topic Re: Does User Configured DNS on Smart Hub Plus Actually Take Effect? in Broadband & Landline

Does User Configured DNS on Smart Hub Plus Actually Take Effect?

XRaySpeX — Tue, 01 Jul 2025 18:58:27 GMT

The latest f/ware updated SH+'s allow you to config your own DNS instead of using EE's or does it?

My f/ware today updated to version r3.8.11-R-1414606-PROD-83002 & the ability to not have AUTO DNS Servers but to config your own appeared under Advanced Settings > My Network. So I set them to OpenDNS (208.67.222.222 & 208.67.220.220). Browsing & suchlike still works.

However the page Advanced > BB > Internet still shows the BT servers:

Broadband primary DNS: 81.139.56.100

Broadband secondary DNS: 81.139.57.100

So which set of DNS is the router using?

(I did reboot router in between so that changes take effect as it advised.)

I've only just had this f/ware update. I dunno when configurable DNS 1st appeared in the f/ware updates. Anybody remember?

Re: Does User Configured DNS on Smart Hub Plus Actually Take Effect?

JimM11 — Wed, 02 Jul 2025 07:33:30 GMT

@XRaySpeX Think it was one FW release back from what you have now! List below versions but may not be the date 100%. Someone posted when the feature appeared.

SH31B

FW: r1.35.0-R-1138091-PROD-83002 and the gui is at App version: 1.13.1.
FW: r2.68.11-R-1260390-PROD-83002
FW: r2.68.12-R-1270837-PROD-83002 and the gui is at App version 2.36.4. 09/01/2025
FW: r2.68.16-R-1296172-PROD-83002 and the gui is at App version 2.36.4. 31/01/2025
FW: r2.68.17-R-1303190-PROD-83002 and the gui is at App version 2.36.4. 14/02/2025
FW: r2.68.18-R-1303195-PROD-83002 and the gui is at App version 2.36.4. 11/02/2025
FW: r2.72.2-R-1302577-PROD-83002 and the gui is at App version 2.36.9. ??/04/2025
FW: r2.72.3-R-1302579-PROD-83002 and the gui is at App version 2.36.9. 11/04/2025
FW: r3.8.11-R-1414606-PROD-83002 and the gui is at App version 2.36.9. 23/06/2025

Re: Does User Configured DNS on Smart Hub Plus Actually Take Effect?

XRaySpeX — Wed, 02 Jul 2025 08:44:26 GMT

Thanks, @JimM11 .

Re: Does User Configured DNS on Smart Hub Plus Actually Take Effect?

JimM11 — Wed, 02 Jul 2025 08:51:55 GMT

@XRaySpeX You should just check that your DNS resolver is where you are expecting it to be with your configured values!

Re: Does User Configured DNS on Smart Hub Plus Actually Take Effect?

XRaySpeX — Wed, 02 Jul 2025 08:55:04 GMT

How do I do that?

Re: Does User Configured DNS on Smart Hub Plus Actually Take Effect?

JimM11 — Wed, 02 Jul 2025 09:01:38 GMT

@XRaySpeX Always found this to be fairly good, https://dnscheck.tools/

I use google so partial sample of what is returned below.

Hello! Your IP addresses are:

BSKYB-BROADBAND-MNT

2.218.58.???ns: ns0.isp.sky.comLondon, England, GB
2a02:c7e:????:5d00:????:850f:4079:????ns: ns0.isp.sky.comLondon, England, GB

Your DNS resolvers specify your IP subnet (ECS😞

BSKYB-BROADBAND-MNT

2.218.58.0/24London, England, GB

Your DNS resolvers are:

Google

74.125.18.208ns: ns1.google.comLondon, England, GB
74.125.18.209ns: ns1.google.comLondon, England, GB
74.125.18.210ns: ns1.google.comLondon, England, GB
74.125.18.211ns: ns1.google.comLondon, England, GB

Re: Does User Configured DNS on Smart Hub Plus Actually Take Effect?

