A Domain Name System (DNS) server matches domain names (like www.netgear.com) to their IP addresses. Instead of having to remember a website’s IP address, you can enter the domain name, and DNS resolves the domain name to its IP address.
Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS) is used to secure data that is sent over the Internet. Unlike HTTP, HTTPS encrypts the data that is sent to and from the HTTPS-supported website.
DNS over HTTPS (DoH) is a protocol that enables DNS resolution over HTTPS, which increases security and user privacy by encrypting the data sent between DNS resolvers and client devices (for example, a computer or smartphone). First introduced in 2018, full support for DoH was implemented in popular web browsers like Chrome and Firefox in 2020. Firefox turns on DoH automatically; in other browsers, DoH must be manually turned on in the browser settings.
Your NETGEAR router does not need to support DoH in order for DoH to work on typical Internet websites, as DoH connections are secured between your client device and the DNS server. However, if your router doesn't support DoH, clients that have DoH enabled can't access the NETGEAR router web interface via www.routerlogin.net; they must use the router's IP address (typically 192.168.1.1) instead.
We are rolling out router firmware updates that introduce DoH support for www.routerlogin.net beginning in December 2021. These firmware updates allow you to use www.routerlogin.net to access the router web interface with DoH enabled on your client devices. After installing firmware that supports DoH, the functionality automatically takes effect and does not need to be turned on for your router.
Check the latest firmware release notes for your router to see if it supports DoH.
If you use NETGEAR Smart Parental Controls, enabling DoH on your client device may prevent Smart Parental Controls from working correctly. For more information, see How do encrypted DNS connections work with NETGEAR Smart Parental Controls?