How to boost your WiFi Speed and MS Teams Call Quality for Remote Work Success in 2025?

Remote work in 2025 demands better internet speeds.

Are you struggling with slow WiFi and choppy MS Teams calls? Let’s fix it!

Here’s a simple fix:

Change your DNS settings (yes you can do it, it is risk-free!)

Most people stick to their ISP’s default DNS, but switching to a public DNS like Google (8.8.8.8 / 8.8.4.4) or Cloudflare (1.1.1.1) can:

• Speed up internet response times
• Improve connection reliability
• Reduce latency for smoother video calls

But does it really impact MS Teams call quality?

Let’s test it via fast.com (https://fast.com)…you will see something as below:

To switch to a public DNS like Google DNS, use the addresses 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4 as your primary and secondary DNS servers, while for Cloudflare DNS, use 1.1.1.1; access your network settings on your device and change the DNS server addresses accordingly.

Key points:

• Google DNS: 8.8.8.8 (primary), 8.8.4.4 (secondary)
• Cloudflare DNS: 1.1.1.1

How to change DNS settings (general steps):

• On Windows:
  Go to Control Panel > Network and Internet > Network and Sharing Center > Change adapter settings > Select your connection > Properties > Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4) > Properties > Enter new DNS addresses.
• On Mac:
  System Settings > Network > Select your network > Advanced > DNS > Add new DNS server addresses.

Let’s find out further to determine how much of an impact using a public DNS has on services like MS Teams and whether it improves call quality, latency, and overall performance.

Impact of DNS Choice on Microsoft Teams Call Quality

Introduction

Microsoft Teams relies on a fast, stable network to deliver clear audio and video. One often-overlooked factor is DNS (Domain Name System) resolution. DNS translates the server names (like teams.microsoft.com) into IP addresses so your device can connect. This investigation examines whether using a public DNS service (such as Google’s 8.8.8.8 / 8.8.4.4 or Cloudflare’s 1.1.1.1) instead of your default ISP’s DNS can improve online call performance in Teams. We analyze how DNS might affect latency, packet loss, and overall call quality, compare public vs. ISP DNS speed and reliability for video calls, review any documented cases of DNS influencing Teams, and provide recommendations on switching DNS for better connectivity.

DNS and Microsoft Teams Calls: The Basics

Microsoft Teams uses DNS to find the closest Microsoft 365 cloud servers for your calls and meetings. This DNS lookup happens when you start a call or join a meeting: your Teams client queries DNS for service addresses, then connects to the returned IP. After that initial connection, the call’s media (audio/video) flows directly over the network to the server’s IP address. In other words, DNS mainly affects the start of the connection (finding the server), but once the call is underway, DNS is no longer involved in carrying voice or video data (DNS and how it affects video call connection : r/networking) (Can DNS service affect video streaming speed? — Super User). The quality of a Teams call (latency, jitter, packet loss, etc.) primarily depends on your Internet connection and the route to the Teams server, not on ongoing DNS queries.

However, DNS can indirectly influence call quality if it causes you to connect to a suboptimal server or introduces delays in call setup. For example, Microsoft uses a global network of servers; the DNS response you get can determine which data center you connect to. Ideally, you want to connect to a Teams server nearby (geographically) for lowest latency. Slow or misconfigured DNS could delay the connection or even point you to a far-away server, which would increase latency for the entire call (Microsoft Teams performance optimization in 8 steps — Rimscout) (Microsoft Teams performance optimization in 8 steps — Rimscout). Thus, while DNS doesn’t handle voice/video traffic, choosing a fast and accurate DNS service is still important to ensure quick, correct server connections for Teams.

Latency and Call Performance

Network latency — the round-trip time for data between you and the Teams server — is critical for real-time call quality. High latency can cause delays in speech and lag in video. DNS affects latency in two ways:

• DNS lookup latency (call setup): When you initiate a Teams call, your device must resolve several hostnames (for signaling, media, etc.). A slow DNS server adds extra milliseconds (or even more if it retries) before the call can start connecting. Using a faster DNS can shave off this lookup time. For example, public DNS services often have very low resolution times (global averages in the tens of milliseconds) (Ranking the Performance of Public DNS Providers). If your ISP’s DNS is sluggish or far away, switching to a public DNS with servers near you could reduce this initial delay ( Latency vs. Jitter: Understanding Network Metrics — Obkio ). In practice, the difference might be on the order of a few milliseconds to a few tens of milliseconds — not usually noticeable in a call’s overall duration, but it contributes to how quickly the call setup proceeds. Every bit of reduced latency helps real-time apps.
• Server selection (routing latency): Microsoft Teams uses DNS-based load balancing and geolocation to assign you a server. If your DNS resolution returns an IP address for a server that isn’t optimal for your region, your latency will be higher throughout the call. This can happen if your DNS server is in a different region or misconfigured. A technical case study showed that incorrect DNS resolution led a user in Germany to be connected to a Teams server in India, greatly increasing latency (Microsoft Teams performance optimization in 8 steps — Rimscout) (Microsoft Teams performance optimization in 8 steps — Rimscout). In such cases, changing to a better DNS (one that resolves to local servers) can drastically cut latency (by hundreds of milliseconds) and improve call responsiveness. Generally, a good DNS service will resolve Teams to a datacenter on your continent or nearest to your network. Modern public DNS providers also use techniques like EDNS Client Subnet to ensure location-appropriate answers — they include a snippet of your IP in the DNS query so that content networks return the nearest server for you (DNS and how it affects video call connection : r/networking). This means well-known public DNS (Google, Cloudflare, etc.) usually won’t misroute you; they tend to provide an IP in your region, similar to or better than an ISP DNS.
• Jitter (latency variation) in calls is typically caused by network congestion or route instability, not by DNS. Once the call is connected, DNS is out of the picture for the media stream, so using public DNS won’t directly change jitter. The primary contribution of DNS is ensuring you’re connected to a low-latency server from the start. In summary, a fast public DNS can slightly reduce call setup time and help ensure you connect to the optimal Teams server, thereby minimizing network latency for the call. But it will not single-handedly fix high latency caused by your ISP’s routing or a slow Internet connection — those issues require network solutions (like improving your connection or using QoS).

Packet Loss and Call Quality

Packet loss — when some audio/video data packets never reach their destination — is the #1 enemy of call quality. In fact, “the most common cause of poor Microsoft Teams call quality is packet loss” (Microsoft Teams Call Quality — How To Ensure The Best Experience | Nasstar). Even a small percentage of lost packets can lead to choppy audio (the famous “robot voice”) or stuttering video. Packet loss is caused by network problems (congested links, Wi-Fi interference, router issues, etc.), not by DNS. Since DNS isn’t involved in carrying call data, switching DNS servers won’t directly reduce packet loss during a Teams call. If you’re experiencing packet loss, you’d typically investigate bandwidth bottlenecks, wireless signal strength, or ISP issues — changing DNS alone cannot recover lost packets in the media stream.

That said, DNS reliability can indirectly play a role in overall call stability. For example, if your DNS server is unreliable and occasionally fails to resolve Teams service addresses, you might experience dropped calls or inability to join meetings. Imagine if mid-call Teams needs to fetch something from a service (or re-resolve a server due to a network path change) and DNS doesn’t answer — this could cause a disruption. Public DNS services are known for their high reliability and uptime (Ranking the Performance of Public DNS Providers). Google’s and Cloudflare’s DNS infrastructures are globally distributed and redundant, so the chance of DNS queries timing out or failing is extremely low. In contrast, some ISP DNS servers have been known to suffer outages or slowdowns (making it seem like “the internet is down” when in reality only DNS is failing). By using a robust public DNS, you reduce the risk of DNS-related failures that could affect Teams connectivity (e.g. an inability to resolve the server when establishing or re-establishing a call). Additionally, public DNS often updates records quickly and correctly — so if Microsoft adds or changes server IPs, public resolvers may pick up those changes faster, avoiding scenarios where an ISP’s stale DNS record might send your client to a dead address. In summary, public DNS can improve reliability of name resolution (fewer failures), but it doesn’t prevent packet loss on the call’s media — that’s a separate network issue.

