In message <52E96FF9.4050200@gmail.com>, at 22:17:45 on Wed, 29 Jan 2014, Pier Carlo Chiodi <pc.chiodi@gmail.com> writes
While providing a mobile-focused overview may be a good idea...
I just think the paper should be as platform-independent as possible. Currently it's very desktop-centric. And don't forget there are now SmartTVs with browsers in.
On my Android phone, for example, I can't even see a way to change it from DHCP (which I assume it's using) to a fixed DNS server of *my* choice. I imagine an iPhone or iPad is the same.
On your wifi network you can change your DHCP server configuration and send them your preferred DNS servers.
That's true, although if it's a family home installation not all the users may have the password to tinker with the router. In the UK (at least) 1GB a month data bundled with a phone is commonplace, and with public/guest wifi everywhere, a mobile user may not be hooked into their home wifi very much at all.
An app to change DNS on Android and an iPhone guide follow; I can't tell you if they work,
I have an Android phone that I use exclusively for such experiments :)
but from a quick search on Google it seems that's not so hard to change configurations on mobile devices. Also VPNs are easy to setup on both systems.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=uk.co.mytechie.setDNS
That's an App for changing DNS, and requires a rooted phone (are "we" in general in favour of requiring rooted phones for things... and installing Apps like this which demand SuperUser status?) for anything except wifi connections. Having installed it, and unless I'm being especially dense, it only seems to allow replacing your current DNS with Google's (8.8.8.8 & 8.8.4.4) but in principle a different [or perhaps their paid-for?] app could be more accommodating.
"these instructions only work for Wi-Fi connections - iOS does not allow you to change the DNS servers when connected to cellular networks." But it works on iPads too (I tried it). -- Roland Perry