I've been struggling to set up parental controls on my new router and could really use some help. I've managed to block several major adult websites and a couple of keywords associated with them, but now I'm confused. I just received my first parental control report, and it showed attempts to search for words like "porn" and "xxx." Does this mean those terms were actually searched? I'm uncertain how keyword blocking works alongside site blocking.
Also, how accurate is the time logging on routers? It looks like the attempts coincided with everyone being asleep. I've double-checked and there's no unknown devices connected to my network. Any insights would be appreciated!
2 Answers
It sounds about right that there were attempts when everyone was asleep. Typically, if your router logs those blocked searches, it means someone on your network typed those keywords or visited sites associated with them. When I set up parental controls, I used a Smoothwall firewall with some extra features for better controls. I get how frustrating it can be without that level of visibility, especially if you’re only using phones and gaming systems.
Thanks for the reassurance! It’s nice to know I’m not alone in this.
The level of control really depends on your router’s capabilities. Some advanced routers can block adult sites by category, while others just go by keywords. In your case, it indicates that someone searched for those terms or visited a site with those keywords. Unfortunately, without seeing the IP address of the device that's making those searches, it’s hard to pinpoint who's involved.
So there's no chance this could be some glitch or a background process? I don’t want to assume the worst without evidence.
I doubt it’s a glitch. If it's logged, it likely happened, but I get the need to approach this delicately.
I totally understand your worries! We only have phones at home too. It's a bit tricky without a PC for those deeper controls.