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This thread is intended to be a pinned index of the above basic sites. For other sites, they should have their own thread.
For any 18+ sites, please wait until we have a new category or Adult Only filter, given the potential for younger audiences to stumble upon this. This is still being discussed and worked out by the moderators.
@Maxthegamer4548 Are you able to access your router settings and check if there is a feature to force override DNS queries? This is sometimes presented as a safety feature to prevent DNS spoofing (which is what a captive portal utilizes.)
@Maxthegamer4548 No, the secondary field is only used when the first server can't be reached. Since you're connected, you are getting the DNS to resolve from somewhere.
UK server didn't work either? The other wifi hotspot?
@SnowRunnerLegend said in DNS doesn't take me to go to the browser:
@Maxthegamer4548 i think its because you didnt set it to manual, i dont know why, but it does take its sweet time to reload when timer hits
Oh definitely double check this too!
The 46.101.65.164 one is a UK server and may have different results. The other two are east and west coast US servers.
But, your Wifi router or Internet Service Provider may also be overriding the DNS packets. Some routers provide this as a feature and it can be disabled in router settings. If it's the ISP there aren't a lot of options outside of contacting them.
Which DNS server are you trying to connect to?
BrowseDNS:
45.55.112.11
or 46.101.65.164
Switchbru:
45.55.142.122
If none work, can you try another wifi hotspot or phone tethering and see if the same problem happens?
Sorry to say that Nintendo intentionally disabled this feature in the browser used by the DNS. The only thing we can do is let Nintendo know, message them, ask them, sign petitions, convince more to do the same, and so on.
Videos used to work, and worked great in firmware 2.0.0! It was disabled after that. I wrote some more in this post.
@graham I would love it for this to work, but it's not supported by Nintendo's browser.
Netflix is also a bit tricky because they have pretty strict DRM requirements and probably usually make a licensing deal with Console manufacturers to get their app on those platforms. Really it's up to Nintendo and Netflix to make that work.
It's not unheard of though since Nintendo has worked with Netflix in the past for the Wii and Wii U. The most we can do to help the Switch browser play videos and have other features is to get more traction on this petition.
Yep, this used to work very early on in 2017 but was disabled by Nintendo in an update for the WifiWebAuthApplet, which as pwsincd said is how the DNS browser works. More technical info on the different browser applets here.
Video playback does however still work in other applets, like the LoginApplet (this pops up when you click "Link to Twitter/Facebook") and NewsApplet (what the News app uses).
The LoginApplet's ability to play videos is almost useful, however it has a whitelist and will only work with certain top-level URLs (only Google, Facebook, Twitter). This trick is how the old SwitchTube worked (hosted on a Google Sites page, that you had to go through Facebook to get to) before the YouTube app was available.
For Discord, it's technically fixable on Discord's end if they provide a polyfill for the Switch's browser, but this isn't a priority for them either.
EDIT for Feb 3rd, 2024:
The summary of this thread's findings is:
Tips:
About the browser:
Homebrew workaround:
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.
Space Game was released in February 2016 (...too many years ago) as a Wii U homebrew / demo of what could be done with early homebrew exploits. With this port, it is now playable on more devices, including the web.
URL: https://vgmoose.com/space-game/
Controls: Left stick to aim, Right stick / Touch to aim and rapid fire. A and B for handling Menus, or Enter and Backspace on PC.
This requires WebGL, and so it does not work on the Switch or older browsers.
Screen shots:
Source code and writeup on how it was ported from an OSScreen homebrew is here: https://github.com/vgmoose/space-game although I would recommend using Godot directly if you're looking to start a new project.
On the Wii U, if you open the browser and go to the Settings, there's an option to "Enable Developer Tools". This starts an http server which you can visit from a computer on the same network, and view web inspector information about pages being rendered by the Wii U browser.
Example output from Google Chrome on PC after visiting the IP that the Wii U gives you in its browser settings:
Here we can debug and see the full error that the Wii U webkit instance hit when trying to render the page. In this case, it does not support the let keyword, which was introduced in ES6 in around 2015. Previously this part of the page was broken, but with this information, this bug is able to be addressed.
