UniFi has no single parental controls page; the equivalent is Content Filtering. Ubiquiti's article says UniFi Gateways can block malicious, explicit and inappropriate websites across the network, at the DNS level, applied to specific networks or client devices. Under Settings, CyberSecure, Content Filter, create a policy, name it, choose its source networks or devices, optionally turn on Ad Blocking and Safe Search for Google, Bing and YouTube, and choose Off, Basic or Enhanced. Basic blocks malicious, explicit and adult domains; Enhanced uses a Cloudflare-powered set of more than 100 category filters and is aimed at strict or compliance work.
The checks in more detail
Add an allowlist for sites the policy wrongly blocks and a blocklist for more. You can set a schedule for when the policy applies. Application Filtering is a separate feature for blocking apps by traffic. Give each child's devices their own network or group so policies apply to them, and use client lists to place devices. Because filtering is DNS based, a device using private DNS or a VPN can bypass it; a firewall rule can block outside DNS.
Filtering works on network traffic, not on time-of-day limits alone, so use the schedule. Tell the family what is filtered. Apply filtering to a network or group of devices rather than the whole house at once, so adults keep an unfiltered path for work. Test each policy with a known blocked site and a known allowed site after you save it, and keep a short list of sites you have allowlisted and why. A monthly look at what has been blocked shows whether the policy is doing its job or getting in the way, and lets you tune it before it causes frustration.
Where a child uses mobile data, filtering at home does nothing, so pair the network rules with device-level controls and a conversation about how the devices are used. Because UniFi filtering sits at the network level, decide first which VLAN each family member's devices live on, and apply policies per network. A separate network for children's devices, with its own filtering level and schedule, is easier to reason about than per-device exceptions, and it survives the day someone replaces a phone.
Differential
Likely causes of “Ubiquiti UniFi gateways parental controls or schedules are not working”, and how to tell them apart
- 1
Private DNS or VPN on a device
What separates it The filter is bypassed because a device uses private DNS or a VPN
How to confirm Block outside DNS in the firewall, so that devices must use the gateway's DNS
- 2
A device on the wrong network
What separates it The policy does not apply because the device is on the wrong network
How to confirm Assign the device to the right network, so that the policy covers it
- 3
Too strict a policy
What separates it Legitimate sites are blocked because the policy is too strict
How to confirm Use the allowlist to permit those sites, or lower the filtering level
- 4
No schedule
What separates it The filter is always on or always off because no schedule is set
How to confirm Set a schedule, so the policy applies only at the times that you choose
- 5
Old gateway version
What separates it The feature is missing because the gateway version is old
How to confirm Update the gateway and the Network application, so that content filtering is available
Before you touch a setting
Record this first — changing settings destroys the evidence
- The policy that you created and the devices it applies to
- The filtering level that the policy uses
- The site or app that is wrongly blocked
- Whether the device uses private DNS
Try in this order
0 of 7 completedOpen Content Filter
ReversibleOpen Content Filter, which is found under Settings and then CyberSecure in the application, and then test again to see whether it helped.
Create a policy
ReversibleCreate a policy, by giving it a name and choosing the source devices or networks.
Choose the level
ReversibleChoose the level, either Basic filtering or Enhanced filtering, depending on what you need, and then test again to see whether it helped.
Add lists
ReversibleAdd lists, using an allowlist for sites to permit and a blocklist for sites to block.
Set a schedule
ReversibleSet a schedule, so that the policy applies at the times that you want it to.
Block outside DNS
ReversibleBlock outside DNS if the filter is being bypassed by devices that use their own DNS.
Test
ReversibleTest by trying to open a blocked site on one of the devices that the policy covers.
Model-specific
What is true of this model and not of its siblings
- Versions
- Content Filtering requires a UniFi Gateway with a recent Network application.
- Gateways
- The feature is the same on the three gateway models.
Stop boundary
When this stops being a self-service repair
- !If a policy does not apply to a device on the right network, contact Ubiquiti support
- !If a site is wrongly blocked, allowlist it
- !If DNS Shield conflicts, check the gateway version
Evidence ledger
Sources behind this answer
DNS-level content filtering.
Blocking applications.
LED states, IP address checks and TCP 8080.
Update Manager, auto-updates and update troubleshooting.
The company and its products.
Exact questions
Common questions
Does UniFi have parental controls?+
UniFi has no page called parental controls, and Content Filtering is the equivalent feature.
Is filtering DNS based?+
Yes, the filtering is DNS based, so it works by controlling how names are resolved.
What is Basic filtering?+
Basic filtering blocks malicious, explicit and adult domains, using a maintained list.
What is Enhanced?+
Enhanced filtering uses Cloudflare powered filtering, with more than one hundred categories.
Can I schedule it?+
Yes, you can schedule the policy, so that it applies only at set times.
Can I block ads?+
Yes, you can block ads as well, as an option in the policy.
What is Safe Search?+
Safe Search is an integration that works with Google, Bing and YouTube results.
Can I bypass it?+
Yes, it can be bypassed with private DNS or a VPN on a device.
Can I allow a site?+
Yes, you can allow a site by adding it to the allowlist in the policy.