Use your own router behind your ISP’s box

A router or mesh system you own — most brands work (Eero, Orbi, ASUS, TP-Link, Netgear, Google Nest and others) as long as it lets you set a DNS server. Then there are three steps: make the provider’s box step aside, plug your router in, and set DNS on your router.

Providers call this bridge mode, IP passthrough, or modem-only mode. Where it lives depends on the provider — see your provider’s guide: Xfinity, AT&T, Spectrum, T-Mobile Home Internet.

If you turn the provider’s Wi-Fi off, your own router’s Wi-Fi replaces it. Reusing the old Wi-Fi name and password means your devices reconnect on their own.

One Ethernet cable from a LAN port on the provider’s box to the Internet / WAN port of your router.

Open your router’s admin page or app and enter this as its DNS server:

Not sure where that setting lives? The “What router do you have?” step in setup shows where for most brands.

Switching routers can change the public address your home shows to the internet. Go back to setup, let MizpahGuard re-detect it, and confirm it so it matches your home.

Your router now does what the provider’s box did: Wi-Fi, parental-control features built into the provider’s app, and port forwarding move to your router. If your plan includes a home phone line, ask your provider whether it works in bridge mode before you switch — some phone ports are on their box.

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.