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Content and Domain Filtering in UniFi

UniFi Gateways offer powerful content filtering and domain-based blocking to secure networks from malicious and explicit sites. With network-wide controls and granular domain filtering, UniFi helps you manage web access, block harmful content, and enforce browsing policies for a safer internet experience.

For a full overview of UniFi’s Traffic Management capabilities, see here.

UniFi Network offers two quick and easy ways to filter content, by using Content Filtering and Simple App Blocking.

  • Content Filtering is a one-click solution to block a predefined group of sites categorized by UniFi as explicit, pornographic, or malicious. It applies across an entire VLAN, with an option to also block VPNs.
  • Simple App Blocking provides more granular control by blocking specific websites, apps, or app groups of your choice. It supports per-device and per-VLAN filtering, with optional scheduling to restrict access at specific times.
    • UniFi’s Zone-Based Firewall can provide even more targeted blocking. For details, click here.

Content Filtering

  1. Navigate to UniFi Network > Settings > Networks.
  2. Click on an existing network, or create a new one.
  3. Under Advanced, set Content Filtering to Work or Family.
    1. Work blocks explicit, pornographic, and malicious domains. Google Safe Search and YouTube Restricted Mode are enabled.
    2. Family blocks all of the above, plus VPNs.
  4. Click Apply Changes.

Simple App Blocking

  1. Navigate to Settings > Security > Protection.
  2. Besides Simple App Blocking, select Create New.
  3. Design your configuration:
    1. Select Devices or Networks.
    2. Select Apps or App Categories.
    3. Optionally Schedule the blocking configuration.
  4. Click Add.

How It Works

Content Filtering offers a large pre-curated list of domains associated with malicious or explicit content. This list is auto-updated by UniFi, and when the feature is employed, it operates at the DNS level, blocking access to websites associated with specific domains by intercepting traffic during DNS resolution.

Simple App Blocking automatically creates Internal and Hotspot Zone Firewall Policies, to block access to sites on a more granular level.

Zone-Based Firewall

For even more control, UniFi Gateways support creating custom domain-based rules through the firewall. These rules can be applied to specific devices, specific networks, or even entire zones. To learn more about UniFi’s firewall, click here.

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