If you want a line of text, modem.com for example, to resolve to the internal IP of your modem, you’re going to need to change the hosts file on your computer. If you’ve ever attempted to change your hosts file, I’m sure you know that it’s not the easiest thing in the world. Not only must you figure out where the file is supposed to be, but you have to unhide the directory in the Finder in the first place. Maybe some people tweak it from the Terminal, but that can be pretty intimidating for some people, and editing the hosts file really isn’t that hard. There is an easier way, though.
If you’re looking for a no-fuss way to edit your hosts file whenever you want, just download and install Hosts.prefpane from GitHub. This slaps a preference pane into System Preferences that allows you to easily change what text resolves to which IP address. To add a new line, just click the plus button, enter the IP address of the device you want to resolve to, and then enter the text you want to redirect to that address. It’s that simple. Now when you type “modem.com” into your web browser, you’ll be taken to your modem’s web interface instead of what actually lies behind the domain.
Hat tip: OS X Daily
