Good Internet Filter?

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dudemaar

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Aug 18, 2018
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My wife wants me to put a internet filter on our computers. Any recommendations would be appreciated. Thank-you!
 
Easy thing is to change your DNS servers to the ones that have the restrictions. but TBH it's a long time since I looked at the ones available
 
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Silas said:
Easy thing is to change your DNS servers to the ones that have the restrictions. but TBH it's a long time since I looked at the ones available
Click to expand...

Look at setting up a free account with OpenDNS.com - there you can configure many settings and it’s an easy DHCP change on your network/router to point to their servers.

I also second the Pi-hole option. You can run it on a raspberry Pi on your local LAN. It has some nice graphs and reporting and the ability to subscribe to lists of sites for blocking that update automatically.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
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DNS blockers are probably the most popular and easy to use 'filters'

"A DNS blocker is a type of software or hardware product that is used to prevent access to certain websites by blocking the domain name system (DNS) lookup requests that would normally be used to resolve the hostname of the website. The blocked sites are often based on a list of predefined URLs, or the blocker can be configured to block specific types of websites, such as those related to social networking or gambling. DNS blockers are used by businesses and organizations to enforce policies and to limit access to certain types of websites. "

I actually run both PiHole and Adguard Home and I use pfSense for my router/firewall software. All three of these programs are free, open source software, but it takes a little bit of tinkering to get them up and running. You can also purchase similar services or devices - an example that comes to mind is Circle, or as several others have mentioned, use DNS blockers from CloudFlare, opensource, etc

Parental Control & Internet Filtering Device and App | Meet Circle

Circle is the easiest parental control device and app to manage screen time across all your family’s connected devices. Keep kids safe online: block inappropriate content and set online time limits.
meetcircle.com meetcircle.com

What I like about running Adguard Home versus PiHole, besides the fact their both free, is Adguard Home makes it really easy to block services. So basically I have a linux VM that runs AdGuard and in pfSense each device has a reserved IP address. I am able to go in and set what DNS is used for what device and for the grandkids devices, they are set to use the AdGuard IP, because it is really each to block the different services. For other computers and devices, they use PiHole, primarily for ad and tracker blocking
 

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From my experience assisting friends with this to help restrict internet access for their kids I always give them the same advice.

1) They could use a VPN which would bypass your DNS changes
2) They could change the DNS themselves
3) They could us 3/4/5g from on their device (if applicable) to bypass all your changes
4) They could tether from their mobile device to the iPad / Laptop to bypass all your changes
5) Talk to the kids and find out what and why they are trying to access. Explain the dangers
6) Go for a Prosumer device (unifi for example) which will allow a great deal of monitoring and locking down (but see point 3/4 as these always apply)
 
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cyberwolf_uk said:
From my experience assisting friends with this to help restrict internet access for their kids I always give them the same advice.

1) They could use a VPN which would bypass your DNS changes
2) They could change the DNS themselves
3) They could us 3/4/5g from on their device (if applicable) to bypass all your changes
4) They could tether from their mobile device to the iPad / Laptop to bypass all your changes
5) Talk to the kids and find out what and why they are trying to access. Explain the dangers
6) Go for a Prosumer device (unifi for example) which will allow a great deal of monitoring and locking down (but see point 3/4 as these always apply)
Click to expand...
I see, so wifey has been chatting with some of her friends and they suggested this app for mobile devices Screen Accountability™ | Covenant Eyes
:idk:
 
cyberwolf_uk said:
From my experience assisting friends with this to help restrict internet access for their kids I always give them the same advice.

1) They could use a VPN which would bypass your DNS changes
2) They could change the DNS themselves
3) They could us 3/4/5g from on their device (if applicable) to bypass all your changes
4) They could tether from their mobile device to the iPad / Laptop to bypass all your changes
5) Talk to the kids and find out what and why they are trying to access. Explain the dangers
6) Go for a Prosumer device (unifi for example) which will allow a great deal of monitoring and locking down (but see point 3/4 as these always apply)
Click to expand...

dudemaar said:
I see, so wifey has been chatting with some of her friends and they suggested this app for mobile devices Screen Accountability™ | Covenant Eyes
:idk:
Click to expand...

As Cyberwolf shows, internet filters can be bypassed in a number of different ways pretty easily. They are like the "Titanic" of safe browsing. They make big claims of bring control to your devices, but they can all be defeated by someone with half a brain. And while teenagers tend to only have half a brain, they are very good at exerting what limited brain cells they have to find ways of defeating this type of system.

If you lock down the network, a user can just use another network. If you lock down the devices, a user can usually find work arounds or just use another device. (Don't under estimate a person's ability to access other networks and devices through their friends). So while these systems work really well for people that are willing to accept them and not try to circumvent them, it doesn't take much to circumvent them if that is a person's desire.
 
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dudemaar said:
I see, so wifey has been chatting with some of her friends and they suggested this app for mobile devices Screen Accountability™ | Covenant Eyes
:idk:
Click to expand...

I have no experience on that product so can't comment either way, but like I said in my original reply and @The Automation Guy has posted, where there is a will there is a way. I have good filtering on my home network via Unifi products but I know they can turn off Wi-Fi and use their 4/5g connection or simply use an open Wi-Fi hotspot. As I mentioned its about talking to them and having that relationship with them so they will ask the Q's and be open.
 
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It's worth noting there is no 100% perfect internert filter out there from what I'm aware.

By all means put on filters, even multiple ones, but be aware that the only way to protect children is to be with them whilst they surf an prevent them from searching or accessing "bad" sites in the 1st place.
 
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