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Forum Discussion
New Smart Parental Controls (from the V4.6.3.16_2.0.51 firmware on RBR850/RKB853)
Last night, my Orbi AX (RBK853) got updated with the new V4.6.3.16_2.0.51 firmware that has the new Smart Parental Controls. Being a Circle and Circle Plus user for years, I was really curious to se...
Thanks for sharing these observations. I doubt very much that anyone can comment on the technical aspects of SPC because Netgear simply doesn't share that sort of information.
My own (personal) opinion is that the battle for "Control" has been lost. If the kids can install VPN's on their devices, you have no ability to control what they do. The most you could do is control when they can do it, although if they are using devices with LTE data connections, that is also outside your control.
It might be time to concede defeat and employ other tactics to influence behavior.
CrimpOn wrote:Thanks for sharing these observations. I doubt very much that anyone can comment on the technical aspects of SPC because Netgear simply doesn't share that sort of information.
My own (personal) opinion is that the battle for "Control" has been lost. If the kids can install VPN's on their devices, you have no ability to control what they do. The most you could do is control when they can do it, although if they are using devices with LTE data connections, that is also outside your control.
It might be time to concede defeat and employ other tactics to influence behavior.
Tell me about it! Sometimes I almost want to throw in the towel with the kids (they are teenagers, afterall) and their devices because everytime I remove a VPN from their phone or iPad, it's back the next day!
Anyway, going back to the topic at hand, I am 100% sure now that SPC is actually a rebranded Circle/Circle Plus because when I installed the Netgear My Time app earlier this morning on my daughter's phone while she was watching, the first thing she said when she saw the app was "That is Circle!". Even the graphics on the app resembles Circle right down to the photos being used. The functionality compared to Circle Plus is still limited (don't see the ability to block certain apps like Discord, by name) and there is no location tracking capabilities so I'm forced to install the Life360 app.
dtay wrote:
Anyway, going back to the topic at hand, I am 100% sure now that SPC is actually a rebranded Circle/Circle Plus because when I installed the Netgear My Time app earlier this morning on my daughter's phone while she was watching, the first thing she said when she saw the app was "That is Circle!". Even the graphics on the app resembles Circle right down to the photos being used.Over the past several years, Netgear has made several forays into the Parental Control arena.
- Primitive restraints were added to the basic router mechanism to 'block sites' and 'block services'. These are cumbersome to use and easily evaded, which led to:
- An arrangement with OpenDNS (which offers two tiers of Parental Controls - one free, one paid), to incorporate links to OpenDNS into Netgear routers, which led to:
- A partnership with Disney Circle to host the smarts of Circle inside Netgear routers, and (I assume) sharing the revenue with Disney, which led to:
- The 'new' Smart Parental Controls which no longer mention Disney Circle, and (I also assume) no longer call for sharing revenue with Disney. I get the impression that the 'new' SPC is restricted to the US market while Circle remains the product worldwide.
I am 100% certain of my ignorance, as Netgear provides no useful information to the public. Instead of rebranded, I would use the term reverse engineered. As in, "We've got plenty of experience and lots of smart programmers, we can do this better than they have and keep all the money for Netgear."