Block Facebook on Cisco RV042

TL;DR

This guide shows you how to block access to Facebook using your Cisco RV042 router. We’ll use the Access Control feature to create a rule that prevents devices on your network from reaching Facebook’s servers.

Blocking Facebook on Your Cisco RV042 Router

1. Log in to Your Router: Open a web browser and type your router’s IP address into the address bar. The default is usually 192.168.1.1. Enter your username and password. If you haven’t changed them, try ‘admin’ for both.
2. Navigate to Access Control: Once logged in, go to Firewall > Access Control. This section manages the rules that control network traffic.
3. Create a New Rule: Click the Add button to create a new access control rule.
4. Configure the Rule – General Settings:
   • Name: Give your rule a descriptive name, like ‘Block Facebook’.
   • Enabled: Make sure this is checked.
   • Direction: Select Outbound (we want to block traffic leaving your network).
5. Configure the Rule – Source Settings:
   • Source IP Address: This determines which devices are affected. You have a few options:
     • Any: Blocks Facebook for all devices on your network.
     • Single Host: Block only one specific device (enter its IP address).
     • IP Range: Block a range of IP addresses.
6. Configure the Rule – Destination Settings: This is where you specify Facebook’s servers.
   • Destination IP Address: Enter the following IP addresses (Facebook uses multiple, so add each one as a separate destination):

     31.13.71.10

     192.0.2.146

     157.240.23.35

     157.240.23.43

     157.240.23.69

   • Destination Port: Enter 80 and 443 (these are the standard ports for web traffic – HTTP and HTTPS). You’ll need to add these as separate destination port entries.
7. Configure the Rule – Protocol Settings:
   • Protocol: Select TCP/UDP. This covers both common web protocols.
8. Save the Rule: Click Apply or Save to create the rule.
9. Test the Block: Try accessing Facebook from a device on your network. It should be blocked. You might need to clear your browser’s cache and cookies for the test to work correctly.
10. Adding More IPs (Important): Facebook frequently changes its IP addresses. To keep the block effective, you may need to periodically check for new IPs and add them to the Access Control rule. You can find updated lists online by searching for ‘Facebook IP address list’.

Troubleshooting: If Facebook is still accessible, double-check that you’ve entered all the correct IP addresses and ports in the Access Control rule. Also, ensure the rule is enabled and set to Outbound.