If you’re a Verizon FiOS subscriber (or a Verizon DSL subscriber, presumably), you’ve probably noticed that if you try to visit a URL with a bogus domain (e.g., http://www.tgbuiewafna4wifwe.com) your browser will end up at a Verizon-branded, advertisement-riddled, annoying search page at wwwz.websearch.verizon.net: “Sorry, ‘www.tgbuiewafna4wifwe.com’ does not exist or is not available. But here are some completely irrelevant ads that you should click on!” No thanks, Verizon!
I was really surprised to learn that there is actually an opt-out tutorial on verizon.net here, but unfortunately the directions aren’t completely accurate. The important information is there, but the steps to configure the router are off (at least in my case).
So, below are the steps I took to get it working on my Actiontec MI424-WR router, firmware version 4.0.16.1.56.0.10.7, hardware version A. You can check out your router specs on the ‘System Monitoring | Router Status’ page. I can’t guarantee these steps will work or even make sense on all FiOS configurations, so let that be my disclaimer. If you’re afraid of messing up your router, make a backup of your configuration file under the ‘Advanced | Configuration File’ page.
- Log in to your FiOS router.
- Click on the ‘System Monitoring’ tab and then ‘Advanced Status’ on the left menu.
- Confirm that you are an advanced user by clicking ‘Yes’ and then go to ‘Full Status/System wide Monitoring of Connections’.
- Under the ‘Broadband Connection (Coax)’ column, take note of the IP addresses in the ‘DNS Server’ row.
- Now click on the ‘Broadband Connection (Coax)’ column header which should bring you to the ‘Broadband Connection (Coax) Properties’ page. Click the ‘Settings’ button.
- Towards the bottom of this page, look for the ‘DNS Server’ field. Change the drop down to ‘Use the Following DNS Server Addresses’. The page will now reload with two extra fields: ‘Primary DNS Server’ and ‘Secondary DNS Server’.
- Recall the IP addresses from step 4. According to Verizon, the last octet will always be 12. Change the last octet to 14. (The *.14 DNS servers don’t provide DNS Assistance. My DNS servers were 71.250.0.12 and 68.237.161.12 which I changed to 71.250.0.14 and 68.237.161.14. I pinged these addresses to make sure they existed. They did.)
- Enter the *.14 addresses respectively in the ‘Primary DNS Server’ and ‘Secondary DNS Server’ fields. Click the ‘Apply’ button.
After this, wait a minute or so, and then try a google test to make sure you can access the internet.
If the internet works, try visiting our bogus domain again: http://www.tgbuiewafna4wifwe.com. After a few seconds you should see your browser’s error page. No more Verizon web search b.s.! Hooray! Meaningless geek victory!
If you can’t access the internet, try rebooting your router. If you still can’t access the internet, then I’m sorry. Back out the router config edits and realize that the presence of Verizon DNS Assistance probably won’t affect your life either way. Go outside and take a walk in your local park, admire the foliage, et c.
Hello:
Easier way is to click the “about this page” button (upper right portion of the page) and then choose the Opt Out link for either Verizon FIOS or Verizon DSL customer.
End of annoyance and little effort.
(They shouldnt do things like that without our permission anyway)
Posted by Kat on March 22nd, 2008.
Sir/Madam:
Thank you for writing this article on the web, because, if it were not for this, Verizon would be still trying to convince me that somehow my router or router configuration was at fault as to why my client’s business network PCs where all gelting this bogus address, which they have trying to do for the last 3 days.
Posted by Sol_g on April 16th, 2008.
Ditto on the “about this page” button, it also brings up a page which brings up more helpful information for DSL subscribers. In particular it was very useful for me, because I have what seems to be a relatively obscure version of m router (a westell versalink 327 version D).
It’s important to do it the right way, on the router, and not their “backup” option, because then you get DNS servers that probably aren’t very close or fast to you.
Posted by anon e. mouse on April 22nd, 2008.
Thanks for the instructions. Worked perfectly. The Verizon DNS help was no help for me when using my work’s VPN connection from home.
Posted by Remote Worker on May 10th, 2008.
Now it appears that: (1) Even when a perfectly valid URL is entered (such as by clicking on a link on the New York Times website; I tried this several times, so these were valid domain names) one may be directed to wwwz.websearch.verizon.net. (2) Customer Service at Verizon Fios lies about why this is happening and claims that the problem is malware. Makes me want to change my ISP.
Posted by Mr.P. on June 3rd, 2008.
Thanks for the tip. My router listed both DNS entries as empty (presumably it picks them up via the configuration information when it connects to the server), but after testing with nslookup to confirm that the .14 IP’s you provided did work (and didn’t lie), I put them in and it worked like a charm. THANKS.
And BTW, the Verizon site’s help for my router didn’t tell me what to do in that case, didn’t provide the IPs, and provided no way (other than a phone call) for me to report the problem. Thanks guys.
Posted by Kee Hinckley on June 8th, 2008.
Thanks a ton, instructions worked perfectly. I was extremely annoyed after Verizon’s settings for my router were incorrect.
Posted by J on June 29th, 2008.
Also, you should note that all comments say they were posted on March 2, 2008, despite actual posting date.
Posted by J on June 29th, 2008.
Blessed relief!
Worked like a charm!
For whatever the reason, in my router, once I was at the “Full Status/System wide Monitoring of Connections” screen, I had no DNS servers listed under “Broadband connection” for either Ethernet or Coax. There was a set listed in the “WAN PPPOE” column though, so I followed your instruction using those instead, and viola!
Thanks again for helping us fight the good fight! A small victory but an important one!
Posted by Stozo on August 2nd, 2008.
One further tip. I tried these instructions but they didn’t work. It was because I have a wireless router (airport express) tied into my verizon router. I needed to change the dns on the apple router as well – just changed the last number to 14 and it worked like a charm! Thanks for the help!
