Keeping the Creeps Out

In many households the “hearth” at the center of the home has gone from a warm fire to a large screen TV and now to a high-speed internet connection.  Many families have more than a dozen devices connected to their Wi-Fi router.  Desktop computers, smartphones and tablets share the connection with game consoles and telephones.  A robust and reliable internet connection can be as important today as plumbing and electrical power systems.  Some would say even more important.

With the ubiquity of internet access —for many families, especially those with young kids—comes a rising concern of unwanted and inappropriate content coming into the home.  It is unrealistic to personally monitor every second your kid is connected to the internet, and severing the connection with the outside world could deprive you and your family of important and worthwhile information.

Some new internet routers may help to control what content is available to members of your family. A router is a device that connects to the Internet Service Provider’s connection, usually a modem, and distributes the signal around your home wirelessly.  Up until recently these routers were passive devices allowing connection with any site on the internet.  The new “Family Friendly” routers allow you to pick and choose what content comes into your house and even allows you to set up tiers of access.

A young kid may have very tight restrictions placed on his or her access while a teen may need to have more options available.  The router allows you to set parameters for several different users.

Many provide real time monitoring and reporting functions, and can send messages to parents identifying what sites the kids are currently accessing.  Some can also be programmed to limit the number of hours each user is allowed on the internet each day or week.

For some people this may seem like “big brother” and it may not be appropriate for all situations.  Nevertheless, there continues to be some very unsavory material online and keeping it out of your house may be worth the personal limits to privacy.

You can find several router options by going online and searching “family friendly internet.”  Here are two models that PC Magazine scored well that you may wish to research: Linksys EA6900 and Netgear Nighthawk AC1900