How to Use Custom DNS on the Nest Wifi Mesh System
You can set your own custom DNS if you have a Nest Wifi mesh system at home or in the office. Here’s how.
Learn how to use custom DNS with your Nest Wifi Mesh system at home or in the office
Depending on your ISP and where you live, a custom DNS might be the answer to making your Internet experience a little better (or faster). And if you’re using a mesh system like Nest Wifi, which is arguably one of the best around, we’ll show you how you can set up your own custom DNS in no time.
Before proceeding, please note that setting up a custom DNS, aside from your ISP’s, is not always an ideal solution for slow internet issues. Your 10Mbps connection won’t magically give you speeds close to 100Mbps, but it can become much more responsive than before if you have a good DNS server near you, like Google’s famous 8.8.8.8 or the wonderful 1.1.1.1 from Cloudfare.
Again, that entirely depends on where you live.
There are several apps available that will tell you which DNS will work best for you. But most likely your ISP’s own DNS will suffice. Also keep in mind that there are other things to consider if your internet still seems slow even after a DNS change – like line quality, your modem, the cables you’re using, etc. If switching from one DNS to another does not change anything for you, you can contact your ISP for assistance.
With all that babble out of the way, here’s how you can set custom DNS in your Nest Wifi system.
Tutorial
Step 1. Launch the Google Home app on your iPhone, iPad or Android device.
Remember can’t do it using a web browser and you must use the official app which is logged in using your own email address. If someone else set up your Nest Wifi system for you, only they can change the DNS for you, unless they also gave you access to the Google Home app.
Step 2. Once the app is loaded, tap the Wireless top button.
Step 3. Now press the settings cogwheel in the upper right corner, as shown below.
Step 4. Scroll down and tap Advanced Networking.
Step 5. Now press DNS settings at the top.
Step 6. By default, Nest Wifi is set to Automatique, which is a combination of your ISP’s and Google’s DNS and it switches between them depending on which works best. But here you are going to tap on Custom.
Note: mine is set to “ISP” because it works better for me than anything else I try.
Step 7. Here you will see all the fields you can fill in including primary server, secondary server, etc. For the purposes of this tutorial, we’ll be using Cloudflare’s DNS. Once it is set, press To safeguard at the bottom, just above the keyboard, then tap the Save button again in the upper right corner once the custom screen disappears.
After you save everything, your internet connection may go offline for a few seconds and then come back online. Voila, you now have a custom DNS set on your Nest Wifi mesh system.
For more useful guides and tutorials, head over to this section.