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Forum Discussion
$4.99 per month to enable parental controls - no thanks, Netgear!
The Orbi is one of the most expensive routers on the market, albeit with high-end functionality. Unfortunately, however, with the introduction of the firmware v 2.1.1.12, parental controls beyond bas...
RSRA wrote:The Orbi is one of the most expensive routers on the market, albeit with high-end functionality. Unfortunately, however, with the introduction of the firmware v 2.1.1.12, parental controls beyond basic filtering cost an additional $4.99 per month via Disney Circle (http://www.netgear.co.uk/landings/circle/). Even as I write this, I cannot believe that Netgear is expecting its customers to pay for functionality that other manufacturers include as standard.
If you do not need parental controls, the Orbi may be the perfect solution, but for me, I'm sending the kit back to Amazon for a refund. I will not be looking to purchase anything else from Netgear in a hurry!
I get FREE blocking of selected domains using OpenDNS (effectively parental controls of my choice). Recommend you check it out before returining your Orbi system
- Thank you for the suggestion, much appreciated, but unless I am mistaken, this does not allow per user scheduling or filtering? Given that Netgear offers similar mesh-style routers for business use, it might be assumed that the standard product is for home use and, therefore, would benefit from good parental controls. For families, it is simply impossible to recommend the kit given that an additional monthly payment is required for this functionality to be enabled.
I fully agree with your comment. It's truly unfortunate that Netgear has decided to charge parents $5/Month for what other providers like Belkin and Linksys are providing for free. It's purely ridiculous that Netgear feels justified to charge parents $5/month to offer time limits, bedtime, and off time features. For Netgear to want to gain profit from helping parents manage the time Kids use their devices is appalling and reflects negatively on Netgear’s corporate culture. I and many others that I know will no longer purchase any Netgear products until this matter is addressed. For now, my suggestion is to download the Netgear genie app and manually turn off your child’s device every day at the appropriate time. Shame on you Netgear for charging parent’s for these simple administrative tools.