Best DNS for Streaming in Canada: 1.1.1.1 vs 8.8.8.8 vs 9.9.9.9

What does DNS actually do when you press play?

DNS turns a name into an address. Your IPTV login includes a server URL, and your channels, guide data and logos all live at names like that. Before the app can connect, it asks a DNS resolver for the numeric IP address behind each name. The resolver answers, the device remembers the answer for a while, and the app connects directly to that address.

Once the connection is open, DNS steps out of the way. The video travels straight from the server to your TV, and your choice of resolver plays no part in how fast those packets arrive. That one fact explains most of what DNS can and can’t do for streaming.

Lookups happen at a few specific moments in an IPTV app:

• When the app logs in and loads your channel list.
• When a channel starts, if its stream address uses a name the device hasn’t looked up recently.
• When the TV guide (EPG) and channel logos download.
• When the app checks for updates.

Can changing DNS fix IPTV buffering?

Rarely. If a channel starts fine and then freezes every few minutes, the problem is bandwidth along the path, Wi-Fi, or the device, and a new resolver won’t touch it. DNS helps with a narrower set of problems that happen before the stream starts.

For freezing that gets worse after supper, our guide to why IPTV slows down in the evening on Bell and Rogers walks through the measurements that find the real cause.

1.1.1.1 vs 8.8.8.8 vs 9.9.9.9 vs CIRA: what’s the difference?

All four are free, fast public resolvers with servers in Canada or close to it. They differ in three ways that matter at home: whether they block risky domains, whether they pass a hint about your location to services that use it, and who runs them.

Always enter both addresses of the same provider. The second one is a backup, and devices may use either at any time.

Cloudflare 1.1.1.1

Cloudflare’s resolver is built around privacy and speed. Its own 1.1.1.1 documentation says it doesn’t send the EDNS Client Subnet (ECS) hint, a piece of your network address that some services use to pick a nearby server. That protects your location, but it means a service steering by location sees Cloudflare’s server rather than your home. If you want malware blocking, use 1.1.1.2 and 1.0.0.2; for malware plus adult content, 1.1.1.3 and 1.0.0.3.

Google Public DNS 8.8.8.8

Google’s resolver is the one most people already know. According to Google Public DNS documentation, it supports ECS, passing a shortened version of your network address to services that ask for it. That can help a content network send you to a server near your home rather than near the resolver. It does no filtering.

Quad9 9.9.9.9

Quad9 is run by a Swiss non-profit foundation and blocks domains that threat-intelligence sources flag as malicious. The main addresses don’t send ECS. Quad9 also offers 9.9.9.11 and 149.112.112.11, which add ECS, and 9.9.9.10 and 149.112.112.10, which turn the blocking off.

CIRA Canadian Shield

CIRA Canadian Shield comes from the Canadian Internet Registration Authority, the not-for-profit that manages the .ca domain. It’s free for personal, non-commercial use by residents of Canada and comes in three levels: Private (lookups only), Protected (adds malware and phishing blocking) and Family (adds adult content blocking). CIRA says it’s the default encrypted DNS provider for Firefox users in Canada, so many people already use it without knowing.

Does the location hint matter for IPTV?

Less than for Netflix or YouTube. Many IPTV logins point at a fixed server address, and every resolver returns the same answer for it, so only the lookup time differs. ECS matters more for big content networks that run servers in many cities. If you live in Toronto, Montreal or Vancouver, where the big resolvers run servers, the resolver’s location and yours are close anyway. The farther you live from a major centre, the more it can matter.

Which DNS is fastest from my home in Canada?

Only a test from your own home answers that. Results depend on your ISP, your city and how traffic leaves your provider’s network, so a ranking measured in another country tells you nothing about a Cogeco line in Kingston or a Telus line in Kelowna. The test takes five minutes.

On Windows, with PowerShell

1. Open PowerShell. Press the Windows key, type PowerShell and open it. No admin rights needed.
2. Time a lookup against one resolver. Type Measure-Command { Resolve-DnsName cbc.ca -Server 1.1.1.1 -DnsOnly } and press Enter. Note the TotalMilliseconds value.
3. Repeat three times per resolver. The first lookup may be slower if the resolver hasn’t cached the name yet. Write down the middle result of the three.
4. Swap in the other addresses. Run the same command with 8.8.8.8, 9.9.9.9, 149.112.121.10 and your current resolver.
5. Find your current resolver. Type ipconfig /all and look for “DNS Servers”. If it shows your router’s address (for example 192.168.2.1 on a Bell Giga Hub), your router is passing lookups on to your ISP.
6. Try a few different names. Repeat with a couple of sites you use often. A resolver that’s quick on one name and slow on others isn’t the best pick.

On a Mac

Open Terminal and type dig @1.1.1.1 cbc.ca. Near the bottom, the “Query time” line shows how long the answer took. Repeat with each resolver address, three times each, and compare the middle results.

