← All setup help

iPhone, iPad and Mac

Apple devices let you set the DNS server for each Wi-Fi network. This covers every app on the device while it is on that network.

Easiest: the one-tap profile

In MizpahGuard, open your home’s Router tab and add the device by name (for example “Emma’s iPad”). Then, on that iPhone, iPad or Mac, open MizpahGuard in Safari, sign in, and tap Install profile on this device. It installs a small profile that sends that device’s lookups to MizpahGuard in every app — at home or away, with no DNS address to type — and your Activity tab can then show what that device is doing. Apple shows “Not Signed”; that is expected.

The person using the device sees, when the profile is installed, that the account holder can see which sites it looks up. Open your dashboard. Prefer to type it in yourself? Use the manual steps below (those don’t identify the individual device).

iPhone and iPad (manual)

Settings → Wi-Fi → tap the (i) next to your network → Configure DNS → Manual → remove the existing servers and add:

74.208.171.84If the device also has an IPv6 DNS field, enter:2607:f1c0:f0da:1300::1

Tap Save. Repeat for any other Wi-Fi network the device uses at home.

Mac (manual)

System Settings → Network → Wi-Fi → Details… → DNS → under DNS Servers, click + and add:

74.208.171.84If the device also has an IPv6 DNS field, enter:2607:f1c0:f0da:1300::1

Remove other servers in the list, then OK.

What this covers: only this device, and on most devices only while it is on this Wi-Fi network. Other devices in the house are not protected unless you set them up too (or put your own router behind the ISP’s — see using your own router). Someone who knows where the setting is can change it back, and a VPN or hotspot can bypass it.
Not yet confirmed: Some ISP gateways are reported to redirect DNS requests from your devices to their own servers, which would make a manually-entered DNS address do nothing. We haven’t confirmed that for every gateway. After setting it up, check that the device’s browsing appears in your home’s Activity tab; if it doesn’t, use a browser setting (see protect a browser) or your own router instead.

How to tell it’s working

The quick test: on the device you just set up, open example.com. On an unprotected device you see a plain page titled “Example Domain”. On a device protected by MizpahGuard you see our “It’s working” page instead — it is blocked on purpose, for every household, so you can tell at a glance. (Your browser may show a certificate warning first, as it does for any blocked site; continue past it.)

You can also open your home’s Activity tab in MizpahGuard and look for the device’s browsing within a minute. If the test page doesn’t appear, the device is still using another DNS server — recheck the steps, or contact support from your dashboard and tell us your device and internet provider.