XRaySpeX — Wed, 02 Jul 2025 09:02:55 GMT

That appears to say that my DNS Resolver is both BT servers & OpenDNS servers. So I'm none the wiser!

Re: Does User Configured DNS on Smart Hub Plus Actually Take Effect?

JimM11 — Wed, 02 Jul 2025 09:17:49 GMT

@XRaySpeX Then you are going to have to trust what the EE Smarthub+ has done, and by the looks of it may just not be right, only way now is for you to Flush you DNS cache on your PC to get rid off all just in case!

One off the reason's with EE NOT even sure how they have implemented the DNS resolver, i would have expected you program what you want and it over writes what EE is trying to force on the Router!

I am 100% google, no mention of the Sky DNS server's but i do have my Asus up front and centre! Can post the whole returned list if you need!

Re: Does User Configured DNS on Smart Hub Plus Actually Take Effect?

JimM11 — Wed, 02 Jul 2025 09:23:20 GMT

What Asus looks like.

Asus DNS settings

Re: Does User Configured DNS on Smart Hub Plus Actually Take Effect?

XRaySpeX — Wed, 02 Jul 2025 09:41:31 GMT

Well, if it's using both DNS, OpenDNS & BT, somehow, it's not what I intended to replace EE's with my own & not what many other routers would do like your Asus.

Re: Does User Configured DNS on Smart Hub Plus Actually Take Effect?

JimM11 — Wed, 02 Jul 2025 10:38:58 GMT

@XRaySpeX The whole returned table so you can compare what your's does.

Hello! Your IP addresses are:

BSKYB-BROADBAND-MNT

2.218.58.???ns: ns0.isp.sky.comLondon, England, GB
2a02:c7e:????:5d00:????:850f:4079:????ns: ns0.isp.sky.comLondon, England, GB

Your DNS resolvers specify your IP subnet (ECS😞

BSKYB-BROADBAND-MNT

2.218.58.0/24London, England, GB

Your DNS resolvers are:

