AT&T DNS Servers (68.94.156.1) & How to Change Them

What Are AT&T DNS Servers?

AT&T's DNS servers are 68.94.156.1 (primary) and 68.94.157.1 (secondary). AT&T's reverse DNS names them dnsr1.sbcglobal.net and dnsr2.sbcglobal.net, from the SBC network AT&T grew out of. Your AT&T gateway (such as a BGW320 or BGW210) uses them upstream and hands its own address, usually 192.168.1.254, to your devices as their DNS server.

They only answer devices on AT&T's network: from another ISP every lookup times out. AT&T gateways don't let you change the DNS they hand out, so to use another resolver you set it on each device or put the gateway in IP Passthrough behind your own router (both below).

Whether a public resolver is faster depends on where you are, so measure first: DNS Robot's DNS Speed Test times your current AT&T DNS against Cloudflare, Google and Quad9 from your own connection.

AT&T DNS Server IP Addresses (IPv4)

AT&T doesn't publish these addresses as a product. They are the long-standing resolvers of AT&T's consumer network:

We checked them on 26 October 2026: both are registered to AT&T Enterprises (ARIN), carry AT&T's sbcglobal.net names, and time out from outside AT&T's network. They are the best-known pair; AT&T runs other resolvers in the same 68.94.156.x and 68.94.157.x ranges (dns156r9, dns157r11 and so on), and your gateway may forward to one of those. Day to day your devices point at the gateway (usually 192.168.1.254), which forwards to these servers.

Because they only answer AT&T customers, no online tool can test them for you: run the nslookup check in AT&T DNS server not responding from your own connection.

AT&T IPv6 DNS Servers

AT&T Fiber gateways hand out IPv6 addresses as well as IPv4, but AT&T doesn't publish IPv6 resolver addresses for home connections: devices get their IPv6 DNS from the gateway too, which forwards to AT&T.

In practice this means: if you want third-party DNS over IPv6, set it per device or on your own router — and update both protocols. Changing only IPv4 while leaving IPv6 on the gateway's defaults causes split behavior where many lookups still flow through AT&T.

These are the IPv6 addresses of the major public resolvers — use them wherever you enter the IPv4 ones in the setup steps below.

AT&T Business DNS Servers

AT&T Business connections get AT&T's resolvers automatically too; AT&T doesn't publish a separate list. If you run servers or email on a static IP block, you'll manage reverse DNS (PTR records) through AT&T Business support — use DNS Robot's Reverse DNS tool to confirm your PTR records resolve correctly.

For office networks, consider a security-focused resolver such as Quad9 (9.9.9.9) or Cloudflare's 1.1.1.2 (malware blocking). These filter known-malicious domains at the DNS layer for every device on the network, with nothing to install.

Why Change AT&T's Default DNS?

AT&T's DNS is serviceable, but there are concrete reasons most power users switch to a public resolver.

One quick sanity check before you start: if you're on a reseller plan, building WiFi, or mobile data, you may not actually be on AT&T's network at all. Check your ISP first — it shows the network and ASN really carrying your traffic, so you change the right settings.

• Speed, sometimes — a public resolver can be faster or slower than AT&T's depending on your area: test both with the DNS Speed Test before you switch
• A fallback during outages — when an ISP's regional resolver fails, every customer in the area loses DNS; a public resolver keeps names resolving
• Privacy — Cloudflare commits to not selling or using DNS data for advertising and undergoes independent audits. ISP DNS handling falls under AT&T's broader privacy policy
• No lookup redirection — Some ISP resolvers have historically redirected failed lookups to branded search pages. Public resolvers return a clean NXDOMAIN, which some applications depend on
• Built-in security filtering — Quad9 (9.9.9.9) and Cloudflare's 1.1.1.2 block known malware and phishing domains before a connection is ever made
• Encrypted DNS support — Public resolvers support DNS-over-HTTPS (DoH) and DNS-over-TLS (DoT), so your lookups can't be read or altered on the network

Best DNS Servers for AT&T Users

These public resolvers are free and work on any AT&T plan. Which is fastest depends on where you are, so the table compares what each one filters rather than a latency figure.

For most AT&T users, Cloudflare (1.1.1.1) is the best overall pick for privacy, with audited logging commitments. Full address lists and setup steps: our Cloudflare DNS servers guide and Google DNS servers guide.

