Router & device setup guides

Turning on DNS filtering usually means changing one setting: the DNS servers your router, firewall or device hands out. These guides walk through that change on the equipment people actually use, with the menu names for each brand and a way to check it worked.

The firewall setup guide covers FortiGate, Cisco Meraki, UniFi, pfSense, SonicWall and Windows Server DNS forwarders. Once filtering is on, the next step is making sure devices can't route around it: how to stop DNS filtering bypass explains how to close the gaps on the firewall.

Home router guides walk through the same change on the routers most people have: TP-Link (Archer and Deco), NETGEAR, ASUS, eero, Google Nest Wifi and Linksys. Before you start, note your current DNS settings so you can switch back if you need to.

Using the box your internet provider gave you? Spectrum and Verizon Fios let you change DNS. Xfinity and AT&T lock it on their gateways; those guides show the ways that still work.