How do I block a website on my Wi-Fi router?

Log in to the router (usually 192.168.1.1), find Parental Controls / Block Sites / URL Filter depending on brand, add the domains, and save. If your router has no filter, point its DNS at a free filtering service like OpenDNS FamilyShield.

Does router blocking work on mobile data?

No. Router rules only apply to traffic on your network — on 4G/5G the phone bypasses your router completely. Pair router blocking with on-device controls for coverage everywhere.

Can I set time limits for a website in my router?

Routers generally block sites outright (some allow schedules), but they can't do per-person daily time budgets well. For that, use a device-level tool — e.g. Kaizen Focus on Windows for per-app and per-site limits.

How to Block Websites in Your Router

Blocking a website at the router covers every device on your Wi-Fi at once — phones, laptops, tablets, TVs. It's a solid family-wide baseline, and it takes about ten minutes. Here's how to do it on any router, plus the limits nobody mentions.

Step 1: Log in to your router

In a browser, open your router's address — usually 192.168.1.1 or 192.168.0.1 (it's printed on the router's label along with the admin password if you never changed it). Sign in to the admin panel.

Step 2: Find the blocking feature

Every brand names it differently. Look for:

TP-Link: Parental Controls, or Security > Access Control
Netgear: Security > Block Sites
Asus: AiProtection > Parental Controls, or Firewall > URL Filter
D-Link: Features > Website Filter
ISP-branded boxes: usually under "Parental Controls" in the settings app or panel

Add the domains you want blocked (e.g. tiktok.com), apply, and test from a phone on Wi-Fi.

Step 2b: The DNS method (works on any router)

If your router lacks a filter — or you want category-level blocking like "all adult content" — change the router's DNS servers to a free filtering service: OpenDNS FamilyShield (208.67.222.123 / 208.67.220.123) or CleanBrowsing's family filter. Every device on the network then resolves websites through the filter automatically. It's the highest-value ten minutes in home content filtering.

The honest limits

Mobile data bypasses it entirely — the moment a phone drops off Wi-Fi, your router is out of the picture.
Per-device VPNs and manual DNS changes can sidestep it (some routers can force DNS; many can't).
It's all-or-nothing — the block applies to parents' devices too, unless your router supports per-device profiles.
No time budgets — a router blocks a site outright; it can't give someone "30 minutes a day."

Pair it with per-device control

Router blocking is the net; per-device rules are the precision. On the family Windows PC, Kaizen Focus adds per-site and per-app time limits, schedules and system-wide blocking that follows the machine everywhere — including off your Wi-Fi. On kids' phones, pair it with phone-level controls.

Bottom line

Set the router filter (or filtered DNS) as your whole-home baseline, then add device-level rules where it matters. The combination is what actually holds.