How to block access to a website ?

January 20, 2020

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This short guide gives you the solutions to block websites on various devices and browsers, including Windows, MacOS, Android, and iOS. Learn how to use built-in parental controls and third-party software to restrict access to specific websites or categories.

To block access to a website, here are the solutions, from the most practical to the least effective:

On your router (= box):
- - by configuring the website blocking function which allows you to block access to sites by specifying their URLs.
  - by setting up new DNS servers that will automatically filter sensitive websites.
On each device (PC, tablet and smartphone):
- - by adding the address of the websites to be blocked in the hosts file of the operating system.
  - by setting up new DNS servers on the network connection that will automatically filter sensitive websites.
  - by installing parental control software.
  - by activating the adult filter on search engines (“SafeSearch” on Google).

Which solution to choose ?

Ideally, blocking websites (whether pornographic or not) should be done as early as possible.

You most likely have an Internet connection through a box via an ADSL / fiber network (Livebox, Freebox, etc.) or a 4G mobile network (4G Home, 4G box, etc.). It is therefore preferable to act on the router (the box).

Why act on the router ?

By configuring website blocking directly on the router, this blocking will apply to all devices in your home connected to the router. You will not need to configure each device one by one!

Warning : on a device that connects to the Internet via a 3G or 4G mobile network (most often a smartphone), as this one does not pass through a home router, to block adult sites on this device, you will need to configure the blocking on the device in question and more precisely on the operating system installed on it (Android or iOS).

Unfortunately, most routers on the market have limited functionality. For example, the Orange Livebox does not have URL filtering and does not offer the ability to change DNS servers, making it impossible to block sensitive websites.

What to do in this case ?

You will need to configure blocking of sensitive websites on each of your devices, or at least on the devices on which you want to block these sites.