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How to change the DNS settings on a TP-Link TL-WR642G 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 TP-Link TL-WR642G router.

Other TP-Link TL-WR642G Guides

This is the dns guide for the TP-Link TL-WR642G. 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 TP-Link TL-WR642G

To get started configuring the TP-Link TL-WR642G DNS page you need to login to your router. If you are already logged in you can skip this step.

To login to the TP-Link TL-WR642G, follow our TP-Link TL-WR642G Login Guide.

Change the DNS settings on a TP-Link TL-WR642G

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 TP-Link TL-WR642G router.

This guide begins on the Status screen of the TP-Link TL-WR642G Router. To change the Domain Name System settings, or DNS, click the choice on the left, in blue, labeled DHCP. Then under that, pick DHCP Settings.

Configure the DNS section of your TP-Link TL-WR642G

router DHCP lan mac address binding internet settings
This is the dhcp page from your TP-Link TL-WR642G router.

This router has a LAN side DNS server that deals with the day to day use of the internet, and the WAN side DNS that deals with updates.

The page you are now on is the LAN side DNS server, to change this one, enter your choice of primary DNS Server addresses in the space labeled Primary DNS. Enter your choice of secondary DNS server addresses in the box labeled Secondary DNS. Then, tick Save when you are finished.

The next page that you should go to is the WAN side DNS server. We're recommending that you set both, because all routers are a little different and this ensures that you have full control of your DNS server. Click the choice on the left side of the page labeled Network, then WAN under that.

router wan setup
This is the wan page from your TP-Link TL-WR642G router.

On this new page, you first need to tick the box that reads Use These DNS Servers. Under that is the Primary DNS, enter the same primary address of the DNS server you used on the last page. Then, in the Secondary DNS space, enter the same secondary address that you used on the previous page.

Finally, click Save at the bottom of this page.

Congratulations!

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 TP-Link TL-WR642G Info

Don't forget about our other TP-Link TL-WR642G info that you might be interested in.

This is the dns guide for the TP-Link TL-WR642G. We also have the following guides for the same router: