Documenting the steps I took to get NextDNS, NordVPN and restricted WiFi networks to work together.

I have been experimenting with NextDNS recently, a cloud based private DNS with privacy controls. Feature-wise, it’s pretty similar to Pi-hole. The main difference is that the Pi-hole runs at home, while NextDNS is available everywhere. This makes it pretty appealing as it allows me to carry my site blocking configuration everywhere.

It comes with preset lists, blacklists, whitelists, analytics (graphs) and logs. The Linux client is open source, and the privacy policy looks pretty good. Where it shines is its connectivity options. You can use DNS over TLS, DNS over HTTPS, and regular DNS. They give clear instructions, and there are many options across OSes and browsers.

The sign-up process is fast and you are given a unique configuration ID immediately, and you can start playing with the settings right away.

NextDNS screens

The configuration ID is unique to your account, only share it with people you trust. The examples shown on this page are purely for demonstration purposes.

NordVPN and NextDNS together

Although NordVPN comes with its own CyberSec feature, there is very little in the way of explanation or control regarding how it works. I wanted to make use of NordVPN for the actual traffic, but still use NextDNS to retain control over what’s being blocked and keep an eye on requests being made.

Private DNS in Android 9+

The Private DNS feature introduced in Android 9 allows you to set a system wide DNS, not just specific to a WiFi. Android will perform DNS-over-TLS requests against this address, and in most cases this DNS setting is applied whether you’re connected to WiFi, mobile data, or VPN. This is the most convenient way to set yourself up with NextDNS, and should play nicely with NordVPN and other VPNs too.

From the main settings page on your NextDNS configuration, find the DNS-over-TLS address. In your Android settings, search for Private DNS. I found this setting under Settings > Network & Internet > Advanced > Private DNS .

DNS over TLS on Android

For most scenarios and use cases, this works well enough and is a good enough default setting to stick with.

There’s a catch - captive portals and corporate WiFi

Many workplaces, hotels and airports offer a guest WiFi network to connect personal devices to, and often these come with captive portals. The trouble here is that such ‘corporate’ networks often block most outgoing ports, 853 included, which is what DNS-over-TLS makes use of. When using the Private DNS feature in such a network, Android will mark the corporate WiFi with ‘no internet connection’; your web browsing will fail, and you will be unable to connect to VPN.

Works with WiFi

Works with mobile networks

Works with NordVPN

Doesn’t work with corporate WiFi/captive portals

Not an option on older Android devices

If connecting to a restricted WiFi isn’t necessary for you, this is the best place to stop. You’re in a good position, and you can enjoy both NextDNS and NordVPN.

If however, you do need to work with a restricted WiFi, the NextDNS app can help here.

The NextDNS app

The NextDNS app on the Play Store makes DNS requests using DNS-over-HTTPS. The advantage of DNS-over-HTTPS is that the DNS requests themselves are made over the ‘common’ port 443, with TLS certificates encrypting your traffic; to a network this just appears as normal web traffic and is unlikely to be blocked.

Using their app will allow you to use NextDNS while on WiFi or mobile network, but won’t allow you to use an actual VPN - this is because the app itself sets up a local device VPN to issue DNS-over-HTTPS requests. The main setting in the app is the configuration ID of your NextDNS settings. You can also get it to send your device model so that you can easily identify it in the logs. Since it’s a local device VPN, the battery consumption is very low.

Works with WiFi

Works on mobile networks

Works with corporate WiFi/captive portals

Works on Android 4+

Cannot use with actual VPNs

If using an actual VPN isn’t necessary for you, this is the best place to stop. It only gets more complicated from here.

If however, you do need an actual VPN as well as DNS, then read on.

NordVPN’s custom DNS

Now we’re in complicated land. The NordVPN app allows setting an IP address for a DNS server that it will use when making requests. Get this from the settings screen on NextDNS, and add it to the NordVPN setting, Custom DNS . Since you’re connecting to a restricted WiFi, be sure to also select Use TCP - this makes NordVPN connect over port 443 to its servers.

DNS in the NordVPN app

Observe that the NextDNS IP address is actually common to many of its users. NextDNS needs some way of identifying your requests to that IP, among the thousands of other people using the same IP.

To identify yourself, connect to your VPN, then browse to the NextDNS configuration page and press the Link IP button. It will then detect the IP you’re connecting from (the NordVPN server) and from then on any requests from your device will make use of your NextDNS configuration.

But pressing the “Link IP” button is not a maintainable solution and is easy to forget. In the screenshot above, NextDNS provides a convenience URL that you can call - it will detect the IP you called from, and set the linked IP address on your behalf. In my example, this is

You can also programmatically update your linked IP by calling:

https://link-ip.nextdns.io/924d45/0d927fe242bee36c

We need a way of invoking that URL on a regular basis. Specifically, we need a way of invoking that URL whenever we connect to a VPN.

Tasker is an automation app for Android which lets you perform actions based on various conditions, events, variables. There is a 7 day trial you can play around with.

My solution is to create a Tasker profile that invokes an HTTP request when connecting to a VPN.

In Tasker, create a new profile, VPN On .