Default ISP DNS vs. Public DNS: Speed and Reliability

Many users stick with the default DNS provided by their Internet Service Provider. How do these ISP DNS servers compare to public DNS like Google or Cloudflare? There are a few key factors:

• Resolution Speed: Public DNS services are often very fast at converting domain names to IPs. Global tests have found that Cloudflare’s 1.1.1.1 and Google’s 8.8.8.8 are among the fastest DNS resolvers, with average query latencies on the order of a few tens of milliseconds (Ranking the Performance of Public DNS Providers). In one benchmark, Cloudflare had an ~18.5 ms global average latency and Google about 24 ms, outperforming many other providers (Ranking the Performance of Public DNS Providers). By comparison, ISP DNS performance varies — a large ISP might have DNS servers in your city with very low ping (even <10 ms), but some ISPs have slower or more centralized DNS that could take longer to respond. The consistency of public DNS is also a plus: top providers have stable response times and less variability, whereas some ISP or smaller third-party DNS showed erratic latency spikes in tests (Ranking the Performance of Public DNS Providers) (Ranking the Performance of Public DNS Providers). This consistency means fewer surprise delays in resolving Teams server names.

(Ranking the Performance of Public DNS Providers) Figure: Average DNS lookup latency for popular public DNS providers (lower is better). Cloudflare (1.1.1.1) and Google (8.8.8.8) provide single-digit to low-double-digit millisecond resolution times on average, faster and more consistent than many other resolvers. (Ranking the Performance of Public DNS Providers) (Ranking the Performance of Public DNS Providers)

• Reliability and Uptime: Public DNS services are built to handle enormous traffic with redundant servers worldwide. Google and Cloudflare have multiple servers in many regions (using Anycast routing to send your query to the nearest operational server) (Ranking the Performance of Public DNS Providers). This means they rarely go down; even if one data center has an issue, your DNS query transparently fails over to another location. ISP DNS servers are usually local and may not have the same level of redundancy (though this depends on the ISP). DNS outages or slowdowns at the ISP level are not uncommon, especially with smaller providers — users might experience inability to resolve any sites if an ISP DNS goes down. By switching to a well-known public DNS, you’re leveraging providers that “often offer superior speed and security” and are highly reliable (Ranking the Performance of Public DNS Providers). In short, Google’s or Cloudflare’s DNS is less likely to be a single point of failure for your internet connection compared to a lone ISP server.
• Geographic Targeting: As discussed earlier, one concern when using a third-party DNS is whether it will still give you DNS answers optimized for your location. Many CDNs and cloud services (possibly including Microsoft’s network) use the location of the DNS resolver to help route users to the nearest server. An ISP’s DNS is usually located in your region, so it will typically return IP addresses for a nearby service node. Public DNS services mitigate this by using EDNS Client Subnet, an extension where the DNS query includes a portion of your IP or location info (privacy-preserving) to the upstream servers (DNS and how it affects video call connection : r/networking). Google Public DNS, for example, has long supported this, meaning even though Google’s DNS might be globally distributed, it can tell Microsoft’s DNS system roughly where you are and get an appropriate server IP. Cloudflare’s 1.1.1.1 also has a vast network and often reaches authoritative servers from a location close to you (Ranking the Performance of Public DNS Providers). In practice, users generally do not get misrouted when using major public DNS. On the contrary, if an ISP’s DNS is poorly configured (e.g., all queries from a whole country go out from one central point), it could even be worse for geo-routing than an anycast public DNS node in your city. Thus, for Microsoft Teams and similar apps, public DNS usually provides equally good or potentially better server selection. (In rare cases, if you use a niche DNS service or one physically far away, you might see suboptimal routing — but this is unlikely with Google or Cloudflare in most regions.)
• DNS Response Caching and Freshness: ISP DNS and public DNS both cache DNS records to answer quickly. One advantage of large public DNS resolvers is that they often have many records cached due to high query volumes, so there’s a good chance the Microsoft Teams addresses are already in cache (near-instant response) at any given moment (Any advantage to using Google’s DNS servers VS your ISP’s DNS?). ISPs with fewer users or less robust caching might need to fetch records more often, adding a bit of delay. Public DNS providers also tend to honor TTLs (time-to-live) and refresh records promptly when they expire. If Microsoft updates an IP address for a service, public DNS nodes around the world will update accordingly. Some ISP DNS might be slower to update or could serve stale records if misconfigured, potentially causing temporary connection issues to Teams until their cache refreshes. In general, both public and ISP DNS cache to improve speed; the difference is in scale and how well they’re managed — the big public providers invest heavily in optimizing this.

