This past month, I became aware of the great, free web service offered by the team over at OpenDNS. For the uninitiated, OpenDNS is an alternative DNS. Every time you access the Internet, you use Domain Name Servers or DNS. Typically, your DNS is provided by your Internet Service Provider (ISP). However, switching to the DNS servers provided by OpenDNS will almost certainly enhance your web browsing experience by making it:
Safer
OpenDNS protects you from phishing — bad websites trying to steal your personal information. When you try to go to a phishing site, we let you know. We also let you block individual websites from loading. This helps you manage your network to better protect your family or your co-workers from websites they shouldn't be visiting.Faster
You use DNS every time you use the Internet. The speed of your DNS service determines how quickly websites load for you. That's why you want your DNS service to be blazing. OpenDNS is so fast because we run some of the largest DNS caches around and do it on our own high-performance network.Smarter
The address bar is how you navigate the Internet. We make your address bar more intelligent. With OpenDNS, you can create shortcuts that let you type something easy-to-remember into your address bar and leap straight where you want to go. And we'll correct your common spelling mistakes, on the fly. That means when you are typing fast and type yahoo.cmo instead of yahoo.com, you still get there.More Reliable
Little is more frustrating than intermittent Internet outages. When your DNS service isn't working, you can't access the Internet. When you start using OpenDNS, your days of dealing with DNS-related downtime will be over. We know reliability is important, and we stand behind ours.
A month into my switch to OpenDNS, I can certainly attest to the quality of their service. I really like how OpenDNS catches my mistakes when I mistype a domain and either redirects me to the correct website or provides me with relevant search results. In addition, I've noticed improvements my overall browsing speed.
If I've peaked your interest, you can find out more by visiting the OpenDNS website.
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FYI: If you plan to use a Dell computer with the OpenDNS service, you'll find this post interesting.