Pick State , and in the dialog, search for VPN Connected

Leave the State as is, and press the back arrow

When prompted, create a new Task, Update NextDNS Linked IP

Press to add an Action, and search for HTTP Request

Paste the URL from the NextDNS setting screen in the URL field

Profile: Vpn On (2) State: VPN Connected [ Active:Any ] Enter: Update NextDNS Linked IP (3) A1: HTTP Request [ Method:GET URL:https://link-ip.nextdns.io/924d45/0d927fe242bee36c Headers: Query Parameters: Body: File To Send: File To Save With Output: Timeout (Seconds):30 Trust Any Certificate:Off ]

To test this is working, connect to any NordVPN server. Then on your device, browse to your NextDNS configuration at https://my.nextdns.io - you should see an ‘All Good!’ message at the top, and in the Linked IP section, your IP with a tick next to it.

NextDNS confirms

This setup works reliably, but is only applicable to the NordVPN connection. When you disconnect from the VPN, you are no longer using NextDNS, and you’ll need to launch the NextDNS app manually and connect there.

Works with NordVPN

Works with corporate WiFi/captive portals

Use the NextDNS app when not on VPN - covers wifi and mobile networks

Complicated setup

If you can stick to using NordVPN across all your wifi and mobile connections, then this is a good place to stop. It’s going to get even more complicated after this. Just stop, seriously.

If however, you are looking to automate the switch to NextDNS when NordVPN disconnects, then I have a few ideas on how to make this work, though they all have gaps.

Launch NextDNS when VPN disconnects

Tasker profiles have the concept of Exit Tasks; we can get Tasker to launch NextDNS when disconnecting from NordVPN.

In Tasker, long press the right side of the “NextDNS VPN On” profile. Press Add Exit Task and Create a New Task , “Launch NextDNS”

Press to add an Action, and search for Launch App

Find NextDNS in the list and select it, then press the back arrow

Tasker Exit Task

When disconnecting from NordVPN, the NextDNS app should launch and serve as a gentle reminder to connect to it.

This Tasker profile will only work on Android 9 and below. From Android 10+, Tasker can no longer launch activities from the background.

Turn Private DNS off when connecting to known WiFi

The problem can be flipped on its head. Instead of sequential actions and workarounds, we can make an exception for known corporate networks, but enable Private DNS everywhere else.

Set up a profile for WiFi connected , with both the entry and exit task the same, Private DNS . In the task, the pseudo logic is:

If connected to wifi If connected to the work network Set Private DNS to 'Opportunistic' (automatic) Else Set Private DNS to 'Hostname' (the NextDNS server) Else(mobile network) Set Private DNS to 'Hostname' (the NextDNS server)

The Tasker screen is a little complicated to look at due to the nested If/Elses

Turn Private DNS on or off based on WiFi network name

Using If in the task, you can check %WIFII ~ *connection* which matches if you are connected to a WiFi network.

The nested If checks the network names, you can add a bunch of known networks in here, separate them by OR s. %WIFII ~ *work* OR %WIFII ~ *someother*

The Custom Setting task sets private_dns_mode to either opportunistic (automatic) or hostname (you need to set the actual hostname via the Android Settings panel)

The step to actually set the Private DNS requires additional prep work. You must first enable Developer mode, then enable USB debugging, and from your PC, run

adb shell pm grant net.dinglisch.android.taskerm android.permission.WRITE_SECURE_SETTINGS

This allows Tasker to set the Private DNS setting.

Tasker description:

Profile: WiFi private Dns (18) State: Wifi Connected [ SSID:* MAC:* IP:* Active:Any ] Enter: Private Dns (8) A1: [X] Flash [ Text:%WIFII Long:Off ] A2: If [ %WIFII ~ *connection* ] A3: If [ %WIFII ~ *work* | %WIFII ~ *someother* ] <Automatic DNS> A4: Custom Setting [ Type:Global Name:private_dns_mode Value:opportunistic Use Root:Off Read Setting To: ] A5: Else <Private DNS> A6: Custom Setting [ Type:Global Name:private_dns_mode Value:hostname Use Root:Off Read Setting To: ] A7: End If A8: Else <Private DNS> A9: Custom Setting [ Type:Global Name:private_dns_mode Value:hostname Use Root:Off Read Setting To: ] A10: End If Exit: Private Dns (8) A1: [X] Flash [ Text:%WIFII Long:Off ] A2: If [ %WIFII ~ *connection* ] A3: If [ %WIFII ~ *work* | %WIFII ~ *someother* ] <Automatic DNS> A4: Custom Setting [ Type:Global Name:private_dns_mode Value:opportunistic Use Root:Off Read Setting To: ] A5: Else <Private DNS> A6: Custom Setting [ Type:Global Name:private_dns_mode Value:hostname Use Root:Off Read Setting To: ] A7: End If A8: Else <Private DNS> A9: Custom Setting [ Type:Global Name:private_dns_mode Value:hostname Use Root:Off Read Setting To: ] A10: End If

This allows use of NextDNS everywhere while having NordVPN running: via Private DNS in most places; on work networks the Linked IP profile helps fills the gap.

The only catch is that if you encounter a WiFi network where you cannot connect, you must remember to add it to the Tasker profile.

It may be possible to take this a step further: add another check in Tasker which tests whether port 853 of the NextDNS server is reachable and automatically set or un-set Private DNS, instead of relying on a list. This could potentially be accomplished via a Tasker shell task which calls

nc -v -w5 -z 924d45.dns.nextdns.io 853

And parsing its response.

Conclusions

Don’t make things complicated, try sticking to a middle ground.