HowTo: change DNS servers for Thomson SpeedTouch ST510 modem


If you type an incorrect web address you will often be redirected to a page from your ISP (probably plastered in adverts) and you'll have to type the whole address again to correct it. Wouldn't it be nicer if it left the mis-typed URL intact and said "not found" so you could quickly correct the mistake?

This can be achieved by changing the DNS servers you're using to look up website names - this is how to do that for the Thomson SpeedTouch 510 modem/router:
  1. First discover the IP address of your modem device (the closest one to the phone line) a common value is 192.168.1.254 or perhaps 192.168.1.1
  2. Then you need to log in remotely from a connected computer using 'telnet':
    1. If you're on windows download & install PuTTY and use that
    2. On linux use the command: telnet [modem IP address]
  3. Type the username/password which may be written on the box, or might be "administrator"
  4. Once you're sucessfully logged in complete the following steps by typing in the commands.
First get the list of current DNS servers:
 dns server route list
Make a note of these first in case you need to change back.

Then to delete all existing entries:
 dns server route flush

Then add the new DNS servers (examples here are Google's DNS servers):
 dns server route add dns=8.8.8.8 metric=5 intf=Internet
 dns server route add dns=8.8.4.4 metric=10 intf=Internet

Check that these new servers have been registered:
 dns server route list

Finally save your changes to the modem so that it persists:
 saveall