This topic has been marked solved and closed to new posts due to inactivity. We hope you'll join the conversation by posting to an open topic or starting a new one.
Re: cannot sign in to openDNS account to set-up parental controls using NETGEAR Genie
Wow!!
The first reported case of this was 2015-10-23 - wow, 2 years and still not resolution in sight.
After 2 days of trying to set up parental controls, I stumble across this forum post. I am receiving the exact same issue, "There was an error signing in, please make sure you're connected to the Internet and try again.". I did manage to get it working briefly, then I lose all connectivity (from all devices) until I reverted the DNS settings on the internet settings page. Now it won't let me sign it to OpenDNS via Genie at all, I can, however login to netgear.opendns.com and opendns.com websites.
I spent just over £100 for this NightHawk X4S R7800 due to the advertised parental controls and gaming/QOS capabilities. So far it's been a complete waste of money compared to the PFSense box I was using previously (which by the way was FREE!).
Versions:
- Router: Nighthawk R7800
- Router Firmware: 1.0.2.20
- Windows: 10
- Genie App: 2.4.36
*Edit*
Have tried manually setting the OpenDNS (208.67.222.222 and 208.67.220.220) servers on both the router and the windows 10 device (where I'm using the Genie App).
Re: cannot sign in to openDNS account to set-up parental controls using NETGEAR Genie
Yes this case is becoming very ridiculous. Given Netgear clearly know about this issue this is a cut and dry case of false advertising. Based on my IT experience and (I work for a large multi national IT firm) I am willing to bet the majority of devices they sell are experiencing or end up experiencing this issue by the sounds and variations of the symptoms people are posting. Yet Netgear keep printing on their packages this feature which is clearly problematic. In my mind this is not fair consumer trading within Australia.
To make matters worse I logged a request for a refund on my router as this web filtering is the prime reason for buying their top of the range router. I have disconnected this router and replaced it with a much cheaper (and I have also found my reliable Linksys router). Whilst it doesnt have the parent filtering there have been some previous posts on how to enable this function with secondary routers I have lying around so am going to try this. It took a good 2 weeks to get a response to tell me they have now managed to route my call to the correct department. Since then its been over 5 weeks and despite numerous follow ups I am now getting zero response on my refund request. Another delaying tactic from what I can no say appears to be a very unethical company in terms fo their business practises. I am going to give this another week and then will be approaching the Australian Consumer Affairs and Fair Trading governmental department and will be getting them to file a case against Netgear. I have enough documented evidence to have a fair go at being successful at this. This will put the Netgear company on the unethical list in Australia and open the door for others to more easily lodge cases with them around this.
I don't plan on ever buying anything Netgear ever again.
Re: cannot sign in to openDNS account to set-up parental controls using NETGEAR Genie
I have a D7000 with the same issue, brand new device, firmware updated, and Genie software updated. When I have the router set up to use the ISP's dynamic DNS assignment (i.e. the default setting assigned during setup), I experienced the same symptoms as are being reported on this thread (Parental Controls says not connected, but it is).
The good news - I found that you can work around this problem by manually entering the OpenDNS addresses into the static DNS portion of your router. You cannot do this through the Genie - you have to go into your router settings manually i.e. through the web browser, login, advanced, Internet setup. You can get the OpenDNS addresses (IPs) on their website. This worked for me to enable OpenDNS and start using the parental controls... or just to start using OpenDNS in the "regular" way (directly).
The bad news, at least for me, is that my ISP/OpenDNS don't appear to be playing well together if I configure it on the router -- I would experience periodic and extensive DNS issues and/or total connection loss --- so I opted for the (more painful, but effective) option of configuring the computer's network connection (as opposed to the router) to use OpenDNS instead. There are instructions on the OpenDNS site for how to do this. Note that this problem happened when I configured OpenDNS on my old router, too, which was supplied by my ISP and a totally different type and brand, so I think it is something about the network that is causing the problem (and a portion that evidently is beyond my visibility to troubleshoot), and not specific to the router. There is another thread on this issue here, but the advice is to just call OpenDNS support.
I hope this helps someone, or at least gives you a lead.
To make matters worse I logged a request for a refund on my router as this web filtering is the prime reason for buying their top of the range router. ... It took a good 2 weeks to get a response to tell me they have now managed to route my call to the correct department. Since then its been over 5 weeks and despite numerous follow ups I am now getting zero response on my refund request.
Not knowing the legal situation for Australia ... have you bought the router from Netgear or form a local retailer or eShop, distributor? In most parts of the world, end users don't buy from Netgear ... much more from reseller channels. This does lead to the situation that there is no legal contract between the end user and Netgear - can't you simply return the product to the point of sales, where you have a legal contract, as the product is broken and not firt for purpose? Yes North Americans, I'm aware the situation is different in the US and Canada.
I don't plan on ever buying anything Netgear ever again.
It's sad Negear is ruining it's brand name and reputation with simply less than average software quality.on their consumer routers. @ElaineM or @JamesGL ... actions are required.
Re: cannot sign in to openDNS account to set-up parental controls using NETGEAR Genie
I am having the same issue when accessing Parental Controls through NetGear Genie from a Windows 7 Laptop. When connecting directly to the router using the Web Browser, it indicates Parental Controls are enabled and the DNS addresses in Advanced -> Setup -> Internet Setup -> DNS Address are indeed pointing to the OpenDNS servers. So I am pretty sure Parental Controls is indeed working for Content filtering. But because the laptop NetGear Genie cannot connect to OpenDNS, the bypass account isn't working and parental controls cannot be managed from the laptop.
