Over the last 24 hours, the server has been experiencing high memory usage, leading to crashes and extended periods of downtime. We're in the process of trying several different approaches to fix this. Sorry for the inconvenience!

The version of NodeBB has also been updated to v4.16.0, so on top of the attempts to fix the memory issue, you may notice other site functionality broken, especially on console clients like the Switch 1.

Please report any and all new issues, slowness, broken features, missing functionality, etc, either in this thread, or in your own topic (depending on how bad of an issue it is).

We will work on fixing reported issues as soon as possible. In the future, to see if the site is up or not, you can check the status page here: https://status.browsedns.net/

For the past year or two, we've been dealing with excessive notifications, weird wrong counts, hidden notifications, etc. And we may have finally gotten to the bottom of them! Please let me know if the notification system seems less laggy and more accurate than usual.

The fix involved deleting over 140,000 old unread shoutbox message notifications, all of which were taking up space in memory. We've gone from 13.35 GB usage to 6.32 GB with just this one change.

I apologize again for the slowness and crashiness of the forum over the last few weeks, and hopefully this helps make the site faster and more responsive. I'm especially interested to hear from users that were experiencing issues before, to see if this has helped.

It turns out that the post queue was not being properly applied to some categories. This meant that all someone had to do to circumvent it was choose a different category. This has been fixed now and should help reduce the number of spammers.

We're also still working on the bot problem, the plan is to add a captcha-like check that doesn't impact DNS users. Right now, almost half of the traffic to this site is from bots and crawlers. If you see any bot users, please continue to flag them.

What is it?

BrowseDNS is a public DNS server that enables devices with hidden or limited built-in web browsers to browse the open Internet.

For a full list of supported devices, see here. We hold the view that access the Internet is an essential right, regardless of the device type that is being used.

How to Use

Enter one of the following addresses under your device's manual DNS settings:

US East: 45.55.142.122 (formerly Switchbru DNS)
US West: 45.55.112.11
England: 46.101.65.164

You should choose the one that is closest to your region, for fastest speeds. Only one for the primary DNS is required.

Network settings are typically located under: Settings -> Internet or Wifi -> [your network] -> Edit or Change -> DNS Settings -> Manual. See screen shots here for an example.

Terms of Use

This service is provided free of charge with no warranty whatsoever. The service does not collect, store, or retain any user data. Your usage of these DNS servers is at-will and at your own risk.

BrowseDNS's predecessor (Switchbru DNS) has been running successfully since March 10th, 2017. Our users have not reported negative side-effects from using the service, however the above disclaimer still applies.

Troubleshooting

If using the above addresses do not result in the browser appearing, you may need to check your network stack, as the DNS could be getting overridden by your router or your Internet Service Provider.

For more info, see the ForTheUsers FAQ for assistance, or drop by the BDNS Discord server.

If you'd like to access the browser but not rely on an external server, you can check out CaptiveDNS or bdns-coredns to self-host. This requires a computer on the same network.

Disappears Randomly? No Videos? Cookies?

On the Switch, the web browser is limited and has some features disabled. We have an open petition to Nintendo to ask them to address this, check it out here!

The petition has almost 28,000 signatures. Please share it and let others know! The ideal best-case scenario for BrowseDNS is that manufacturers like Nintendo and Sony allow the user to just access the browser directly like any other app, and then this DNS workaround no longer needs to exist.

Parental Controls?

If you want to prevent access to the browser, and your device supports parental controls, setting them up will block access to the network settings. This can be used to stop the DNS from being configured and fully disable going online with the browser.

See this post for detailed information on how different ways to block access. Please be aware however that on the Switch and PS5 there are other methods of accessing Internet content besides BrowseDNS, such as through the official YouTube app.

How it Works

The Domain Name System lookup results returned by this service employ DNS spoofing when your console attempts to reach Nintendo and Sony connection test domains.

This is the same technique used by Hotel, University, and Airline Wi-Fi hotspots to force the user to visit a Captive Portal (often to pay or authenticate for Internet access). When the Switch or PS5 are unable to connect, they display their built-in hard-to-access web browser, which then takes the user to a landing page where they can reach the open Internet.

