OpenDNS recently announced a free, simple-to-setup service called FamilyShield which not only blocks pornography sites, but also proxy and anonymizer, phishing and some malware sites.

OpenDNS FamilyShield versus OpenDNS Basic

OpenDNS has 2 free services, OpenDNS Basic and OpenDNS FamilyShield.

Unlike OpenDNS Basic, which requires you to create an account, FamilyShield requires no account, as you only need to specify FamilyShield’s 2 DNS addresses in the right place.

OpenDNS Basic gives you more control, as you can specify which categories of websites you want to block or allow. We covered this previously as a way to customize the level of web filtering on your network.

OpenDNS FamilyShield is pre-configured to block websites categorized as “Pornography,” “Tasteless,” and “Sexuality.”

There’s one more difference. When a user attempts to reach a blocked website, an OpenDNS block page appears in the browser. Those using OpenDNS Basic will not see advertisements on this page, while OpenDNS FamilyShield’s block page contains ads.

Setting it Up

You could set up an individual computer (instructions here). You might consider this if you don’t have a wireless network, or only want to protect a single computer. If you use this method, you’ll want to prevent savvy users from getting around FamilyShield by requiring them to log on to that computer using a standard user account, not an administrative account.

If you have a wireless router, follow instructions here to protect any wireless device that is (or will be) using your network. OpenDNS helpfully provides instructions for 18 brands of wireless routers.

OpenDNS FamilyShield is an effective way to prevent your network (or computers) from being used to display pornography and other unedifying websites. OpenDNS couldn’t make it any simpler to set up. Consider setting this up on your own network, or suggesting this to other people who want to protect their networks.