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Change DNS on a TP-Link router.

Protect every phone, tablet, laptop and TV on your Wi-Fi with one setting. Steps for Archer routers, Deco mesh and DSL modem routers.

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

TimeAbout 5 minutes
You needYour router's admin password (or the Deco app)
Works onArcher & other TP-Link Wi-Fi routers, Deco mesh, DSL modem routers
ProtectsEvery device on your home Wi-Fi
In shortCreate a free DNSAFE account and register your home connection, then put DNSAFE's two addresses in your TP-Link's DNS settings: Advanced›Network›Internet on Archer routers, or More›Internet Connection›Internet Settings in the Deco app. Reboot the router (Deco doesn't need it) and check it worked.

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.

Pick the kind of TP-Link you have. Not sure? If you set it up with the Deco app and it's a set of matching units, it's a Deco. If the box says Archer, or you log in at tplinkwifi.net, it's a Wi-Fi router.

  1. Log in. On a computer or phone connected to your TP-Link, open tplinkwifi.net (or 192.168.0.1) and sign in with your router's admin password.
  2. Open the DNS settings. Go to Advanced›Network›Internet. Under Advanced Settings, choose Use the following DNS addresses. On some models the DNS boxes are shown straight away.
  3. Enter DNSAFE. Put your Primary DNS and Secondary DNS from the box above, then click SAVE.
  4. Reboot. Go to Advanced›System›Reboot and click REBOOT. TP-Link routers need a restart for new DNS settings to apply.
  1. Get ready. Update the Deco app, connect your phone to the Deco's Wi-Fi, and sign in with the owner account. Close the app and open it again. DNS settings are only available when the Deco is in Router mode.
  2. Open the DNS settings. Go to More›Internet Connection›Internet Settings and tap DNS Address.
  3. Enter DNSAFE. Choose Manual, enter your Primary DNS and Secondary DNS from the box above, and tap Save, then Save again. It takes effect right away; no reboot needed.
  4. No DNS Address option? Some Deco models only allow it on the home network side: go to More›Advanced›DHCP Server, enter the two addresses and tap Save.
  1. Log in. Open tplinkmodem.net (or 192.168.1.1) and sign in.
  2. Open the DNS settings. Go to Advanced›Network›LAN Settings and click Modify (on some models the Primary DNS and Secondary DNS boxes are right on the page).
  3. Enter DNSAFE. Put in the two addresses from the box above and click Save.
  4. Reboot. Go to Advanced›System Tools›Reboot and click Reboot.

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.

Archer / Wi-Fi router:

  1. Log in at tplinkwifi.net.
  2. Turn IPv6 off. Go to Advanced›IPv6 and switch IPv6 off. Click Save.

Deco (app):

  1. Turn IPv6 off. In the Deco app go to More›Internet Connection›IPv6, switch IPv6 off and tap Save.

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.

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 an Archer router, switch DNS back to getting it automatically, save and reboot. In the Deco app, set DNS Address back to Auto.

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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