For a full list of which domains are redirected, see this page.

Every other domain name request outside of these connection domains is returned properly, using either Google DNS or Cloudflare's 1.1.1.1 (Depending on system load).

If you ever get those "Cloudflare - Verifying" checks on various websites that never end, and prevent the page from loading, there's a way to leave them feedback.

On the Switch, keep dragging the page around, or holding and releasing A while trying to drag around with the joystick (as if you were scrolling), until a little clickable "Leave feedback?" link appears in the Cloudflare box.

When the feedback window pops up, check off that the box that says it's looping or slow, and enter some message in the box describing how it's broken. Make sure to check the "Send additional diagnostics" box before submitting.

There are typically hundreds of users on the DNS browser at once, if everyone does this every time they encounter a Cloudflare page, Cloudflare might actually update the verification and fix the check.

The app Krita is a nice alternative to Photoshop for making digital art. It can be downloaded here for Mac/Windows/Linux.

Image of how the interface looks:

I started learning how to use Photoshop in school, but it was always frustrating to come home and be unable to use it for other stuff, and being stuck with MS Paint or Preview. The school had a license deal, and I would've had to pay for it for my own use. Later I did pay for Photoshop for a while, but now I just use this instead!

A starting tutorial is here: https://docs.krita.org/en/tutorials.html But a fair amount of basic Photoshop-style stuff works, such as dealing with layers and blending options.

EDIT for Feb 3rd, 2024:

The summary of this thread's findings is:

• This notification will appear after 20 minutes of screen-on time using the browser
• The browser will always immediately close after the pop-up
• Nintendo has ignored so far the petition asking them to enable the browser

Tips:

• If you lock the device, you can stretch the total time you have out longer. Screen off time doesn't count against the 20 minutes
• If you set up the DNS and then launch the YouTube app instead of doing a Connection Test, it will automatically re-display the browser after timeout happens
• You can add top sites and bookmarks to Switchbru for faster access, or submit useful links via the survey on the BrowseDNS landing page

About the browser:

• The timer is built-into the Switch, and enforced by the Switch's OS
• The browser itself is called NetFront, and is made by ACCESS Co
• It's possible that there is a deal between Nintendo and ACCESS that limits the usage of the browser (This is only speculation)

Homebrew workaround:

• If you have a Switch that can run homebrew, then the browser can be accessed with BrowseNX, which bypasses the timeout and allows video content
• Configuring homebrew however is much more involved than just using the DNS, and should only be done by advanced and/or technical users

Original post:

This is a thread to talk about the browser closing on the Nintendo switch when using BrowseDNS or Switchbru DNS... This appears to be a timeout added by Nintendo in FW update 10.0, but the mechanisms of when/why it closes are not known.

In my experience, I have had both web pages live for a long time (even overnight!) by sleeping the switch or pressing home, and when it decides to close always seems a little random.

It seems like no matter how many page loads occur, or clicks/scrolls I make, it's determined to shut down. Does anyone have any other experiences or theories about whne it decides to close?

If the timeout can be better understood, then we may be able to discover a workaround to it. If it's something networking related, for instance, maybe there are changes that can be made to prevent it from closing.

It would also be interesting to know if this same timeout occurs when using "normal" captive portal airplane/hotel hotspots (which is what the browser applet was made for).

I will also again plug the petition to Nintendo to unlimited this browser, including removing the timeout.

@lane_r2018 It's not worth discussing further, but that point isn't exactly a slam dunk. Many Christians (especially in America) choose to circumcise their children: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion_and_circumcision#Christianity

With your same reasoning, religious circumcision would also be considered "mutilation of children". The reality is that decisions made around a child's health and their body should be between the parents and their doctors, and in accordance with local laws.

A Peloton bike

The BrowseDNS home page has been redesigned to feel more like a modern "new tab" or "home" page. Many more bookmarks have also been added from user feedback.

