OpenDNS! A Better Internet Experience?

Three days have passed since I configured my router to use OpenDNS, and I noticed... very little. Well, it's one of those things that you don't really have to notice to know it's working. They claim that it is safer, faster, smarter, and more reliable. Here's what I think:

Is it safer? I've never had the bad luck of getting directed to a phishing site, but this will probably be more helpful to others barraged by phishing emails. Even if you're an experienced internet user, an extra checkpoint won't hurt.

Is it faster? If it is, the speed increase is barely noticeable.

Is it smarter? It can correct things by directing typos like yahoo.cmo to yahoo.com, but it can't do anything about typosquatting. I like how shortcuts can be assigned to specific URLs. I assigned xiirus to go directly to xiirus.net.

Is it more reliable? If it is, I'm glad it is. I didn't notice a difference.

There's no doubt that there is a benefit in having some phishing protection in the DNS level, typo correction and shortcuts. These features have never been available before, and I think these are what will get people to use it, although I think the shortcut feature is somewhat of a fad. Bookmarking has moved on to being accessible anywhere. OpenDNS shortcuts only work locally on your network or computers that have been configured, which is comparable to 'old-school' bookmarking.

One very cool thing about this is that there is no software installation needed! Just set your router or operating system to use OpenDNS, and you'll have these benefits.