The internet is essential for education, entertainment, social connection and so much more — there’s no getting around your kids getting online. Though it may seem like the way your kids use the internet is out of your control, you can actually add some guardrails at home to feel better about how much time they spend online and what kind of content they may come across.
While the internet is beneficial in a number of ways, it also contains a lot of inappropriate and potentially dangerous content for children. It’s impossible to protect your kids from all the concerning content on the internet, but setting up parental controls can help and is a step in the right direction.
Cele mai multe Routere Wi-Fi have settings that can help you limit your child’s screen time and the content they can see. You just need to be willing to dig through the settings a bit to configure them to what best suits your household. Every router is different, so you’ll want to consult your model’s manual for specifics, but here’s a basic overview of what features to look for and how best use them.
How to set up parental controls on your Wi-Fi router
The first step to customizing and managing your internet connection is getting access to your router’s settings. Most recent models offer companion apps that easily allow you to connect with your router and tweak settings to your liking.
Apps like those are a good starting point, and many will offer some basic level of parental controls that you can experiment with. However, if you really want to open up the hood and see your router’s full allotment of settings, you should connect using your computer.
To start, open your preferred web browser on your computer and type your network IP address into the address bar. By default, most routers use 192.168.1.1 as the IP address. If that doesn’t work for you, you can look up your IP address by right-clicking on your internet icon and looking for details or settings.
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Mac users can find the IP address by clicking the Wi-Fi symbol, going to Wi-Fi Settings, then clicking on Details. If you’re a Windows user, you can click the Properties button under Network and Internet; if you scroll down you should be able to find the IP address.
Once you’ve typed your IP address into the address bar, you’ll need credentials to edit settings. Some routers have this information printed on the router itself, in the user manual or on the manufacturer’s website. You might also have picked out credentials of your own when you first set up your router. If you can’t remember the login info, you’ll usually be able to find it and change it in the router’s app.
Once you’ve logged in or accessed settings, there are a number of ways to customize internet browsing, depending on your specific router’s features.
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The Nest Wifi app lets you group your kids’ devices together and then schedule times when they can and cannot connect.
1. Limit internet time
Most routers with parental control options include a setting for scheduling. This means you can schedule the network to turn off at a certain time every day.
Some include scheduling for specific devices, so you can choose your child’s laptop, tablet or gaming console and disconnect it from the internet at, say, 8 p.m. every weeknight. Want to block everything? Look for options that let you group devices together.
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2. Restrict specific websites
In addition to scheduling, some routers include parental controls for specific sites. You can choose which URLs to block on different devices in your home, so you can keep your kids away from content you deem inappropriate or dangerous.
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Netgear, for example, does this with its Nighthawk routers through the Nighthawk app’s parental control settings, powered by Circle Smart Parental Controls. You can adjust time and content for each device on your network from your mobile device.
3. Pause Wi-Fi access
If you’re just looking to keep distractions at a minimum during dinnertime but don’t want to set up any specific schedules or restrictions, pausing the connection is your best bet.
Routers and rețele de tip plasă like Nest Wifi include companion apps that allow you to pause the internet connection on some or all devices and resume it as soon as you’re ready. Google’s second-gen Nest Wifi system adds Google Assistant voice controls into each extender, so you can just say, “OK Google, pause the kids’ Wi-Fi.”
Hint: This is also pretty handy if your kids’ daily Wi-Fi consumption is interfering with things like your work-related video calls or focus time.
Need more parental controls? Add a router accessory
If you love the router you already own but want to add parental controls, add-on devices may help. Plug-in modules like the Circle Home Plus connect to your router and manage internet access and rules for multiple connected devices.
Some devices and apps can even budget a certain number of minutes to each device, then allow kids to earn more internet time by doing chores around the house. That’s a great way to teach children to responsibly manage and balance their screen time without a parent wrenching the device out of their hands.
When you’re customizing your router settings or adding on a device to manage access, it’s important to take steps to keep everyone safe on the internet. For parents looking for more guidelines on internet browsing, screen time and keeping kids safe, there are a number of online resources, including Connectsafely.org şi Family Online Safety Institute.
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