How to change the DNS settings on a Edimax AR-7286WnA 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 Edimax AR-7286WnA router.

Other Edimax AR-7286WnA Guides

This is the dns guide for the Edimax AR-7286WnA. We also have the following guides for the same router:

What is the DNS setting on a Router

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:

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 Edimax AR-7286WnA

To get started configuring the Edimax AR-7286WnA DNS page you need to login to your router. If you are already logged in you can skip this step.

To login to the Edimax AR-7286WnA, follow our Edimax AR-7286WnA Login Guide.

Change the DNS settings on a Edimax AR-7286WnA

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

wifi wireless
This is the wifi setup page from your Edimax AR-7286WnA router.

For this router after you have finished logging into the Edimax AR-7286WnA you should start on the home page.

To change the DNS server settings click the option of Interface Setup at the top of the page. Then under that pick the link of LAN.

Configure the DNS section of your Edimax AR-7286WnA

router IP address lan home network
This is the lan page from your Edimax AR-7286WnA router.

You should now be on this page. Find the DNS section and choose the option of Use User Discovered DNS Server Only next to DNS Relay.

Then in the Primary DNS Server box enter the main DNS server you want to use. This DNS server is the one that will be used almost 100% of the time.

Enter the alternative DNS server in the box labeled Secondary DNS Server. This DNS server will only be used occasionally.

That's all there is to it, just save your changes before you leave this page.

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 Edimax AR-7286WnA Info

Don't forget about our other Edimax AR-7286WnA info that you might be interested in.

This is the dns guide for the Edimax AR-7286WnA. We also have the following guides for the same router: