Block Website with D-link Router

There are a lot of dangerous websites out there. Some contain viruses, and some contain content and images you do not want members of your family to stumble upon. There are several ways to block websites on individual computers, but if you want to apply these changes to every computer in your home, use the Website Filter option in your D-Link router.

How To Block Websites With Your D-Link Router

Not all routers will have this functionality. If your D-link router does not, try upgrading the firmware in the router to see if that functionality has been added later. The Website Filter section is located under the Advanced tab. You can either use the drop-down option to “DENY computers access to ONLY these sites” or “Allow computers access to ONLY these sites.” The second option is quite strict.
Login to your DLink router through your web browser. Click the advanced tab.

In the left column, click the Website Filter option. To block sites, enter their website addresses in the space provided (Do not add the http://). Blocking the websites at the router level ensures all traffic leaving your network will be affected by these rules. These include computers, smart phones, gaming consoles and anything else with a web browser.
You can block websites with Dlink router or change the DNS settings in your router and use a service like OpenDNS to block websites. Either way, take a moment to setup a blacklist and implement these filters to prevent members of your workplace or household from accessing sites you do not want them to.

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Disable Wireless Router

You can disable a wireless router SSID broadcast and then connect to the router manually to improve security. This isn’t really necessary if you have WPA-2 enabled and have a secure password, but some people might prefer to have their router in stealth mode. When neighbors or strangers driving around down your street browse for a wireless connection, you might not want anyone to “see” your router. So, disable SSID broadcast and then set up a manual connection in Windows 7.

Disable The SSID Broadcast In The Router

Step one is to log in to the router and turn off the disable SSID broadcast. D-link, Linksys, Netgear and other routers handle this process differently, but you should find the SSID broadcast option in the Wireless settings of the router’s configuration.

Log in to the router and set the SSID broadcast to Disable.

In Windows 7,  go to Start -> Control Panel -> Network and Internet -> Network and Sharing Center. Then click on the “Connect to a network”  option.

Next, click “Manually connect to a wireless network.”

Lastly, fill in the details about your router. While you disabled the broadcast, the router still has its SSID–it just isn’t announcing it to the entire world.  Type the SSID in under “Network name.” Select the security type (WEP, WPA-2, etc) that your router uses. Then put in the password where it says “Security Key.”
You can choose the option to “Start this connection automatically” if you will be using this WiFi connection frequently.
Disable wireless router SSID to improve security, but keep in mind this can make connecting other devices, such as phones, tablets and gaming consoles a nightmare. Some devices may not let you manually input an SSID. If the device does not detect the your router SSID, it simply may not allow you to connect. So, depending on your need for wireless privacy, you may opt to either disable router SSID broadcast or simply give the router a name no one can associate with you and a strong WPA-2 password.
Disable SSID questions? Visit our forums and post a question in our networking section.

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