How to Change DNS on a Tenda Router (Any Model, Any Firmware)

Your Tenda router hands the same DNS server addresses to every device on your network via DHCP. Changing those addresses at the router level gives you faster resolution, better privacy, or malware filtering everywhere in one shot rather than configuring each device individually. This guide covers every current Tenda firmware variant with exact admin panel paths, CLI verification commands, and fixes for the most common ways this change goes wrong.

Find Your Tenda Admin Panel First

Every Tenda router defaults to 192.168.0.1 as the admin gateway, not 192.168.1.1 like many other brands. Open that IP in a browser while connected to the Tenda network (wired or wireless). On older models the default credentials are admin / admin; routers shipped after 2021 prompt you to create a password on first boot and have no printed factory default.

If 192.168.0.1 does not respond, confirm your actual gateway address:

Tenda Nova mesh routers (MW3, MW5, MW6, RX9 Pro, Nova 6, Nova 6E) are primarily managed through the Tenda WiFi app on iOS or Android. A browser-based fallback at 192.168.0.1 exists but may have limited settings depending on firmware version. The app path is covered in the mesh section below.

Which DNS Servers Should You Use

Before touching the router, pick your target resolvers. Common options ranked by use case:

• Cloudflare (1.1.1.1 / 1.0.0.1): Fastest average global latency in most benchmarks, strong privacy policy, no selling query logs
• Google Public DNS (8.8.8.8 / 8.8.4.4): Highly reliable anycast infrastructure; documented at developers.google.com/speed/public-dns
• Quad9 (9.9.9.9 / 149.112.112.112): Blocks known malicious domains via threat intelligence feeds; good for home networks with kids or IoT devices
• OpenDNS FamilyShield (208.67.222.123 / 208.67.220.123): Filters adult content plus malware without needing an account
• OpenDNS Home (208.67.222.222 / 208.67.220.220): Fully customizable filtering with a free account at opendns.com

For maximum speed at your location, run a DNS benchmark from a connected device before committing. Cloudflare and Google both have excellent uptime track records, but the fastest option varies by ISP and geography.

Tenda AC Series: AC6, AC8, AC9, AC10, AC11, AC15, AC18, AC23

These models share a similar two-panel firmware UI. The point most guides miss: DNS lives in two separate places on Tenda routers and both need to be set. Changing only one gives you a partial fix that breaks in specific scenarios.

Step 1: Set WAN DNS (upstream resolver for the router itself)

1. Log in at 192.168.0.1
2. Click Advanced in the top navigation bar
3. Select WAN Settings (labeled Internet Settings on some firmware builds)
4. Locate the DNS block within the WAN configuration section
5. If your connection type is DHCP, uncheck Automatically obtain DNS server address
6. Enter your preferred server in Primary DNS Server and a fallback in Secondary DNS Server
7. Click Save

Step 2: Set DHCP DNS (what gets pushed to your devices)

1. Still under Advanced, select DHCP Server
2. Enter the same servers in Primary DNS and Secondary DNS
3. Click Save

The DHCP DNS setting controls what Tenda advertises to every LAN client. If you only change WAN DNS, the router resolves correctly for itself but every device still receives the ISP servers via DHCP. If you only change DHCP DNS, devices get your preferred servers but the router's own resolver — used for NTP sync, DDNS updates, and firmware checks — stays with the ISP. Set both every time.

Tenda F-Series and N-Series: F3, F9, N301, N300

These budget models have a simplified UI with fewer navigation levels. The DHCP page handles everything:

1. Log in at 192.168.0.1
2. Go to Advanced Settings then DHCP Server
3. Set Primary DNS and Secondary DNS in the fields shown
4. Click Save and allow 30 to 60 seconds for the change to apply

These models do not expose a separate WAN DNS field. The DHCP Server page controls both what the router uses for its own lookups and what it hands to clients. On older firmware versions with no DNS fields visible, go to Advanced then System then Firmware Upgrade and update before proceeding.

Tenda Nova Mesh: MW3, MW5, MW6, RX9 Pro, Nova 6, Nova 6E

Via Tenda WiFi app (recommended)

1. Open the Tenda WiFi app and tap your mesh network name at the top
2. Tap the gear icon in the top right corner
3. Navigate to Advanced then DHCP Server
4. Disable the Auto DNS toggle
5. Enter Primary and Secondary DNS addresses in the fields that appear
6. Tap Save

Via browser (fallback)

Connect to the mesh network and open 192.168.0.1 in a browser. If the web UI loads, the path mirrors the AC series: Advanced then DHCP Server. Nova units on V16 firmware or later may restrict DNS changes to the app only. If fields appear greyed out in the browser UI, use the app.

Tenda Wi-Fi 6 Routers: TX3, TX9 Pro, TX12 Pro, RX12 Pro

These models shipped in 2023 and 2024 with a redesigned sidebar UI that differs from the older AC series:

1. Log in at 192.168.0.1
2. In the left sidebar, click More, not "Advanced"
3. Select LAN Settings
4. Scroll to the DHCP Server subsection and set DNS1 and DNS2
5. Go back to More then WAN Settings and set the upstream DNS there as well
6. Save both sections separately — they do not share a single Save button

Verifying the Change Took Effect

Do not assume a saved setting is working. Run these checks from a connected device immediately after saving and forcing a DHCP renewal.

