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Forum Discussion
Solved
Parental Controls - Checking Router Firmware
Hi We have bought a Nighthawk R7000 specifically for the Parental Controls feature. This is for a business who wish to block users from accessing certain websites during business hours. But, 2 us...
Hello All-
It seems Netgear finally fixed this issue...or at least I was able to solve it:
First, download the new firmware, 1.0.3.48.
Loggin into my router through the web interface (198.162.1.1), it did not find the new firmware (go figure). I had to manually download and install it. It can be found here:
https://kb.netgear.com/000044717/R8000-Firmware-Version-1-0-3-48
Once you have the new firmware installed, you'll then need to activate Parental Controls. You can't do this through the web interface. If you try, it will take you to the Netgear page to download their awful Genie App. If you try to use the Genie app, it will tell you do not have the proper firmware!
To solve this, I used the iOS app to enable Parental Controls. I don't know why they were disabled...they were set before, but regardless, you'll need to enable them. In the past, the iOS Genie app would not allow me to log in to my OpenDNS account, which I had already set up. But this time it worked as expected. However, the filter settings I had already established were not listed, so I needed to reapply the filtering (Custom) settings. Once I checked the Enable button, I logged out, waited a few minutes for the settings to filter through, and finally, went to a website I knew should be blocked and it was.
Good luck!
I don't think they are ignoring the issue...but they surely are dragging their feet with it. DexterJB, a Netgear moderator, says "The latest update is that engineering is working on the debug logs that was provided. We will provide an update once resolution is available." Like many of you, I am disappointed with how long this is taking and also seriously considering a different router. Personally, I'm liking the look of the Norton Core, with its Parental Controls and emphasis on security.
Hello All-
It seems Netgear finally fixed this issue...or at least I was able to solve it:
First, download the new firmware, 1.0.3.48.
Loggin into my router through the web interface (198.162.1.1), it did not find the new firmware (go figure). I had to manually download and install it. It can be found here:
https://kb.netgear.com/000044717/R8000-Firmware-Version-1-0-3-48
Once you have the new firmware installed, you'll then need to activate Parental Controls. You can't do this through the web interface. If you try, it will take you to the Netgear page to download their awful Genie App. If you try to use the Genie app, it will tell you do not have the proper firmware!
To solve this, I used the iOS app to enable Parental Controls. I don't know why they were disabled...they were set before, but regardless, you'll need to enable them. In the past, the iOS Genie app would not allow me to log in to my OpenDNS account, which I had already set up. But this time it worked as expected. However, the filter settings I had already established were not listed, so I needed to reapply the filtering (Custom) settings. Once I checked the Enable button, I logged out, waited a few minutes for the settings to filter through, and finally, went to a website I knew should be blocked and it was.
Good luck!
Brilliant. It does seem to be wowrking on our R7000, although I'm unsure if the changes I made through the OpenDNS website - accessed directly from the Router - or the phone App, were what made the difference. Both seem to have the same settings, but websites weren't blocked until I added them through the phone App.
Thanks for the update Jamie!
I had thought that this was now working, but it would seem that it doesn't do so for everyone.
We can't use the Bypass Accounts that we have set up as their use means that you must log on as the Bypass Account through the Genie app. This still shows that the router has the wrong firmware, so the Parental Controls won't open up in the Genie app on a PC, so the user can't log-on.
Setting a PC, in the Network Map, to have no controls doesn't work either.Still as frustrating as ever.....
