Browser Privacy Tools Don't Cover Your Whole Home

An ad blocker on your laptop can help while you visit websites. It does not automatically help the smart TV, speaker or appliance sharing your Wi-Fi.

Datante can reduce selected tracking connections from other devices using your home's Datante settings. You can keep useful browser tools and add filtering for more of your home.

What does a browser blocker do?

A browser is the app you use to open websites, such as Chrome or Safari. An extension is an extra tool you add to that app.

An ad-blocking extension may stop unwanted requests and hide ads on pages. Browser privacy settings can help limit other tracking.

Websites can use several ways to recognise you:

• Cookies are small bits of information saved by a website. Some keep you signed in; others can help track activity.
• Scripts are small pieces of code that run on a page. Some make buttons work; others collect information.
• Browser fingerprinting combines clues, such as browser settings, to try to recognise a browser.
• Signing in lets a service connect activity to your account.

Datante does not change every clue your browser shares. It also cannot stop every use of information by a service you sign in to.

What does Datante do differently?

DNS means Domain Name System. It helps a device find the network address for a website or service name. That name is called a domain.

For example, a TV may look up a tracking service before connecting to it. If the TV uses Datante and an enabled rule covers that name, Datante can stop the usual lookup. That may stop a connection needing the answer.

Your router is the box that connects home devices to the internet. Setting it up with Datante can help compatible devices using its DNS settings, including devices without a browser.

Datante's reports let you review household lookups and block decisions. You can use its supported allow and block controls when needed.

A lookup count is not a count of unique ads removed. Device-family labels also do not prove you have identified every physical device.

The benefit is broader coverage for selected tracking connections. Your browser blocker still helps with things DNS cannot do, such as hiding parts of a page.

What should you check before adding an extension?

Some extensions can read or change information on the websites you visit. Google explains how to check their access.

Check who made the extension, what access it asks for, and its privacy policy. Remove tools you no longer use. A popular tool is not automatically safe.

A VPN, or virtual private network, carries covered connections through a protected link to a VPN service. A tool called a VPN in a browser store may not cover your whole device or home.

A browser proxy sends browser connections through another service. A device VPN may cover more apps. A router VPN may cover more devices. Check the actual coverage instead of relying on the name.

Reports about browser changes also do not mean every ad blocker has stopped working. Check your particular browser, tool and version.

What about phone privacy settings?

Phone privacy settings can limit particular kinds of tracking. For example, Apple's App Tracking Transparency setting asks permission for tracking across other companies' apps and websites.

That setting does not control a smart TV's DNS lookups.

Some phone ad blockers work only in a browser. Others change how connections are handled. Read the setup instructions, especially if you also use a VPN or custom DNS.

What does Datante miss?

Some ads use the same domain as the content you want. Blocking it could stop both.

A device can also remember an address, use an address directly, or use a different DNS service. A phone using cellular data, or a VPN's DNS, may skip your home's Datante setup.

Datante cannot take back data already uploaded or stop every harmful extension from using access you gave it. Blocking known malware-related domains depends on the relevant security rules being enabled. Malware means harmful software.

What should you do first?

1. Update your browser and phone software.
2. Check what your extensions can access. Remove ones you do not need.
3. Review privacy and sharing settings in your accounts.
4. Follow Datante's setup guide and check which devices use those settings.

Frequently asked questions

Can I keep my browser ad blocker?

Yes. It does a different job. Check the setup if another tool changes your DNS settings.

Does Datante stop browser fingerprinting?

It can block selected tracking lookups. It cannot remove every clue used to recognise a browser or stop every service tracking its own users.

Does a router setup cover my phone everywhere?

No. It helps while the phone uses the configured connection. Cellular data, VPNs and different DNS settings can change that.

Help the devices your browser blocker misses

Compare Datante's protection levels and follow the setup guide.

Keep browser tools that work for you. Add Datante when you want managed filtering for more devices using your home network.