In summary, public DNS services (Google, Cloudflare, etc.) are usually very fast and extremely reliable for name resolution. A well-run ISP DNS can be comparable in speed if it’s nearby, but not all are optimal. Public resolvers have the advantage of a global infrastructure and strong engineering, which often translates to quick response and high availability. For real-time apps like Teams, using a DNS that responds a few milliseconds faster “feels” the same once you’re in a call, but the consistency and reduced risk of DNS hiccups are beneficial. The key is that any DNS you use should resolve quickly and accurately to local Teams servers — many public DNS meet this criterion, and if your ISP’s doesn’t, you stand to gain by switching.

Reported Cases and Studies on DNS Influence

Direct studies specifically linking DNS changes to Microsoft Teams performance are limited (since DNS is one of many factors). However, networking experts and user reports provide insight:

• Rimscout (Microsoft Teams Performance Study): Rimscout, a performance monitoring firm, identified DNS misconfiguration as a cause of Teams call latency in global companies. In one example, internal clients were using a DNS server on another continent, resulting in Teams resolving to servers outside the users’ region (Microsoft Teams performance optimization in 8 steps — Rimscout). The users in the US were sometimes getting a Teams server in Europe or Asia during name resolution, which “is a clear cause for Microsoft Teams performance issues” (Microsoft Teams performance optimization in 8 steps — Rimscout) (Microsoft Teams performance optimization in 8 steps — Rimscout). The recommended fix was to correct the DNS configuration so that users query local DNS and get local Teams servers. This case highlights that DNS can significantly impact Teams performance if it causes geographic mismatches. A public DNS closer to home would have prevented queries from going to an overseas DNS and fixed the latency spike.
• Reddit Networking Discussion: A Reddit thread posed the question of how changing DNS could affect video call connections. A top answer noted it’s “unlikely DNS is constantly involved in maintaining a video stream,” but two possible impacts were mentioned: (1) Changing DNS might yield a different IP address for the call server, potentially connecting you to a better (or worse) server and thus changing performance; (2) It could have been a coincidence where the real issue (like ISP routing) resolved around the same time (DNS and how it affects video call connection : r/networking) (DNS and how it affects video call connection : r/networking). Several commenters agreed that once the call is set up, DNS isn’t in play for stream quality, except via the server selection mechanism (DNS and how it affects video call connection : r/networking). One user pointed out that services (including FaceTime or potentially Teams) might do “DNS-based geolocation to determine which server to connect to”, so if your current DNS doesn’t support the client location extension, switching to one that does (like Google) can improve results (DNS and how it affects video call connection : r/networking). The consensus was that you can’t argue with results — some users did see improvements after changing DNS — but any improvement likely came from being directed to a better server or resolving an underlying network issue, not from ongoing speed differences in the call itself (DNS and how it affects video call connection : r/networking) (DNS and how it affects video call connection : r/networking).
• General Network Guidance: Network optimization guides often include DNS tuning as one step. For instance, one best-practices article suggests using “fast and reliable DNS servers to reduce the time required for domain name resolution,” even explicitly saying “consider using public DNS services with low latency” ( Latency vs. Jitter: Understanding Network Metrics — Obkio ). Another Microsoft Teams calling guide recommends “leveraging local DNS resolution” to reduce dependency on potentially slow external DNS and ensure traffic goes to the nearest Microsoft network edge (7 essentials for top-notch calling quality in Microsoft Teams). The rationale is that real-time apps are sensitive to even minor delays, so avoiding any unnecessary DNS lag or misrouting helps. These sources imply that if your current DNS is a bottleneck, switching to a public service could remove that bottleneck and slightly streamline the call setup and routing process.
• Other Services and Streaming: Although not specific to Teams, there have been cases with other streaming services that illustrate DNS effects. For example, a user streaming NHL games found that using OpenDNS led to poor quality, but switching back to their ISP’s DNS fixed it (Can DNS service affect video streaming speed? — Super User). This suggests OpenDNS might have been giving a non-optimal CDN node for the stream. On the flip side, many users have reported improved general internet responsiveness by using Google or Cloudflare DNS — web pages start loading faster due to quicker DNS resolution (Ranking the Performance of Public DNS Providers). In the context of video calls, quicker resolution might make the difference in how fast a Zoom or Teams meeting connects initially (though once connected, it’s all about the network path). We haven’t found formal papers measuring Teams call MOS (Mean Opinion Score) vs DNS choice, likely because differences are subtle unless the original DNS was causing a serious issue. But the anecdotal evidence and expert commentary align on one point: DNS should be fast and local; if it’s not, it can hamper real-time application performance.

