Home Network
OpenDNS FamilyShield (208.67.222.123)
A free DNS filter from Cisco that blocks adult content, phishing, and proxy and anonymiser sites children use to bypass other filters.
About home network controls
Router and DNS controls apply to every device on your home network simultaneously, including phones, tablets, laptops, smart TVs and gaming consoles, without installing anything on each device. Set them alongside the controls on each device.
What network controls cannot do: They do not work when children switch to mobile data (4G/5G) instead of home WiFi. A VPN app on a child's phone bypasses DNS filtering. HTTPS prevents routers from reading page content: they can only block or allow entire domains, not individual pieces of content within a site.
Coverage at a glance
Yes
All WiFi devices
No
Mobile data
Medium (higher than Cloudflare for Families due to proxy blocking)
Bypass resistance
5 minutes
Setup time
What it blocks
- Adult content.
- Phishing sites and malware.
- Proxy sites and anonymisers used to bypass filters.
- Some VPN provider domains.
What it cannot block
- VPN apps with hardcoded IP addresses.
- Mobile data.
- DNS-over-HTTPS bypass.
- Content within allowed HTTPS domains.
Complete setup guide
- 1
Log into your router admin panel
Open 192.168.1.1 in a browser. The credentials are usually on the router label. Find DNS settings under Internet, WAN, or Advanced.
- 2
Enter the OpenDNS FamilyShield addresses
Set Primary DNS to 208.67.222.123 and Secondary DNS to 208.67.220.123, then save and restart the router.
- 3
Test by visiting a blocked category site
Try a known adult site. It should redirect to the OpenDNS block page confirming that the filter is active.
- 4
Create a free OpenDNS account for the dashboard
Go to opendns.com/home-internet-security and create a free account. Link it to your home IP address following the on-screen instructions. This gives you a real-time log of blocked requests and allows custom category control.
- 5
Use the dashboard to add custom blocks
In your OpenDNS dashboard, add any specific websites you want blocked that are not already covered by the default categories.
- 6
Whitelist any school or educational sites that get blocked
Some legitimate educational sites are occasionally over-blocked. The dashboard lets you whitelist specific domains without weakening the rest of the filter.
Tip
OpenDNS blocks proxy and anonymiser sites by default: these are the tools children often use to bypass basic content filters. That makes it meaningfully harder to circumvent than Cloudflare for Families alone.