How to change the DNS settings on a Eminent EM4450 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 Eminent EM4450 router.

Other Eminent EM4450 Guides

This is the dns guide for the Eminent EM4450. 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 Eminent EM4450

To get started configuring the Eminent EM4450 DNS page you need to login to your router. If you are already logged in you can skip this step.

To login to the Eminent EM4450, follow our Eminent EM4450 Login Guide.

Change the DNS settings on a Eminent EM4450

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 Eminent EM4450 router.

Starting on the Router Status page of the Eminent EM4450 router, click the link on the left side of the page labeled DHCP, then DHCP Settings.

Configure the DNS section of your Eminent EM4450

router DHCP lan mac address binding internet settings
This is the dhcp page from your Eminent EM4450 router.

This page is the first of two pages that will require your attention. On this page, find the box labeled Primary DNS and enter the main address of the DNS Server you wish to use. This is the address that is always used first when possible. The next box is the Secondary DNS. Enter the secondary address of the DNS server here. This address will only be used when the first is unavailable. Finish this page by clicking Save.

To get to the other page that has DNS server settings, click the choice on the left labeled Network, then WAN.

router wan setup
This is the wan page from your Eminent EM4450 router.

The page you see above is the page you should be on. If the router has automatically filled in these boxes to match the DHCP page, perfect, you are finished.

If not, tick the box labeled Use These DNS Servers. Then below that, enter the same primary address you entered earlier, in the box labeled Primary Address. Enter the same secondary address in the box titled Secondary DNS. Finally, click the Save button and you are 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 Eminent EM4450 Info

Don't forget about our other Eminent EM4450 info that you might be interested in.

This is the dns guide for the Eminent EM4450. We also have the following guides for the same router: