can you set device based parental controls?

I returned my R8500 Netgear Nighthawk X8 and will be buying an Asus RT-AC5300. All the reviews are good on this device.  

Best of luck,

R

Hi jhldesign,

1. The WNDR4300 does support the Access Control feature.

2. What is the firmware version of your router?

Regards,

Dexter

Community Team

I also cannot get the device to save the parental control setting. I would like to have some devices set to: "none". I have the default set, which filters all devices.

I have many devices in the house; Smart TV, Playstation, Tablets, Computers, and Phones. (Samsung TV, Sony Playstation, Android phones & Tablets, and Windows 7 & 10 computers.)

WNDR3800 with the lastest firmware and software available; FM: V1.0.0.48

Hi Jasonx521,

1. what version of NETGEAR Genie do you have installed?

2. Have you tried using another device (smartphone. another computer) to set the filtering level?

3. Did it work before?

4. Does the default filtering level work (does it block sites)?

Regards,

Dexter

Community Team

Dexter, I'm still experiencing the same issues.  Like Jasonx521, I am running the same router & firmware.  Device based settings are not working.  Using genie app in iOS or Android to block a device, and it's not blocked.  Device based settings just aren't working.  Just as you are seeing from other people.  Does Netgear actually test this?

Dexter, 

Just gone back and updated the Genie app on 2 android phones to the latest version Dec 2015 (v 2.4.26), and parental controls don't work correctly, in that you can't change the filtering level per device, or block a device.  To qualify that, the behaviour is very buggy.  Here's some results from some further testing:

1st Attempt:

Open a device from the Network Map

Attempt to block a device, you get "Setting failed".  

Attempt to change the filtering level from default, you get "Failed to set Parental Control Filtering".

Close the device window

2nd Attempt:

Open same device from the Network Map.

Attempt to block a device, it says it blocks.

Close the device window, and the icon for the device in Network Map has the red circle and cross through it to denote blocking.

Test that device to check it's blocked, it's not blocked and still has internet access.

Go back into the device from Network Map.

Attempt to modeify the filtering leve, you get "Failed to set Parental Control Filtering".

Nothing has changed from when I first ran into this issue.   

Parental Controls are severly flawed.  Can you please do your best to escalate this issue inside Netgear development, as there are clearly problems.  Netgear are misleading the public with this not working.  Multiple people are experiencing this issue.

Thank you

Tim

Hi Dexter, 

I've spent a number of hours testing further today.  I had access to a WNDR4500, and setting this up from the same location (latest firmware was updated on this router), this router seems to work with being able to block a device, then re-enabling access, as well as changing the filtering levels. For my test, I used a Windows7 laptop to run Genie, and my target device was an Android phone.  When blocking the device, browsing got blocked.  When I clicked "Allow", browsing started working again.  So I went back reset my WNDR3800 back to factory settings (still the latest 1.0.0.48 firmware), configured it same as WNDR4500 (which was all defaults anyway), and the blocking is not working.  On the Windows7 machine running Genie it's at least looking like it's blocking, not giving errors, but the device is not getting blocked at all.  

Reversing my test devices, if I use Genie on the Android phone to try and block the Windows7 device, I'm back to getting the Setting failed errors when using Genie on Android. Sometimes it doesn't produce the error, and from Genie on Android it looks like the Window7 PC is blocked, but it still have network access, and there's no apparent blocking.  Trying to set the filtering level also generates the same error messages as before.

So from what I am seeing so far, this seems a problem specifically with the 3800, and possibly 3700 as someone else mentioned earlier.  

I am going to go back and test the WNDR4500 further, and use Genie on Android & Apple iOS to ensure that the Genie app fully works with the 4500.  If that all checks out, then this really looks to be a firmware issue with the 3700/3800, which is where I have been beating head against a wall trying to get this to work.

Tim

Hi @Tsteele23,

Please keep us posted on your tests with the WNDR4500. We will also perform our own test for the WNDR3800 and WNDR3700.

Regards,

Dexter

Community Team

I've just reinstalled this WNDR4500 router at a friends house (I borrowed for testing).  I reset the router to defaults,, got it setup.  Testing with Genie, the results are as I mentioned earlier:

- I can block and unblock a device using genie (on iOS, OSX, Android).   Thays ere are no errors from Genie doing this, and the devices are actually blocked.  Browsing you get a red window that says the router has blocked the device.

- With modifying filtering levels, there's no error changing filtering levels, but the change doesn't seem to take effect browsing.  I was still able to open "questionable" sites.  I had tried changing filtering to high, but could still get to some sites I'd expect should be blocked.  I still have some further testing to do to confirm.

Tim

So on my WNDR3800 I can't do this device blocking/unblocking, or set the filtering levels.  The Genie app reports errors as I posted earlier when trying to use these features with a WNDR3800.  I either have a faulty router, or there's a bug with Genie & WNDR3800.  Given other people have the same issue, I suspect my router is ok, and there's a problem with either genie and/or WNDR3800 firmware

Hi @Tsteele23,

1. Have you tried turning on Access Control through the browser UI and not through the NETGEAR Genie program/app?

2. Were you able to test other firmware version/s for the WNDR3800?

I have also sent you a message. Please check your inbox.

Regards,

Dexter

Community Team

1. Have you tried turning on Access Control through the browser UI and not through the NETGEAR Genie program/app?  I believe I have, but I would have to try this again to be sure.  I can do this today.

2. Were you able to test other firmware version/s for the WNDR3800?  Haven't had time to do that yet, but that was something I had thought of doing.  I can probably try that tonight or tomorrow.

Hi @Tsteele23,

Please keep us posted on the results.

Regards,

Dexter

Community Team

I've just done some more testing back with my WNDR3800. I tried blocking devices connected to my WNDR3800 using Genie, on Mac or Android, it says it blocks the device in Genie, but the device is not blocked, it is able to browse and have full access.

If I use the admin interface via a browser, there is actually no option to block a device in the Network Map. I did however see this ability when I was testing the WNDR4500, where blocking did work.

When using the WNDR4500, there was a circle checkpoint to the left of the device number, column #1 in the output.

That kinda tells me the WNDR3800 is not supporting any blocking? compared to what I see in WNDR4500.

At this point, device blocking is working with the WNDR4500.  It's not with the WNDR3800, and I am trying to get that sorted as priority #1.

Secondary is modifying the filtering level per device, which also is not working.

Regards
Tim

I'll test an older firmware later tonight.  Are you able to do any testing yourself, or are you relying on me ?