Google

74.125.18.208ns: ns1.google.comLondon, England, GB
74.125.18.209ns: ns1.google.comLondon, England, GB
74.125.18.210ns: ns1.google.comLondon, England, GB
74.125.18.211ns: ns1.google.comLondon, England, GB
74.125.18.212ns: ns1.google.comLondon, England, GB
74.125.18.213ns: ns1.google.comLondon, England, GB
74.125.18.214ns: ns1.google.comLondon, England, GB
74.125.18.215ns: ns1.google.comLondon, England, GB
74.125.18.216ns: ns1.google.comLondon, England, GB
74.125.18.217ns: ns1.google.comLondon, England, GB
74.125.18.218ns: ns1.google.comLondon, England, GB
74.125.18.219ns: ns1.google.comLondon, England, GB
74.125.18.220ns: ns1.google.comLondon, England, GB
74.125.18.221ns: ns1.google.comLondon, England, GB
74.125.18.222ns: ns1.google.comLondon, England, GB
74.125.40.144ns: ns1.google.comLondon, England, GB
74.125.40.145ns: ns1.google.comLondon, England, GB
74.125.40.146ns: ns1.google.comLondon, England, GB
74.125.40.147ns: ns1.google.comLondon, England, GB
74.125.40.148ns: ns1.google.comLondon, England, GB
74.125.40.149ns: ns1.google.comLondon, England, GB
74.125.40.150ns: ns1.google.comLondon, England, GB
74.125.40.151ns: ns1.google.comLondon, England, GB
74.125.40.152ns: ns1.google.comLondon, England, GB
74.125.40.153ns: ns1.google.comLondon, England, GB
74.125.40.154ns: ns1.google.comLondon, England, GB
74.125.40.155ns: ns1.google.comLondon, England, GB
74.125.40.156ns: ns1.google.comLondon, England, GB
74.125.40.157ns: ns1.google.comLondon, England, GB
74.125.40.158ns: ns1.google.comLondon, England, GB
74.125.43.144ns: ns1.google.comLondon, England, GB
74.125.43.145ns: ns1.google.comLondon, England, GB
74.125.43.146ns: ns1.google.comLondon, England, GB
74.125.43.147ns: ns1.google.comLondon, England, GB
74.125.43.148ns: ns1.google.comLondon, England, GB
74.125.43.149ns: ns1.google.comLondon, England, GB
74.125.43.150ns: ns1.google.comLondon, England, GB
74.125.43.151ns: ns1.google.comLondon, England, GB
74.125.43.152ns: ns1.google.comLondon, England, GB
74.125.43.153ns: ns1.google.comLondon, England, GB
74.125.43.154ns: ns1.google.comLondon, England, GB
74.125.43.155ns: ns1.google.comLondon, England, GB
74.125.43.156ns: ns1.google.comLondon, England, GB
74.125.43.157ns: ns1.google.comLondon, England, GB
74.125.43.158ns: ns1.google.comLondon, England, GB
172.217.32.16ns: ns1.google.comLondon, England, GB
172.217.32.17ns: ns1.google.comLondon, England, GB
172.217.32.18ns: ns1.google.comLondon, England, GB
172.217.32.19ns: ns1.google.comLondon, England, GB
172.217.32.20ns: ns1.google.comLondon, England, GB
172.217.32.21ns: ns1.google.comLondon, England, GB
172.217.32.22ns: ns1.google.comLondon, England, GB
172.217.32.23ns: ns1.google.comLondon, England, GB
172.217.32.24ns: ns1.google.comLondon, England, GB
172.217.32.25ns: ns1.google.comLondon, England, GB
172.217.32.26ns: ns1.google.comLondon, England, GB
172.217.32.27ns: ns1.google.comLondon, England, GB
172.217.32.28ns: ns1.google.comLondon, England, GB
172.217.32.29ns: ns1.google.comLondon, England, GB
172.217.32.30ns: ns1.google.comLondon, England, GB
172.217.32.80ns: ns1.google.comLondon, England, GB
172.217.32.81ns: ns1.google.comLondon, England, GB
172.217.32.82ns: ns1.google.comLondon, England, GB
172.217.32.83ns: ns1.google.comLondon, England, GB
172.217.32.84ns: ns1.google.comLondon, England, GB
172.217.32.85ns: ns1.google.comLondon, England, GB
172.217.32.86ns: ns1.google.comLondon, England, GB
172.217.32.87ns: ns1.google.comLondon, England, GB
172.217.32.88ns: ns1.google.comLondon, England, GB
172.217.32.89ns: ns1.google.comLondon, England, GB
172.217.32.90ns: ns1.google.comLondon, England, GB
172.217.32.91ns: ns1.google.comLondon, England, GB
172.217.32.92ns: ns1.google.comLondon, England, GB
172.217.32.93ns: ns1.google.comLondon, England, GB
172.217.32.94ns: ns1.google.comLondon, England, GB

MNT-GOOG-PROD

2a00:1450:4009:c01::120ns: ns1.google.comLondon, England, GB
2a00:1450:4009:c0b::12cns: ns1.google.comLondon, England, GB
2a00:1450:4009:c13::120ns: ns1.google.comLondon, England, GB
2a00:1450:4009:c13::129ns: ns1.google.comLondon, England, GB

Great! Your DNS responses are authenticated with DNSSEC:

ECDSA P-256 ECDSA P-384 Ed25519Valid signatureInvalid signatureExpired signatureMissing signature

PASS	PASS	PASS
PASS	PASS	PASS
PASS	PASS	PASS
PASS	PASS	PASS

Like this tool? Star us on GitHub. See more at addr.tools.

Re: Does User Configured DNS on Smart Hub Plus Actually Take Effect?

JimM11 — Wed, 02 Jul 2025 10:51:35 GMT

@XRaySpeX Try another DNS from the list below that should show, see what changes. Takes a couple to 30 seconds to fill all the tables below....

DNS Propagation Checker

Re: Does User Configured DNS on Smart Hub Plus Actually Take Effect?

bobpullen — Wed, 02 Jul 2025 16:23:51 GMT

@XRaySpeX - you're comparing Apples with Oranges.

