Updating your network's DNS Server settings

On February 15th, 2025, BT are experiencing issues with their DNS servers. Because of this, you may find that the Alpha websites are completely inaccessible to you on your network. To work around this, you can reconfigure your network to use Google's DNS servers instead. 

A DNS server is effectively the address book for the internet. You ask for a specific website address, and the DNS server translates that into a series of numbers and routes you to the correct website. When a DNS server has issues, as is the case this morning with BT, the details in the address book can become unusable. This is what's happened with alphatiming.co.uk, but it's also affecting other websites too. 

Every operating system has a different way of updating these settings, so we've got steps below for:

• Windows computers
• MacOS computers
• Android Devices
• iOS Devices

Windows computers

1.Click the start button

2.Type control into the search box, then click on Control Panel

3.Click on Network and sharing centre

4.Click on your network you want to change

5.Click Properties

6.Click on Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IP) then click Properties

7.Tick Use the following DNS server address, then enter 8.8.8.8 in the preferred DNS server and 8.8.4.4 in the Alternative DNS server boxes.

8.Click OK on this box, then close on the next two boxes.

MacOS computers

1. Open the Apple menu at the top left of the screen and click System Settings
   
2. Click Network in the sidebar
   
3. Click a network service (this example is Wifi, but yours may be Ethernet if you're connected to a cable for your network)
   
4. Click Details
   
5. Click DNS
   
6. Click the + icon to add a DNS server, and enter 8.8.8.8
   
7. Click the + icon to add a DNS server, and enter 8.8.4.4
   
8. Click 'OK' to save your changes

Android Devices

1. Open the Settings menu and tap Network & internet.
   
2. Select Private DNS.
   
3. Select the Private DNS provider hostname option.
   
4. For Google DNS, enter dns.google and then tap Save.
   
5. If the Alpha web pages don't load after this, please restart your device and try again. 

iOS Devices

1. Go to Settings and Tap Wi-Fi
   
2. Tap the ⓘ icon next to the Wi-Fi network you want to change
   
3. Scroll down to DNS and tap Configure DNS
   
   
4. Tap Manual
   
5. Tap Add server under DNS servers
6. Enter the DNS server addresses 8.8.8.8 and/or 8.8.4.4 for IPv4
   
7. Tap Save