Recommendations: Should You Change Your DNS for Teams?

If you suspect your current DNS is slow or causing Teams issues, switching to a reputable public DNS is a simple tweak that might help. Here are some recommendations and considerations:

• Use a Fast, Local DNS Resolver: Whether it’s your ISP’s DNS or a public service, the DNS you use should respond quickly and direct you to local servers. You can test your current DNS performance (there are DNS benchmarking tools or even just measure ping time to the DNS server). If the ping/latency to your ISP DNS is high or name resolution seems sluggish, trying Google (8.8.8.8) or Cloudflare (1.1.1.1) is worthwhile. Both Google and Cloudflare have globally distributed nodes, so typically you’ll get a DNS server near your location (Ranking the Performance of Public DNS Providers). This ensures minimal added latency for lookups and that Microsoft sees your correct region when you resolve Teams addresses.
• Potential Benefits of Public DNS for Teams:
• Faster call setup: Public DNS can resolve domain names a bit quicker on average, so joining meetings and establishing calls could feel snappier by a small margin ( Latency vs. Jitter: Understanding Network Metrics — Obkio ).
• Improved reliability: Services like Google DNS are highly reliable — reducing the chance of call failures due to DNS outages or slow responses (Ranking the Performance of Public DNS Providers).
• Proper server selection: If your ISP DNS was accidentally pointing you to the wrong region (uncommon but possible, especially on corporate networks with centralized DNS), a well-implemented public DNS will fix that and connect you to nearer Teams servers (Microsoft Teams performance optimization in 8 steps — Rimscout). This can lower your call latency significantly if misrouting was happening.
• No ISP filtering/caching issues: Some ISPs do weird things like intercept DNS or cache aggressively. Public DNS gives you an unfiltered, up-to-date resolution, which might avoid odd issues (for example, one user’s Teams status indicators failed with a custom DNS setup, but worked again on Google DNS (Problem with MS Teams that affects the display of online status …)).
• Keep Expectations Realistic: It’s important to note what changing DNS won’t fix. If your Teams calls are suffering from low bandwidth, high network congestion, or Wi-Fi interference, switching DNS will not solve these root problems. It won’t reduce packet loss or jitter once the media stream is flowing, since those depend on the network path and quality. In other words, don’t expect a miraculous transformation in call quality solely from DNS. The improvement from a DNS change is usually in connectivity and initial latency. As one networking professional put it, “DNS has no change in perceived speed or quality once the lookup is done” (DNS and how it affects video call connection : r/networking) — meaning after the call connects, your experience is governed by network conditions and Teams’ handling of them (e.g. congestion control, forward error correction for packet loss, etc.). Use DNS tuning as one optimization step, not a cure-all.
• Test and Compare: If you decide to try a public DNS, do some A/B testing. For example, switch to 8.8.8.8/8.8.4.4 for a day of Teams meetings and note if you see fewer issues or any improvement, then switch back to your ISP DNS another day. You can also use Microsoft’s Network Assessment Tool for Teams to test connectivity — see if DNS resolution results differ between the two (the tool will show if any required Teams service names can’t be resolved or if latency to servers changes). Additionally, a quick comparison of nslookup teams.microsoft.com (or other Teams domains) on each DNS could reveal if they return different IP addresses – if they do, one may be directing you to a closer server than the other (DNS and how it affects video call connection : r/networking). Generally, if your ISP DNS is working fine and is local, you might not notice a big difference after switching. But if there was a hidden DNS issue, the difference could be noticeable (faster join times, slightly lower ping in call info stats, etc.).
• Security and Other Benefits: While outside the scope of pure performance, note that public DNS like Cloudflare and Google also come with potential benefits like phishing/malware protection and DNS over HTTPS/TLS for privacy. If you’re changing DNS anyway, it’s nice to gain these perks. Cloudflare, for instance, prides itself on privacy (no IP logs after 24 hours, etc.) and modern protocol support. Google Public DNS has extensive security measures and anycast routing. These won’t directly change your Teams call quality, but they make using public DNS an attractive option overall, further justifying the switch if performance is at least as good as your ISP’s.

