How to permanently block LG and Samsung smart TV tracking telemetry data

Bottom line: Block LG and Samsung smart TV telemetry by intercepting their hardcoded tracking domains and IPs (like samsungads.com and lgeapi.com) at the network layer. A DNS-based blocker like Pi-hole can't catch traffic that bypasses DNS entirely. When you bring a modern smart TV into your home, you are bringing in a device that records exactly what you watch, how long you watch it, and transmits it directly back to third-party tracking services. This is the same class of hardcoded-endpoint problem covered in our Pi-hole vs. local inspection comparison, and one of the main scenarios behind our smart TV data tracking solution.

Sever the Telemetry Feed

Because these devices use hardcoded domains and IPs for telemetry (such as samsungads.com and lgeapi.com), simple Pi-holes often fail to catch the raw stream. EdgeDefenseAI sits inline with your traffic and forcefully intercepts the connection strings, nullifying the outgoing telemetry entirely while letting Netflix and YouTube traffic pass untouched.

Hardware Prerequisites & Setup Requirements

To successfully execute network-layer telemetry blocking without breaking legitimate streaming apps, you will need the following hardware and network access:

• Managed Router or Firewall: A router running OPNsense, PfSense, OpenWrt, or a managed switch supporting VLANs or port mirroring.
• Static IP Reservation: Assign your LG (webOS) or Samsung (Tizen) Smart TV a fixed local IP address via DHCP reservation so policy enforcement remains pinned.
• Packet Inspection Sensor: An EdgeDefenseAI hardware appliance or container instance configured to monitor outbound LAN traffic on port 80/443.

Step-by-Step Telemetry Interception Workflow

1. Identify ACR & Ad Server Endpoints: Smart TVs utilize Automatic Content Recognition (ACR) to fingerprint video frames on screen. Map TV network traffic during active playback to isolate ad server subnets (e.g. Samsung QBE ingest nodes or LG TVSDP domains).
2. Configure Layer 3/4 Null Routing: Create outbound firewall drop rules targeting the TV's IP address when communicating with telemetry CIDR ranges (such as 13.111.0.0/16 or 23.211.0.0/16), overriding hardcoded fallback IPs.
3. Preserve Streaming Content Delivery: Verify that content delivery networks (CDNs) utilized by Netflix, Hulu, Prime Video, and YouTube remain unblocked by keeping standard HTTPS connections on ports 443 open to verified streaming endpoints.

Troubleshooting & Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Will blocking telemetry break my Smart TV's firmware update capability?
A: No. System update servers operate on distinct domains (e.g. samsungotn.net). EdgeDefenseAI differentiates between OS patch endpoints and ACR ad tracking servers so updates continue uninterrupted.

Q: What if the TV uses DoH (DNS-over-HTTPS) to bypass local DNS?
A: DoH requests to public resolvers like 1.1.1.1 or 8.8.8.8 are identified at the socket layer by packet entropy analysis and blocked, forcing the TV to fall back to local DNS rules or drop telemetry traffic altogether.

For the broader telemetry-blocking picture, see our stopping IoT telemetry guide and the IoT telemetry kill list.