v1.28 Tomato. We also have the following guides for the same router:

What is the DNS setting on a Router

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When you connect a router to the Internet it gets a few settings from your ISP automatically. One of the settings that the ISP sets in your router is the DNS setting. DNS stands for Domain Name System and it is used to convert Internet names into actual IP addresses. For instance, when you go to "google.com", your are really connecting to an IP address that is mapped through DNS to a number such as:

  • 173.194.33.73

This mapping happens automatically every time you visit any page on the Internet.

Why Change Your Router's DNS Setting

Some ISPs choose to abuse the DNS system and map unknown names to servers that they control. This can be done in a way that you don't know it is happening since your router is getting its DNS settings from your ISP. For instance, if you have one of these ISPs who is hijacking your DNS, and you try to surf the web to "some-random-site.com" and "some-random-site.com" does not exist, you might get a page back from your ISP with local advertisements on it.

By changing your DNS setting in your router you will effectively change the DNS setting for every computer on your network. This is because when a device is connected to your network your router automatically hands out its own DNS settings to that device. This way you can protect your entire network from ISP hijacking with just one setting.

What Should I Change My DNS To

There are 2 really great DNS servers on the Internet that you can choose from right now: Google Public DNS and OpenDNS. If you are not sure which one to pick then just use Google Public DNS.

When you change the DNS settings in your router, you usually have to enter a Primary and a Secondary setting. The secondary is only used if the primary can not be located. Here are common settings:

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If you want to use Google Public DNS, use the following settings:

  • Primary: 8.8.8.8
  • Secondary: 8.8.4.4

If you want to use OpenDNS, use the following settings:

  • 208.67.222.222
  • 208.67.220.220

Login To The Asus RT-N16

To get started configuring the Asus RT-N16 DNS page you need to login to your router. If you are already logged in you can skip this step.

To login to the Asus RT-N16, follow our Asus RT-N16 Login Guide.

Change the DNS settings on a Asus RT-N16

If you followed our login guide above then you should see this screen.

router status mac address internet IP
This is the status page from your Asus RT-N16 router.

From the System Status page of the Asus RT-N16-Tomato-v1.28 click the choice on the left labeled Basic, then below that Network.

Configure the DNS section of your Asus RT-N16

router setup
This is the setup page from your Asus RT-N16 router.

You should now be on a page similar to the one you see above. Scroll down this page until you see the words Static DNS.

There are three boxes under this heading, we will only be using the first two. In the first box enter the primary address of the DNS server you have chosen for your network. In the second box enter the secondary IP address of that particular DNS server.

Make sure to click Save before you leave this page.

There is one more page to go to in order for this to work correctly. Click the choice on the left labeled Advanced. Then below that DHCP/DNS.

router DHCP lan mac address binding internet settings
This is the dhcp page from your Asus RT-N16 router.

On this page, place a check in the box that says Use Internal DNS. This allows you to use the DNS server of your choice.

Leave the next box empty, but put a check mark in the box titled Prevent DNS-rebind attacks.

Place a check in the next box also, it is called Intercept DNS port (UDP 53), this makes your DNS server unable to be overridden by another computer on your network.

Save these changes by clicking Save at the bottom of the page.

You did it, congratulations!

Possible Problems when Changing your DNS settings

Most devices on your network will not begin using the new DNS settings until they have been rebooted. After rebooting a device you can go to it's network settings and verify that it is using the DNS servers that you specified.

Other Asus RT-N16 Info

Don't forget about our other Asus RT-N16 info that you might be interested in.

This is the dns guide for the Asus RT-N16 v1.28 Tomato. We also have the following guides for the same router: