Buying a new router just for purpose of using OpenDNS - Need recommendations
So I have one of these TWC Ubee Routers that is on lockdown and won't work on OpenDNS. My solution is that I return the leased modem/router and buy my own. TWC says I can do that but I need to take the new modem/router to the TWC store for the to "activate". Is this going to work? And if so, what should I look for in a wireless router/modem?
Worried if by taking the router to the TWC store to "activate" it just means they are going to lock down the settings like the Ubee router I am leasing from them. Any experience with this would be helpful.
-
Is what going to work? There are several potential things that you could be asking with that question, and I'm not sure what you're actually asking.
We can't tell you what to look for if we don't know what you need the router to do for you. If you intend to get your own modem/router that severely limits your options, and I don't even know what kind of ISP TWC so I have no idea what devices would work. In fact I don't even know what country TWC operates in. That could make a difference as well. It would be simpler if you just kept whatever router the ISP is giving you, and then get your own router, which can be put on the network "inside" the modem/router from you ISP.
I have no idea what the ISP's activation means, you'd have to ask them. In many countries it would be illegal to make changes to a device that you owned so that it doesn't function properly. They can certainly do things on their own network that would prevent the router from doing certain things, but that's an entirely different thing.
-
Sorry i guess that was confusing. Here it is in bullet points:
1. I would like to set my household web filters up using open DNS at my wireless modem/router level as I have in the past.
2. I subscribe to Time Warner Cable (TWC) internet and with my subscription leased the wireless modem/rounter from TWC.
3. The leased router is an Ubee model that is not compatible with Open DNS. I researched it on the forum and it is well documented the TWC Ubee routers do not work with Open DNS.
4. I asked TWC if I can buy my own wireless modem/router and send there leased model back to them and they said yes.
5. I'm asking the forum community if rhey know any reason this wouldn't work and if they have any recommendations for what to look for in a wireless router for my house that I can use with open DNS for home web filtering.
-
Unless Time Warner is intercepting port 53 traffic and redirecting it to their servers, the limitation with their modem/router is most likely that you can't change it's DNS server addresses to point to OpenDNS, not that it won't allow any traffic to go to OpenDNS. If they are intercepting port 53 traffic it won't matter what you get since they won't allow traffic to reach OpenDNS.
You are better of getting a straight router, rather than a modem/router, and keeping the modem/router from Time Warner. Or buying your own cable modem, and then adding your own router to the combination. There are cable modems/routers out there, but they are pretty uncommon and there are only a handful of models. The activation they are talking about is probably similar to what I've done with Comcast customers when they insisted on buying their own modems. It didn't change the router at all, but is basically taking a "fingerprint" of the modem so that their system can recognize it, and allow it to talk on their network.
-
All routers come to mind which can be flashed with alternative firmware.
I have an AVM router with OEM firmware which does all what I need to use OpenDNS and other features.
-
What mattwilson9090 said above was one of my concerns because TWC did say they need to "activate" whatever new modem/router that I buy. I don't know all the technical matters as matt said but I was afraid they would make some setting on the new modem/router that would cause the same problem. So Option 2 is what I had done previously with ATT Uverse. I had my own wireless router and hardlined that into the leased modem from the service provider and then used that.
-
I am curious what you ended up doing, and whether the option 2 worked for you. Which modems/routers did you end up with?
I have the same problem. I am in a region where Time Warner restricts the DNS settings of any router they provide to you. I've called them over and over to find out how I can switch over to the DNS settings that *I* want (OpenDNS), but I ended up educating most of the customer service reps instead of the other way around.
Does channeling the traffic from their router to your own router work? Or do the DNS requests go to the Time Warner router and get redirected? -
"do the DNS requests go to the Time Warner router and get redirected?"
You can check this in advance:
nslookup -type=txt which.opendns.com. 208.67.222.220
If this returns "I am not an OpenDNS resolver", then your ISP redirects your DNS traffic after it has left your/their router. So just another router is not the only solution.
-
So correct me if I am wrong, but if I get "I am not an OpenDNS resolver", then the ISP is redirecting DNS traffic after it leaves my house, so they would be blocking access to OpenDNS, and thus I would be sunk, without any options (that I can think of) to continue.
But if I get a different response which returns a resolver address, then there *is* a pathway to the OpenDNS servers and then I should be able to either directly hook up a modem/router to my cable and configure it to OpenDNS
OR if the cable-provided router does not allow changing the DNS settings I would have to place my own router (a second one) upstream of the cable-provided router to set the OpenDNS settings, right?
Does having two coupled routers like this cause any significant delay? Would gaming performance be impacted? -
Not exactly accurate. If you are getting that message, your ISP is intercepting and redirecting ALL DNS traffic, whether it's going to OpenDNS or some other service such as Dyn or Google.
There are potential work arounds for that, but they are not guaranteed and it's best to check this first before speculating on potential solutions and their theoretical drawbacks.
-
Why "if I get"? What do you get, instead of guesses?
"without any options (that I can think of) to continue."
This is one of the possible options: https://dnscrypt.org/
"I should be able to either directly hook up a modem/router to my cable and configure it to OpenDNS"
...or you configure the OpenDNS resolver addresses on the end user devices. It hasn't to happen on the router necessarily.
"Does having two coupled routers like this cause any significant delay? Would gaming performance be impacted? "
It depends on what you treat being significant. If 20 ms is significant for you, then yes, else no.
-
Thanks for the replys.
Yes, I am still in the "if" mode, since I do not presently have Time Warner Cable because of the concern about how they treat their DNS traffic. I have been researching it well before I switch. I presently have Frontier FIOS which is way too expensive. TWC would be cheaper and faster, but I want to be able to use OpenDNS.
I want OpenDNS on the router for family safety. It would just be easier for me than doing it on the end devices.
The 20 ms is about enough to give someone a win in an Olympic race, but I am hoping it is not going to be too bad for online gaming.
I do have a neighbor who has TWC. I will bug them this week to run the nslookup command to see the result and report back. -
It would have been nice if you'd shared that information with us from the beginning. We though we were helping you solve and actual issue, instead of speculating and playing the "what if" game without any actual hard information to work with.
Yes, get the results from the diagnostic command that was originally asked for/suggested. Any further speculation is a waste of our time until then.
-
Okay the results are in.
Neighbor has the following setup:
TW Cable <=> TW Modem/router <=> Personal Router <=> Home devicesWhen he types: nslookup -type=txt which.opendns.com 208.67.222.220
Response is...Server: 208.67.222.220
Address: 208.67.222.220#53
Non-authoritative answer:
which.opendns.com text = "m9.lax"
Authoritative answers can be found from:So I guess that means it is all possible. I will try to mimic his set up and switch over to Time Warner.
Please sign in to leave a comment.
Comments
15 comments