Internet Filter & Accountability

Forum category

I am reviewing our internet filter and security software and thinking about changing. I wonder what programs other people are using and the pros and cons.

Currently I have the router at home covered by OpenDNS; this is great for protecting all devices brought into the home (this is becoming increasingly common now that my daughter’s friends are bring their own devices when they come to visit) - the disadvantage is that the settings need to be the same for everyone and although we can check which websites have been visited (or attempted) we do not necessarily know whose device was used to access them. It also does not help when devices are taken away from the house (or used on 3/G network).

I also use K9 - this again is great; but is a one size fits all solution - every account on our iMac and MacBook Pro (used by everyone in the house) has to have the same setting; also it cannot be monitored remotely for accountability purposes.

Ideally we would like to keep OpenDNS (giving us some protection when visitors use their own devices) but to upgrade the filtering and accountability software on each of our computers and devices, so that it can be monitored for accountability purposes (I am in a men’s prayer and accountability group at church) and set up age appropriate limits for each user (so the setting for our 11 year old daughter are different to my wife and I). This is also important to me as I am about to start a lot of traveling and needing to take a laptop with me for work purposes.

If it helps we are a Mac family: we use iPhones, an iPad, a MacBook Pro and an iMac (with the exception of the iPad all are at least 4 years old). We are also based in the UK (we have previously used a proxy filter software based in the US - it was great, except that UK sites treated us as ‘foreign’ users - so for example I wasn’t allow to watch some items of BBC news as it was for UK users only!!).

I have been looking at Covenant Eyes. I would welcome reviews of this product or other suggestions.

Many thanks,

Richard

(Forgive me if there is a recent thread on this - I tried searching but found nothing recent.)

Discussion

I’ve used Qustodio for a good while now, mainly to keep the kids’ devices in check, not only for content but also device availability. There are a good number of scheduling features.

Used to use SafeEyes but had increasing problems with it blocking sites that shouldn’t be blocked… so everybody complained constantly about it. It’s now owned by McAphee, and I’ve been hearing of a lot of technical problems with the product of late.

It kind of depends on whether you’re mainly looking for content blocking to protect kids, to protect yourself, or if general security from malware/hackers/etc is the goal—or if usage monitoring/limiting is the goal. These are significantly different objectives from my POV.

Not familiar with Covenant Eyes personally, but have heard some good things about it.

Ultimately—on the personal level—I think the goal has to be to “internally regulate” as far as content goes. There is always a way around a filtering tool, especially if you’re the administrator. So the ideal is to have a process in your own heart and mind that puts the brakes on. But of course, ideal is one thing and reality is not so simple.

Views expressed are always my own and not my employer's, my church's, my family's, my neighbors', or my pets'. The house plants have authorized me to speak for them, however, and they always agree with me.

We’ve always ued OpenDNS, and we’ve also used to use SafeEyes - but we too had some problems when the kids would be trying to research a topic for school. I got tired of having to stop what I was doing to allow a site that was harmless - like a study guide for Moby Dick. Sheesh!

Filters can certainly help, but they are SO easy to get around. The best filter is the one you put into your kids’ heads. We filtered our firstborn to death, and it did nothing to prevent him from getting access to unmentionables at other people’s houses, and even at church with the pastor’s kids. So we changed our approach with our younger ones.

We started teaching them that their decisions make them who they are, and reveal what they love. If they pursue garbage, then obviously that is what is in their hearts. It’s OK to be curious, but some things are not worth the price of discovery. They get that. I regularly but sporadically check their history and internet cache and other clues to where they’ve been and what they are doing, and I have yet to be disappointed.

And to clarify - I’m not saying don’t use filters, I’m just saying don’t depend on them. Character training and the Holy Spirit are the best filters, so spend equal time and money developing those, KWIM? I know too many parents who congratulate themselves on their thorough all encompassing restrictions, but my kids know their kids and what is going on when those parents aren’t looking. It ain’t pretty.

We use Covenant Eyes and like it.

-------
Greg Long, Ed.D. (SBTS)

Pastor of Adult Ministries
Grace Church, Des Moines, IA

Adjunct Instructor
School of Divinity
Liberty University

I use OpenDNS, but it sounds like what you need is a router with two wireless networks (VLANs). One for your personal equipment and one for guests. You can get a good router that will do that and that will have the content filtering built in from Amazon for somewhere around $70-$100.

If you stack the router’s filtering with the OpenDNS, you should be good. Do each of your children have their own accounts on the Mac devices, or is it one master account?

PM me if you want more details.

"Our task today is to tell people — who no longer know what sin is...no longer see themselves as sinners, and no longer have room for these categories — that Christ died for sins of which they do not think they’re guilty." - David Wells

Thank you for all the comments. I shall have a look through the different suggestions and come back to you if I need to.

As per comments above I was shocked at how easy it is to get round some filters (especially OpenDNS - which I found out by accident); but also aware that filters that are over-sensitive are self-defeating as you keep having to turn them off. I agree that alongside filters it is important to educate as well - there will be opportunities at school or at friends’ so they definitely need to know and understand what is right and wrong.

Susan,

I agree that the Asus routers are an excellent choice. I have had the older RT-AC68U myself since late 2013, and it’s quite excellent. Also, there is a “not-quite-3rd-party” firmware called Asuswrt Merlin which is written by a guy who has close ties to Asus and in addition to extending the function, submits bug fixes back to Asus. I have been using his firmware the whole time. My network is much more stable than even when I was using Linksys or Netgear routers, and the performance and function of the the big names is not really in the same league with Asus at this time. I don’t have a very large house (2088 sq. ft.) but I have excellent coverage, even on 5G, in the whole house.

You might even be able to get a better deal on an 87 in the near future, as the 88 should be released near the end of this year or beginning of 2016.

Dave Barnhart

Dave,

Thanks for that information. Our Linksys went belly up, so I’m using a friend’s old WAP while we save for a new one. Are there any good Asus routers that you could recommend that aren’t as expensive? I’m going to have a hard time shelling out that much money for the one Susan recommended.

OTOH, if someone wants to donate to the “Help Jay get a new router” fund, I’ll be happy to accept it :)

"Our task today is to tell people — who no longer know what sin is...no longer see themselves as sinners, and no longer have room for these categories — that Christ died for sins of which they do not think they’re guilty." - David Wells

Jay,

You might also consider the Asus RT-AC66U (currently 142.88 at Amazon). Honestly, that is as far back as I would go. AC has been the current wireless standard for a couple years now, so I wouldn’t recommend buying an N router new at this point, even an Asus.

Dave Barnhart