With a benchmark tool

GRC’s free DNS Benchmark for Windows tests dozens of resolvers at once and ranks them from your connection. It’s handy if you want to compare more than four, but the PowerShell test above is enough for most homes.

Whatever the results, pick the fastest resolver whose filtering you’re comfortable with, and don’t chase tiny differences. A lookup happens once per name and is then cached, so a resolver that’s slightly quicker per lookup won’t make a channel play any smoother.

How do I change DNS on a Fire TV Stick?

A Fire TV has no simple DNS box. You set DNS by giving the Fire TV a fixed address in the Wi-Fi network’s Advanced screen. Gather three things first, then follow the steps.

1. Open the network settings. From the home screen, go to Settings > Network.
2. Forget your current network. Highlight your Wi-Fi network, press the Menu button (three lines) on the remote and confirm “Forget”.
3. Select the network again and choose Advanced. Pick your network, type the Wi-Fi password, then choose “Advanced” instead of “Connect”.
4. Enter the IP address. Type the Fire TV’s current address from the About screen and press Next.
5. Enter the gateway. Type your router’s address and press Next.
6. Enter the network prefix length. Type 24 and press Next.
7. Enter DNS 1 and DNS 2. For example, 1.1.1.1 and 1.0.0.1, or 149.112.121.10 and 149.112.122.10 for CIRA. Then choose Connect.
8. Reserve the address in your router. In your router’s settings, reserve that IP address for the Fire TV so no other device is handed the same one. If you can’t, pick an address near the top of the range that nothing else uses.

To undo it, forget the network and reconnect normally. If the Fire TV uses Amazon’s Ethernet adapter, it may not offer the same Advanced screen, and setting DNS on your router is the cleaner route. The rest of the device setup is in our Fire TV Stick installation guide.

How do I change DNS on Android TV and Google TV?

Android-based TV devices offer one or two ways, depending on the model. Check for Private DNS first, because it’s simpler and encrypts your lookups.

Option 1: Private DNS (encrypted), if your device shows it

1. Open the network menu. Go to Settings > Network & Internet.
2. Look for Private DNS. On some devices it’s on this screen; on others it’s under an Advanced option. Many TV boxes hide it completely, in which case use Option 2.
3. Choose the hostname option. Select “Private DNS provider hostname”.
4. Type the provider’s hostname. Use 1dot1dot1dot1.cloudflare-dns.com, dns.google, dns.quad9.net or private.canadianshield.cira.ca, then save.

Option 2: Static IP settings

1. Open your Wi-Fi network. Go to Settings > Network & Internet and select the network you’re connected to.
2. Switch IP settings to Static. Choose “IP settings”, then “Static”.
3. Confirm the IP address and gateway. The device usually fills in its current address. Keep it, then enter your router’s address as the gateway.
4. Enter the prefix length and DNS. Use 24 for the network prefix length, then type DNS 1 and DNS 2 from the table above.
5. Reserve the address in your router. Same reason as on the Fire TV: two devices with one address means drops.

Menu names vary between Google TV devices, the Nvidia Shield and Android boxes from brands like Formuler, but “IP settings” and “Static” appear on nearly all of them. Our Android TV setup guide covers the rest of the setup on these devices.

Samsung and LG smart TVs

Smart TVs have their own DNS fields, buried in the network status screens. On recent Samsung TVs, look under Settings > General > Network > Network Status > IP Settings, then set DNS Setting to “Enter manually”. On LG webOS TVs, open the network settings, choose your Wi-Fi connection, go to the advanced settings and turn off automatic settings to edit DNS. Menu names change between model years, so if you can’t find the field, set DNS on the router instead.

How do I change DNS on a router or ISP gateway?

Setting DNS on the router covers every device in the house at once, including smart TVs and consoles with no DNS field of their own. The catch in Canada is that many ISP-rented gateways don’t let you.

Bell Giga Hub

The Giga Hub hands out its own address as the DNS server and passes your lookups on to Bell. There’s no field to change which resolver it uses, a limit discussed in several threads on Bell’s own community forum. Your options are to set DNS on each device, or to put your own router behind the Giga Hub. Bell’s forum covers the ways to do that, such as PPPoE passthrough on fibre lines.

Rogers Xfinity Gateway

The gateway’s admin page is at 10.0.0.1, but on most Rogers gateways the DNS servers it hands out can’t be edited. Rogers gateways do offer a bridge mode, which turns off the gateway’s router so your own router takes over, including DNS.

Vidéotron, Cogeco, Telus, Eastlink and others

Rented gateways vary by model and firmware. Look in the LAN or DHCP settings for a DNS field. If there isn’t one, the same two options apply: per device, or your own router.

Your own router

After changing DNS on a router, restart your streaming devices so they pick up the new setting. Our guide to restarting your router and clearing the DNS cache properly shows the right order.