It's a pretty cool feature tucked away in settings, and would love to have something similar for the Switch browser.
This official Roku website allows you to control a Roku TV that's on the same network using the browser on your device.
Site: http://devtools.web.roku.com/RokuRemote/
This can be very useful to continue using your TV without getting up if you don't have a phone or remote nearby.
Around two years ago, we created the following petition to Nintendo, which can be signed online here: http://fortheusers.org/change/
Since then, there have been more than 13,000 signatures from DNS users that would like to have the Switch's Internet Browser be easily to access in a standalone app.
At 15,000 signatures it becomes one of the top signed petitions on Change.org! Click here to check it out.
You can also read this status updated posted around a year ago.
In Google Chrome and other Chromium-based browsers it's possible to add custom device information to the developer console, in order to make it easier to design websites for irregular devices.
For instance, for the Switch, you can bring up the inspector, go to Settings -> Devices, and then add a new device with the following User Agent: "Mozilla/5.0 (Nintendo Switch; WifiWebAuthApplet) AppleWebKit/606.4 (KHTML, like Gecko) NF/6.0.1.19.3 NintendoBrowser/5.1.0.21761" and 1280x720 dimensions.
And then clicking the Device Mode button will show the Switch's screen dimensions and the target website will view you as visiting from a Switch. This makes development a bit easier / quicker if you have a site that does different logic on different devices, or need certain screen elements to fit.
This web page is the home page for Switchbru DNS. It provides links to other websites, as well as IP-based bookmarks, and a chat service between other users.
Site: dns.switchbru.com
This page primarily accessed by setting your Switch DNS settings to 45.55.142.122. This service intends to stay up as long as possible, and has been running since March 10th, 2017.
Here are some popular websites. If you're on a device with no address bar, these links can act as quick shortcuts:
Reddit
Tumblr
Twitter
Facebook
Instagram
Gmail
Wikipedia
YouTube
ZeldaDungeon
Google
DuckDuckGo
Brave Search
Bing
Yahoo
Here is a list of different unconventional Internet-enabled consoles and devices, and known ways and resources to browse the Internet on them.
Last updated: Jan 16, 2024
Nintendo DS - Nintendo DS & DSi Browser
Nintendo Wii - Internet Channel
Nintendo 3DS - Internet Browser
Nintendo Wii U - Wii U Internet Browser
Nintendo Switch - Switchbru DNS, BrowseDNS, Homebrew: BrowseNX, Goldleaf
The interesting trend for Nintendo is web browsing used to be seen as a pay-for feature, then became an included app, then got hidden.
PSP - Internet Browser
Vita - Internet Browser
PS3 - Internet Browser
PS4 - Internet Browser
PS5 - Google.com Trick, BrowseDNS, User Guide Method
Given Sony's history of just having normal browsers accessible, a bit upsetting they decided to follow in Nintendo's footsteps in this area.
Apple Watch - Google.com iCloud Shortcut, Captive Portal Workaround
The Apple Watch has a hidden browser as well, actually using it is a little annoying, but accessing it is very easy. It's very useful if your phone is dead and you have the Cellular model!
Bike - BrowseDNS (UK)
Similarly to other Android-based devices, BrowseDNS UK will pop up the captive browser. It allows basic browsing, but video playback doesn't seem to work.
Kindle - Experimental Web Browser
This browser works great, but due to the eInk display it's not so easy on the eyes. Or maybe it's too easy on the eyes?
Android TV - Download browsers from Play Store
Wear OS - Download browsers from Play Store
Having multiple browser choices on TV and watches is cool!
Xbox 360 - Internet Explorer
Xbox One - Microsoft Edge
Xbox Series - Microsoft Edge
Google, and Microsoft both make and advertise their browsers, so maybe it's not surprising that most of their devices have them easily accessible.
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.
Enter one of the following addresses under your device's manual DNS settings:
:flag-us: US East: 45.55.142.122 (formerly Switchbru DNS)
:flag-us: US West: 45.55.112.11
:flag-gb: 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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).