Update: We’ve gotten great response from D-Link and Actiontec customers. No need to send anymore. Still waiting on confirmation about Blackberry.

We realize there are lots of popular (and not-so-popular) routers and modems we don’t have instructions for on our site. But it’s hard writing instructions for a device you don’t have in front of you. That’s why we’re calling on you to help us build out our Get Started library. At the top of our wish list are instructions for these models:

* D-Link DGL-4300
* D-Link DI-604
* Actiontec GT701
* Actiontec GT704

Inititally we thought we could write instructions based on user manuals. We found the manuals, but they didn’t provide enough information to teach others how to change DNS settings.

This just in: For Verizon users and others, we added instructions for the very popular Westell 327w today.

If you are so kind as to help us (and other OpenDNS users who share in your router or modem taste) out with instructions, please send a few bulleted steps based on any of the instructions we already have. Screenshots to accompany the steps would be great, too. Anyone who sends in accurate instructions will get a shout-out on our Web site and will forever be known as the helpful author of the [insert your router/modem model here] instructions.

Don’t worry about perfection. At this point anything will help us. And, of course, it’s our job to polish up the instructions and make them look pretty for the site.

There is also the possibility that some routers/modems don’t allow users to change DNS settings. That information is as helpful, if not more, than instructions.

Just send an e-mail with the instructions and screenshots, or other feedback, to contact at opendns dot com.

Oh, and if you have a Blackberry and can verify that these instructions work, we’d really appreciate it.

1. Go to Start->Network Connections->Show All Connections
2. Right-click your BlackBerry Internet icon, select Properties.
3. A window will open. Click the Server Types tab.
4. Click TCP/IP Settings.
5. Select “Use the following DNS server addresses:”
6. Enter 208.67.222.222 and 208.67.220.220.

When we launched three weeks ago, we had a reasonable cross-section of instructions for some of the most popular routers and operating systems. We knew, of course, that there are many, many different devices and scenarios, and we’d have to keep updating our instructions to match the real world.

Our customers couldn’t wait for us (good!). My thanks for these instructions go to individual customers.

• Buffalo AirStation are courtesy of Zach Marshall.
• Windows Vista (Beta) are courtesy of Colton Hilliard.
• SpeedStream 5200 are courtesy of Luis Serrano.
• IPCop (Linux firewall application) are courtesy of James Truesdale.
• BIND9 forwarding instructions (in our FAQ) are courtesy of an early customer (apologies for not remembering whom!)

We’re adding more ourselves, of course, like Windows 98.

I’m not ashamed to continue asking for help, whether corrections or new screenshots and instructions. We’re quite happy to take raw materials and clean them up (add our orange highlights, spell-check, etc.) to help get the word out to others who might have the same equipment or situation.

Email us your instructions and screenshots: contact at opendns dot com. All the credit will be yours!

Additional information about static IP addresses

We’re learning, to our dismay, that some routers will only let their owners set DNS servers if the owner has a static IP address. Most folks connecting from home (i.e., those who would use the router instructions) have a dynamic IP address.

One example, which was confirmed today to a customer by Motorola customer support is the Motorola WR850 wireless broadband router. Both models, the GP and G, only allow DNS settings to be changed for static IP addresses (PDF manual). Frustrating, but good to know. Earlier, we learned that the Linksys WRT54GC Compact Wireless-G Broadband Router (PDF manual available via this page) has the same limitations.

Fortunately, most people can simply use the operating system instructions, and the settings “closest to the customer” are the dominant ones, corporate networks excluded.

All of this information will make its way into the Get Started pages as we learn more.