How to put parental controls on your home Wi‑Fi

One setting on your Wi‑Fi router covers every device in the house, including the ones you can't install anything on: TVs, consoles, smart speakers and friends' phones.

Updated November 11, 2026·2 min read

Short answer

Open your router's app or web page, find the DNS setting (usually under Internet, WAN or Advanced), switch it to manual, and paste your Sheepdog Filter address as the primary DNS. Leave the secondary empty, turn IPv6 off, and save. Every device on your Wi‑Fi is filtered within a minute.

Before you start

You'll need the app or login for your router, and about five minutes. In your Sheepdog Filter dashboard, open Devices › + Protect something › Everyone at home. That links your home internet to your account and shows your DNS address with a Copy button. On a computer, scan the QR code with your phone to open the addresses there, so you can paste instead of typing.

Step 1: Find the DNS setting

It's usually under Internet, WAN or Advanced, labelled DNS or DNS Server, and set to "Automatic" or "Get from ISP". Switch it to Manual, Custom or Use these DNS servers. Step-by-step for the most popular brands:

Not sure which router you have? Look at the box your Wi‑Fi comes from, or the app you use to manage it. If your internet company gave it to you, it's probably their box.

Step 2: Fill in the boxes

  • Primary DNS: paste your Sheepdog Filter address.
  • Secondary DNS: leave it empty. If it won't save empty, paste the same address again. Never put Google (8.8.8.8) or your internet company's address there, or devices will slip around the filter.

Tap Save. No restart needed: the router passes the change to every device within a minute or so, and your dashboard turns green by itself when it sees your router.

Step 3: Turn IPv6 off

Look for IPv6 under Advanced settings and switch it off, then save. Your internet works the same without it, and it stops phones and laptops quietly going around the filter. (Rather keep IPv6? Your dashboard also gives your family its own IPv6 DNS address to use instead.)

What this covers, and what it doesn't

Router setup covers every device on your Wi‑Fi: phones, tablets, TVs, consoles, smart speakers and visitors. It doesn't cover phones on mobile data or at friends' houses, so for your kids' own phones, also set up the device: see iPhone and Android.

Want grown-ups' devices unfiltered? In the dashboard, mark your own phone or laptop as a grown-up device and the home rules won't apply to it.

Sheepdog Filter

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One switch per worry, every device in the house, and a plain-English report each week. Free to start, no app to install.

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Questions parents ask

Do I need a new router?

No. Almost every home router lets you change its DNS. The main exception is some internet-company boxes; see the guide for Xfinity, AT&T, Spectrum and Verizon.

Will changing DNS slow down my internet?

No. DNS lookups take milliseconds and happen once per site. Streaming and downloads go straight to the internet as normal.

What if my home internet address changes?

Sheepdog Filter notices when your internet company changes your home's address and re-links your router automatically.

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