New URL: https://browsedns.com
(Separate from the forum, which is still browsedns.net)

Preview:

The four main categories are:

• Knowledge (learning resources, like Wikipedia, Wolframalpha, or news sites and gaming guides)
• Entertainment (fan websites, html5 games, and web comics)
• Tools (simple utilities, networking, and email/cloud services)
• Resources (BDNS related links, development resources)

The search engine can be changed with the Pencil icon under the search bar. And all technical info is moved into the header or footer now. Hopefully this makes it easier to use the DNS!

@dafunkymonke Okay I didn't test it too much, but if you send:

timeout: 120

(needs a colon, and one space before the number, just like that)

That will set the reset timer to 120 minutes from the last message. If a custom timeout is set, it will notify you at the start of each conversation history. To undo, send:

reset_timeout

And it will remind you of this command at the start of the current history. You can set this as high as you want, but be aware that it will probably error if the chat goes on too long without a reset.

Also to add: The reason that the page needs to be interacted with a few times to submit feedback is because the Cloudflare verification check looks at actions like cursor movements to determine if your device is a bot or not.

So by submitting this data they should be able to see "oh, these kinds of controller movements with this user agent are legitimate users" and update their check accordingly.

Here's a list of some web games that are playable on Switch:

Pacman Doodle:
https://www.google.com/logos/2010/pacman10-i.html
(by Google)

Google Chrome Dinosaur game:
https://browsedns.github.io/chrome-dino-gamepad/

2048:
https://browsedns.github.io/2048/

Tetris:
https://realdekkia.github.io/switch-tetris/
(by RealDekkia)

Some games that unfortunately don't work well are other Google Doodles (like this Halloween one), and Slither.io (you can them, but they're laggy)

Sounds exciting, and I'm rooting for ya! I remember the feeling of getting into the specialized classes that I actually cared about, and then you get to learn even more, plus work with people that also have the same interests. It's like all upside, enjoy!

Edit:

As a reminder, it is Nintendo's own decision to make the browser close in 20 minutes. Our only options are to provide information about it, the petition, or contacting Nintendo customer support directly and requesting a fix.

The timer on this page is for your own convenience, to track how long ago the browser session started.

Original post:

When visiting a landing page using the Switch via the DNS, there is now a "Time Left" box in the upper right:

BrowseDNS and Switchbru DNS:

This starts counting down from 20:00 minutes at the start of the session. When it hits 0:00 nothing will actually happen, but very likely you will be kicked out soon by the Browser Timeout.

This timer will keep ticking even if you visit other pages on the Internet and return back to it. If you sleep your console, the timer will become inaccurate and likely show 0:00 earlier than it should.

Thanks Almond! You're the gold standard for how we should manage this site, happy anniversary!

I'll not keep dragging on about Harris vs Trump, but I am so shocked to see how popular Trump still is. There's a reason he lost in 2020, and I feel like the country forgot how bad the division got.

I'd love for automation to come in and save everyone. How many of our jobs can machines just do instead? Give people more time to focus on their own endeavors! (Creative, family, a fulfilling job, etc).

Stephen Hawking said this on robots/automation:

“If machines produce everything we need, the outcome will depend on how things are distributed. Everyone can enjoy a life of luxurious leisure if the machine-produced wealth is shared, or most people can end up miserably poor if the machine-owners successfully lobby against wealth redistribution. So far, the trend seems to be toward the second option, with technology driving ever-increasing inequality."

This is only on Switch right? It's strange because your bio doesn't have anything too fancy in it, which is what I might suspect. I'll look into it by this weekend and see if I can replicate or fix the problem.

To my knowledge, it's not yet known why this screen sometimes appears. I think rebooting / updating is a good fix for it. It seems to have started around the Switch 2's release.

The browser does have checks to sometimes ensure it's on the latest Switch version, but the "This feature is unavailable" screen seems like it's a new/different (or even enhanced) mechanism from that.

I'd also recommend trying to connect normally without the DNS, eg. on Automatic or Google DNS (8.8.8.8) once, to allow the console to "phone home" and verify that for itself that it's up to date.