How to Set Up Netgear Router with KeepSolid SmartDNS

Important notice before you change DNS on Netgear router

  • We recommend you to record your current Netgear DNS server address before you follow the Netgear router setup instructions. You may need this information if you decide to go back to your original settings later. 
  • Don’t configure your Netgear router in case it is supplied by YouSee. In case your Netgear router is set with parental control, you’ll need to disable it (see instruction below).
  • To unblock streaming services with our KeepSolid SmartDNS app, you have to register your IP address. Check out how to manage your IP address in the KeepSolid SmartDNS App and your KeepSolid User Office here

How to turn off Netgear router parental controls

Netgear routers, set with parental controls, use OpenDNS settings which may interfere with KeepSolid SmartDNS and not let you overcome regional restrictions. 

Netgear parental controls can be turned off in two ways: 

  1. Log in to http://netgear.opendns.com with the username and password used during configuration.
  2. On your computer, open the special NETGEAR Parental Controls Management Utility. 

When you access either of the settings above, set the parental controls to minimal or turn them off completely (we recommend the second option).  

How to configure Netgear router with KeepSolid SmartDNS service

  1. Open your Netgear router Administration page. You can access it via http://192.168.0.1, http://192.168.1.1, or http://192.168.2.1, which depends on your setup.
  2. Log in to your router. In case you haven’t changed username and password, use default ones, which usually are admin/password. 
  3. Navigate to Setup and then proceed to Basic Settings.
  4. In the Primary DNS and Secondary DNS fields, enter the addresses of KeepSolid SmartDNS servers:

    62.210.136.158 
    69.162.67.202 

  5. Press Apply, reboot your Netgear router and restart devices connected to it.  

    Note: Access to KeepSolid SmartDNS service is granted basing on the IP address that you register in our system. In case your IP address changes, our service will stop working for you. Make sure to register your new IP address via your User Office or KeepSolid SmartDNS app to get everything up and running again. 

How to Block Google DNS on Netgear router

We recommend you to block Google DNS (8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4) on your Netgear router, as some apps on certain devices are set to use Google DNS by default. So in order to stream media without geo-restrictions, follow the below steps to block Google DNS: 

  1. Make sure your router is configured to use KeepSolid SmartDNS servers (as per the instruction above). 
  2. Navigate to the Advanced tab and find your router IP or check the address field of your browser. Write down the IP.
  3. Find Advanced Setup in the left menu and go to Static Routes.
  4. On the Static Route screen, click Add and enter the following details:

    Route name: Provide a custom name, for example blockdns.
    Check Active checkbox and uncheck Private if available. 
    Destination IP Address: 8.8.8.8.
    IP Subnet Mask: 255.255.255.0.
    Gateway IP: Enter the IP address from step 2 of this instruction. 
    Metric: 2. 

  5. Click Apply.
  6. Repeat steps 3-4 of this instruction for Destination IP: 8.8.4.4 as well. 

    Note: In case you get an error message “invalid gateway IP address”, try changing the last digit of the Gateway IP.