Don't guess — the fastest resolver depends on your city and AT&T's regional routing. Run DNS Robot's free DNS Speed Test to benchmark them from your own connection and pick the real winner.

How to Change DNS on an AT&T Gateway

Here's the part AT&T customers discover the hard way: AT&T gateways (BGW320, BGW210, and older NVG/Pace models) do not let you change the DNS servers they hand out. Method 1 shows what your gateway allows; Methods 2 and 3 are the two ways that actually change DNS for your devices.

Method 1: Check the Gateway Admin (and Set Expectations)

It's worth a look at your gateway's settings first — you'll need the admin panel for Method 3 anyway.

• Step 1 — Open a browser and go to 192.168.1.254 (the AT&T gateway admin address)
• Step 2 — When prompted, enter the Device Access Code printed on the sticker on your gateway
• Step 3 — Browse to Home Network → Subnets & DHCP. You can adjust DHCP ranges here, but you will not find an editable DNS server field on current firmware
• Step 4 — Since the gateway won't hand out custom DNS, use Method 2 (per-device) or Method 3 (IP Passthrough) below

Method 2: Set DNS Per Device (works on any gateway)

The most reliable approach on AT&T: configure DNS directly on each device. A device's own DNS setting overrides whatever the gateway hands out via DHCP. It takes about a minute per device — jump to the Windows, Mac, or mobile steps below.

Start with the devices where lookups matter most: your main computer, phone and game console. PS5 and Xbox both accept manual DNS in their network settings (for example 1.1.1.1 and 1.0.0.1).

Method 3: IP Passthrough + Your Own Router

For network-wide control, put the AT&T gateway in IP Passthrough and let your own router (ASUS, TP-Link, Netgear, eero, UniFi) handle DHCP and DNS. AT&T describes IP Passthrough as an alternative to bridged mode: the gateway shares its public IP address with one device on your network, your router, which then runs everything behind it.

• Step 1 — Connect your router's WAN port to a LAN port on the AT&T gateway, and set the router's WAN to get its address automatically (DHCP)
• Step 2 — Go to 192.168.1.254 from a computer on the gateway, open Firewall → Advanced, enter the Device Access Code from the gateway's sticker if asked, and turn off the options there, as AT&T's BGW210/BGW320 instructions say
• Step 3 — Open IP Passthrough: set Allocation Mode to Passthrough and Passthrough Mode to DHCPS-fixed, then enter or pick your router's MAC address as the Passthrough Fixed MAC Address
• Step 4 — Click Save, then Restart Now, and restart your router: its WAN should now show your public IP
• Step 5 — In your router's LAN/DHCP settings, set the DNS servers to your choice (e.g. 1.1.1.1 / 1.0.0.1) — every device on the network now uses them automatically

Change DNS on Windows (AT&T Connection)

Setting DNS on Windows overrides the AT&T gateway's DNS for that PC. Here's how on Windows 11 and 10.

The commands below are PowerShell: run PowerShell as Administrator.

• Step 1 — Open Settings → Network & internet → Wi-Fi → Manage known networks → your network (for a cable: Ethernet → your network)
• Step 2 — Click Edit next to DNS server assignment
• Step 3 — Switch from Automatic (DHCP) to Manual, then turn on IPv4
• Step 4 — Preferred DNS = 1.1.1.1, Alternate DNS = 1.0.0.1 (Cloudflare)
• Step 5 — (Optional) Turn on IPv6 and add 2606:4700:4700::1111 / 2606:4700:4700::1001, then Save

# PowerShell: set DNS on the active adapter
$adapter = Get-NetAdapter | Where-Object {$_.Status -eq 'Up'} | Select-Object -First 1
Set-DnsClientServerAddress -InterfaceIndex $adapter.ifIndex -ServerAddresses '1.1.1.1','1.0.0.1'

# Flush the resolver cache and verify
Clear-DnsClientCache
Get-DnsClientServerAddress -InterfaceIndex $adapter.ifIndex

Change DNS on Mac (AT&T Connection)

macOS lets you override the gateway's DNS per network service in a few clicks.