Bottom line: For most users, switching to a well-known public DNS (Google’s 8.8.8.8/8.8.4.4 or Cloudflare’s 1.1.1.1/1.0.0.1) is a low-risk tweak that can improve DNS resolution speed and reliability. In turn, this can streamline your Microsoft Teams connectivity — ensuring quick server discovery and reducing the chance of DNS-related call hiccups. Don’t expect it to fix deeper network quality problems, but as part of overall network optimization, a faster DNS can contribute to a better online calling experience. If your ISP DNS has ever given you trouble (slow responses, downtime, or routing you oddly), then using a public DNS is recommended for better consistency. Otherwise, if you’re not experiencing any DNS or resolution issues, you might not notice a dramatic change — but it won’t hurt to use the public DNS for peace of mind and potentially snappier name lookups.

Summary

Changing your DNS server to a public provider can improve aspects of online calls, particularly Microsoft Teams call setup and reliability of connections. Public DNS services like Google and Cloudflare offer very fast response times and robust global infrastructures, which means lower latency in domain resolution and high uptime (Ranking the Performance of Public DNS Providers) (Ranking the Performance of Public DNS Providers). This helps ensure that when you join a Teams meeting, your device quickly finds the optimal Microsoft server and connects with minimal delay. While DNS won’t reduce ongoing voice/video packet loss or fix a poor internet connection, it eliminates DNS lookup as a potential weak link. Comparative analysis suggests that public DNS is often more reliable than default ISP DNS and at least as fast, if not faster, in many cases (Ranking the Performance of Public DNS Providers) (Ranking the Performance of Public DNS Providers). Reports and case studies have shown that improper DNS can negatively affect Teams (for example, causing high latency by resolving to distant servers) and that using a correct, nearby DNS resolver fixes those issues (Microsoft Teams performance optimization in 8 steps — Rimscout) (Microsoft Teams performance optimization in 8 steps — Rimscout).

For users aiming to optimize their Microsoft Teams performance, it is advisable to use a fast DNS service — whether that’s your ISP’s (if proven fast and reliable) or a public DNS. Many IT professionals lean towards public DNS for their strong performance and because they avoid ISP-specific outages or quirks. Our recommendation is to try switching to a public DNS and monitor your Teams call quality: you may notice slightly faster connections and consistent performance. In combination with other best practices (sufficient bandwidth, using wired connections or strong Wi-Fi, enabling QoS, etc.), a better DNS completes the package for a smooth Teams calling experience. In summary, changing your DNS is a simple step that can remove minor obstacles in call connectivity, and for some users it can make the difference in connecting to Teams more quickly and reliably — ultimately contributing to better online call quality.

Sources: DNS performance benchmarks (Ranking the Performance of Public DNS Providers) (Ranking the Performance of Public DNS Providers), Microsoft Teams network optimization guides (Microsoft Teams performance optimization in 8 steps — Rimscout) (7 essentials for top-notch calling quality in Microsoft Teams), and expert discussions (DNS and how it affects video call connection : r/networking) (Ranking the Performance of Public DNS Providers) detailing the relationship between DNS resolution and real-time application performance.