SafeDNS is a cloud-based Internet security and content filtering company. It allows you to restrict access to certain Internet resources for home network users and configure parental control.
SafeDNS service in Keenetic routers is implemented as an operating system component. You can add or remove this Internet Safety service from the system and turn it on or off completely, without affecting the parameters of the main Internet connection: SafeDNS will work behind any NAT and with a dynamic IP address.
To work with this service, you need to get a SafeDNS account. To do this, register for free at www.safedns.com/trial. After registration, log in to your account. The tabs 'Categories' and 'Settings' are used to set up content policies and filtering rules. On the 'Categories' tab, you can set up allowed or forbidden categories of sites.
NOTE: Important! SafeDNS carry out the categorization; the bases are constantly updated. The number of available categories for configuration depends on the billing plan you are using.
On the tab ‘Categories’ check the boxes to select the categories of sites you want to block access to. You can use the pre-set blocking lists from the left menu, e.g. 'Recommended'.
On the ‘Allowlist’ and ‘Denylist’ tabs, you can set up access to specific sites more precisely.
For example, on the 'Categories' tab, we prohibit 'Social Networks' and allow 'Torrents & P2P'. But on the 'Allowlist’ or ‘Denylist' tabs we can set granular settings to access to the social networking site LinkedIn (linkedin.com) and deny access to the torrent tracker (thepiratebay.org) , regardless of the settings on the ‘Categories’ tab.
Now let's set up the router.
NOTE: Important! It is not possible to run SafeDNS, Cloudflare DNS and AdGuard DNS services at the same time. Only one of them can be used.
Before setting up the Internet safety service, register your home network devices according to the instruction Connected devices registration.
Then, on the 'Internet safety' page, select 'SafeDNS' in the 'Service' field.
In the 'SafeDNS account' section, you need to enter your SafeDNS account's parameters by clicking 'Log in'. If you do not have a SafeDNS account yet, click 'Create account'.
By clicking 'Log in' enter the e-mail address and password you used when you registered with SafeDNS.
The 'Assignment of protection policies to devices' section appears. This section's setting comes down to assigning filtering policies to permanent home network devices (registered in Keenetic) and occasionally appearances (guest network and unregistered devices).
For example, we will assign the 'Default' filtering policy to three registered devices, and assign the 'No protection' policy to all other devices.
In the 'Default policy' field, you can specify a policy applied to all unregistered devices, including those connected to the Guest segment.
Our example uses a free trial account on the SafeDNS website and a 'Default' policy. If the account is a paid one, several policies created by the user himself will be available. You can share access rights between registered and unregistered devices (for example, guest devices can only access certain categories, while home devices can be granted more complete access or vice versa). It is also possible to vary policy between different devices registered on the home network (e.g. a freer policy on your computer, a more secure policy on your child's computer).
There is also a 'No protection' policy, which does not provide any traffic filtering. The required hosts will be using the provider's DNS servers. For example, children's computers can be covered by a filter, and adults can use DNS servers provided by the ISP.
From a registered device, we will try to access the following sites:
linkedin.com (blocked in filters, but allowed in exceptions). Access to the site will be allowed.
thepiratebay.org (allowed in filters, but prohibited in exceptions). Access to the site will be blocked, and the corresponding message will be displayed.
jackdaniels.com (blocked in filters, no entry in exceptions). Access to the site will be blocked, and the corresponding message will be displayed.
For more information on additional ways to block sites, see the How to block access to a specific site.
TIP: Tip: With the help of the SafeDNS service in your personal account on the 'Stats' tab you can see the statistics of the most popular websites accessed from home network computers when working through the Keenetic router.