@XRaySpeX wrote:
My f/ware today updated to version r3.8.11-R-1414606-PROD-83002 & the ability to not have AUTO DNS Servers but to config your own appeared under Advanced Settings > My Network. So I set them to OpenDNS (208.67.222.222 & 208.67.220.220).

Doing this is asking the hub to assign custom DNS server addresses as part of its DHCP offer i.e. when the hub issues a LAN IP to clients, it also issues the DNS addresses you have specified. If you were to run something like ipconfig from a connected Windows machine then you would see that the network interface has the custom DNS assigned. This means your connected devices are going 'straight to the source' for DNS requests, rather than proxying/forwarding them through the hub.

@XRaySpeX wrote:
However the page Advanced > BB > Internet still shows the BT servers:
Broadband primary DNS: 81.139.56.100
Broadband secondary DNS: 81.139.57.100

These are the DNS addresses assigned to the PPPoE/WAN interface of the router. They are assigned by the RADIUS equipment out on the Broadband network. Any DNS requests your hub makes is using these resolvers.

@XRaySpeX wrote:
So which set of DNS is the router using?

The router is using the BT/EE DNS; Your connected devices are using your custom DNS.

Assigning custom DNS via DHCP is probably the preferred method (rather than changing the hub's DNS) as it's removing a hop/point of failure from the mix.

Re: Does User Configured DNS on Smart Hub Plus Actually Take Effect?

JimM11 — Wed, 02 Jul 2025 16:59:22 GMT

@XRaySpeX @bobpullen Bob posted this on another post so ideally the uPnP is also good to go for the old port fwd fixing, "I've just posted in another thread that the latest firmware for SH31B seems to have fixed UPnP (3.8.11). It wasn't working prior to this."

Re: Does User Configured DNS on Smart Hub Plus Actually Take Effect?

XRaySpeX — Wed, 02 Jul 2025 17:16:31 GMT

@bobpullen : Good thinking! I was forgetting that DNS were handed to clients as part of their DHCP request.

Yes, my PC's ipconfig does show OpenDNS as its DNS:

DNS Servers . . . . . . . . . . . : 208.67.222.222
208.67.220.220
192.168.1.254

I'm sure when I checked this before it was only showing 192.168.1.254.

Thanks for solving this, @bobpullen , I was waiting for you to turn up.

Re: Does User Configured DNS on Smart Hub Plus Actually Take Effect?

bobpullen — Wed, 02 Jul 2025 18:50:07 GMT

As an aside, the hub shouldn't still be issuing its own IP as tertiary DNS server. Doubt it will cause too many problems in practice but suspect it's another bug that will need squashing in firmware.

Re: Does User Configured DNS on Smart Hub Plus Actually Take Effect?

XRaySpeX — Wed, 02 Jul 2025 18:56:05 GMT

@bobpullen wrote:

These are the DNS addresses assigned to the PPPoE/WAN interface of the router. They are assigned by the RADIUS equipment out on the Broadband network. Any DNS requests your hub makes is using these resolvers.

As a matter of interest, when is the router ever required to make a DNS lookup of itself? It's not like it is doing any browsing of itself; it is predominately handling packets. I can understand it if it had an Access Control feature to blacklist any websites by domain.

Re: Does User Configured DNS on Smart Hub Plus Actually Take Effect?

JimM11 — Thu, 03 Jul 2025 05:55:47 GMT

@XRaySpeX Wonder if it is anything to do with the Router and Parental controls, although it is all app managed the router still has to block at the setup times that are pre-programmed, there may be a lot going on under the hood and EE have felt that best way to deal is to always use and trust there DNS Servers.

Re: Does User Configured DNS on Smart Hub Plus Actually Take Effect?

bobpullen — Thu, 03 Jul 2025 07:17:47 GMT

@XRaySpeX wrote:
As a matter of interest, when is the router ever required to make a DNS lookup of itself?

Couple of obvious ones I can think of: -

When setting the time/date using an NTP server
When resolving the CWMP server address for remote management