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How to change the DNS settings on a ZyXEL NBG5615 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 ZyXEL NBG5615 router.

Other ZyXEL NBG5615 Guides

This is the dns guide for the ZyXEL NBG5615. We also have the following guides for the same 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 ZyXEL NBG5615

To get started configuring the ZyXEL NBG5615 DNS page you need to login to your router. If you are already logged in you can skip this step.

To login to the ZyXEL NBG5615, follow our ZyXEL NBG5615 Login Guide.

Change the DNS settings on a ZyXEL NBG5615

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 ZyXEL NBG5615 router.

Beginning on the Home page of the ZyXEL NBG5615 router, click the choice of Expert Mode. Then to the left, pick Network, WAN, and finally Internet Connection.

Configure the DNS section of your ZyXEL NBG5615

router wan setup
This is the wan page from your ZyXEL NBG5615 router.

You are now on the page you see here. This is the only screenshot we have of a DNS server setup page. If you know of another, please let us know. Typically the DNS server for this page deals with updates and not daily internet usage. If it is for everyday use, you should see the results right away, but not if this is the update DNS server.

To setup this DNS server, click the drop down menu next to First DNS Server and choose User-Defined. Then enter the primary address of the DNS server you have decided to use here.

Below that in the Second DNS Server drop down menu, choose User-Defined again and enter the secondary address of the DNS server you picked.

Don't worry about a third DNS server, just click the Apply button when 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.

Other ZyXEL NBG5615 Info

Don't forget about our other ZyXEL NBG5615 info that you might be interested in.

This is the dns guide for the ZyXEL NBG5615. We also have the following guides for the same router: