WiFi Conflict with dnsmasq (OSX)

Question

I recently installed dnsmasq so I could use wildcard lookups for *.local addresses using these instructions.

The only difference was that mine was setup to resolved .local instead of .dev, like so:

address=/.local/127.0.0.1

It was working great when directly connected to a modem, but when connecting through, say, a public WiFi it was unable to resolve anything!

$ dnsmasq

dnsmasq: failed to create listening socket for 192.168.1.129: Permission denied

As an interim solution I removed dnsmasq:

$ sudo port uninstall dnsmasq

And then in my network preferences, I ran Diagnostics which detected a "problem" with my DNS settings. I clicked the button to revert those changes and the WiFi began to work again.

How can I re-install dnsmasq and set it up to avoid that WiFi problem? (E.g. a DNS setting I need to have or something with dnsmasq that I need to configure.)

Answer 1

.local conflicts with the domain used by zero-config solutions including bonjour. Choose a different domain.

If you are getting an IP address in the range 192.168.0.0/16 the domain on that network is likley .local. You may also get an address in the range 169.254,0.0/16 if you are unable to contact a DHCP server to get an address.

EDIT: localnet is a traditional alternative to local for your localnetwork. It is referenced on the dnsmasq FAQ.