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How to change the DNS settings on a Asus WL500GP 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 WL500GP router.

Other Asus WL500GP Guides

This is the dns guide for the Asus WL500GP v2. 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 WL500GP

To get started configuring the Asus WL500GP 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 WL500GP, follow our Asus WL500GP Login Guide.

Change the DNS settings on a Asus WL500GP

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 WL500GP router.

You start on the page labeled Wireless Home Gateway on the Asus WL500GPv2. To change the DNS server settings, or Domain Name System settings, you will need to go to two different pages. This may seem redundant but we recommend filling in both.

The first page is the most important because it is the one the PC will use. To get to this one click the link on the left in purple labeled IP Config, then below that DHCP Server.

Configure the DNS section of your Asus WL500GP

router DHCP lan mac address binding internet settings
This is the dhcp page from your Asus WL500GP router.

On this page find the heading in blue labeled DNS and WINS Server Setting. Under this enter the primary address of the DNS server you picked in the box marked DNS Server 1.

Type in the secondary address of the DNS server you chose in the box DNS Server 2.

Click Apply to save your changes.

To get to the second page, click the link on the left labeled WAN & LAN.

router setup
This is the setup page from your Asus WL500GP router.

Find the heading on this page called WAN DNS Setting. Click No to the question Get DNS Server automatically?.

In the box DNS Server1 enter the same primary address you entered on the other page. Enter the same secondary address in the box marked DNS Server2.

Don't forget to save your changes before you exit this screen.

You're finished!

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 WL500GP Info

Don't forget about our other Asus WL500GP info that you might be interested in.

This is the dns guide for the Asus WL500GP v2. We also have the following guides for the same router: