UniFi Gateway - Ad Blocking

Ad Blocking is a feature found in the Application Firewall section of your Network application that allows you to reduce the number of ads you experience while browsing the internet.

This is done by using DNS to block common ad domains. Once a domain is blocked, all ads served by that domain will also be blocked.

Note: Clients using custom DNS servers are redirected to use the UniFi Gateway DNS server when Ad Blocking is enabled.

Requirements

• A Next-Gen UniFi Gateway or UniFi Cloud Gateway

Limitations

Some client-specific privacy or DNS features may prevent ads from being blocked.

These include:

• Encrypted DNS (DoH / DoT).
• Android Private DNS and Apple iCloud Private Relay / Limit IP Address Tracking.
• Client VPNs or proxies.

Testing

To test ad blocking, open a terminal session / command prompt on a client device that is connected to the corresponding virtual network where it is enabled.

Run the below command on the client:

nslookup www.googleadservices.com

This should return something similar to the following:

Non-authoritative answer:
Name:    www.googleadservices.com
Address:  0.0.0.0