Subscribe to our Best Free Parental Filter
|
In a Hurry?
|
 Go straight to the Quick Selection Guide |
|
Introduction
|
|
Most parents want to ensure that their kids are not exposed to inappropriate material while surfing the Internet. Even though opinion on what is inappropriate differs from person to person there is no doubt that such material is easily available.
Parental control software and services try to block certain material from reaching your childrens computer. Although requirements may vary depending on whether parents share a computer with their children, the solutions reviewed here should be useful in most situations. There is no subsitute for keeping a keen eye on your kids online activities. This article reviews two free products available in this area.
|
|
Discussion
|
|
Like K9, OpenDNS is a web based service that in conjunction with your own system's network configuration redirects all your browsing through OpenDNS servers where it is filtered for content. OpenDNS is a replacement for your ISP’s DNS servers. A quick change to your network IP settings will allow you to bypass your ISP's domain servers and use those provided by OpenDNS. If your ISP has unreliable DNS servers like some ISP's, OpenDNS may be the solution. By default OpenDNS only blocks Phishing sites. In order to enable content protection you will need to register for a free account with OpenDNS. Once you register, OpenDNS automatically detects the IP address assigned to you by your ISP. Since most ISP's do not provide static IP's, the next time you connect to the Internet, your IP address often changes. OpenDNS overcomes this by supporting Dynamic IP addresses. You'll need to install dynamic DNS client IP update software to periodically update OpenDNS with your new IP address. OpenDNS Updater has a mere 253 KB footprint on your hard drive. After registering you'll have access to the OpenDNS "Dashboard" A password protected control panel where you can configure OpenDNS with one of 5 pre-set categories designed to provide protection levels from minimal to high as well as 54 categories with which you can configure your own custom settings. You can also designate OpenDNS to restrict or permit individual sites. Filtering is outstanding. In four weeks of testing I didn't encounter any sites that should not have been blocked nor any that should have been. Reports on sites visited and usage charts are far more useful in OpenDNS. With OpenDNS you can view total requests, total unique domains, total unique IP's and total blocked domains in a far more readable and useful format plus you can print reports or download stats in a CSV file. OpenDNS also supports Mac, Unix and Linux SUSE and Ubuntu platforms. Two other cool features give OpenDNS the edge. One is the ability to customize the look of the "Block" page with your own message, logo or picture and the other is the ability to create URL "shortcuts". Enter a short word instead of a long address in the address bar and you will be taken to that website. e.g. tsa instead of www.techsupportalert.com. On the down side you'll want to stick with K9 if you have to have time restriction and keyword blocking features. Two added benefits of using OpenDNS: 1. It may also give your web browsing, e-mail, FTP, and Internet access in general a speed boost. It's faster because the OpenDNS domain servers have a massive cache. If you ask for the same IP address that other users have requested, OpenDNS doesn't need to look any further than it's own servers. 2. Increased Internet security. Security expert Dan Kaminsky has discovered what could be a nasty DNS exploit that would allow cyber criminals to hijack the URL you enter or the link you click and take you to a malicious website hosted by a bad guy who has loaded it with malware and phishing attempts. Using OpenDNS servers will protect you from this exploit. For more information on these issues check out the following articles. http://blogs.pcworld.com/tipsandtweaks/archives/007444.html?tk=nl_spxblg http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2277177,00.asp
The actual filtering itself is highly customizable from a password protected control panel at K9's web site, which offers more than 15 selectable categories, plus the ability to restrict or permit individual sites. Full reports on sites visited are also available from the control panel. The filtering seems quite accurate; in one hour of browsing, I found only one site which I felt should not have been blocked. I also liked the optional blocking of Spyware and Adware sites. I tried, but failed, to cripple the filter in a few of the obvious ways, such as uninstalling the product or disabling the driver. That fact should be comforting to parents. I suspect, though, that a determined tech-savvy teenager might eventually find a solution. The only real downside was that my browsing speed was slightly compromised as a result of being re-routed through the K9 servers. This will likely be of concern to dial-up users only.
|
|
Related Products and Links
|
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
n/a 
Unrestricted Freeware 
Web based service
Delicious
Digg
StumbleUpon
Please rate this article
On K9: I absolutely love this program. Takes very few resources, is super easy to set up, and is very, very effective.
