How to Block Video Content Streaming:
Blocking By Web Content Type
Navigate to the "Internet Content Filtering Settings", scroll down to the blocked content type list, and manually add the specific content types you wish to restrict. This can include precise file extensions or MIME types.
Adding specific video extensions to the active block list.
Blocking video streaming by specific content type means that web pages with embedded videos will not be entirely inaccessible (unless the domain itself is on your website blocking list). Instead, only the video player element will fail to load, preserving access to the surrounding text.
Selective blocking: Only the video stream is blocked.
Videos will be silently blocked by default, making it appear as though the stream is buffering or experiencing a server error. If you choose to turn off "Stealth Mode," clear warning notifications will be displayed to the user when video content is intercepted.
Example of a blocked media stream on a popular platform.
Creating Exceptions for Educational or Work Content
While a blanket ban on video streaming is highly effective for conserving bandwidth, you may occasionally need to allow specific video content for educational or training purposes. HomeGuard provides a flexible Exceptions mechanism. Even if you have "Block all video types" enabled, you can add specific domains or URLs to your allowed list. This overrides the general content filter for those designated sites, allowing embedded media to play seamlessly on a training portal or internal company dashboard while keeping YouTube, Netflix, and other distracting streaming services securely blocked across the rest of the network.
Configuring content type exceptions.
Blocking Binary Streams and Complex Platforms
For advanced websites that transmit streaming video in complex binary formats, two primary methods apply:
1. Blocking Executable Files: An aggressive option is to block standard executables in the "Content Types" section. However, note that this will universally block all general file downloads as well.
2. Blocking the Entire Website Domain: If you prefer to cleanly block the entire platform (e.g., various streaming platforms including YouTube, Vimeo, etc.), simply add the root domain to the blocked websites list. HomeGuard will automatically detect and block the encrypted HTTPS connections for these domains.
Blocking an entire streaming domain using HTTPS filtering.
