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Forum Discussion
Future Product Suggestion: Smart Router
I just wanted share a product idea/ suggestion that Netgear developers may consider looking into that would make life easier for us average Joes when searching for solutions in our homes. It would be nice if there were some sort of wifi router with basic server capabilities, where we could have a master password and assign unique passwords or PIN codes for each user to connect with, and be able to have parental controls for each user. Here's what I wish was offered in features; for my Brady Bunch type family it would be nice to have each child assigned a unique log in PIN so say Little Johnny gets grounded I could temporarily disable his wifi access with his
PIN without having to unplug the router for everyone. Or being able to set bedtime controls where certain users are disabled at night, etc. Or with the popularity of smart devices we may feel better if, say, our security cameras have a different login than the one we use to log in to personal accounts with. I'm sure you can see where I'm going with this idea. I know there are complicated workarounds but a dedicated device for our in home "networking for dummies" setups would sure be great!
PIN without having to unplug the router for everyone. Or being able to set bedtime controls where certain users are disabled at night, etc. Or with the popularity of smart devices we may feel better if, say, our security cameras have a different login than the one we use to log in to personal accounts with. I'm sure you can see where I'm going with this idea. I know there are complicated workarounds but a dedicated device for our in home "networking for dummies" setups would sure be great!
4 Replies
Hello GingerStephi,
Thank you for your interest in this feature. We recommend posting your suggestion on our Idea Exchange board. Our Product Managers review the board for great ideas to be implemented in future releases. Link is https://community.netgear.com/t5/Idea-Exchange-For-Home/idb-p/idea-exchange-for-home
Christian
In practical terms, this would pretty much be IEEE8021X with RADIUS backed authentification. It already exists in the business market, but typically not something a 'family admin' wants to maintain…
Likewise you are likely to encounter issues with all the IoT stuff flooding mondern households, which may not be prepared to use IEEE8021X (notebooks/ computers, smartphones, etc. should cope with this fine, your wifi light bulbs, vacuum cleaners, lawn mowers or cameras might not). It's standardized, it does exactly what you're looking for, but it might be more than many want to chew off.
A number of those functions are available at the moment.
For example, you can block WAN access by MAC address, thus if you need to disconnect a single person, you can disable WAN access for them. (It works if they do not know how to change their MAC address)
There are also options to schedule when filter rules are in place, e.g., you could schedule a WAN access block to take place during bedtime.
As for other parential controls, the per device controls for custom filtering are largely part of their smart parential controls feature, though it seems to be a subscription service which has a staggering number of parential controls.
If your model uses the Netgear circle parential controls then there is a free tier that does content filtering and schedules on a per device basis.
Then there is their newer smart parential controls that seems to be reliant on a subscription which has more controls than anything else on the market.
Ideally if you have kids who can be more trusted to not go to age restricted sites, then you can get a good amount of control using ths service blocking function and schedules.
The OP spcifically asked to password/ pin based access controls (which would roughly map onto IEEE8021X), MAC based filters need a lot of cooperation to work (and modern operating systems make it difficult, even if you want to be that cooperative). I would expect a 10-12 year old to work around this, perhaps not every one of them - but they have time and motivation in their favour.
