How to Block a Website Using Pfsense when you have to stop your kids and family from using some popular websites

Let’s face it. You’re supposed to do important work but want to listen to some music you remembered on youtube and then get carried away into watching something more interesting, forgetting you have a job at hand. Kids with homeworks due are the most vulnerable :).

One way to discourage this behaviour is to block websites like youtube or netflix if you have pfsense installed.

Steps to block websites

• Login to pfsense portal.
• Navigate to Services –> DNS Resolver –> General Settings
• Scroll down to the bottom to “Domain Overrides”
• Click “Add”.
• Under “Domain” enter your URL. For example, “youtube.com”
• Under IP Address, enter “0.0.0.0”.
• Hit “Save”
• Then hit “Apply” changes at the top of the screen.
• The changes take effect immediately.

Caveats

• All computers and devices on your network need to use your pfsense router as the DNS. On Windows 11, make sure you have “IP assignment” and “DNS server assignment” values to be “Automatic(DHCP).

🔵