Posted by Speck on August 8th, 2008.
Does anyone know about the extensive monitoring of your system and access that Verizon is cabable of with this new Fios? Or is this just a rumor?
Posted by Dogz on August 15th, 2008.
I am glad to have found this page. I was on the phone with Verizon DSL tech support for more than an hour. The first one told me that was problem with the web site and not theirs since I can go to google! Then she hung up. The second one was a guy with an accent. He was trying to mess with the IE options, and couldn’t get it to work. That show how much their tech support know. They’re ignorance and sometime rude.
Thanks for posting this information.
Posted by Peter on September 17th, 2008.
This may be a violation of ARIN and IANA rules. I am going to look into this issue. VeriSign tried this a few years ago on the root name servers and got their hands slapped.
Posted by Miceal on October 12th, 2008.
Wow…thanks! There has been something awry with my FiOS service recently and about 1 out of 10 times I would try to go to any website, it wouldn’t resolve in DNS and instead forward me to that BS search assistant page. Changing my DNS servers seems to have fixed the problem. Thanks!
-Rich
Posted by Rich on October 22nd, 2008.
VZ must have recently changed this, because my FiOS router is configured with the .14’s, but still redirects to the websearch page (although it didn’t earlier).
Posted by dx on December 16th, 2008.
Thanks for the info!
I did this a while back, but recently had to reset my modem… and forgot how
By the way, for anyone with other modem, there’s a verizon opt-out page, with other modems, and how to configure them to opt-out here: http://netservices.verizon.net/portal/link/help/item?case=dns_assist&partner=verizon&product=fios
Posted by jon on December 17th, 2008.
Verizon DSL subscriber. Have a Macintosh G5 iMac. Recently, my Safari browser wouldn’t go to where it should, but to a Verizon page that gave a weird website rather than what I entered. Like http://www.cnn.com would return http://www.cnn.comhttp. Entering again, would get something like wwwwz.websearch.verizon.nethttp Also garbage! Also unable to sign in to Yahoo! and Microsoft Messenger. But my Firefox browser and AIM worked just fine. Apple support spent well over an hour, finally concluded it was a Verizon DNS Assistance problem. Verizon tech screwed around almost an hour repeating much of what the Apple guy tried, but finally bumped the issue up to a specialist who had me do a Share Desktop so he could play around. Was finally successful in disabling the DSN Assistance, and everything works fine now.
Posted by Dick on December 30th, 2008.
p.s. The Apple tech had me change the last two digits of the two DNS servers (found in System Preferences – Network) from .12 to .14 All that did was take the Verizon page out of the loop, and I’d just get an error message from Safari. Didn’t help Yahoo or Microsoft messengers either.
Posted by Dick on December 30th, 2008.
pps. The About This Page button on the Verizon page did show the Opt Out of DNS Assistance for FiOS or DSL. This had no effect, however.
Posted by Dick on December 30th, 2008.
Update: As of today, when I found this article (great information, by the way) the opt-out instructions page does not have any link called “About this page”.
Also, for those of you who have an Actiontec MI424WR-GEN2 rev E (perhaps for others as well), the default configuration is to grab the DNS settings automatically from DHCP and will not show your current DNS servers. To view what they are, go to the “System Monitoring” tab and you can see them. Also, for this router (and perhaps others as well with similar configuration interface), you will probably want to set the DNS server on the BROADBAND CONNECTION (either Ethernet or Coax), and not on the HOME/OFFICE Network. This will ensure that even the router will use those DNS settings and not just the computers connected to the router.
Posted by Chris on June 21st, 2009.
I tried following instructions and called support. Nothing worked on my Power MacBook. This is a real abuse! Versizon trying to monopolize my web experience. We need to do something bout this. Spread the word and report it as much as you can with everyone you know!
Posted by Adriana on July 14th, 2009.
I’m going to give y’all a better DNS server to use – Speakeasy’s!
216.254.95.2 (Northeast)
216.231.41.2 (backup)
There are more listed here -
http://www.dslreports.com/faq/9834
The reason I use these – if you just type the name of a site, like \cnn\, it will automatically complete the rest of the URL for you – those backup Verizon ones don’t, and that annoys the crud out of me… not only do they spam you, but when you \opt out\ the right way, they do nothing for ya… come on VZ, time to join the 21st century bus!
Posted by tech guru on September 21st, 2009.
[...] How to disable Verizon DNS Assistance (websearch.verizon.net)AKA hijacking my DNS, AKA betrayed by my own ISP! [...]
Posted by Answer My Searches » Blog Archive » Mini Searches with Answers on November 26th, 2009.
please help with update
this page above
I used to get the invalid page DNS redirection that Verizon is infamous for, and the process for “opting out” would be too difficult for a regular user. To fix it, I changed the DNS servers on my router to 68.237.161.14 and 71.243.0.14, instead of obtaining them automatically.
does not work.
Am a newbie, and Verizon doing this absolutely constantly now, I don’t even want to surf the web at all.
Constantly hammered.
Have Westell 6100 vrzn dsl modem
and DLink WBR2310 router
Any help how to change dns or opt out please, please
Much deep thanks.
Posted by Ann on December 20th, 2009.
I finally got tired of the DNS hijacking so I installed a second router/firewall (a NetGear 614 seriies) between my LAN and their router. I set the DNS server IPs on my router. I also blocked all *.websearch.verizon.net addresses outbound.
Not only does this resolve a huge DNS resoluation problem they caused within my LAN, it also prevents them from snooping around on my systems.
Posted by Bubba on December 25th, 2009.
Thanks for the tip. The verizon router is bit more compulated versus my old Linksys Router.
Posted by Bill on February 26th, 2010.