Have you ever wondered about the security of your home Wi-Fi network? Is it wise to leave your home internet unsecured and uncontrolled?
Today we will tell you about the basic principles of content filters, how to use them on your home network, and also compare the most popular Internet filters, which are based on DNS technology.
Content Filters as Parental Controls
It is difficult to imagine today a complete ban on a child's access to the Internet. However, leaving children alone with the Internet without any control is not a good option. After all, it is so easy to find information, images or videos on the Internet that are not intended for children's eyes - pornography, propaganda of alcohol, drugs and suicide, extremist resources, sites that distribute malicious software, and much more. Visiting this kind of Internet resources can harm the health or psychological development of the child, and spending too many hours on the Internet a day will negatively affect his sleep and academic performance. A content filter is perfect as a home Internet management and parental control tool.
With it, managing the Internet content available for viewing is simple: you yourself choose which sites will be available and which ones are blocked. In addition, with the help of content filtering on the router, you can limit the time children spend on the Internet so that they do not sit out the time allotted for homework on social networks and on YouTube or play online games all day long.
Content filters for routers are much more convenient than special programs for parental control, since to use them, you only need to set up the service on the device that distributes your home Wi-Fi. The SkyDNS service is easily configured on the most popular models of home routers, routers and Wi-Fi access points - Asus, TP-Link, D-Link, NetGear, Huawei, ZyXEL, Xiaomi, etc. At the same time, in ZyXEL Keenetic Internet centers, the service has advanced functions and allows you to configure filtering rules and statistics collection for different devices behind the router in different ways. There is no need to install any additional programs and applications on each device separately. Thus, all your laptops, tablets, smartphones connected to your home network will be filtered according to the rules you specified.
All configuration of the Internet filter takes place remotely through a convenient and intuitive web interface. As a result, in 5 minutes of simple manipulations with the router settings, you get a full-fledged parental control system for all devices connected to the home network - desktops, game consoles, SMART TVs, laptops, tablets and mobile phones. Moreover, you can manage the settings remotely through your personal account, wherever you are.
Also, using the filter, you can block the operation of individual sites and mobile applications (for example, Instagram, Facebook, VKontakte) simply by adding the site addresses used by them to the blacklist. You can also prohibit the installation of any applications on smartphones and tablets by prohibiting access to the addresses of the AppStore and Google Play Market application stores.
Content filter as an additional layer of protection against cyber threats
Very often we do not even know what programs are secretly installed on our computers. Most malicious programs are invisible and do not manifest themselves, using system resources or transferring personal information to fraudsters - logins, passwords, credit card numbers, passport data, etc. Content filtering is a fairly effective means of protection against various types of malicious network software. Unlike antiviruses, content filters for home routers block malware from entering your computer even before it is downloaded.
Content filtering of your home Wi-Fi network through the SkyDNS service will protect you from viruses, theft of personal data through phishing sites, and also prevent your devices from being used as bots in DDoS attacks. Even if you accidentally click on a dangerous link, the content filter will block access to the page before the malicious code reaches your device.
Choosing a reliable content filter for your home network
Among a fairly large number of solutions for filtering Internet traffic using DNS technology for comparison, we took the most popular - Yandex.DNS and SkyDNS.
However, if we draw an analogy not with the world of computers, then the Yandex.DNS service is a simple heck on the door, then the SkyDNS service is a full-fledged electronic lock with alarm, automatic control and other functions useful for your protection.
The SkyDNS content filter has a huge number of settings for fine filtering control. You can choose from 57 categories of sites to be accessed or blocked. Also use black and white lists (sites are entered there separately) to create exceptions to filtering rules. Among the categories of the SkyDNS service are not only groups of sites related to "adult" content, but also categories such as "Casinos, Lotteries, Sweepstakes", "Aggression, Racism, Terrorism", Time Eaters and many others. A significant advantage of the SkyDNS content filter is the ability to block most types of online advertising - pop-ups, banners, context, video and audio ads. Also a nice addition is the function of enabling safe mode on the YouTube video hosting popular among children and its own safe search, which ensures the highest quality blocking of all non-child content.
Moreover, the SkyDNS service offers its users to configure different filtering profiles on each device separately. Thus, you can customize the content filter on the parent's computer for your tasks, and on the children's tablet - for the age restrictions of your child.
Also, for additional convenience of using the service, SkyDNS offers the function to use the settings for the content filtering schedule. With its help, you can configure the blocking of web content in the way that suits you: for example, by opening access to social networks and instant messengers on weekends and during leisure hours and prohibiting access to entertainment resources during hours when the child is busy with school or household chores.
Selection of blocked and available categories of sites
Yandex's content filtering capabilities are significantly lower. The user of the service is offered to select only three blocking options: "High Speed" (redirection to Yandex DNS servers, to increase page loading speed, without blocking), "Virus protection" (includes blocking sites that distribute malware) and "Security for children ”(includes the first two modes + blocking sites with pornographic and erotic content).
In addition, the user is not given the opportunity to select individual categories and any other additional settings of the service. At the same time, all devices connected to the network are filtered according to the same rules. Agree that this level of protection is only suitable for very young children and unskilled Internet users.
Another disadvantage of the Yandex.DNS service is the lack of blocking proxies and anonymizers. SkyDNS is distinguished by a more serious degree of protection against blocking bypass, offering both the ability to block such services and additional levels of protection through password protection of filtering settings and several ways to disable filter bypass.
SkyDNS, like Yandex.DNS, allows home users to use the content filtering service for free. The features of the free version are quite sufficient for home use. However, the paid version of the SkyDNS content filter offers a number of additional features, such as the already described schedule setting, advanced white and black lists, blocking online ads, the ability to customize the appearance of the blocking page for prohibited sites, and many other convenient and useful functions.
Schedule setup
Let's summarize:
- Router-level content filtering is a great tool for managing your home Wi-Fi network. Internet filters are especially useful for families with minor children. Thus, your home Internet will be safe and truly family-friendly.
- Internet filters can be an essential addition to antivirus protection on your devices. They do not “cure” devices from malicious software, but they reliably protect against viruses and other malware entering your devices, as well as against theft of passwords on phishing sites.
- By filtering in your home network, you can not only block access to sites with "adult" content, but also limit the time your child spends on the Internet, for example, by denying him access to the network in the evening or at night.
- A nice addition to the main functions of content filters is the ability to block online ads (including contextual ones) - both in browsers and in mobile applications. At the same time, pages open much faster, and the eye is not distracted by annoying ads.
If you want to reliably protect your home Wi-Fi network or limit the time your children spend on the Internet, a content filter for your router will be a great solution! See for yourself how convenient and simple it is. We offer you a free trial period and try out the capabilities of the SkyDNS content filter for your home Wi-Fi router!
Try the service now, or learn more about secure internet and content filtering options for your home.
