Content Filtering Overview (NAT Mode SSID)
Content filtering on an MR prevents a wireless client from accessing sites that contain pornographic, sexual, or other objectionable adult material.
This feature is configured on a per-SSID basis on the Wireless > Configure > Access control page. It is only available when NAT Mode is selected for client IP addressing.
Note: Content filtering is not available for networks on the Meraki China Dashboard (meraki.cn).
There are three possible options with regards to content filtering:
- Don't filter content
- Use Meraki's custom built-in content filtering ('Block adult content'), and
- Use a custom DNS server.
When option #1 is chosen, no content filtering is performed and all websites will be displayed as-is. Use this option if you do not wish to restrict any traffic for your users.
When option #2 is chosen, filtering is performed at the AP level with pre-populated lists of common adult sites. If a user tries to access a blocked site, they will see a splash page stating that the site is blocked by Meraki, and that they should contact their administrator for more details. This feature provides basic content filtering for applications in which advanced filtering techniques are not required (e.g., filtering for guests in the office lobby). If more advanced filtering is required, a separate content filtering solution is recommended, such as content filtering on the Meraki MX product line.
Option #3 allows for the specification of a third party DNS server, if the user wishes to leverage solutions such as DNS Redirector or OpenDNS Enterprise. If a DNS IP address is specified, the AP will query the specified DNS server for DNS queries sent by a client. More information on this flow is available in Configuring Custom DNS for an SSID in NAT Mode.