Setup Guide

Most people spend more time choosing a Netflix show than they do setting up protection for every device in their house. This takes about five minutes.

Before starting, make sure you have a Stoix account (sign up here if not) and the device you want to protect nearby.

Quick Setup by Device

iPhone & iPad (iOS)

The cleanest setup method on iOS uses a configuration profile — it installs at the system level, which means every app and every browser on the device is covered, not just Safari.

  1. Open Settings on your device
  2. Navigate to General → VPN & Device Management
  3. Tap “Download Configuration Profile” from your Stoix Dashboard
  4. Follow the on-screen prompts to install the profile
  5. Done

Testing Your Setup

Open Safari and go to test.stoix.io. A confirmation page will appear if filtering is active. If it doesn’t load, the profile may need a device restart to take effect.

Android Devices

Android’s Private DNS setting achieves system-wide coverage — everything on the device routes through it, not just one browser or app.

  1. Open Settings → Network & Internet
  2. Tap “Private DNS”
  3. Select “Private DNS provider hostname”
  4. Enter your personal DNS hostname from your Dashboard
  5. Save

Finding Your DNS Hostname

Your hostname is in your Stoix Dashboard and looks like this:

abc123.dns.stoix.io

It’s unique to your account. Don’t use someone else’s — filtering rules are tied to your specific hostname.

Mac (macOS)

  1. Open System Settings → Network
  2. Select your active connection (Wi-Fi or Ethernet)
  3. Click “Details” → DNS tab
  4. Click the ”+” button and add your Stoix DNS servers:
Primary: [your Stoix DNS from dashboard]
Secondary: [your Stoix DNS from dashboard]
  1. Click OK to save

Your DNS addresses are in your Dashboard setup page. These are specific to your account and different from generic public DNS servers.

Windows PC

  1. Open Settings → Network & Internet
  2. Click on your connection (Wi-Fi or Ethernet)
  3. Click “Edit” next to “DNS server assignment”
  4. Select “Manual” and toggle IPv4 on
  5. Enter your Stoix DNS servers from your Dashboard
  6. Save

Router Setup (Protect All Devices)

This is the setup that covers everything — phones, tablets, laptops, smart TVs, gaming consoles, whatever’s connected. One configuration, entire network.

  1. Access your router admin panel — usually at 192.168.1.1 or 192.168.0.1 in a browser
  2. Find the DNS settings (location varies by brand — usually under WAN, Internet, or Advanced settings)
  3. Replace the existing DNS servers with your Stoix DNS addresses from your Dashboard
  4. Save and reboot the router
  5. Every device on the network is now filtered

Common Router Admin Pages

  • Netgear: routerlogin.net or 192.168.1.1
  • TP-Link: tplinkwifi.net or 192.168.0.1
  • Linksys: myrouter.local or 192.168.1.1
  • ASUS: router.asus.com or 192.168.1.1

The tradeoff with router-only setup: it protects devices on your home network but not when they’re out on cellular data or another Wi-Fi. For devices that leave the house, layer device-level setup on top.

Verify Your Setup

  1. Go to your Dashboard Analytics
  2. DNS queries should start appearing within a minute or two of browsing
  3. Try visiting a known ad domain — it should fail to load

If queries are showing up in Analytics, the setup is working. If the Analytics page shows nothing after a few minutes of normal browsing, something in the configuration didn’t stick.

Troubleshooting

Filtering isn’t working after setup:

  1. Restart the device — DNS changes occasionally need a reboot to propagate
  2. Verify the DNS settings weren’t overwritten (some apps and network changes reset these)
  3. Confirm your subscription is active in your Dashboard
  4. Check that you’re using your account-specific DNS hostname, not a generic one

What’s Next?