{"id":12742,"date":"2010-05-01T19:10:39","date_gmt":"2010-05-01T13:40:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/?p=12742"},"modified":"2026-10-13T13:38:15","modified_gmt":"2026-10-13T08:08:15","slug":"filter-home-internet-free-with-opendns","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2010\/05\/filter-home-internet-free-with-opendns\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Filter Your Home Internet Free with OpenDNS (2026)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Do you <strong>filter your home internet free with OpenDNS<\/strong>? The internet should be open, but some content is clearly harmful to children. We want kids to use the web for school and fun &#8211; not to have full access to adult sites. OpenDNS is one of the simplest ways to block adult and dangerous websites for every device in your home, and the basic home plans are still free in 2026. This step-by-step guide is written for parents and grandparents who are not tech experts.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-63567\" src=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/filter-home-internet-opendns-2026.webp\" alt=\"filter home internet free with opendns\" width=\"1200\" height=\"630\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/filter-home-internet-opendns-2026.webp 1200w, https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/filter-home-internet-opendns-2026-300x158.webp 300w, https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/filter-home-internet-opendns-2026-1024x538.webp 1024w, https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/filter-home-internet-opendns-2026-150x79.webp 150w, https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/filter-home-internet-opendns-2026-768x403.webp 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"quick-answer\" style=\"border-left: 4px solid #F28C1E; background: #f6f8fb; padding: 14px 18px; margin: 18px 0;\"><strong>Quick answer:<\/strong> For instant, no-account filtering, set your router&#8217;s DNS servers to <strong>OpenDNS FamilyShield<\/strong>: <code>208.67.222.123<\/code> and <code>208.67.220.123<\/code>. This blocks adult content on every device on your Wi-Fi. For custom category blocking, sign up for free <strong>OpenDNS Home<\/strong>, use <code>208.67.222.222<\/code> and <code>208.67.220.220<\/code>, add your network in the dashboard and choose a filtering level.<\/div>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_88 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6acf73e40961f\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"ez-toc-cssicon\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #1a202c;color:#1a202c\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #1a202c;color:#1a202c\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6acf73e40961f\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2010\/05\/filter-home-internet-free-with-opendns\/#How_OpenDNS_filtering_works\" >How OpenDNS filtering works<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2010\/05\/filter-home-internet-free-with-opendns\/#OpenDNS_FamilyShield_vs_OpenDNS_Home\" >OpenDNS FamilyShield vs OpenDNS Home<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2010\/05\/filter-home-internet-free-with-opendns\/#Option_1_Set_up_OpenDNS_FamilyShield_5_minutes\" >Option 1: Set up OpenDNS FamilyShield (5 minutes)<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2010\/05\/filter-home-internet-free-with-opendns\/#Option_2_Set_up_OpenDNS_Home_with_custom_filtering\" >Option 2: Set up OpenDNS Home with custom filtering<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2010\/05\/filter-home-internet-free-with-opendns\/#Tips_to_make_your_filter_harder_to_bypass\" >Tips to make your filter harder to bypass<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2010\/05\/filter-home-internet-free-with-opendns\/#Good_alternatives_to_OpenDNS\" >Good alternatives to OpenDNS<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2010\/05\/filter-home-internet-free-with-opendns\/#FAQ\" >FAQ<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2010\/05\/filter-home-internet-free-with-opendns\/#Is_OpenDNS_still_free_in_2026\" >Is OpenDNS still free in 2026?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2010\/05\/filter-home-internet-free-with-opendns\/#What_are_the_OpenDNS_FamilyShield_DNS_addresses\" >What are the OpenDNS FamilyShield DNS addresses?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-10\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2010\/05\/filter-home-internet-free-with-opendns\/#Does_OpenDNS_slow_down_my_internet\" >Does OpenDNS slow down my internet?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-11\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2010\/05\/filter-home-internet-free-with-opendns\/#Can_I_filter_home_internet_with_OpenDNS_on_just_one_device\" >Can I filter home internet with OpenDNS on just one device?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_OpenDNS_filtering_works\"><\/span>How OpenDNS filtering works<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Every time a device opens a website, it first asks a DNS server to translate the name (like example.com) into an IP address. If you point your router to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.opendns.com\/home-internet-security\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">OpenDNS<\/a> (now owned by Cisco), its servers refuse to resolve blocked sites and show a block page instead. Because the change happens on the router, it covers phones, tablets, laptops, smart TVs and game consoles in one go &#8211; no software needed on each device.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"OpenDNS_FamilyShield_vs_OpenDNS_Home\"><\/span>OpenDNS FamilyShield vs OpenDNS Home<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<table>\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th><\/th>\n<th>FamilyShield<\/th>\n<th>OpenDNS Home<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>Price<\/td>\n<td>Free<\/td>\n<td>Free<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Account needed<\/td>\n<td>No<\/td>\n<td>Yes<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>DNS servers<\/td>\n<td>208.67.222.123, 208.67.220.123<\/td>\n<td>208.67.222.222, 208.67.220.220<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Filtering<\/td>\n<td>Pre-set: adult content, proxies and phishing<\/td>\n<td>Choose levels or custom categories, allow\/block lists<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Best for<\/td>\n<td>Quick setup, set and forget<\/td>\n<td>Parents who want control and stats<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Option_1_Set_up_OpenDNS_FamilyShield_5_minutes\"><\/span>Option 1: Set up OpenDNS FamilyShield (5 minutes)<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<ol>\n<li>Open your router&#8217;s admin page. It is usually printed on a sticker on the router, often <code>192.168.0.1<\/code> or <code>192.168.1.1<\/code>, or available in your router maker&#8217;s app.<\/li>\n<li>Log in with the router admin password.<\/li>\n<li>Find the <em>DNS<\/em> settings, usually under <em>Internet<\/em>, <em>WAN<\/em> or <em>DHCP<\/em>.<\/li>\n<li>Change DNS from automatic to manual and enter <strong>208.67.222.123<\/strong> as primary and <strong>208.67.220.123<\/strong> as secondary.<\/li>\n<li>Save, then restart the router.<\/li>\n<li>On a device connected to your Wi-Fi, visit the <a href=\"https:\/\/welcome.opendns.