Blocking Websites

[Sween]

I have the RT-AC87R running 380.57.

On my old Buffalo router I used DD-WRT and was able to block websites. On this firmware there is a URL filter but it doesn't work for sites like reddit.com, or at least I haven't been able to get it to. I suspect it has something to do with the "Limitations of the filtering function:" notice.

I prefer this firmware to DD-WRT. Is that a limitation of the actual router?

 

[Nullity]

I have the RT-AC87R running 380.57.

On my old Buffalo router I used DD-WRT and was able to block websites. On this firmware there is a URL filter but it doesn't work for sites like reddit.com, or at least I haven't been able to get it to. I suspect it has something to do with the "Limitations of the filtering function:" notice.

I prefer this firmware to DD-WRT. Is that a limitation of the actual router?

I highly doubt it. The capabilities are usually there with most firmwares, but dd-wrt & tomato have GUIs to access the already existing capabilities.

Blocking a site like reddit might even be a simple problem that could be solved by using merlin's user-scripts to modify dnsmasq settings; http://www.thekelleys.org.uk/dnsmasq/docs/dnsmasq-man.html

 

[Sween]

I highly doubt it. The capabilities are usually there with most firmwares, but dd-wrt & tomato have GUIs to access the already existing capabilities.

Blocking a site like reddit might even be a simple problem that could be solved by using merlin's user-scripts to modify dnsmasq settings; http://www.thekelleys.org.uk/dnsmasq/docs/dnsmasq-man.html

Thank you. I will look into that.

I just tried it with yahoo and that worked. I didn't realize reddit was https://

It says it can't block https:// sites in the limitations. But, DD-WRT did block it on the old router unless they weren't a secure site then.

 

[Nullity]

Thank you. I will look into that.

I just tried it with yahoo and that worked. I didn't realize reddit was https://

It says it can't block https:// sites in the limitations. But, DD-WRT did block it on the old router unless they weren't a secure site then.

dnsmasq can block based on DNS hostname, so HTTP vs HTTPS is moot. Though, if the user proxies through some HTTPS proxy, they will get through.

 

[namtih]

An alternative solution would be to edit the hosts-file and redicrect the website to 0.0.0.0.
https://github.com/RMerl/asuswrt-merlin/wiki/Custom-config-files

I use this version to block ads based on this hosts-file:
https://github.com/joeylane/hosts/