Block Websites From Your Router or Using DNS

Speeds up connectivity, protects from viruses

The internet is chock full of content, but not all of it is wholesome for general consumption by all. Thankfully, you can block certain websites to ensure no one accesses them on your home network, especially the kids.

It may seem unfair to restrict internet usage at home, but it also protects your network from malicious content and viruses from some websites, while speeding up connectivity in general.

We’ll show you how to block websites on your router, or by using DNS, among other solutions.

Note:This is a general guide; some routers may or may not have the feature to block individual websites. However, most router firmware allows you to add such sites to the whitelist or blacklist, and edit the lists to effectively control access to them.

How To Block Websites On Your Router

You can block websites in different ways depending on the router you have at home, provided it supports website blocking. We’ll walk you through the steps you need to take when blocking sites from your router.

How To Block Websites Using DNS

Not all routers give the option to block websites from the back end, which means you need another way of blocking such sites. You can do this using a DNS service such asOpenDNS, which is free to use, and can filter out or block specific sites.

Without an IP address, your computer can’t connect to any website, so a DNS server is required to translate a URL likehelpdeskgeek.cominto an IP address.

Ordinarily, you’d use the DNS service your ISP offers, butyou can change this at any time. OpenDNS is a third-party DNS server that offers several features like content filtering and increased speed, plus parental controls.

You can use the OpenDNSHome Internet SecurityorFamily Shieldto block specific websites or content, plus piracy or malware sites by changing the DNS server on your home router or devices.

Note:This method doesn’t block social networking sites that may have some disturbing content. In this case, you need the more advanced OpenDNS Home Internet Security that blocks entire categories of content. It only works on your network though, but it’s great if you want more granular control.

Block Websites Using Parental Controls

The Parental controls feature can block inadvertent access to or filter the web for inappropriate sites. You can block sites on your router using the native parental controls, or use third-party software.

If your router shipped with built-in parental controls, you can go to the configuration pages on the web and set it up for your network.

If not, just use OpenDNS to set up the feature on your router by changing the DNS server settings to using OpenDNS, and then choose the websites to block. Any time someone visits a blocked site, they’ll get a message that says, “This site is blocked”.

Windows PCs using the Windows 10 operating system come with integrated parental controls that combineFamily Safety’sweb filtering, time limits and program access among other new features.

How To Block Websites Using Antivirus Software Or Firewall Settings

You can also block websites using your antivirus software or firewall by getting a blanket ban on specific sites. This blocks everything, and from there you can whitelist the websites that you want to allow on your home network. Most firewalls’ default settings also allow you to block anything that’s not safe to read or watch.

A good antivirus package should have website filtering as one of its features, which makes it easy for you to block several websites.

Some Internet security suites also offer native parental controls, for example the freeNorton Family parental controlapp from Norton, or you can pay for a dedicated tool likeNet Nanny. They aren’t perfect, but the offer some peace of mind, at least around the house on your home network.

Elsie is a technology writer and editor with a special focus on Windows, Android and iOS. She writes about software, electronics and other tech subjects, her ultimate goal being to help people out with useful solutions to their daily tech issues in a simple, straightforward and unbiased style. She has a BCom degree in Marketing and currently pursuing her Masters in Communications and New Media.Read Elsie’s Full Bio

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Block Websites From Your Router or Using DNS#

How To Block Websites On Your Router#

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