Smart DNS Changer is a versatile network tool which can change your DNS server, MAC address and PC proxy settings.

The program installs quickly and easily. We were expecting adware, but there were no problems, and Smart DNS Changer was running within a few seconds.

A tabbed interface opens at the "DNS Changer". This lists several common DNS servers - Comodo, Google, Norton, Norton ConnectSafe, OpenDNS - along with a default "Automatic" option, and you can change your current settings in a couple of clicks. There are also boxes to enter DNS addresses manually, and buttons to open the Windows Network Connections window and Network Diagnostics applet.

Most of the competition stops there, but Smart DNS Changer takes the idea just a little further. A "kid shield" tab allows you to select different DNS servers for each user on a computer, and these will automatically be applied whenever they log on. This means your children could be set to use a filtered DNS, blocking non-family-friendly sites, while you're able to browse the web as normal.

A third tab provides a MAC address changer. If your internet connection is blocked because of your MAC address, choose the appropriate network adapter here and manually enter a new one (or click "Random MAC Address" to have one set automatically).

There's also a "Proxy Changer" tab, but this is by far the weakest section. There are no built-in lists of proxies, just a link to web page: you must follow that, find something suitable, then copy and paste it back into the Smart DNS Changer "Proxy" box. It works, but it's not exactly convenient.