DNS Benchmark is a free , easy-to-use program that allows you to test the speed of available DNS and locate the fastest one .
There are many factors that affect the speed and response of a connection.
Among them, there is certainly the speed of the DNS that your computer relies on.
The DNS is, as I explained in the lesson on what are the DNS server , a sort of intermediary to your browser , seeking in their archives what is the IP address for a given domain you typed in the browser and respond to the browser.
Using a high- performance DNS allows you to improve browsing speed .
DNS Benchmark , the free program that I present to you in this lesson, helps you to understand if your DNS is the fastest and among those available or if there are valid alternatives that you can use to optimize your Internet connection.
As an alternative to DNS Benchmark you can also use DNS Jumper or Namebench .
What is DNS Benchmark for?
DNS Benchmark is , as the name implies, a benchmark program , or a test bench, which measures the speed and reliability of the DNS through which you connect to the Internet in comparison with a list (predefined or calibrated on your location) of DNS.
What is a DNS?
When you connect to any Internet page, and enter the address, your computer connects to a DNS server (abbreviation for Domain Name System ).
At this point the DNS server retrieves the IP address for the address you typed.
For example, when you connect to www.facebook.com , your computer contacts the DNS server, which transforms the alphanumeric address into an IP address. In the specific case it transforms it into the address 31.13.86.8.
This usually takes very little time, but relying on a non-performing DNS server can cause slowdowns in opening pages .
Sometimes it happens that, after typing the address we are interested in, nothing happens for a few seconds: often this problem is due to a DNS problem.
When you connect to a new network, perhaps after changing the ADSL provider, the computer often uses the DNS predefined by your provider.
These are not necessarily always the best choice. There are many DNS servers, and some are better performing than others: it depends on numerous factors, such as your geographical location, for example.
And if your laptop is set up to work well with your home connection, it might happen that, when you move and connect to other areas, the connection quality deteriorates because the DNS that your computer is not the best performing. that area.
So sometimes you just need to change the DNS server settings to improve your connectivity .
What exactly does DNS Benchmark do?
DNS Benchmark actually does two things:
- runs a test using a list of DNS servers, and tells you which DNS is the fastest;
- helps you to create a custom DNS list based on your geographic location.
How to test DNS with DNS Benchmark
First, download DNS Benchmark from the official page .
Once the program is open, click on the Nameserver tab and wait for a few seconds, while DNS Benchmark updates the DNS list:
Once finished loading DNS Benchmark will display the DNS servers you are using and those available for the benchmark (i.e. for comparison).
The two IP addresses at the top of the list, marked with a solid green dot, are the DNS you are currently using.
For example, in the image below I am using the two Google DNS servers:To start the analysis of the speed of the DNS servers at your disposal, just click on the Run Benchmark button :
The program will start analyzing the performance of the various DNS with your connection.
At the end of the analysis, which lasts a few minutes, you will be able to see the results on the screen, and the performance of your usual DNS compared to the other DNS servers available.
On the results screen DNS Benchmark ranks servers based on speed. The fastest will be servers at the top of the list, which goes in descending order of speed.
For example, these are my test results. As you can see the DNS I was using (marked with a green dot) was not the best:
This first analysis is performed by DNS Benchmark only on a predefined and reduced list of DNS servers plus your current DNS servers.
However, DNS Benchmark also offers the ability to compare your DNS servers to nearly 5,000 DNS servers.
Therefore, to enlarge the list and test your servers against this much larger list, click on Build Custom List , in the window that opens at the end of the first analysis:
At this point DNS Benchmark basically carries out the test on a sample of almost 5,000 DNS servers, many of which are selected on the basis of geographical proximity to your IP address:
During the new test, DNS Benchmark shows you a series of data on the response times of the servers under test:
DNS Benchmark will take a long time, even more than 30 minutes, to perform this second and more comprehensive test.
At the end of the search, run the test again from the main DNS Benchmark screen: you will be able to observe how most of the fastest DNS (at the top of the list) will be DNS geographically close to your position.
This is because the geographical distance of the DNS server from your location is the factor that often has the greatest impact on the communication time between your browser and the server.
For example, in this test in the first place you can now see Vodafone’s DNS servers:
How do I set up the new DNS servers?
Now that you’ve got the test results, and figured out which is the fastest DNS server for your zone, it’s time to replace the old DNS with the new ones.
Here you can find the guide to set the new DNS manually . Anyway, I also bring you the instructions below.
Go to Start – control panel – network and internet – view network status and activity.
Click on the connection in use. The Connection Status tab will open :
Click on Properties .
Scroll down the list until you find Internet Protocol version 4 (TCP / IPv4) and click on the Properties button
The control panel will open: now replace the values of the first two DNS servers in the appropriate fields. In my case the values are 91.80.35.134 and 91.80.35.166:
Note: Don’t use these values, they may not be the best for your computer! Rather, carry out the comparison test with DNS Benchmark or with the other programs reported in the Course.
Conclusions
Once this is done, your referral DNS will be updated with the fastest ones and your internet browsing (and response times) should be better.
