Family Web Filtering - best option?

[seedubya]

The CEO of my biggest client is looking to filter the internet at his house for various devices, iOS, Android and Windows. He has teenagers.

Can anyone recommend anything? Cost would not be the biggest consideration.

 

[Justin Heath]

Untangle now has a home version for $50/Yr i believe

 

[seedubya]

Untangle now has a home version for $50/Yr i believe

I hadn't noticed, thank you. Now I have to start another thread though!

 

[DMC Unlimited]

Open DNS offers a free DNS filtering option for home use. Requires updating the DNS on the home router, but no individual config on devices. Can be bypassed pretty easily by entering manual DNS addresses on each device if the teens are savvy though.

 

[seedubya]

Thanks! It's individual config I'm hoping to avoid! However, it looks like I can't.

What about endpoint management of some kind to keep the DNS locked down. I'm sure I could do that with Labtech. Hmmm....

 

[DMC Unlimited]

Thanks! It's individual config I'm hoping to avoid! However, it looks like I can't.

What about endpoint management of some kind to keep the DNS locked down. I'm sure I could do that with Labtech. Hmmm....

Locking down the mobile devices is what I find tricky in a home setting. Short of a hardware firewall or a router with integrated filtering capabilities, OpenDNS is the cheapest, simplest solution I can come up with for you. Let us know what you end up doing in the end.

Edit - Just remembered hearing about this device a while back. I've never used it, but sounded interesting for residential use: https://meetcircle.com/

 

[Mike McCall]

Locking down the mobile devices is what I find tricky in a home setting. Short of a hardware firewall or a router with integrated filtering capabilities, OpenDNS is the cheapest, simplest solution I can come up with for you. Let us know what you end up doing in the end.

^This.

It's probably the best over-all solution for a home network. Just remember it will have no effect on cell traffic. Cell traffic puts you back to dealing with per device management.

 

[AndyM]

@seedubya Install Untangle Home into a Zotac box. Most have dual ethernet ports, and you can use the internal WiFi or put a Ubiquiti installation in place.

Andy

 

[seedubya]

@AndyM Any of the normal trade outlets sell the Zotac stuff, Andy?

@Mike McCall Yeah, I'm kinda thinking of that. The company that he owns has about 70 machines on Labtech now so 10 more won't be any big deal. He's gonna tell me to bill the business for them anyway, I'm sure!

 

[AndyM]

Colm, Enta are your best bet. I think they're the preferred distributor for Zotac in the UK.

Andy

 

[fencepost]

If the router is handing out DNS and is capable enough, you could simply set the DNS on it and block any outbound DNS queries. You might also need to block VPN services or outbound VPNs except from specific systems.

 

[seedubya]

If the router is handing out DNS and is capable enough, you could simply set the DNS on it and block any outbound DNS queries. You might also need to block VPN services or outbound VPNs except from specific systems.

I haven't seen the router yet but, no matter what, I'll still need to do something for 3G\4G internet on phones.

 

[seedubya]

The real solution is parenting, not policing.

That comment is made every time one of these threads comes up. Not that you're wrong, mind. Having reared three teenagers I can tell you that parenting is the answer BUT also that anything that makes your job as a parent easier is not to be lightly dismissed. Parenting is also the answer to prevent teen pregnancy but lessons in basic contraception will help.

You'd think it would be easy - an application \ service that works on multiple platforms to filter web traffic regardless of the medium i.e. Mobile or Wifi, ideally all available from single control panel.

 

[fencepost]

You'd think it would be easy - an application \ service that works on multiple platforms to filter web traffic regardless of the medium i.e. Mobile or Wifi, ideally all available from single control panel.

You might consider monitoring rather than filtering - it avoids a lot of the "keep-away game" aspect of getting around content blocks, and it provides the information for parents to have a discussion.

spending seven days without a phone is the Worst Thing Ever and not to be endured twice.

Hm, If the parents are up for it I think the opposite-sex parent having a discussion with them might be even worse. "What'cha need Mom?" "Jimmy, I think we should talk about your interest in XXXXX, because your father and I have some concerns."

 

[acscva]

I have heard good things about http://www1.k9webprotection.com/

 

[carmen617]

You might consider monitoring rather than filtering - it avoids a lot of the "keep-away game" aspect of getting around content blocks, and it provides the information for parents to have a discussion.



Hm, If the parents are up for it I think the opposite-sex parent having a discussion with them might be even worse. "What'cha need Mom?" "Jimmy, I think we should talk about your interest in XXXXX, because your father and I have some concerns."

One of my favorite stories, from the early days of the internet (before parents had any idea what to look for). My client was the mother of 3 teenage sons, who shared a computer in their room. They complained it wasn't running well, I came to check it out and found it full of that wonderful boy mix - viruses and porn. I cleaned off the viruses and showed my client the porn, and she came up with the best punishment/deterrent I have even heard of - mother/son movie night. She sat in that room with her three teenaged boys and viewed hours of porn with them, watching them squirm while she compared actual real life sex to the porn scenarios depicted. She never found porn on their computers again!

 

[fencepost]

That's a charming story but a fairly high-risk strategy if whatever passes for Child Protective Services in your part of the world gets to hear about it.

Maaaaaybe. On the other hand, I think in most places CPS is overworked and understaffed and would agree that they have better things to do than get involved with parents actively taking an interest in controlling their children's Internet access and porn exposure. And if CPS didn't have better things to do, I suspect once it made it in front of a judge they'd be advised to find better things to do.

Barring of course, petty dictators drunk on their own little slice of power, but that's a "jerk" problem more than a "CPS" problem.

 

[GTP]

One of my favorite stories, from the early days of the internet (before parents had any idea what to look for). My client was the mother of 3 teenage sons, who shared a computer in their room. They complained it wasn't running well, I came to check it out and found it full of that wonderful boy mix - viruses and porn. I cleaned off the viruses and showed my client the porn, and she came up with the best punishment/deterrent I have even heard of - mother/son movie night. She sat in that room with her three teenaged boys and viewed hours of porn with them, watching them squirm while she compared actual real life sex to the porn scenarios depicted. She never found porn on their computers again!

Is this just wrong? Or is it just me?

 

[GTP]

Maaaaaybe.

I see what you did there!

 

[Slaters Kustum Machines]

Is this just wrong? Or is it just me?

It would depend on the age of the teenagers for me.