How does Smart DNS technology work and what are its fundamental differences from a classic VPN?

Smart DNS is a specialized network request routing technology that allows bypassing geo-restrictions of media services without changing the user's real IP address and without encrypting all outgoing traffic.

Unlike a classic VPN, which redirects absolutely all device packets through a remote server and encrypts them with resource-intensive algorithms, Smart DNS redirects only requests to the Domain Name System. When a device tries to open a restricted website, the DNS request is intercepted by a special Smart DNS server.

This server replaces the real IP address with the address of a legitimate provider from the required geographic zone so that the media resource allows access to the content. The stream of media data itself from the video hosting to your device goes directly through your internet provider at maximum speed.

The key advantage of Smart DNS is the complete absence of internet speed drops, as data does not pass through intermediate encryption gateways. This makes the technology an ideal solution for streaming high-definition video on Smart TVs, gaming consoles, and media players, where installing full-fledged VPN clients is often difficult.

However, Smart DNS has a serious drawback—a complete lack of security and privacy. Since traffic is not encrypted, your provider and network administrators can see all your actions on the network, and your IP address remains unchanged for all websites except those specified in the service's routing table.