Addictive Content
How to Block Porn on a Home Router
Learn how to install a content filter to block adult content on your home internet and Wifi.
Network filtering allows you to block content on any device (smartphones, tablets, computers, TVs) that uses your home internet connection.
I've written this guide after several years of testing the best methods for blocking unwanted content on many different devices.
Network content filtering is a critical part of my recommended approach to setting up an effective porn-blocking system . For many households, blocking websites (or even apps) using a router is the cornerstone of an effective blocking system, especially when it's not practical to install filtering on each device individually.
This guide assumes that you will use a filtering service that allows you to customize the filtering settings. For example, Tech Lockdown's Content Policy lets you customize your own policy with rules and categories, and while it does connect to devices individually, it's possible to connect your router too.
I only recommend using a customizable filter because it's important that you are able to block websites individually or even by an entire category, like adult content or security threats. You can block or manage other kinds of content (social media apps, for example), but there's a much smaller number of filtering services that give you that level of customization .
This guide is also going to assume that you've already configured the rules you'd like to apply to your home network. The next thing you'll need to do is log in to your home's router.
How to Login to your Router
While you'll often customize your filter settings on a website, you must log in to your router to connect it (and other devices on your home network) to that filter and start blocking websites.
Most routers have instructions you can follow on the back label of the physical device (sometimes, the label might be on the back instead). You should see an address you could type into a web browser, and the default username and password you'll need.
It's usually much easier to use a computer or laptop, if possible.
Determine IP Address Type to Avoid Common Problems
If you are setting up a DNS Filtering service on your home network to block unwanted content, your IP address type will determine how you connect to that service. In some cases, your IP address type may not be supported by the filter you are using.
Depending on the type of filter you're using, you might run into a problem later if you have a power outage.
IPv4 is an older standard that is much more common, but you often need to provide your router's public IP address to the filter you're setting up for filtering to continue to work properly. In the vast majority of cases, most routers use a public IP address that changes if the device is reset (in rarer cases, it could actually change randomly), so after a power outage, your router might get assigned a different public IP and stop filtering.
There are two main ways I recommend working around this problem:
- Switch your home router to IPv6 if the model supports the feature (see the section below on IPv6)
- Configure a static IP address on your router that won't change, even if the power goes out (see the section below on IPv4)
You often need to follow a different set of instructions if your router is using IPv4 vs IPv6, so I've broken this guide into two main sections in both cases.
A) IPv4 Setup Instructions
Most routers use IPv4 addresses by default. You can check if your router is using IPv4 by using a website like What's My IP ; you'll see a section for IPv4 and IPv6. If IPv6 is blank or couldn't be found, then your router is using IPv4.
1) Types of IPv4 addresses
Your router either uses dynamic or static IP address, and in the vast majority of cases, routers use dynamic IP addresses as the default option.
Dynamic IPv4 Addresses
If your router has a Dynamic IP address, then that means the public IP address your router uses can change, usually after a power outage. Most filtering services (especially customizable filters) need to know your router's current IP address to apply the correct restrictions to your home network.
You can check if you have a dynamic IP like this:
- Use a site like What's My IP to see your current IP address; make a note of this for later
- Unplug the router for about 30 seconds, then plug it back in and let it finish rebooting
- Visit What's My IP again and see if the address is different
If possible, we strongly recommend either switching to IPv6 or configuring a Static IP address on your router instead.
Static IPv4 Address
Some ISPs also allow you to specify an IP address for your device that does not change, so unlike a Dynamic IP, your router will always use the same public IP address.
Whether you can use a Static IP on your router depends on the model of router you're using and your ISP (Internet Service Provider). Many internet providers do allow you to change this yourself, so you might check your router's manufacturer page to see where to find this setting.
2) Change Router DNS
Once you've added your public network address to the filter you are using, you need to update your router to point to the filter.
You might need to check which addresses you will need to provide.
3) Provide your Router's Public IP Address to the Filter
If you're using a customizable filter (like Tech Lockdown), you'll need to provide your router's public IP address
B) IPV6 Setup Instructions
One of the benefits of a home network with IPv6 addresses is that pointing your router to your desired filter is a relatively straightforward process.
Your filtering service will provide you with DNS server addresses that are unique to your filter account.
In your router, simply update the primary and secondary DNS server addresses to point to the addresses provided by your filter:
Troubleshooting
DNS filters can be frustrating to maintain and configure. They can break for various reasons, but in my years running my own DNS Filtering service, here are the common reasons:
Something Broke. How do I get my internet back?
If something is misconfigured and you can't browse the internet or you're having some other issue, you can revert your configuration back to it's initial state.
Change your DNS servers to be automatically generated instead of manually set to your filter's IP addresses.
You can login to your router without internet by entering one of these addresses in your browser (only one address will work, so try both):
192.168.0.1 192.168.1.1
I set everything up, but filtering isn't working
Double-check that you followed all of the required steps and that you are pointing your router's primary and secondary DNS to your filter.
Disable router parental control features
The most common conflict is parental control features on the router. Disable any parental control features and check for any privacy or filtering features that might be enabled.
Caching
Another common reason is the DNS and browser cache. Sometimes a device will save a page or website that you have visited previously.
Here are some methods you can try:
- If you are on a computer, try flushing your DNS cache (see above instructions).
- Restart your browser and open an incognito/private browsing window, then visit a website that should be blocked (you should use a test website provided by your filter).
- Restart your device
- Wait 10-15 minutes
- Restart your router (unplug it and plug it back in)
Validate DNS with DNSLeaktest
If content still isn't being blocked, use a website like dnsleaktest.com and run an extended test. This shows you the current DNS service being used by your device, so you can often use these results to identify other issues on your device. If, for example, your ISP (internet service provider) is Verizon, you should not see Verizon in the ISP or hostname column.
VPNs and Proxies
Validate that your computer or smartphone is not using a VPN or proxy. You can also use DNS Leaktest to check this.
Overriding DNS
Your device might be setting its own primary and secondary DNS servers instead of obtaining them automatically.
For example, in Windows network settings, you should see that the DNS server assignment is automatic
If it's manually set, edit it so that it's automatically assigned.
Intentional network setting changes
Another common issue has to do with a user configuring network settings that allow them to bypass filtering entirely. Some DNS Filters, such as the one I provide, include an application that can force specific network settings. Even if a user attempts to use an alternative DNS, the application will revert the changes.
Furthermore, you can also block personal VPNs and proxies (not a VPN provided by your job), which are no longer necessary if you use a DNS filtering service (they have the same privacy affect).
A modern DNS Filtering service should automatically block most VPNs and proxies, but you can go a step further and configure managed devices that restrict the ability to set a VPN from the device itself. See also our dedicated guide: How to Schedule Internet Cutoff Times on a Router .