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">OpenDNS welcome page<\/a> to confirm you are using OpenDNS.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Option_2_Set_up_OpenDNS_Home_with_custom_filtering\"><\/span>Option 2: Set up OpenDNS Home with custom filtering<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<ol>\n<li><strong>Create a free account.<\/strong> On the OpenDNS home page, choose <em>OpenDNS Home<\/em> and sign up with your email. Confirm your email &#8211; many dashboard settings stay locked until you do.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Change your router&#8217;s DNS<\/strong> to <strong>208.67.222.222<\/strong> and <strong>208.67.220.220<\/strong>, using the same router steps as above. If you only need to filter one computer, you can change DNS on that computer instead, but the router covers every device.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Add your network.<\/strong> In the OpenDNS Dashboard, go to <em>Settings<\/em> and click <em>Add this network<\/em>. This registers your home IP address. Give it a name such as &#8220;Home&#8221;.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Handle a dynamic IP.<\/strong> Most home connections get a changing (dynamic) IP from the internet provider. Tick the dynamic IP option and install the free <em>OpenDNS Updater<\/em> on a computer that is usually on, so OpenDNS always knows your current IP.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Choose a filtering level.<\/strong> Click your network&#8217;s IP address in Settings, then pick <em>High<\/em>, <em>Moderate<\/em>, <em>Low<\/em>, <em>None<\/em> or <em>Custom<\/em>. Custom lets you pick categories one by one.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Block proxies and anonymizers.<\/strong> If you choose Custom, make sure the <em>Proxy\/Anonymizer<\/em> category is checked. Otherwise, children can use proxy sites to get around the filter.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Apply and test.<\/strong> Click <em>Apply<\/em>, wait a few minutes for the settings to take effect, then test by visiting a site in a blocked category.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Tips_to_make_your_filter_harder_to_bypass\"><\/span>Tips to make your filter harder to bypass<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Change the router admin password<\/strong> so kids can&#8217;t simply switch the DNS back.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Turn on Safe Search too.<\/strong> See how to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2012\/09\/lock-google-safe-search-protect-children-online\/\">lock Google SafeSearch<\/a> on family devices.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Watch for encrypted DNS.<\/strong> Modern browsers and phones can use DNS over HTTPS, which skips your router&#8217;s DNS. In Chrome, Edge and Firefox, set secure DNS to use your current provider or turn it off on children&#8217;s devices, and disable Private DNS on Android if it&#8217;s set to another provider.<\/li>\n<li><strong>VPNs and mobile data bypass DNS filters.<\/strong> OpenDNS only filters traffic through your home Wi-Fi. Use built-in parental controls like Google Family Link or Apple Screen Time for phones.<\/li>\n<li>Remember that people will always look for ways to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2009\/08\/access-blocked-websites-bypass-filters\/\">access blocked websites<\/a>, so talk to your children about online safety too.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Good_alternatives_to_OpenDNS\"><\/span>Good alternatives to OpenDNS<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/one.one.one.one\/family\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Cloudflare 1.1.1.1 for Families<\/a> &#8211; use <code>1.1.1.3<\/code> and <code>1.0.0.3<\/code> to block malware and adult content, free with no account.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/cleanbrowsing.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">CleanBrowsing<\/a> &#8211; free family filter DNS with paid plans for custom rules.<\/li>\n<li>For speed rather than filtering, see our guide to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2009\/12\/google-public-dns\/\">Google Public DNS<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Note: OpenDNS has stopped serving some countries, including France and Portugal, after court-ordered blocking demands. If OpenDNS doesn&#8217;t work where you live, try one of these alternatives.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"FAQ\"><\/span>FAQ<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Is_OpenDNS_still_free_in_2026\"><\/span>Is OpenDNS still free in 2026?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Yes. OpenDNS FamilyShield and OpenDNS Home are free for home use. Paid business filtering is now sold as Cisco Umbrella.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_are_the_OpenDNS_FamilyShield_DNS_addresses\"><\/span>What are the OpenDNS FamilyShield DNS addresses?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>208.67.222.123 and 208.67.220.123. They block adult content automatically and need no account.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Does_OpenDNS_slow_down_my_internet\"><\/span>Does OpenDNS slow down my internet?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Usually not. DNS lookups are tiny, and OpenDNS runs a large global network. Most people notice no difference.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Can_I_filter_home_internet_with_OpenDNS_on_just_one_device\"><\/span>Can I filter home internet with OpenDNS on just one device?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Yes. Change the DNS settings on that device instead of the router, but the router method protects every device on your Wi-Fi.<\/p>\n<p><em>Originally written by guest author Danny Archer, a full time blogger and graduate architect, author of tech blog geckoandfly.com and architecture blog miragestudio7. Updated for 2026 by QuickOnlineTips. You can also <a href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/guest-blogging\/\">guest blog<\/a> on QOT and share your security tips.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Do you filter your home internet free with OpenDNS? The internet should be open, but some content is clearly harmful&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":63567,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_post_transparent":"default","_kad_post_title":"default","_kad_post_layout":"default","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"default","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"default","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[44,49],"class_list":["post-12742","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-security","tag-guest-posts","tag-tutorials"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12742","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12742"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12742\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":65332,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12742\/revisions\/65332"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/63567"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12742"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12742"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12742"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}