![[Cover] Best WiFi Router for Parental Controls](https://www.techlifeland.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Cover-Best-WiFi-Router-for-Parental-Controls-1024x683.jpg)
Love to work online? In an increasingly online world, we sure know how important the internet is to kick up your productivity. However, what about your children? You don’t want them glued online all the day. How do you keep track on their internet behaviour? Kids and teens spend as much as 44.5 hours a week in front of digital screen. Even if you are a diligent parent, your kids might be sneakier than you would think.
The easy way out to ensure healthier internet habits for your children? Take a look at the internet router. It’s how all the smart devices in your home goes online. If you are worried about how your child is accessing the internet, simply choose a router that enables strict parental controls.
If you want no loose ends, read on to know our top picks of the home routers with content filtering. We can help you choose the perfect one.
Quick Picks
Best Parental Control Routers: Product Review
#1.NETGEAR Orbi Tri-band Router
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Your home will no longer have specific spots for internet connectivity. This powerful router comes with Mesh technology to ensure that your entire house and all devices are incorporated into the web of the World Wide Web. You can even extend the coverage up to 2500 sq. ft. using additional satellites.
You will experience no frequent drops in connectivity with its dedicated band between the satellite and your Orbi Router. Apart from that, you will have two available bands to speed up connection to devices.
Apart from providing fast internet to all devices at home, this is the perfect device for your needs of child safety. You can pause the internet access to a device, view site history usage and even set the duration of online surfing for your child. You even get a trial of NETGEAR Armor which is their anti-virus software. Shield your devices from malware, phishing, online fraud or every other kind of virus.
It is easy to set-up and use and makes for the simplest and most useful weapon against all internet evils.
Pros
- Works with any internet service provider.
- Tri-Band system for faster internet and better connection for all devices.
- Allows guests to use the guest connectivity on the Wi-Fi while protecting your network and password
Cons
- The software has bugs causing lags in the operation.
#2.ASUS RT-AC88U(AC3100) Dual-Band Gigabit WiFi Gaming Router
- 1024 Qam technology 80 percent faster 5 GigaHertz at up to 2100 Mbps, 66 percent faster 2. 4 GigaHertz at up to 1000...
- 33 percent greater 2. 4 GigaHertz coverage with a 4 transmit, 4 receive (4T4R) antenna design, able to reach our widest...
- Expansive connectivity options: with exclusively has 8 x Gigabit LAN ports for up to eight Ethernet compatible devices...
This is a smart and efficient router with its 1024 Qam Technology that makes it 80% faster. It also has phenomenal coverage with its 4 receive antenna design. It can cover 5000 sq feet. Apart from the area coverage, it will also ensure that none of your devices at home are left with slow internet. You have as many as 8x Gigabit LAN ports to which you can connect a good 8 Ethernet- compatible devices.
The router is powered by a 1.4 GHz processor and additionally has lightning fast USB transfer, download, and upload speeds.
The smartest thing about this router is that it automatically chooses the best band available. Speed will never be an issue for you with this router.
The key issue of parental control cannot be overlooked. In this regard, this router performs excellently with its automatic vulnerability detection and malicious site blocking. Your children will be safe using this router.
Pros
- Wide coverage without the need for range extenders.
- Good firmware
- Great for streaming movies in high quality
- Adaptive QoS allows you to prioritise gaming
Cons
- It stops working abruptly at times.
#3.TP-Link WiFi 6 AX3000 Smart WiFi Router
- Wi-Fi 6 Router: Wi-Fi 6 (802. 11ax) technology achieves up to 3x faster speeds, 4x capacity and 75% lower latency...
- Next-gen 3 Gaps speeds: 4-Stream Dual Band router reaches incredible speeds up to 3 Gaps (2402 Mbps on 5 GHz band and...
- Connect more devices than ever before: simultaneously communicate more data to more devices using revolutionary OFDMA...
This is the perfect router for all your needs of streaming or gaming. Its Intel Dual-core CPU is meant to serve you with a buffer-free and smooth experience. The CPU is aided by its 4-Stream Dual Band system that allows the router to attain speeds nearing 3 Gaps. Your streaming, gaming or surfing can never be boring with this perfect router.
There is the provision to connect more devices than was previously possible, with this router. So you can enjoy one fast connection for all your devices at home.
With regard to parental controls, the router does not fall short. You have the ability to create separate profiles for each device and member of the family, allowing only specific time limits for each, use filters to block or remove age-inappropriate content or even go ahead and suspend wi-fi at meal times or such as you prefer.
It is the all-round protection and service that you would want from a router.
Pros
- Wide coverage
- Fast speed
- Perfect for streaming and gaming
- Parental controls work well
Cons
- Bugs in firmware
#4.TP-Link AC1750 Smart WiFi Router
- OneMesh Compatible Range Extender/Router- Form a seamless WiFi network with other TP-Link OneMesh WiFi Extenders and...
- Dual band 1750 Mbps high speed internet(450mbps for 2.4GHz, 1300Mbps for 5GHz), reducing buffering and ideal for 4K...
- 3 external antennas for long range Wi-Fi. System Requirements-Internet Explorer 11, Firefox 12.0, Chrome 20.0, Safari...
It lives on its promises of speed and smooth surfing, with its Dual Band system and 3 external antennas for wide coverage. It has 4 Gigabit LAN ports and provides fast internet to all wired and connected devices.
