Friday, February 26, 2016

OpenDNS on Linksys Routers SmartWIFI, How to make it just WORK!

If you have a SmartWIFI router version like me , then you most likely are not able to use OpenDNS the nice and easy way as shown here from OpenDNS: Configuration for Linksys Cisco AC175, EA6300, EA6500, ..... 
Well guess what these directions don't tell you HOW to fix the KNOWN issue (or the as designed feature that breaks OpenDNS) with Linksys SmartWifi and OpenDNS not working together. Instead the article just states: "If the OpenDNSn addresses are not displaying here, the solution at this time is to roll back the firmware..." Well that is a flash in the pan hail mary to solve this issue, because barely anyone has gotten success from rolling back the firmware! 

 Well I wasn't about to rollback without a fight, so I looked around theses forums and found that many people also cant get OpenDNS to work with SmartWifi EA* routers,  people tried everything from firmware, varying DNS entries, StaticIP assignments, ect ect. Of course most forum posts were little on detail and damn near none had screenshots.  Both the Linksys and OpenDNS communities lack a consistent documented work-around anywhere, just message board blurbs, and that is what I had to start with, from these I found a solution:

Some of the message board links describing the SmartWIFI LinkSys routers/DNS issues:
EA6350 DHCP/DNS Issues
OpenDNS Testing

So using these message board blurbs (and many more) from various sources and around 4 hours of my life I finally got a solution so I can use my EA6350 LinkSys Router to work with OpenDNS!!!

PreReq: My firmware version is: 1.0.4.164719
1. Set IPv4 connection
2. Set Local Network DNS's
3. Disable IPv6











Related Links

1. OpenDNS FamilyShield
Preferred DNS Server: 208.67.222.123
Alternate DNS Server: 208.67.220.123

2. BrightHouse DNS Servers

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