How can I redirect requests to one website in my Wi-Fi to another site?

Question

For example, whenever someone tries to go to apple.com, I want them to go to another website, but just when someone connects to my Wi-Fi. Maybe by using dnsmasq? Please don't be afraid to ask for clarification.

Solution 1

Those things are simple to do for someone who understands basic networking.

How and what you can do (and how reliably you can do it) will depend on what equipment you have available, not all home wi-fi routers are created equal in that regard. Some can be given custom firmware like Tomato or DD-WRT which give them extra features. The ability to redirect (or restrict) sites would be one such feature.

You can buy a Wi-Fi router that offers those features (or can be 'flashed') but you'd still need to configure it and this sounds like where you'll come unstuck. So, the best advice is to ask someone who knows what they're doing to set it up for you. Most techies are up for a little mischief on a home network in return for a beer or two.

Solution 2

One of the easiest (and easiest to bypass) methods to do this is to set up a dns server that gives alternate address to the censored website that point at a specially configured webserver that redirects the traffic.

another method is a layer 3 switch and a transparent proxy.

Comments

[Minedude78910]

I.... don't understand that at all. How does that affect the network...

[nerdwaller]

Are you trying to have them login to your network, or just disallow access to certain sites?

[Robert Harvey]

For starters, you haven't really given us any information whatsoever on the reasoning behind this. Any answer provide you is therefore going to be merely a speculative stab at what we think you might actually want.

[Minedude78910]

Its sorta like a joke, I am making an alternate version of Apple.com. I would like them to be sent to that when they go on Apple.com, but only for my wifi network. So neither @nerdwaller and RobertHarvey, heres your reasoning :)

[Robert Harvey]

i.stack.imgur.com/g2iQH.png

[David Schwartz]

Search "captive portal".

[Minedude78910]

No, David it doesn't have to do with that, as I want them to be able to use it normally except for one page :)

[Minedude78910]

What does that mean, and how would one attempt this? It technically isn't censoring, it is just redirecting a url (such as Apple.com)

[hildred]

I am not aware of any shrink wrapped packages to do this from a point and click, but it can be built with apache and bind. I would recommend starting with the book dns and bind from oriely to get started.

[Minedude78910]

I have no idea how to do any of the things any of you suggest, is their a simple way to do this, maybe buy a special box or something?

[hildred]

learnable, but not simple.

[Minedude78910]

I want to use dnsmasq. Is there a way to do it, because it currently isn't working :).

[James Snell]

As per the answer my best advice is "ask someone who knows what they're doing to set it up for you."

[Minedude78910]

I'm asking you, lol