How to change the DNS settings on a Linksys SPA-9000 router

This page shows how to change the DNS settings on the Linksys SPA-9000 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 Linksys SPA-9000

To get started configuring the Linksys SPA-9000 DNS page you need to login to your router. If you are already logged in you can skip this step.

To login to the Linksys SPA-9000, follow our Linksys SPA-9000 Login Guide.

Change the DNS settings on a Linksys SPA-9000

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 Linksys SPA-9000 router.

You begin on a page labeled Status. Click the link at the top of the page labeled Wan Setup.

Configure the DNS section of your Linksys SPA-9000

router wan setup — This is the *wan* page from your Linksys SPA-9000 router.

This directs you to a page very similar to the one you see above. This is the only screenshot we have right now of any DNS servers, and seems to be the DNS server for updates. If you know of a different place to set the DNS server, please let us know.

It is still a good idea to set this DNS server also. Under the red heading of Optional Settings, place your cursor in the box titled Primary DNS and enter the primary address of the DNS server you have chosen. In the box to the right of that, labeled Secondary DNS, enter the secondary address of that DNS Server.

We don't recommend changing anything else on this page, click Submit All Changes.

You're done.

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.