How to change the DNS settings on a Linksys WAG160N router

This page shows how to change the DNS settings on the Linksys WAG160N 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 Linksys WAG160N

To get started configuring the Linksys WAG160N 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 WAG160N, follow our Linksys WAG160N Login Guide.

Change the DNS settings on a Linksys WAG160N

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 WAG160N router.

Starting from the Status page of the Linksys WAG160N router, click the link at the top of the page labeled Setup, then under that Basic Setup.

Configure the DNS section of your Linksys WAG160N

router setup — This is the *setup* page from your Linksys WAG160N router.

This directs you to a page like the one you see above. Find the section labeled Network Setup (LAN). In this section, place your cursor in the first of the four boxes labeled Static DNS 1, and enter the primary address of the DNS server you plan on using.

Below that is the Static DNS 2 boxes. Enter the alternate or secondary address of the DNS Server you have chosen.

If you know a third address that you would like to use, enter that in the boxes labeled Static DNS 3. It is perfectly okay to leave these boxes blank also.

Click the Save Settings button and you are 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.