Excessive ads?

[MountainBuck]

I don't know "Tapatalk" but see that even when using ad blocking DNS that people are still seeing ads, so the ads op are seeing may be due to the app.

The "hosts" file is effective but it needs updating periodically. Then there is the problem of multiple devices.

Flashing an open sourced firmware to your eligible router and activating an ad blocker protects all devices on your network - that's every computer and cell phone connected via wifi in your home. The two solutions below will even update themselves automatically.

You may be interested in flashing your compatible router with OpenWrt and installing the available Adblock software on the router.

FreshTomato router firmware is easier to configure and has an ad blocker built in but not turned on. This ad blocker uses the same hosts file but automatically downloads updates from multiple different sources.

Flashing a router comes with risk but the reward is high. Ad blocking isn't the only extra feature. But only consider this if you have some tech experience or are technically minded. First time out the learning curve is steep but the guides are usually well written.

Second hand routers are plentiful and are an inexpensive way to try this if you don't have much experience.

 

[polarred21]

I'm Android phone using Google browser, this site almost unbearable now on the phone, PC is okay. Seems it got worse just a few weeks ago.

 

[John_Mc]

I don't know "Tapatalk" but see that even when using ad blocking DNS that people are still seeing ads, so the ads op are seeing may be due to the app.

The "hosts" file is effective but it needs updating periodically. Then there is the problem of multiple devices.

Flashing an open sourced firmware to your eligible router and activating an ad blocker protects all devices on your network - that's every computer and cell phone connected via wifi in your home. The two solutions below will even update themselves automatically.

You may be interested in flashing your compatible router with OpenWrt and installing the available Adblock software on the router.

FreshTomato router firmware is easier to configure and has an ad blocker built in but not turned on. This ad blocker uses the same hosts file but automatically downloads updates from multiple different sources.

Flashing a router comes with risk but the reward is high. Ad blocking isn't the only extra feature. But only consider this if you have some tech experience or are technically minded. First time out the learning curve is steep but the guides are usually well written.

Second hand routers are plentiful and are an inexpensive way to try this if you don't have much experience.

If you use a router-based ad-blocker, is there a provision to allow ads for certain sites? Some site will not load if they detect you are using an ad blocker.

 

[MountainBuck]

If you use a router-based ad-blocker, is there a provision to allow ads for certain sites? Some site will not load if they detect you are using an ad blocker.

Yes. In both OpenWrt and FreshTomato there is a "White List" and a "Black List" page for naming specific domains.

 

[Camofurever1]

I use Brave browser. I get zero ads.

 

[big bubba]

laptop poses no problems for me. don't much care for cell access to internet maybe i'm old school...to me ads are a small price for a free forum. are you suggesting paid membership as an alternative? best regards

 

[Camofurever1]

I would pay a small yearly fee or allow us to submit donations to not see ads on a page and to help support the website. Through the decades, i have paid membership fees to belong to sites that had my interest. Paying a little bit of money will usually make you more active on the site, also. If you don't pay for something, it loses value and you don't use it.

 

[Muhammad]

Ideally we would have no ads.

Logged in the ad load is much different than logged out. I use the same layout as everybody else and I agree, the ads when you are logged out is not a good experience for browsing multiple threads. But as soon as you log in everything changes.

 

[CliffordK]

I'm not super negative for ads. However, I run a program called NoScript that kills off any unwanted scripts (including many ads).

It does take a bit of work to set up a new site when I encounter it. Not a lot, but one has to configure each website.

If a website wants to cater to me, then they need to keep their scripts under control. There are some sites that run literally 50 scripts on one's machine, without explanation, and can grind the whole computer to a halt.

Push the ads up using HTML from the primary link and I'll see them.

 

[DutchInNZ]

If you use a chrome-based browser, there are extensions for switching javascript on en off with one click. If a page shows too many ads, click on the extension and the page reloads automatically, no settings per site needed. Do then not forget to switch the JS on again for other sites, as many do need JS for running completely. This is where to get it: Toggle JavaScript

The hosts file still is the best solution without need for doing anything; just download and copy the latest version once a year or so if you run it locally in the machine.

 

[dieselscout80]

Tonight this ad is preventing me from reading the text of the thread. I refreshed the thread multiple times and it was always there.

 

[Muhammad]

Tonight this ad is preventing me from reading the text of the thread. I refreshed the thread multiple times and it was always there.

What device are you using? I see that it's a phone but we can try to replicate.

 

[dieselscout80]

iPhone 13 mini

 

[John_Mc]

Most of my web browsing is on my computer, but I do use my iPhone on occasions. I’ve never had this sort of problem on my iPhone. Using an iPhone XR running iOS 17.2.1

 

[1Mech]

I'm Android phone using Google browser, this site almost unbearable now on the phone, PC is okay. Seems it got worse just a few weeks ago.

Get rid of Google, switch to a better phone browser such as DuckDuckGo, they don't track your every move!

 

[needmoredirt]

It's the way you access the forum. I use Linux Mint OS with Firefox browser with Ublock on my computer and Android OS with Brave browser on my phone. There are zero ads.

Mint user here as well. FF w/uBlock, Disable JS button, etc etc.

Need to try Brave on Andriod - thx!

One can do some tricky stuff simply editing hosts file (windoz too).

Run a DNS server on/for LAN. I have a lot of entries pointing to 127.0.0.1, not to mention redirects (like gubmint time resolves to 192.168.x.xxx ntpd, the list goes on). Ppl don't realize, if you use my DNS server, I can know so much about you it's crazy - why you think ggl does it? YOU ARE THE PRODUCT!

LOL

Some of this stuff is basic, some very advanced, depending on what one wants.

Startpage uses ggl results, prefer it over Duck BTW

chrome (choose your poision) setttings are very limited, clunky, hardly ever use it (only testing/troubleshooting, like a windoz box, ipad etc)

 

[John_Mc]

Get rid of Google, switch to a better phone browser such as DuckDuckGo, they don't track your every move!

Whether they track you or not only affects the type of ads you see, not the quantity. Which ones they show me doesn't really matter to me, since I don't read any of them anyway.

 

[BlueKnife]

Whether they track you or not only affects the type of ads you see, not the quantity. Which ones they show me doesn't really matter to me, since I don't read any of them anyway.

Nice to not have them there at all though, if you don't want to look at them.

 

[John_Mc]

Whether they track you or not only affects the type of ads you see, not the quantity. Which ones they show me doesn't really matter to me, since I don't read any of them anyway.

Nice to not have them there at all though, if you don't want to look at them.

Yes, but that is what an ad blocker is for. My point was that which search engine you use does not effect how many ads you see when viewing the forum, it just effects WHICH ads you see

 

[dieselscout80]

Saw this again today.