• Step 1 — Open System Settings → Network → select your active connection (Wi-Fi or Ethernet)
• Step 2 — Click Details → choose DNS from the sidebar
• Step 3 — Click + and add 1.1.1.1 and 1.0.0.1
• Step 4 — Remove any existing entries (like 192.168.1.254) with −
• Step 5 — Click OK

# Terminal: set DNS for the Wi-Fi service
networksetup -setdnsservers Wi-Fi 1.1.1.1 1.0.0.1

# Flush the DNS cache
sudo dscacheutil -flushcache && sudo killall -HUP mDNSResponder

# Verify and test resolution
networksetup -getdnsservers Wi-Fi
dig @1.1.1.1 google.com +short

Change DNS on iPhone & Android (AT&T Wi-Fi)

Since the gateway's DNS can't be changed, override it on your phone instead.

iPhone / iPad

• Step 1 — Settings → Wi-Fi → tap the (i) next to your AT&T network
• Step 2 — Scroll to Configure DNS → switch from Automatic to Manual
• Step 3 — Delete existing entries, then Add Server → 1.1.1.1 and 1.0.0.1
• Step 4 — Tap Save

Android (Private DNS)

Android 9+ has a global Private DNS feature that applies encrypted DNS everywhere — including your AT&T Wi-Fi and mobile data.

• Step 1 — Settings → Network & Internet → Private DNS
• Step 2 — Select Private DNS provider hostname
• Step 3 — Enter one.one.one.one (Cloudflare) or dns.google (Google)
• Step 4 — Tap Save

How to Verify Your DNS Changed

After changing DNS, confirm your device is actually using the new servers instead of the gateway.

# Windows — show the resolver in use
nslookup google.com
# The "Server:" line should show 1.1.1.1,
# not 192.168.1.254 or 68.94.156.1

# Mac/Linux — compare response times
dig google.com @1.1.1.1 | grep "Query time"      # Cloudflare
dig google.com @68.94.156.1 | grep "Query time"  # AT&T (compare)

DNS Robot's DNS Leak Test shows the resolvers your device really uses, with their names and networks, so you can confirm the switch from your browser.

If nslookup still shows 192.168.1.254, your device is still using the gateway: re-check the DNS setting, flush your cache, and reconnect to the network.

Common AT&T DNS Issues & Fixes

When AT&T's DNS fails, sites stop loading even though the gateway shows a working connection. Here are the common problems and their fixes.

AT&T DNS Server Not Responding

Your browser shows "DNS server not responding", ERR_NAME_NOT_RESOLVED, or DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN even though the gateway shows a solid connection. First find out whether AT&T's DNS is the problem: ask the gateway and a public resolver for the same name.

# Ask the AT&T gateway (which forwards to AT&T's DNS), then Cloudflare
nslookup example.com 192.168.1.254
nslookup example.com 1.1.1.1

# AT&T fails, Cloudflare answers  → AT&T's DNS is the problem: switch DNS
# Both fail                       → your connection is down: restart the gateway

Then fix it in this order:

• Switch DNS — set Cloudflare (1.1.1.1) or Google (8.8.8.8) on your device to bypass AT&T's resolvers
• Restart the gateway — Unplug the AT&T gateway for 30 seconds, plug it back in, and wait 2–3 minutes for it to fully sync
• Flush the DNS cache — ipconfig /flushdns on Windows or sudo dscacheutil -flushcache on Mac (all systems)
• Check for an outage — the myAT&T app or Downdetector AT&T. For more, see how to fix DNS server not responding

Slow DNS Lookups on AT&T

If pages pause before they start loading but then download at full speed, slow DNS is a likely cause: each new site name waits for the resolver, and a single page can need dozens of them.

Measure before you switch: the DNS Speed Test times AT&T's DNS against Cloudflare, Google and Quad9 from your connection. Then switch per device or through IP Passthrough, and see our guide on fixing slow DNS lookups.

AT&T Gateway Won't Let Me Change DNS

It won't, and it's not you: AT&T's BGW320, BGW210 and older gateways have no setting for the DNS they hand out. Your options:

• Set DNS per device — Override on each computer, phone, console, and TV (steps above). The fastest path for most people
• IP Passthrough + your own router — Full network-wide control over DNS and every other setting (Method 3 above)
• Android Private DNS / iOS DNS profiles — Force encrypted DNS at the OS level regardless of the gateway
• Browser DoH — Chrome, Edge, and Firefox can use DNS-over-HTTPS, bypassing the gateway's DNS for web traffic only