NETGEAR is aware of a growing number of phone and online scams. To learn how to stay safe click here.

Forum Discussion

Grateful_Guy's avatar
Grateful_Guy
Aspirant
Oct 31, 2020
Solved

Updating DNS Server names on my Nighthawk X4S R7800

Greetings, all! First post here, hoping someone can help me. I'm somewhat savvy in networking and PCs, but figure I can always learn something, and figure this is a good place to start. I'm trying...
  • schumaku's avatar
    schumaku
    Nov 01, 2020

    The configuration of the DNS IP servers applies to the router only. The Netgear consumer routers are pusing out the router LAN IP with the DHCP along wth the IP address and subnet.

     

    More comprehensive routers offer dedicated controls for the DNS servers used by the router, and the DNS servers hand out by the DHCP server. This isn't available on these devices.

     

    If you have configued DNS servers on the DHCP enabled adpater is not Negear's issue.

     

    The combination Windows does make out of the adapter locally manual configured DNS addresses while still being a DHCP client, adding the DHCP supplied DNS IP to the end of the list (what makes sense under some conditions) is a different story, and up to Microsoft.

Grateful_Guy's avatar
Grateful_Guy
Aspirant
Oct 31, 2020

Thank you for the answer, Schumaku. So, if the router is passing those DNS server entries out, why am I not seeing the ones that are currently entered in the router when I look at the "ipconfig/all" results on my local machine?
Forgive my ignorance, but I'm still not getting why what's entered in the router is not reflected on my PC....

antinode's avatar
antinode
Guru
Oct 31, 2020

> I'm trying to update my DNS server entries to servers that test as
> faster (*).

 

   Why?  How many seconds/year do you expect to save by using a faster
DNS server?

 

> [...] but on my local machine, I still see the old settings.

 

   You're one up on me; with my weak psychic powers, I can't see any of
your "the settings", old or new.

 


> [...] if the router is passing those DNS server entries out, why am I
> not seeing the ones that are currently entered in the router when I look
> at the "ipconfig/all" results on my local machine?

 

   The DHCP server in the router will normally be passing out its _own_
(LAN) IP address to DHCP clients.  As already explained:

 

> [...] the DHCP server will hand-out the router LAN IP address [...]


   If anyone other than you could see what you're seeing 'when [you]
look at the "ipconfig/all" results on [your] local machine', then you
might get a better explanation sooner.  Copy+paste is your friend.

  • Grateful_Guy's avatar
    Grateful_Guy
    Aspirant
    Nov 01, 2020
    Antinode, thanks so much for the answer. It's amazing that you're able to include so much wit and sarcasm with so little helpful information. But I'll play along, and will answer your questions, if only to keep the fun and frivolity going!

     

    >   Why?  How many seconds/year do you expect to save by using a faster
    DNS server?

    I hope to save many, many seconds a year, perhaps more than I can count!  That way I'll have even more time to post questions in forums like this. But seriously, I guess I'm just a fool for optimizing things when I can, even if the payback is only in my head.... 

     

    > You're one up on me; with my weak psychic powers, I can't see any of your "the settings", old or new.

    Agreed, your psychic powers are weak, but I'll include images this time to help you out! 

     

    >   The DHCP server in the router will normally be passing out its _own_ (LAN) IP address to DHCP clients.  As already explained:

     

    I understand that, my question is related to the disparity between the DNS server addresses entered in the router and what I'm seeing on my PC. By my thinking (and as you may have guessed by now, I'm not an expert), they should be the same.

     

    If anyone other than you could see what you're seeing 'when [you] look at the "ipconfig/all" results on [your] local machine', then you
    might get a better explanation sooner.  Copy+paste is your friend.

    Your wish is granted, I've involved my new best friend and have added images to the post, so perhaps someone here will have a better understanding of my question.
    • antinode's avatar
      antinode
      Guru
      Nov 01, 2020

      > [...] images [...]

       

         Ok.  The router will use the DNS servers which are specified in its
      settings.  The Windows system will use the DNS servers which are
      specified in _its_ settings.  (OpenDNS (2) and Wave (1), apparently.)

       

         Apparently, you've told the Windows system to use those "8.8.8.8" and
      "8.8.8.4" servers (and the other one, too).  The router's DHCP server
      has offered its own address, "192.168.7.1", as a DNS server, and your
      Windows system has added that to the ones which the Windows system
      already had.  (I'd infer.)

       

         If you don't want the computer to use "8.8.8.8" and "8.8.8.4", then
      you'll need to talk to Windows about that.  The router's not involved
      with those.  I don't fiddle much with this part of Windows, so I know
      nothing, but the DNS servers might be among the settings for that
      Ethernet interface.  Otherwise, the DNS servers might be some more
      global setting.


         If, for some reason, the Windows system gets down to using the router
      ("192.168.7.1") for DNS, then the router will use the DNS servers which
      are specified in _its_ settings.  But the computer will still say that
      it's using the router ("192.168.7.1").

       

       

      > [...] It's amazing that you're able to include so much wit and sarcasm
      > with so little helpful information. [...]

       

         The explanation for that can be found with a Web search for:

       

            "life is like a sewer"


      When providing no useful information with which to work, expecting
      much useful information in return might be unrealistic.

       

      > [...] perhaps someone here will have a better understanding of my
      > question.

       

         The only problem with your question was guessing what you were seeing
      (and about which you were complaining).

      • schumaku's avatar
        schumaku
        Guru - Experienced User
        Nov 01, 2020

        The configuration of the DNS IP servers applies to the router only. The Netgear consumer routers are pusing out the router LAN IP with the DHCP along wth the IP address and subnet.

         

        More comprehensive routers offer dedicated controls for the DNS servers used by the router, and the DNS servers hand out by the DHCP server. This isn't available on these devices.

         

        If you have configued DNS servers on the DHCP enabled adpater is not Negear's issue.

         

        The combination Windows does make out of the adapter locally manual configured DNS addresses while still being a DHCP client, adding the DHCP supplied DNS IP to the end of the list (what makes sense under some conditions) is a different story, and up to Microsoft.