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title Device Management
impact MEDIUM
impactDescription Unidentified devices appear as anonymous IPs in logs, making it impossible to troubleshoot per-device issues or apply device-specific filtering
type capability
tags
devices
client identification
device names
linked ip
doh
dot
dashboard

Device management

Identify, name, and manage devices in the NextDNS dashboard for precise per-device visibility

Overview

The NextDNS dashboard can display each device by name (for example, "Alice's iPhone", "Smart TV") in the Logs and Analytics tabs. Device identification depends on the DNS protocol the device uses to reach NextDNS.

Understanding which protocol each device uses determines how you can identify it and whether you can apply device-specific profiles.

Protocol and identification matrix

Protocol Device visible in Logs Per-device Profile Client name shown
DoH (DNS-over-HTTPS) ✅ ✅ ✅ (from device ID in URL)
DoT (DNS-over-TLS) ✅ ✅ ✅ (from TLS hostname)
NextDNS CLI / App ✅ ✅ ✅ (from -report-client-info)
Linked IP (plain DNS) ⚠️ By IP only ❌ ❌ (IP address only)

Setting device names in the dashboard

Via the Setup tab

  1. Navigate to https://my.nextdns.io/{profile-id}/setup
  2. Scroll to Devices
  3. Devices that have sent queries will appear in the list
  4. Click the pencil icon next to any device to rename it

Via the Logs tab

  1. Navigate to the Logs tab
  2. Click on a query row
  3. In the expanded view, click Edit next to the device name
  4. Enter a friendly name and save

Improving device identification

For devices using Linked IP (plain DNS)

Devices that use the router's DNS (Linked IP setup) appear only as IP addresses. To improve visibility, install the NextDNS CLI on the router with -report-client-info:

sudo nextdns config set -report-client-info=true
sudo nextdns restart

This enables the CLI to report the hostname and MAC address of each LAN client to NextDNS.

For Android devices (Private DNS)

Android's Private DNS (DoT) uses the profile-specific hostname:

{your-profile-id}.dns.nextdns.io

This associates the device with your profile and makes it identifiable by its Android device name.

For iOS devices

Install the NextDNS profile from https://my.nextdns.io/{profile-id}/setup → iOS. The profile includes a DoH or DoT configuration with your profile ID embedded, enabling per-device identification.

For Windows devices

# ✅ Configure DoH with device identification via Settings
# Settings → Network & Internet → [connection] → Hardware properties → DNS server assignment
# Set preferred DNS: your NextDNS IPv4 endpoint
# Enable DNS over HTTPS: "On (manual template)"
# Template: https://dns.nextdns.io/{profile-id}

Viewing device activity

In the Logs tab

Filter options:
- All devices (default)
- Specific device (by name or IP)
- Unidentified devices only (__UNIDENTIFIED__)

In the Analytics tab

Navigate to Analytics → Devices to see:

  • Query count per device over the selected time period
  • Percentage of blocked queries per device
  • Device model (when reported by the NextDNS app or CLI)

Do NOT Use

❌ Do not rely on Linked IP alone for per-device visibility
   Plain DNS (port 53) via linked IP only identifies the network, not individual devices.

❌ Do not use the same DoH URL for multiple devices without the profile ID
   Generic DoH URLs like https://dns.nextdns.io/ without a profile suffix cannot identify
   which profile or device the query came from.

Best practices

  • Name devices immediately after they first appear in Logs — it is easier while the context is fresh.
  • Use descriptive names that include the owner and device type: "Bob - iPad Pro", "Living Room TV".
  • Enable -report-client-info on the NextDNS CLI for network-wide installations to identify devices without requiring per-device configuration.
  • Check the __UNIDENTIFIED__ filter periodically to catch new devices on your network that have not been named yet.

Troubleshooting

Issue: device shows as an IP address instead of a name

Cause: The device uses Linked IP (plain DNS) without client info reporting.

Solution: Install NextDNS CLI on the router with -report-client-info, or configure the device to use DoH/DoT with your profile ID in the URL/hostname.

Issue: two devices share the same name in the logs

Cause: Different devices were given the same hostname, or the same device changed its IP.

Solution: Rename one device from the Devices list in the Setup tab, using more specific names.

Reference