John Cox

Blogs · @wyome · Now · Shelf

Tagged networking · everything

Interesting

www.howtogeek.com

Stop using the same DNS for every device (do this instead to block ads and boost speeds)

Argues against using a single DNS provider for every device on a home network, instead recommending a tiered approach: ad/tracking-blocking resolvers like NextDNS or AdGuard for smart TVs, family-filtering DNS like OpenDNS FamilyShield for kids' devices, performance-first options like Cloudflare or Quad9 for phones/laptops, and a self-hosted sinkhole (Pi-hole/AdGuard Home) to quarantine chatty, insecure IoT gadgets. It's worth keeping as a practical, device-by-device DNS configuration guide rather than a generic "switch your DNS" tip, including caveats about devices bypassing custom DNS and restrictive filters occasionally blocking legitimate work sites.

Permalink technologyprivacysecuritysmart home

Furbo.org by Craig Hockenberry

discoveryd Clusterfuck • furbo.org

This post chronicles the author's frustration with discoveryd, a network service Apple introduced in OS X Yosemite that caused widespread connectivity problems, CPU overload, and forced frequent reboots across multiple devices. Despite reporting extensive bugs during beta testing, Apple released the flawed software anyway and provided no official troubleshooting guidance, leaving users to discover workarounds like rebooting Apple TVs or manually killing processes. The irony, the author argues, is that these network stability issues disproportionately affect Apple's most loyal customers with multiple devices, forcing them to buy new hardware to work around defective software.

Permalink applenetworkingmacososx

thoughts.maayank.com

wefollow.com

Google for Developers

Using Google Public DNS

Google Public DNS is a free service allowing users to replace their ISP's domain name servers with Google's addresses (8.8.8.8, 8.8.4.4 for IPv4; 2001:4860:4860::8888, 2001:4860:4860::8844 for IPv6) to potentially improve performance and reliability. The guide provides step-by-step instructions for configuring these settings across multiple operating systems including Windows, macOS, Linux, ChromeOS, iOS, and Android, as well as routers and mobile devices. It emphasizes backing up original DNS settings before making changes and includes testing procedures to verify proper functionality after configuration.

Permalink privacynetworkinggoogletutorial