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Change DNS on a NETGEAR router.

Protect every phone, tablet, laptop and TV on your Wi-Fi with one setting on your NETGEAR router.

Router & device setup · Updated October 30, 2026 · 4 min read

TimeAbout 5 minutes
You needYour router's admin password
Works onNighthawk & other NETGEAR Wi-Fi routers and cable/DSL gateways
ProtectsEvery device on your home Wi-Fi
In shortCreate a free DNSAFE account and register your home connection, then sign in at routerlogin.net, open Internet, choose Use These DNS Servers, enter DNSAFE's two addresses and click Apply.

Before you start

  1. Make a free DNSAFE account at my.dnsafe.net. No card needed.
  2. Register your home connection. In the app, go to Devices›Add a home connection. Your home's internet address is filled in for you. DNSAFE uses it to know the lookups are yours, so do this from home.
  3. Keep these two addresses handy. They're the same for every brand of router.
    Your DNSAFE addresses
    Primary DNS3.12.124.91
    Secondary DNS3.11.62.44

    Use both DNSAFE addresses. Don't put your internet provider's DNS in the second box: lookups that go there aren't filtered.

Change DNS on your NETGEAR

  1. Log in. On a computer or phone connected to your NETGEAR, open routerlogin.net and sign in. If you never changed them, NETGEAR's defaults are admin and password; it's worth changing that while you're there.
  2. Open the DNS settings. Select Internet. The Internet Setup page opens. (On some models it's under Advanced›Setup›Internet Setup.)
  3. Enter DNSAFE. Under Domain Name Server (DNS) Address, choose Use These DNS Servers and enter your Primary DNS and Secondary DNS from the box above.
  4. Save. Click Apply. Devices pick up the change as they reconnect; turning Wi-Fi off and on speeds it up.

Menu names can change with firmware updates. If yours look different, the maker's own page is linked under Sources.

Check it worked

  1. Open blocktest.dnsafe.net on any device on your Wi-Fi. You should see the DNSAFE block page. That means filtering is on.
  2. Or run the DNS leak test. It should show DNSAFE answering your lookups.
  3. Still seeing the normal page? Turn Wi-Fi off and on again on that device (it keeps the old settings for a while), then try again.

Stop IPv6 DNS from skipping DNSAFE

Many internet providers give homes IPv6 as well as IPv4. Your router can then hand devices a second DNS server, your provider's IPv6 one, and phones and laptops may use it instead of DNSAFE. Lookups that go there aren't filtered. Do this if the protection test says Partly protected, or the block test works on some devices and not others.

  1. Log in at routerlogin.net.
  2. Turn IPv6 off. Go to Advanced›Advanced Setup›IPv6. In Internet Connection Type, choose Disabled and click Apply.

Orbi systems have the same IPv6 page in their web settings at orbilogin.com.

Then turn Wi-Fi off and on on your phone and run the protection test. It should say Protected. Browsing, streaming and gaming keep working over IPv4. If you'd rather keep IPv6, protect each phone and computer with its own DNS ID instead: in the DNSAFE app, add the device. DNS IDs send every lookup to DNSAFE.

Not set up yet? DNSAFE Home is free: block malware, scams and adult sites on every device.

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If something's not right

Websites stopped loading after the change

DNSAFE doesn't recognise your home's internet address yet. Open my.dnsafe.net from home: it will offer to use the new address. Internet providers change it from time to time; here's how to keep it up to date automatically.

Some devices aren't filtered

Your internet provider's IPv6 DNS is the usual reason: see Stop IPv6 DNS from skipping DNSAFE. A device with its own DNS setting, a browser with “secure DNS” turned on, or a VPN can also go around your router: see how to stop DNS filtering bypass, or set DNSAFE up on that device too.

I have NETGEAR Orbi, not a Nighthawk

Orbi mesh systems have their own menus. Sign in at orbilogin.com or look for the DNS setting in your Orbi's internet settings, and use the same two DNSAFE addresses.

My internet provider's router is in front of this one

Change DNS on the router your devices connect to. If your devices connect to the provider's router instead, change it there: see the guides for Xfinity, Spectrum, AT&T and Verizon Fios.

Frequently asked questions

Does changing DNS slow down my internet?

Usually not. DNSAFE answers from the region nearest you. Pages load the same; blocked sites just don't open.

Will this affect gaming or streaming?

No. DNS only looks up where a name points. Games and video play as before; only the categories you choose to block are stopped.

Can I undo it?

Yes. On the same Internet Setup page, choose Get Automatically from ISP and click Apply.

Do I still need antivirus?

Yes. DNS filtering stops bad sites before they load, but it doesn't scan files already on a device. Use both.

Sources

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