The internet is increasingly becoming faster and many people are investing in solutions that can ensure that they take advantage of these speeds. However, many people still get fixated with the physical structures behind internet connections rather than the root cause of fast web browsing which are DNS servers.
DNS main service is to convert domain names to their relevant IP addresses which are machine readable.
Most of the times, the DNS server that you use are provided by your ISP, but there exists other free and paid DNS servers that you can make use of. Most of these custom servers come in handy for a variety of reasons.
Here are 5 reasons why it’s better to ditch your ISP provided DNS server and use a custom one instead.
Avoid Censorship
In some areas around the world, censorship is quite rife. Many governments resort to blocking access to certain sites on the internet. Generally, what these governments do is block access to these sites via the local ISPs in that particular country.
Custom DNS servers can enable you to bypass these restrictions even without the use of a VPN (some instances may require the use of one). Therefore, even before you think of getting a VPN, you can make use of some public DNS servers (check our list of public DNS servers). There is a high probability that they will enable you to access censored sites.
Faster Web Browsing
Everyone wants to experience fast internet speeds whenever they are browsing. However, many people usually experience intermittent speeds. Even before you think of changing your ISP (which can be expensive), you should first make use of a custom DNS solution.
Changing your DNS server can lead to fast load times. Furthermore, separate DNS servers are likely to have more sites cached than your local ISP which makes for fast web browsing.
Increase Internet Security
Over the past few years, there have been many cases of website hacks and data leaks. If you are a business that handles sensitive data on its servers, then you should definitely change to a secure custom DNS rather than the one provided by your ISP.
DNS servers provide an added layer of web security against any attacks to your IT environment. Hackers are more prone to attack companies whose DNS environment is least secure. Therefore, it’s important that you get a DNS solution that has added security features in order to protect your IT environment.
Note: You should also invest in other security measures that complement secure DNS servers because hackers can also make use of your IP address to bypass any DNS security checks.
Add Network Wide Parental Controls
If you want to block access to certain sites then you can make use of DNS servers as well. Certain DNS servers such as Open DNS allow you to blacklist sites that you don’t want your devices to access. They are great for securing your kids’ browsing habits and protecting them from unsuitable content.
By Pass Content Restrictions For Geographical Areas
If you want to access region restricted content like movies and music videos, then custom DNS servers can come in handy. Some DNS servers do this by replacing your IP address with one of their thereby tricking the website into thinking that you are in a region where access to that content is allowed.