Block Websites on Your Network

TL;DR

This guide shows you how to block HTTPS websites on your local network (LAN) using your router’s settings or by setting up a Pi-hole. We’ll cover both methods, from easiest to more advanced.

Blocking Websites Using Your Router

Most home routers have built-in features for blocking websites. The exact steps vary depending on the make and model of your router, but here’s a general guide:

1. Log in to your router: Open a web browser and type in your router’s IP address (usually 192.168.1.1 or 192.168.0.1). You’ll need the username and password – check the bottom of your router, or look it up online for your specific model.
2. Find the website blocking settings: Look for sections like “Parental Controls”, “Access Control”, “URL Filtering”, or similar.
3. Add websites to block: You’ll usually be able to enter the domain names of the websites you want to block (e.g., www.example.com). Some routers also let you block specific URLs within a website.
4. Save your changes: Make sure to save the settings after adding the websites. Your router might need to restart for the changes to take effect.

Important notes:

• Blocking only www.example.com may not block all parts of the website (e.g., blog.example.com). Try blocking the main domain (e.g., example.com) instead.
• HTTPS websites are more difficult to block reliably using simple router settings, as they use encryption.

Blocking Websites with Pi-hole

Pi-hole is a network-wide ad blocker that can also be used to block specific websites. It’s more advanced than using your router’s built-in features but offers greater control and flexibility.

1. Install Pi-hole: You’ll need a Raspberry Pi (or another small computer) running Linux. Follow the official installation guide: https://pi-hole.net/install/
2. Access the Pi-hole web interface: Once installed, open a web browser and go to your Pi-hole’s IP address (usually 192.168.1.x). You’ll need the password you set during installation.
3. Add websites to block: In the Pi-hole web interface, go to “Domains” and enter the domain names of the websites you want to block. Click “Add”.
4. Update Gravity: After adding domains, click the “Update Gravity” button to download the latest blocklists. This ensures that Pi-hole is aware of any changes to the websites you’re blocking.

Advanced Pi-hole features:

• Blocklists: Pi-hole uses blocklists to identify and block unwanted domains. You can add custom blocklists or use pre-made lists from the internet.
• Conditional Forwarding: Configure your router to use Pi-hole as its DNS server. This ensures that all devices on your network use Pi-hole for DNS resolution, effectively blocking websites across your entire LAN.

To set your router’s DNS settings:

1. Log in to your router (as described above).
2. Find the DNS settings: Look for sections like “DNS Server”, “WAN Settings”, or similar.
3. Enter Pi-hole’s IP address as the primary DNS server and optionally a public DNS server (e.g., 8.8.8.8) as the secondary DNS server.
4. Save your changes.

Example of setting DNS in Linux command line:

sudo nano /etc/resolv.conf

Add a line like this, replacing 192.168.1.x with your Pi-hole’s IP address:

nameserver 192.168.1.x