Check which DNS the device received via DHCP

Run a live query and confirm which resolver answered

Use the DNS Lookup tool to query A, MX, or TXT records live from your browser — a fast cross-check that your resolver is returning valid records for a known domain without needing a terminal open.

Forcing Devices to Pick Up the New DNS Immediately

Tenda's default DHCP lease time is 24 hours. Devices hold their current lease, including the old DNS addresses, until it expires or they disconnect. Force a renewal now:

Windows

macOS

Linux (NetworkManager)

iOS and iPadOS

Go to Settings then Wi-Fi, tap the (i) next to your network name, then tap Renew Lease. Toggling Wi-Fi off and back on also works.

Android

Toggle Wi-Fi off and on. On Android 10 and later, long-press the network name, tap Modify, expand Advanced options, and confirm IP settings is set to DHCP. If a static IP is configured, the device ignores DHCP entirely — switch it back to DHCP and reconnect.

Common Problems and Misdiagnoses

DNS reverts after router reboot

Almost always caused by setting only one of the two DNS locations. On reboot, the WAN DHCP process runs before the internal DHCP server initialises. If the ISP pushes DNS via DHCP option 6 on the WAN side, it overwrites an unlocked WAN DNS field. Fix: set both WAN Settings and DHCP Server DNS as described above, then export a config backup via Advanced then System then Backup. Firmware updates also reset all settings — re-verify DNS after every firmware upgrade.

Some devices ignore the new DNS

Android 9 and later include a system-wide Private DNS feature using DNS-over-TLS. If a device has a custom DoT hostname set under Settings then Network and internet then Private DNS, it encrypts queries directly to that resolver and bypasses DHCP DNS completely. Set Private DNS to Off or Automatic on those devices. iOS 14 and later can behave the same way via installed DNS configuration profiles from apps like Cloudflare or NextDNS.

Correct DNS shown but resolution still seems wrong or slow

The OS-level DNS cache may be serving stale entries. Flush it with the commands above. Chrome maintains its own separate DNS cache — navigate to chrome://net-internals/#dns and click Clear host cache. Firefox has one at about:networking#dns. Both caches need clearing independently of the OS after a resolver change.

No DNS fields visible in DHCP settings

Tenda's simplified UI mode hides advanced options. Look for an Advanced Mode toggle in the top right corner of the admin panel. If there is none, update firmware under Advanced then System then Firmware Upgrade. Routers often ship one or two major revisions behind. Very old F-series units (pre-2019) occasionally have no DNS fields at all — per-device static DNS or router replacement are the only options in that case.

Admin panel saves but shows blank fields on reload

This is a browser caching bug in Tenda's UI, not a configuration failure. Hard-refresh with Ctrl+Shift+R on Windows and Linux or Cmd+Shift+R on Mac, or open the admin panel in a private browsing window. The settings were written correctly; only the displayed values are stale.

IPv6 DNS on Tenda Routers

If your ISP provides IPv6 connectivity, devices may receive IPv6 DNS server addresses via Router Advertisements (SLAAC) directly from your ISP modem, completely bypassing Tenda's DHCP settings. This means devices could be using your ISP's IPv6 resolver even after you changed the IPv4 DNS on the router. Verify with:

On Tenda TX-series and newer AC models, look under Advanced then IPv6 for a DNS Server field. Set it to 2606:4700:4700::1111 for Cloudflare IPv6 or 2001:4860:4860::8888 for Google IPv6. On models that do not expose this field, disabling IPv6 on the WAN interface removes the ambiguity if you do not need IPv6 connectivity.

2026 Note: Encrypted DNS and DNSSEC on Tenda

Tenda stock firmware as of mid-2026 does not support DNS-over-HTTPS (DoH) or DNS-over-TLS (DoT) at the router level. Queries travel from the router to your chosen resolver in plaintext, visible to your ISP on the WAN link. DNSSEC validation is also absent from all current Tenda stock builds. If encrypted DNS at the network level matters to your setup, the practical options are:

• Pi-hole with cloudflared: Run a local DoH proxy on a Raspberry Pi or small VM on your LAN, then point Tenda's DHCP DNS to that local IP. Cloudflared proxies queries to Cloudflare's DoH endpoint. This is the most common home-network solution and adds DNSSEC validation via the upstream resolver.
• OpenWrt: Third-party firmware supporting stubby or unbound for DoT plus full DNSSEC validation. Tenda AC9 and AC15 have community-maintained OpenWrt ports — verify your exact hardware revision against the OpenWrt Table of Hardware before flashing, as board revisions sometimes change the chipset.
• Per-device encrypted DNS: Android 9 and later support DoT natively via Settings then Network then Private DNS. Enter 1dot1dot1dot1.cloudflare-dns.com for Cloudflare. iOS 14 and later accept DNS configuration profiles from Cloudflare and NextDNS that enable DoH system-wide, working regardless of what the router advertises.

Confirming the Configuration Is Stable

1. Log into the Tenda admin panel and verify both WAN Settings and DHCP Server show your chosen DNS IPs
2. On a connected device, run nslookup google.com — the Server line must match your DNS IP
3. Reboot the router, wait two minutes, then repeat step 2 to confirm settings persist across reboots
4. Disconnect and reconnect one wireless device to confirm it receives the correct DNS via DHCP
5. If using Quad9 or OpenDNS, test a known blocked domain to confirm filtering is active
6. Export a config backup via Advanced then System then Backup — restore it after any future firmware update that resets your settings