In this article

Use this article to understand how LAN Subnets segment policy enforcement by IP range and how they interact with Roaming Clients and Relays.

A LAN subnet defines a specific IP range and assigns a filtering policy and block page to traffic originating from that range. Subnets provide a way to apply group-based policy enforcement within a private network.

Why use LAN subnets

LAN subnets help separate policy enforcement by network purpose or location. Common examples include:

• Guest Wi-Fi networks with more restrictive policies
• Corporate server networks with limited category blocking
• Internal infrastructure that requires a different block page or logging behavior

Subnets function similarly to User and Collection assignments by acting as a grouping mechanism for policy enforcement.

How subnet policy enforcement works

Subnets apply to both Roaming Clients and Relays when traffic originates from an IP address within the defined range.

For Roaming Clients, this behavior may appear as policy misalignment when a subnet policy overrides agent's assigned policy. This is expected behavior when the device is operating within the configured IP range. 

Use this diagnostic commands to confirm subnet-based policy enforcement. If configured correctly, the response shows the policy source as Subnet when the Roaming Client is within the IP range. 

nslookup -type=txt debug.dnsfilter.com 103.247.36.36
nslookup -type=txt debug.dnsfilter.com 103.247.37.37

Add a LAN subnet

1. From the DNSFilter dashboard, navigate to Deployments and select LAN Subnets
2. Select Add Subnet
3. Complete the required fields:
   • Name the subnet
   • Assign a Site
   • Assign a filtering policy
   • Assign a block page
   • Enter the IP range
4. Select Save Subnet

Devices operating in the IP range now receive the assigned filtering policy and block page.

Manage existing subnets

LAN subnets are managed from the LAN Subnet dashboard found under Deployments. 

✍️ Multi-tenant management is not yet available, but will be available in future releases. Navigate to the MSP Organization's deployment dashboard to manage subnets.

Available management actions include:

• Column-based filtering for Sites and Policies
• Sorting and searching by subnet name