How do I change DNS on Windows and Mac?

Computers have the easiest DNS settings of any device, and Windows 11 can encrypt lookups too.

Windows 11

1. Open the connection’s properties. Go to Settings > Network & internet, choose Wi-Fi or Ethernet, then your connection’s properties (on Wi-Fi, “Hardware properties”).
2. Edit DNS server assignment. Next to “DNS server assignment”, choose Edit, then switch from Automatic (DHCP) to Manual.
3. Turn on IPv4 and enter the addresses. Type the first address under Preferred DNS and the second under Alternate DNS.
4. Turn on encryption if offered. Set “DNS over HTTPS” to On (automatic template) for each address. Windows recognises the big public resolvers.
5. Do the same for IPv6. If your connection uses IPv6, switch it on and enter the IPv6 pair from the table, then Save.

Windows 10

Open Control Panel > Network and Sharing Center > Change adapter settings. Right-click your connection, choose Properties, select Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4), then Properties. Choose “Use the following DNS server addresses”, enter both and click OK.

Mac

Open System Settings > Network, choose Wi-Fi or Ethernet, then Details next to your network. Go to DNS, press the + button under DNS Servers, add both addresses and click OK.

Clear the old answers

On Windows, open PowerShell and run ipconfig /flushdns. On a Mac, run sudo dscacheutil -flushcache; sudo killall -HUP mDNSResponder in Terminal. Browsers can also run their own encrypted DNS: in Chrome it’s under Settings > Privacy and security > Security > Use secure DNS, and in Firefox under Settings > Privacy & Security. If a browser has its own setting turned on, it ignores the system DNS. For IPTV players on a computer, our Windows and Mac setup guide has the app side.

How do I check the new DNS is working?

Visit a check page from the device you changed. If the device has no browser, check from a phone on the same network after a router-level change.

• Cloudflare: open 1.1.1.1/help in a browser. It confirms if you’re connected to 1.1.1.1 and if your lookups are encrypted.
• Quad9: open on.quad9.net. It says plainly if you’re using Quad9.
• Any resolver: the standard test at dnsleaktest.com lists the resolver servers that answered your lookups and who runs them.
• Windows: run nslookup cbc.ca. The “Server” line shows which resolver answered, unless a router in between is relaying.

If the check still shows your ISP, look at IPv6. A device that has IPv6 can keep using the ISP’s IPv6 resolver even after you change the IPv4 addresses. Enter the IPv6 pair as well, then check again.

When is changing DNS the wrong fix?

When the problem happens after the stream starts, or when the server has already answered. Changing DNS in those cases costs you time and changes nothing.

• Buffering mid-channel. That’s bandwidth, Wi-Fi or the device. DNS is out of the picture once the video flows.
• Error codes like 401, 403, 404 or 509. The lookup worked and the server replied. Our guide to IPTV error codes 401, 403, 404, 500 and 509 explains what each one means.
• One channel down, others fine. That’s the channel source, not DNS.
• Something stopped working right after you switched to a filtering resolver. Quad9, CIRA Protected and Family, and Cloudflare’s 1.1.1.2 and 1.1.1.3 occasionally block a domain that shouldn’t be blocked. Try the unfiltered option from the same provider before blaming the service.
• A work laptop. Company devices often need the company’s DNS to reach internal systems. Leave those settings alone.
• An ISP security or parental-control add-on. Some of these work through the ISP’s DNS. Switching resolvers can quietly switch them off, so decide which you’d rather keep.

Is a public DNS more private than Bell’s or Rogers’ DNS?

Only if you encrypt it. Ordinary DNS travels unencrypted, so your ISP can see the names you look up no matter which resolver answers them. Encrypted DNS (DNS over HTTPS or DNS over TLS, which Android’s Private DNS uses) hides the lookups from your ISP, but the resolver you chose still sees them. You’re choosing whom to trust, so read the resolver’s privacy policy.

Encrypted DNS also doesn’t hide which servers you connect to afterwards. For the wider picture on home network privacy, see our guide to home network security and privacy while streaming. If you’re weighing a VPN instead, our guide on whether a VPN helps or hurts IPTV in Canada covers the trade-offs, including the extra load on small streaming devices.

Do you need special DNS for IPTV Rich?

No. Our service works with your ISP’s default DNS and with any of the standard public resolvers in this guide, so there’s nothing to change before you start. If you see lookup errors such as “unable to resolve host”, tell us in live chat support which device and app you’re using, and we’ll check it with you. The desk is staffed every day from 9 a.m. to midnight Eastern.

If you’re still comparing the best IPTV Canada options, the full price list is on our IPTV subscription page. Every plan is a one-time Interac e-Transfer with no auto-renewal, starting at $17 for 1 month on 1 device, and you can request a 24-hour free trial in live chat to test your setup first.