Parental controls on your home Wi-Fi
How to filter adult sites and set internet schedules on your home Wi-Fi with router settings and free family DNS services, and their limits.
- A family DNS service filters adult sites on every device connected to your Wi-Fi, for free.
- Many home routers can pause the internet for specific devices on a schedule.
- Wi-Fi controls don't apply when a phone uses mobile data, so combine them with device controls.
Device controls only protect devices you've set up. Your home Wi-Fi can add a layer that covers everything connected to it: the smart TV, the shared laptop, a cousin's tablet, a game console.
Option 1: A family DNS filter
DNS is like the internet's phone book: it turns website names into addresses. A family DNS service refuses to look up adult and malicious sites, so they don't load on any device using your Wi-Fi.
Free family DNS services include:
| Service | DNS addresses |
|---|---|
| Cloudflare for Families (blocks malware and adult content) | 1.1.1.3 and 1.0.0.3 |
| OpenDNS FamilyShield | 208.67.222.123 and 208.67.220.123 |
| CleanBrowsing Family Filter | 185.228.168.168 and 185.228.169.168 |
How to set it up
- Find your router's admin page. The address and login are usually on a sticker on the router, or in your internet provider's app.
- Look for DNS settings, often under LAN, DHCP or Internet settings.
- Replace the DNS addresses with the family DNS addresses above.
- Save and restart the router.
- Test by visiting a site you expect to be blocked.
Some provider routers lock DNS settings. If you can't change them, you can set family DNS on each device instead, or ask your provider whether their app offers parental controls.
Option 2: Router schedules and device pausing
Many routers and provider apps let you:
- Pause internet for a specific device
- Set schedules so a child's devices go offline at bedtime
- See which devices are connected
Look for "Parental control", "Access control" or "Time schedule" in the router settings or app.
The limits
- Mobile data bypasses Wi-Fi controls. If your child's phone has load, it can skip your Wi-Fi entirely. Device controls like Family Link still apply.
- Private DNS and VPNs can bypass DNS filters. Android's Private DNS setting and VPN apps can route around your filter. Use device controls to block VPN apps.
- Filters aren't perfect. Some adult content lives on sites that aren't blocked, like social media.
- Router changes affect everyone. Adults in the house may find some sites blocked too.
Also turn on SafeSearch
DNS filters block websites, not search results. Turn on SafeSearch too. See SafeSearch and web filters.
Computer shops and pisonet
Your home Wi-Fi rules don't follow your child to a computer shop or pisonet. If your child goes to one, talk about which games and sites are okay, and who they talk to there.
eGuard sets up screen time, bedtime and app rules on your child's phone and checks that each one is really on. Free for one child.