The TP-Link AC1750 comes with an integrated USB port to promote easy sharing of data across devices.
Additionally, in answer to your queries of parental control and safety for children, the router comes with the TP-Link tether which provides you remote access to the home network. Now you can be miles away from home, but you have the ability to control the usage of your home network on your phone.
Pros
- Easy to set up
- No lags or drops in the internet connectivity
- Inexpensive
- Connects multiple devices without issues
- Wide coverage
Cons
- May have issues while playing heavy online games
#5. NETGEAR Nighthawk Smart WiFi Router (R7000P)
- Maximum Range : 2000 Sq Ft
- Fast wifi performance: Get up to 2000 square feet wireless coverage with AC2300 speed (Dual band up to 600 + 1625 Mbps).
- Recommended for up to 35 devices: Reliably stream videos, play games, surf the internet, and connect smart home devices.
If you are worried about complete coverage of all the rooms in your house, this is the perfect router with its 2000 sq. ft. coverage. And in answer to your million-dollar question of how many devices will it be able to connect before there develop snags in its performance- you can connect upto 35 devices ;and snags- there will be none.
The wired Ethernet ports work like a charm allowing multiple devices to connect with it and you can enjoy quality streaming and gaming.
You can also count on its advanced technology and features comprising 1 GHz dual-core processor, 3 amplified antennas and Dynamic QoS among many others.
The USB connection is a bonus feature allowing easy sharing of data. This data will always be protected by the smart parental controls such as filtering of sites, pausing net access to certain devices at home or even setting time limits for each device. These controls can help manage your child’s needs as well protect the machines you are using. The DoS, Firewall and guest Wi-Fi access features only add to the security. Read More
Pros
- Easy set-up
- Easy firmware upgrades
- Good wireless range and signal strength on all bands
Cons
- Might crash at times and require rebooting
WiFi Router for Parental Controls Buying Guide
Here are certain things you should keep in mind while browsing for a parental control router-
Look at the number of devices that you need to connect to the router. There are many routers that promise multiple connections but fail to provide the same signal strength to all devices. This is a big dampener for the heavy internet users. You don’t want to pay too much and end up with a router that provides slow internet to a few of your devices while funnelling good speed to others. Choose one that provides you with the best of both worlds- speed and multiple connections.
Since you are looking for a router that allows safety while browsing the internet, ensure that the firewalls and anti-virus (if any) provided with the router are up-to-date and working well. Many routers protect your devices from malware and online frauds. Some even allow you to change the password. Choose these to help you amp up your device security.
There are many routers that provide an easy set-up. These are the ones that allow you to configure the router in such a way that you are satisfied with its entire operation. You want it to provide good coverage, signal strength and also adequate security. The security measures also involve setting up parental controls. You need to be satisfied that everything has been done for your child’s protection. There have been complaints of firmware issues with some routers. Steer clear of these and buy one that works properly.
There have been constant upgrades in routers. They are no longer limited to just firewalls or better speed and connectivity. You can always choose one that provides additional security features or has something more to offer beyond the regular specifications of a router. But ensure that its basics are not flawed.
Among the other considerations, the biggest one is obviously price. Choose such a router that fits your budget but don’t select a router just because it is cheap, especially when the major focus is on the security features. This is an investment in the safety of your child and the data you have stored on your devices. You need to choose wisely. But there are many routers that provide all this at a reasonable price. You need not worry about choosing the fanciest router in the market. A good one at reasonable price will do just fine.
FAQs
The process is very simple. It begins with a wired connection between the computer and router using the Ethernet cable provided with the router. Then locate the IP address of the router. This can be done by entering “ipconfig” in the command prompt from your desktop. When you have the IP address, open the browser and enter it. When you reach the screen that asks you to login, use all the rest of the information provided on the body of the router to login and begin using the router.
Before you can change the password of the router, you need to login to it. Once that is done, you can go to ‘Security’ followed by ‘Admin Password’. This allows you to change the password. Make sure it is a difficult one because the default admin password is generally ‘Password’. This can prove to be the chink in your otherwise strong armour for child safety.
Go to the login page of your router. Once you are logged-in, you will be able to see the option ‘Access Restrictions’ which denotes the parental control features of your routers. There you can configure how you want the router to work for which device at home.
Final Thoughts
With every possible evil lurking around the corner on the infinite web, it is plausible for a parent to be anxious about their child’s safety. The routers with parental control are a good start to securing your internet connection, at least within your homes.
Features like limiting internet access time, providing access to the device’s browsing history and even suspending the Wi-Fi access at certain times, are very helpful tools for parents, and in this sense, a parental control router is something essential when you are introducing the internet to your child.
If you do not know where to begin, we stand behind our top picks NETGEAR Orbi Tri-band Router, ASUS Dual-Band Gigabit WiFi Gaming Router, and TP-Link WiFi 6 AX3000 Smart WiFi Router. These are the ones you could begin with. They have all the features which you should definitely look for in a parental control router.
When you are lured by the fancy routers that promise to be more than just routers and ask you to drain all your money, think again. Yes, a router can be a lot more but it should not compromise on its basic features to be more, and such a router will be easily available within your budget. So take your time and choose the one that is best for you.
Sources:
- How to Setup a Secure Wireless Network Router
- The power of conversation, or why blocking is not enough
- 3 parental controls you can set through your router
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