Questions
Straight answers
about Gatekeeper.
Setup, a changed home address, what gets blocked, billing, privacy, and the things Gatekeeper does not do.
Getting started.
How do I set it up?
Subscribe while you are on your home Wi-Fi, so we can detect your home's public address. There is nothing to look up or paste. Your welcome email has the two addresses to enter in your router's DNS setting, and your Gatekeeper Home link. Change the DNS setting on your router, and the devices that use it are protected.
My router won't let me change the DNS setting.
Some internet-provider modems lock that setting. Your provider can unlock it or tell you the best approach. Email us with your router and provider and we will walk you through it.
Which devices are covered at home?
Phones, tablets, computers, consoles and TVs that use your router's DNS setting. A device set to use its own DNS service, or connected to a VPN, goes around your home setting.
What about my phone away from home?
A Mobile Day Pass protects one phone for 24 hours for $2.99, with no subscription. Subscribers can also protect a phone or laptop at no extra cost with the Protect this device link in their welcome email. It works on iPhone, iPad, Android, Mac, Windows 11, Chrome and Firefox. Get a Day Pass.
When something changes.
My home address changed.
Home internet addresses change from time to time, often after a router restart. From home, open Gatekeeper Home and choose “This isn’t my home network — update,” or open Manage subscription in your welcome email. See Manage your account. Address updates have a 30-day cooldown.
Where does Gatekeeper run, and does distance matter?
Gatekeeper runs on our own resolvers in Dallas, Texas and Los Angeles, California. Each lookup travels to the resolver and back, so distance adds a little time to any answer your devices have not already saved. Devices and routers keep recent answers for a while, so many page loads do not wait on a new lookup.
What happens when a subscription ends?
Our resolver stops answering for your home's address. Before that day, set your router's DNS back to automatic, or to your provider's setting, so your devices can still look up sites.
What it blocks.
What does Gatekeeper block?
Known phishing, scam and malware sites, and many ad and tracking domains, before they load. It also rejects forged answers for sites that publish digital signatures. On October 8, 2026 our threat and tracking list held more than 72,000 domains.
Can I block adult sites or gambling?
Yes. The Family Clean plan adds a filter for adult sites and gambling sites, or just one of the two. You choose at checkout. How the family filter works.
Can I control apps on one device?
From your Gatekeeper dashboard, add up to 15 devices, then switch off social apps or AI assistants for one device, set bedtime schedules, or pause the rules. Open it from the link in your welcome email.
Will it make my games faster?
No. DNS turns a name into an address before a connection starts. It does not change ping, packet loss, the route your traffic takes or frame rate. What Gatekeeper does for players.
Billing and privacy.
Is there a free trial?
Monthly plans start with 30 days free. A card is required so your plan can continue, and the first $2.99 charge is on day 31 unless you cancel before then. One free trial per home network and per email address. The annual plan, $19.99 a year, is billed when you subscribe and has no trial.
How do I cancel?
Cancel anytime from Stripe’s billing portal: open Manage subscription in your Gatekeeper welcome or billing emails, or Billing & card in Gatekeeper Home. Manage your account explains each step. Monthly plans can be cancelled with no penalty. Annual plans stop renewing and keep working through the end of the paid year.
What do you keep about me?
Your email, your home's public address, your billing record, and counts of lookups and blocks for your home. Our resolvers do not keep a log of the names your devices look up; the exceptions are explained in the privacy policy. Payments are handled by Stripe, and we never see your full card number. Privacy policy.
What it is not.
Is Gatekeeper a VPN or an antivirus?
Neither. It is your home's first line of defense: it stops known-bad sites before they load. Keep antivirus and updates on each device, and use strong, unique passwords.
Does it catch everything?
No filter does. New harmful sites appear every day, and lists catch up as they are reported. Gatekeeper lowers the odds; it does not remove them.
Didn't find your answer?
Email support@cipherioninc.com. A person on our team reads every message.