You cannot have multiple accounts on k9 as of yet, though I think they'd like to add that in the future.
You cannot restrict time-limits (unless you want to specifically authorize a web-site by signing in for your kids) You can only restrict time of day that the entire web is available.
I'm not sure if it blocks certain chatting things. I don't use it for that.
I've used K9 for years and love it.
I have zero issues with it hogging resources.
I can set time limits daily, block websites or by rating(s).
You get admin reports, etc.
It is a great tool for parents to help guide their kids on the internet.
I too have used K9 for quite some time for content filtering and it is great. I do wonder if Open DNS would be better though since it filters based on the DNS address that I use. Currently I have about 4 computers and that sounds easier than installing K9 on every system. I did have a question about the new filter available in Windows Live, "Windows Live Family Saftey" has anyone tried it and if so is it a good alternative to K9.
Forticlient Internet Security is a new free all-in-one security suite, but it is possible to install only the parts of it you wish. It has a very good WebFilter that can be installed on its own as a parental filter - it can be set to block whatever you wish and the settings need administrator privileges to change them. Works with IE, Firefox and Opera for me. Well worth a look.
http://www.forticlient.com/standard.html
Hello all,
I have started as the category editor for this section and hope to be adding to and updating it over the next bit.
Please feel free to suggest software or services that relate to parental control or filtering that you feel should be included in this section.
Cheers, Jim
For regular PC users K9 is easier, simpler, better.
For geeks, OpenDNS.
It's like Windows vs. LINUX ...
Lol, what? Totally wrong.
I don't know about K9 (because I'm not too fond of installing such a thing that clings into my system and compromises my internet), but OpenDNS is dead easy. They provide step by step installation instructions with images that clearly tells you what to do. Customizing it is very straightforward.
It's more like Vista (K9, easier, but uses more resource usage, less compatible, and more likely to cause problems) vs XP (OpenDNS, a bit harder, less resource usage, more compatible, and less likely to cause problems).
Given the computer illiteracy of the majority of Americans, I tend to agree with anonymous. Most people that own a computer don't even know how to update their security software, defrag their hard drive or any number of normal maintenance tasks. I love Open DNS and agree with everything you say about it I wouldn't use anything else.
Does anyone know if K9 wil allow me to set time limits on internet usage. I want to restrict my kids to an hour or so a day and I thought K9 might do it?
I believe you can limit internet access to certain times with K9, check out the manual, I think it may be on page 32.
http://www1.k9webprotection.com/support/documentation.php
You will need a PDF viewer such as SumatraPDF or Adobe Reader to view the manual.
Good luck
K9 does not allow time limits on the entire internet but only on specific sites.
When K9 encounters a blocked site, it gives you options to view the site for (I think) 15 minutes, 30 minutes, 1 hour or permanently. With the exception of the "permanently" option, you have to be there to enter the master password each time.
I've been using K9 for years, and you can set it to, for example: block internet the entire day, except for from 9-10:00. It's a very easy to use software.
I've been using K9 for years on 3 pc's without any problems - fantastic!
It's so simple and straightforward...
I've tried lots of different programs but Sentry Parental Controls has been the best by far!
It also offers a 15 day free trial so you can't go wrong really.
But it's not freeware.
Has any one tried SafeSquid - Content Filtering Proxy?
I just posted a reply HERE about it's features.
If any one would like to try it, they can download the full-featured free editions for Microsoft Windows (3 users) & Linux (20 users) from HERE
VERY USEFUL:LINKEXTEND,GREAT PROGRAM FOR SURF SAFE WEB.
i have used k9 without a problem for two years. However as the kids now get older I need to give each one different permissions and monitor chat rooms and email K9 does not help here yet. Any suggestions?
thanks
M
The best solution I have found to simply not allow the kids to get older!
I installed K9 and tested it finding that it didn't block anything. I then realized that I was running a google accelerator program that caused us to access the internet through a google site. Once I disabled the accelerator, K9 worked great. I've been pleased with the results and and would recommend it.
