Japanatron Logo

The Roku media player has Google's free public DNS (8.8.8.8) hard-coded into it.  This is great for DNS redundancy, but totally sucks if you use an unblock service to watch Netflix abroad (see this: How to Watch Netflix in Japan).  From time to time my Roku would insist on using Google's DNS, so Netflix would no longer work properly.  Boooo!  There are 2 comparable ways to fix this:

Add a Null Route to Your Router
Most basic home routers allow you to add custom routes.  Add a route to 8.8.8.8 that goes to the loopback address (127.0.0.1).  Called a "null route," all traffic going to Google's DNS will simply be dropped.  Problem solved.

Add a Rule to Your Firewall
If you have something more feature-rich than a basic home router, you can add a rule to your firewall that blocks access to 8.8.8.8.  Be sure to include UDP as that's what DNS uses.  The advantage of the rule approach is customizability.  You can still allow other PCs on your network access to Google's DNS if desired.

Related Articles

Google is Skynet

Has anyone besides me noticed the uncanny resemblance between Google and "Skynet" from the Terminator movies? It's no secret that Google's ultimate goal is con...

Dell Windows 7 Laptop and Wifi...

PROBLEMThe Dell Latitude E7270 & E7250 laptops my company uses have various wifi-related issues under 32-bit Windows 7.  They won't connect to certain wifi ...

Combine Image File and Audio F...

I wanted to figure out a way to quickly and easily combine an image file (jpg) and audio file (mp3) into a video file (mov) using the free media converter tool ...

Why Linux is Cool

Linux proudly sits in a very special place in the heart of the IT world. Watching Linux pros clack away at the command line inspires a sense of awe and ador...