Unbreakable VPN Connection with Custom DNS by Combining Starlink, Wi-Fi, 4G, 5G, and DSL with Speedify
Every time you type a web address, your device asks a lookup service called DNS (the Domain Name System) to turn that name into the number of the right computer. A VPN custom DNS setting lets you choose who does those lookups.
Some VPN services let those lookups slip outside the encryption, where your internet provider can still see every site you visit. Speedify, an app that encrypts your traffic like a VPN, keeps DNS lookups inside the encrypted tunnel. Speedify can also carry your traffic over Wi-Fi, 4G/5G cellular, Ethernet, Starlink and satellite internet connections at the same time. That speed and failover gain needs two or more connections; on a single connection Speedify works as an encrypted VPN and can be a little slower.
Speedify is a VPN that adds failover and faster uploads and downloads
The rest of this article explains how DNS affects speed and privacy, how to check a VPN for DNS leaks, and how to pick a DNS server in Speedify or on a computer or phone. Speedify adds private lookups, plus faster uploads and downloads when you combine two or more internet connections.
Why You Should Use a VPN Custom DNS
The Domain Name System (DNS) is the phone book of the Internet. This is the service that turns URLs like “speedify.com” or “google.com” into IP addresses. These addresses are then used to connect you to the right server.
This article looks at DNS servers from two angles: speed and security.
VPN Custom DNS and How It Can Improve Internet Speed
Whenever you try to connect to a website or service, your device queries the DNS server to find out the IP address. If that DNS server is located close to where you are, things will load quickly, whether you’re browsing, live streaming or playing online games with low latency.
If the DNS server is far away, there will be lag added to your connection. Some streaming services also check which DNS server you use along with your IP address, and they set their own regional rules in their terms. Speedify does not unblock geo-restricted streaming libraries, so pick a DNS server for speed and privacy, not to change your apparent country.
In short, a fast DNS server close to you cuts the wait before each site starts loading. A DNS server does not raise your download speed.
How a VPN Custom DNS Helps Protect Online Privacy
A VPN protects your online privacy by creating an encrypted tunnel between your computer and the Internet. Not every VPN service keeps DNS lookups inside that tunnel, though, and a lookup that leaks out shows your internet provider each site you visit. Here’s how to find out if you’re exposed or not by DNS leaks, and why DNS leak protection from your VPN service matters.
DNS servers are used to resolve Internet addresses. There are multiple DNS servers you can use, though usually your ISP decides. This raises some privacy questions:
- All requests go through the ISP default DNS
- This means that, in theory, ISPs can create an online profile for you
- Even if you’re using a VPN to encrypt your traffic, it may leak DNS requests (see above).
The fix: use a VPN that keeps DNS requests inside the VPN tunnel, with a DNS server you choose. Your internet provider then sees only an encrypted connection to the VPN server, not the sites you look up.
How to Check Your VPN for DNS Leaks
Connect your VPN, then open a DNS leak test site in your browser and run the test. If the DNS servers it lists belong to your internet provider, your lookups are leaking outside the VPN. With Speedify connected, the test should not show your internet provider’s DNS servers.
Fast DNS Servers You Can Pick in Speedify
Speedify, a VPN that combines internet connections, encrypts your DNS traffic along with everything else, so your internet provider cannot see which sites and services you look up. Hiding that also helps against ISP throttling, because the provider cannot single out a video stream by the site it comes from.
Speedify includes a VPN custom DNS feature that lets you pick which DNS service acts as your “phone book”. Whichever service you choose, Speedify routes the DNS requests through its encrypted tunnel, and they appear to come from the Speedify server’s public IP address. Besides Auto, Speedify’s own recommended default, the built-in options are these popular DNS services, each with its own strengths:
- Cloudflare (1.1.1.1): a privacy-first DNS service
- OpenDNS Home: a DNS service with built-in phishing protection
- AdGuard DNS: a DNS service with a built-in ad blocker. Websites known to serve ads can’t be looked up, so web pages show fewer ads.
Need a different DNS server, such as Google Public DNS (8.8.8.8)? Choose “Custom” and enter the DNS server’s IP address or HTTPS URL.
How to Choose a Custom DNS Server in Speedify
- Download Speedify on your computer or phone (Windows, macOS, iOS, Android and Linux).
- Open Speedify and create a free account (the free tier includes 5 GB per month; Linux needs a paid plan), or sign in, then connect to a server.
- Open the menu (the three-line icon) and, under Privacy, choose DNS Service.
- Pick Auto (Speedify’s recommended default), Quad9, Cloudflare, OpenDNS or AdGuard, or choose Custom and enter a DNS server’s IP address or HTTPS URL.
- Reconnect when Speedify asks, so the new DNS setting takes effect. Whichever service you pick, DNS requests travel inside Speedify’s encrypted tunnel.
How to Change DNS Servers on Your Computer or Smartphone
This article from Gizmodo includes brief guides on how to change DNS servers on Windows, macOS, Android and iOS, if you want to change the DNS server for the whole device without a VPN.
Also check whether your VPN service supports custom DNS servers, and if it does, use them. The steps for Speedify are above.
A custom DNS server chosen for speed and privacy, inside an encrypted VPN tunnel, makes lookups quicker and keeps them private. For faster uploads and downloads as well, add a second internet connection and let Speedify combine both.
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