Happy User
Hello,
I also use K9 for several years on two PCs at home and
have no problem.
Fabien from France.
I've been using GLUBBLE with the Firefox extension for 2 months, and it is great and simple to use.
Hey, I was using K9 it really awesome but I needed to know how to bypass it, So I checked the proxy sites , it blocked them successfully, BUT , I replaced the HTTP:// with HTTPS:// (the secure protocol) , and I did it, I need something to block HTTPS too
thanks
I tried installing K9, and my XP machine would not boot. I had to go into SAFE mode, and uninstall the program. Any thoughts?
Gregg
K9 can have a conflict with certain programs like firewalls such as Comodo Firewall Free Edition that can cause the system to not boot.
So far I have had to use the Windows Firewall until K9 and/or Comodo fix this problem, I would recommend sending them an e-mail about it; I believe the people at Comodo may be working on this issue but the people at K9 may not be aware of this problem.
I tried PC Tools Firewall and the computer booted, but the firewall would not start.
I tried Online Armor and the computer booted, but the firewall did not install.
So there seems to be something in K9 and certain firewalls that causes some kind of startup conflict or something.
I think once these companies are told about this problem, they will fix in one day.
Good luck,
-John
Right now PC Tools Firewall Plus is working with K9 installed, but I am not sure about Comodo yet.
-John
How about changing K9 instead? OpenDNS is better imho.
I tried OpenDNS very shortly, and it seem to have more features but I am worried about several things.
First my internet started to slow down, but that could have been a problem with the new cable modem we had just switched to at the time, so it may have not been OpenDNS's fault.
Second having to change some connection setting and having to download a little program to get OpenDNS running is a little bit more complicated for those that do not know about that stuff compared to K9, even though the directions on setting it up are clear & simple.
Third privacy concerns, about having data transferred through OpenDNS's system or whatever they call it, for those that care about that stuff.
I am not sure about all the network terms, but for the average user K9 seems a little bit more simple and does not have as many privacy concerns, but OpenDNS probably is better with the features and all for those not worried about the three things I listed.
Keep up the good work and suggestions,
-John
If you have a spare machine to run it on, you can't really beat Untangle. It serves as a firewall, spam filter, and content filter all in one.
http://untangle.com/
Most users will probably need a spare machine to use Untangle. It looks nice and seems to have a lot of nice features, but with minimum recommended RAM at 1GB and an install file of 850MB my guess is most users will want to pass on this product.
I was using K9 up until I recently upgraded to 64 bit Vista. I'm going to give OpenDNS a shot until K9 releases a 64 bit version.
Does anyone know of blocking software that works with Vista 64-bit? I've been searching for a little while now with no success.
Vista as a lot of parental controls bundled, no need (?) for third-party control. But I haven't tried them myself.
Andrew Seward is right on. OpenDNS can easily be tailored to your needs and works well.
I bought Sentry (as someone else did above) and found it great. Thanks!
K9 should be made into a virus. Imagine a virus that blocks porn rather than bringing it to you. That would be scary.
that would be hilarious, unless i got it...
we are very happy can get free software for all the parent who's loves children ,we can protect our children from any bad activities by internet access
Thank you very much
regards
hassmie & mummy
Hi,
a reader of the Vista Tweaks category suggested this parental filte tool by Microsoft:
George, do you know Windows Steadystate? It might be useful for parental control, has a reasonable GUI, etc...
http://www.microsoft.com/protect/products/family/steadystate.mspx
Maybe you want to check it out.
Best regards,
George
SteadySate basically resets the machine back to a known good state after every logoff or boot.
I found it quite frustrating on a shared machine where we needed to install new or update software, also messed up standby modes. It also was a bit tricky to remove.
SteadyState is best used for libraries, schools, and other shared computers where you want to always undo any changes and/or customization that someone might try to do (many changes are blocked outright).
i tried Crawler and it works great! has lots of features and the interface is good, although make sure you see all the options and settings as there are plenty
I'd just like to balance the negative comment on K9 by saying I have used it for a year or so on two XP PC's with no problems. There is the occasional false positive, but for a free product I've been very happy.
Regards from England,
Fink Nottle's Newt
Post new comment