Advanced DNS Privacy OPNsense: Parental Controls Guide

Advanced DNS privacy OPNsense is a growing concern for anyone who manages a home or small business network in today’s digital landscape. In our previous post, we explored how to set up DNS over TLS with Unbound on OPNsense, highlighting the power of Cloudflare’s DNS blacklists for safer, family friendly browsing.

DNS security is an evolving field and there are more ways than ever to enhance your privacy and control over what happens on your network. In this follow up, we’ll dive into practical steps to implement advanced DNS privacy, integrate more granular parental controls, and keep your OPNsense powered network secure for everyone.

Advanced DNS privacy OPNsense - Why Go Beyond Basic DNS Over TLS?

DNS over TLS encrypts your DNS traffic, protecting it from ISP snooping and man-in-the-middle attacks. But for maximum peace of mind, you may want:

Granular filtering of web categories (adult, gambling, malware, social media, etc.)
Time-based rules for parental controls
Logging and monitoring for security events
Backup DNS resolvers for redundancy
Integration with threat intelligence feeds

OPNsense and Unbound give you flexibility, here’s how to take advantage.

Expand Filtering with Cloudflare and Other DNS Providers

While Cloudflare’s blacklists are a strong start, you can supplement them with additional blocklists from sources like Steven Black’s hosts or NextDNS for more comprehensive coverage.

Tip: In OPNsense, use Unbound’s “Host Overrides” or “Access Lists” to manually add blocklists, or set up forwarding to filtered DNS providers (like Quad9 or CleanBrowsing) for certain devices.

Set Up Time-Based Parental Controls

Want to restrict web access for certain users during homework or sleep hours? Use OPNsense’s built in firewall scheduler in combination with DNS filtering:

Create a firewall alias for the target devices (kids’ laptops, smart TVs, etc.).
Set time based rules to block DNS requests or redirect them to a walled garden during restricted periods.
Monitor logs to review compliance and adjust as needed.

Enable DNS Query Logging and Alerts

For real insight into network activity, enable Unbound’s query logging (with retention rules for privacy). Use OPNsense’s built in reporting tools, or forward logs to an external syslog server for advanced analysis and automated alerts about suspicious domains.

Build in Redundancy and Failover

Even the best DNS providers have downtime. Add secondary resolvers in Unbound’s “Custom Options” and regularly test failover to ensure continuous, private browsing.

Combine DNS Security with Threat Intelligence

Some security plugins and integrations allow OPNsense to block known command-and-control (C2) domains, phishing sites, or newly registered suspicious domains in real time. Explore OPNsense’s community plugins and third-party threat feeds to boost your defensive posture.

Advanced DNS privacy OPNsense - Future-Proofing Your Secure Browsing Setup

As DNS privacy standards evolve (think: DNS over HTTPS, encrypted SNI, and emerging protocols), OPNsense’s modular design will help you adapt quickly. Stay up to date with firmware and plugin updates, and periodically review your configuration to ensure it meets your security and family needs.