Devices for your home network
In this post I’ll cover putting physical devices on your network can help secure the family internet. A physical device can help buffer anything on your network from the outside, like a proverbial bouncer at the club. The devices I’m discussing give various capabilities to manage what connects to your network, the allowed websites, time limits, and more.
ISP provided filters
Some ISPs do provide a certain level of filtering. When it comes to physical devices to secure the family internet Xfinity offers one such capability. The key is you need their specific device and not your own cable modem. I’ve put my own cable modem in place to avoid the monthly rental fee, so I miss out on this particular use case. Xfinity allows for category filtering, time based limits on single devices, as well as a master on off switch like the power panel to your house, but in this case the internet. Follow this link for Xfinity’s offering to see if you have access to it.
Purchasing Your Own
The reality is an ISP isn’t doing a lot in this area. And they may not want to. An ISP is the internet provider. They don’t want to get into filtering all your internet. At least not today. Differing stances around net neutrality may tilt the tables. There’s also potential dollars to be made in this space with package upgrade offerings and acquisitions of companies. Time will tell if ISPs get more into this arena.
If the ISP isn’t going to give a simple solution, other companies are filling the demand. Let’s look at a few options I’ve reviewed and see what they have to offer. (I am an affiliate of Amazon so these links help fund my site and the time I’ve taken to vet these products.)
Gryphon
This was an interesting one and has some good customer ratings. The feature set is large and on top of that the safe search and YouTube filtering caught my attention. My previous article had some free methods to safe search, but this makes it easier and less headache to setup.
Features:
- AV scanning (ESET)
- Content Filtering
- Browsing History
- Bedtime/Homework Time
- Suspend Internet
- Safe Search and Youtube
GRYPHON – Advance Security & Parental Control Mesh WiFi Router
Google WiFi system
Google is offering a system integrated with an online management interface and Google account. I’ve had a Google account since 2006 and this idea around a Google account linking to their WiFi is intriguing. It gives centralized management. It also enables cloud based configuration control. What does this do? Let’s say your whole WiFi unit fries. No problem! Everything you setup remains linked to your account. Get a new device, login with your account, and everything flows back into place.
Features:
- Pause WiFi
- Schedule Internet Timeouts
- Block Adult Websites
- Control Multiple Devices With Groups
Google WiFi system, 3-Pack – Router replacement for whole home coverage
CUJO AI Smart Internet Security Firewall
Disclaimer: This particular device isn’t being manufactured anymore. People still seem to love it therefore I’m including it as an option. It is also one of the few that doesn’t appear to slow down your internet connection. Beware of a number that do. A lot of reviews don’t seem to take this into consideration. A haphazard purchase could mean your internet speed drops to a quarter of the service you pay for every month.
Features:
- Time Limits
- Antivirus Filtering
- Browser Monitoring
- Limit Social Media
CUJO AI Smart Internet Security Firewall | Free Subscription (2nd Gen.)
What About The Others?
I spent a number of hours looking at other devices. I read reviews, I considered the technology they offered. What I concluded was I didn’t like them enough to share here. There are another 10+ devices I could have shared. They slowed down internet connections or had limited features. Other reviewers seem a little too quick to link to anything out there. Alternative devices to the above don’t look so appetizing when looking at the average ratings. The reviews reveal frustrated users. That’s why I only picked a few. Some of the devices I’ve reviewed may fall out of favor in the future, but at least by the date of this posting I think they are offering something worth the money.
Next – Software filters
You’ve looked at low cost filtering, hardware devices for the network, and next will be a post on software filters – apps you can install on your computers and smartphones to help to secure the family internet.
Previous Post: Secure The Family Internet Part 1