GUIDE · HOME MODE
Point the whole house at GUARDIANA (router)
One change in the router and every device on the Wi-Fi goes through GUARDIANA. The exact screen changes with every model; what follows is the general path and the names used by the most common routers. If yours is not here, look for “DNS” inside the “LAN” or “DHCP” settings.
Before you start
- In GUARDIANA's panel, “Home Mode” page, turn it on and note the PC's IP address (for
example
192.168.1.39). - That address has to be fixed. If GUARDIANA warns you that the router assigns it, do the DHCP reservation first (below).
- Decide on the secondary DNS. If the PC shuts down or sleeps, phones pointing only at it are left
without DNS. Two options, and both are honest:
- GUARDIANA only: everything passes through GUARDIANA; if the PC is not there, the phones have no internet until it comes back.
- GUARDIANA plus the router as secondary: the phones are never left without internet; in exchange, when GUARDIANA is not there those queries are not seen. Some phones use the secondary now and then even when the primary works: those queries are not seen either.
The general path
- Open a browser and go to the router's address: usually
192.168.1.1(sometimes192.168.0.1). The user name and password are on the router's sticker. - Look for LAN, Local network or DHCP.
- You will find “DNS server”, “Primary / secondary DNS” or “DHCP DNS servers”.
- Primary: the PC's address. Secondary: empty, or the router's own address.
- Save. Some routers restart.
- On each phone, turn the Wi-Fi off and on so it picks up the new DNS.
- Check from a phone:
http://comprobar.guardiana.hogar.
DHCP reservation (a fixed address for the PC)
In the same LAN/DHCP section there is usually “Address reservation”, “Static DHCP” or “Fixed
assignment”. You add the PC's MAC address (GUARDIANA shows it under “My device”; on
Windows, ipconfig /all, “Physical address”) together with the address you want to keep. Save
and restart the PC's Wi-Fi.
If you cannot or will not go into the router: a fixed address on the PC itself
The DHCP reservation can be replaced by fixing the address on the guardian computer. The router does not need to be touched. Just use the same address it already has, so it collides with nobody.
Windows, in a PowerShell window as administrator (change Ethernet for the
name of your connection and the addresses for yours; 192.168.1.1 is usually the router):
netsh interface ipv4 set address name="Ethernet" static 192.168.1.78 255.255.255.0 192.168.1.1
netsh interface ipv4 set dnsservers name="Ethernet" static 192.168.1.1 primary
To undo: netsh interface ipv4 set address name="Ethernet" dhcp and
netsh interface ipv4 set dnsservers name="Ethernet" dhcp.
Linux with NetworkManager (desktop Ubuntu, Mint, Fedora): Settings › Network › the gear
of your connection › IPv4 › “Manual” › address, mask 255.255.255.0, gateway the router.
With a fixed address, what is left is pointing the phones at it (the iPhone and Android guides). DNS in the router is still the most comfortable thing for the whole house, but it is not compulsory.
Router names by operator (indicative, changes with the model)
| Operator and usual router | Where it tends to be |
|---|---|
| Claro fibre (Skyworth, Huawei HG8145, ZTE F680) | 192.168.1.1 › Network › LAN › DHCP › “Primary / secondary DNS server” |
| Claro cable (Arris, Ubee, Technicolor) | 192.168.0.1 › LAN › DHCP |
| Movistar Colombia (Huawei, ZTE, Askey) | 192.168.1.1 › Local network › DHCP › “DNS” |
| Tigo (Sagemcom, Arris, Hitron) | 192.168.0.1 or 192.168.1.1 › LAN › DHCP. On some Hitron the field is called “DNS Override”. |
| ETB (Huawei, ZTE) | 192.168.1.1 › LAN › DHCP |
| Others (TP-Link, ASUS, Netgear, Mercusys) | LAN › DHCP Server › “Primary DNS” |
These were tested in Colombia, which is where this is built. Elsewhere the names are similar: always look for “DHCP” inside “LAN” or “Local network”.
If the router will not let you change the DNS
This happens with some operator routers. Two ways out:
- Set the DNS on each phone (iPhone guide, Android guide).
- Turn off the router's DHCP and use the PC's: GUARDIANA does not do this in 1.0, and it is written down as a limit.
Undoing it
Go back to the same section and leave the DNS on “automatic”, or on the value it had. GUARDIANA never touches your router: what you changed, you undo.
Other guides
- What is DNS, and why does my home need a guardian?
- Point the whole house at GUARDIANA (router)
- iPhone and iPad: point the DNS at GUARDIANA
- Android: point the DNS at GUARDIANA
If something in this guide does not match your device, write to hola@guardianagroup.com with the make and model: it is corrected, with the date.