To surf the Web, you must use a DNS that converts site names into IP addresses. Software can be used to find out which is the fastest available server.
When you surf the web, you unknowingly use a DNS (Domain Name Server) which has the task of converting domain names (eg 01net.com) into IP addresses. You can change DNS by modifying the parameters of your Internet box, your router, your computer or your mobile device (with limitations for Android). But what is the best performing DNS, between that of your Internet operator and alternatives such as those of Google, OpenDNS and more recently Cloudflare? Here’s how to determine it:
1 – Download the DNS Benchmark program
This free program tests the speed of different DNS servers. Download the executable file and launch it directly as it does not require installation.
The program is divided into four tabs. The first explains in English what a DNS is for and you have to click on the tab Nameservers to access the test.
2 – Start the speed measurements
The tab offers the most famous DNS servers (OpenDNS, Google, Cloudflare) and it is possible to add new ones, if you know their IP addresses, by clicking on the button Add / Remove. Click on the button Run Benchmark to start the measurements and wait until the end of the test.
Check that the box Sort Fastest First and properly checked so that the fastest servers are displayed first (the shorter the red bar, the more efficient the server). In addition, the small green circles indicate those that are functional. Your Internet operator’s server is framed and marked Local Network Nameserver.
3 – Consult the detailed results
For specialists, the third tab (Tabular Data) gives detailed measurement results, with information on minimum and maximum times, as well as server reliability.
Line Uncached Name indicates the measures if the domain name is not yet in the cache of the local server, which is then forced to call on other name servers. Line DotCom Lookup gives the necessary time to contact these other servers. If you generally surf well-known sites, only the red bars apply to you because the IP addresses of these sites will always be in the DNS cache.
4 – Read the tips
The last tab of the program is called Conclusions and gives you, unfortunately in English, the positive and negative points of your operator’s DNS server.
You will be able to modify the DNS parameters of your OS or your box / router to choose the best possible server in order to surf faster.