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Guide:Blocking ads: Difference between revisions
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===iOS===
iOS supports so-called content blockers, which can be thought of as adblock-like mechanisms. [https://adguard.com/en/adguard-ios/overview.html AdGuard] is usually the go-to solution, but many other do exist.
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==Network-wide blocking==
There are number of ways that you can block ads network-wide. This means that anyone connected to your network, via WiFi or Ethernet, will benefit from adblocking without any further setup or intervention. This is a very attractive option if you have lots of devices on your network, and you don't want to manage their options manually. The additional benefit is that this will enable adblocking on devices where this is not normally possible to adblock, such as Smart TVs.
===DNS change===
You can change your DNS provider for your modem/router to an adblocking provider which will refuse to resolve ads, thus providing you with network-wide adblocking. This is essentially the same concept as DNS-based adblocking described in the Andoroid section of this guide, further up the page, but since your modem/router usually controls the DNS forwarding for all the devices on your network, the net result is that all the devices benefit, not just one.<br> You can change your DNS provider by accessing your modem/router's web configuration page. There are many hundreds of different modems and/or routers so it is impossible to give you specific instructions, but generally you would visit your device's admin interface (usually http://192.168.1.1 OR http://192.168.0.1 OR http://10.0.0.1). If it asks you for a password, this password is usually either on a sticker on the device, or in the manual or you can usually just search the internet for something like <code>DEVICE NAME default login</code> or if you set it yourself, you should know what it is. Once you log in, simply find the section called DNS, and change the DNS servers to one of the adblocking options.<br>We're partial to [https://blahdns.com/ BlahDNS], a non-profit open source provider, but an [https://kb.adguard.com/en/general/dns-providers exhaustive list of virtually every adblocking or filtering DNS] exists.
===[https://pi-hole.net/ PiHole]===
PiHole is a FOSS software package which can take over DNS resolution and add many bells and whistles to allow you to manage and log how DNS resolution is performed on your network.
It is usually deployed on a RaspberryPi, a little credit-card sized [[w:single-board computer|single-board computer]] which you have to purchase separately for approximately US$35, but it is also possible to deploy it on other platforms and operating systems, such as Docker.
====Limitations of DNS-based filtering====
However, these solution do have their limits, unfortunately. This DNS server setting is not something devices on your network have to use and follow. It is more of a suggestion, and any device on your network is free to ignore it and perform DNS lookups on its own. While most devices respect this setting, many dubious devices such as privacy-invading Smart TVs, [[w:IoT|IoT]] devices and Amazon/Google/Facebook devices usually ignore it (because they are savvy to this trick, and are purposefully disregarding your preferences to invade your privacy). If this is the case for you, try one of the alternative options below.
===Custom router firmware===
By far the most robust network-wide adblocker is found in certain custom firmware for certain routers. These custom firmwares are, essentially, alternate operating systems for your router, which you can deploy if you own a compatible router model. These firmwares usually have advanced features, and this particural selection also has network-adblockers that can actually prevent devices on your network from doing their own DNS lookups and force them to respect the settings you have set.
You choice of firmware will depend on your router usually, but these are prominent projects:
* [https://freshtomato.org/ FreshTomato]
* [https://dd-wrt.com/ DD-WRT]
* [https://www.asuswrt-merlin.net/ Asuswrt-Merlin] - this project only supports Asus routers, but if you own a compatible Asus router (or are in the market for one) it is hard to go wrong by using this project
** Asuswer-Merlin does not have an adblocker out of the box, but you can easily add it by using [https://diversion.ch/ Diversions] project
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