My router, NetGear Genie on a Windows 7 laptop, AND parental controls had been working just fine UNTIL i updated the router firmware to "V1.0.1.22_1.0.17".
Now, when I go into NetGear Genie and click on parental controls, I get the message:
"There was an error signing in, please make sure you're connect to the Internet and try again."
The laptop is connected to the internet (typing this message from the laptop with netgear genie on it) and the router is connected to the internet. The speedtest functions from the router are working fine and everybody is connecting fine.
I am pretty sure this stopped working when the firmware was updated. Since this is such a common and persistent problem for LOTS of users, can netgear genie write out a log of errors so end users can inspect and troubleshoot?
Model: Genie|Desktop| Mobile| and Product Setup Genie
Re: cannot sign in to openDNS account to set-up parental controls using NETGEAR Genie
Hi @schumaku & other forum members who have subscrbied to this thread
Yes I bought this from an reseller and not direct from Netgear. I'm based in Australia so it was purchased from lareg retailer Harven Norman that operates throughout Australia. I paid $556 AUD for it so it wasnt cheap. It was the top of the range modem/router from Netgear at the time and the only reason I purchase this grade of router was for the parental controls to filter the internet for my kids.
I asked to escalate my call within the Netgear channel and specifically asked for a refund. I mention if a refund was not provided I was engage with Australian Consumer Protection division of our governmental fair trading departments (I wasnt bluffing either and I have used this in the past so am familiar with the process. Additionally I have enough evidence to show that this router has almost never been able to deliver the advertised function and I have engaged through all Netgear appropriate support channels included having carried out a full device swap). I have now returned my router to Netgear and they are in the process of processing my refund request (I believe its been approved). The process takes around 6-8 weeks of which I am now about 2 weeks through the process. I will let the forum know once the money hits my bank account.
Additionally I have managed to setup parental controls without the Netgear functionality that was advertised and for cheaper (under $450 AUD). I got a tip from @MrPink. Basically Netgear just use the free OpenDNS service to do their filtering. Anyone can point their router DNS to use OpenDNS and setup an OpenDNS account but the draw back is the internet is filtered for everyone. The great thing the Netgear router offers is being able to selectively choose which device uses OpenDNS and which doesnt. This can be achieved by setting up two networks with two routers. There are cheaper routers than the Netgear ones available on the market. I had bought a decent qualtiy TPlink router for around $350 AUD a while ago which replaced with the Netgear one I bought. I pulled this out of its box and then bought a cheaper Linksys secondary router for around $100 AUD. I then set up a secondary network using the cheaper secondary router and I use this for the kids. I connect their devices to a secondary network which routes through OpenDNS. My wife and I connect to the primary router/network for out internet.
There are some simple instructions for how to do so here (use the LAN-to-WAN setup and NOT the LAN-to-LAN one):
The secondary kids network is setup so that when devices get their IP address from DHCP they also get OpenDNS settings. The router DNS also points to OpenDNS DNS addresses. This works perfectly.
Hope this helps everyone. Its been a lot of work and because of this I would never consider Netgear ever again. But I am gettign to the end of this.
Re: cannot sign in to openDNS account to set-up parental controls using NETGEAR Genie
I just bought a Netgear67 AC 1750. I am trying to login to opendns through the genie app on my laptop, but keep getting an error message. I am able to login directly to opendns and get through, but not through the genie.
Re: cannot sign in to openDNS account to set-up parental controls using NETGEAR Genie
This will be my final post. Hopefully it will server to provide a pathway for others.
On my previous post I had provided a work around solution. It was however dependent on getting a refund from Netgear on the router. I am happy to say my refund was approved and came through which meant Netgear have acknowledged this long standing issue and the fact it will not be fixed quickly.
As I discribed on my previous posting I have managed to setup selective parent filtering on my kids devices by using a cheap second router for much less than the price of the original Netgear router that has been the object of my woes for some time now. Hopefully this has paved the way for others on this forum. If they want to seek a refund I have set a precedent and also provided and alternate solution for around price of the router that allows selective parental filtering based on device.
I am going to end my last post by saying I never intend on purchasing Netgear again and I would not recommend them to anyone. Best of luck to you all.
Re: cannot sign in to openDNS account to set-up parental controls using NETGEAR Genie
Hi Tony W,
Glad to hear that you got a refund on your Netgear device. I have continued trying to get the parental controls to work and even after a firmware update and multiple app updates, there is still no light at the end of the tunnel.
I think the only way to get parental controls on any netgear product is to configure the whole network to the family dns settings provided by OpenDNS. Having the second modem/router setup in the back of the house has been working a treat and also provides my sons with a much better wifi signal too.
For this reason, i will be throwing in the towel with Netegear Parental controls and just sticking with my current setup. I just want to thank you for your commitment to setting the precident with your refund. It will certainly make it easier for anyone who comes across this forum with the same problems.
Re: cannot sign in to openDNS account to set-up parental controls using NETGEAR Genie
I'm dismayed that this problem has gone on for so long. I'm sure its a finger pointing match between Netgear, opendns and microsoft. there are two password problems. one passing credentials between NetgearGenie to your router, and one between NetgearGenie to OpenDNS.com. The first one is a fairly obvious password token issue within the app. the second is most likely a password encapsulation problem. most likely completely out of netgear's control. its probably blocked by Windows firewall or is munged up before OpenDNS can read it.
two things you can do to make it work:
1. easy way: just use the Android app. its the only one that works. I started following all the advice on this blog but its really the only one that worked.
2. harder way: use the android app to activate the parental controls, but still enable NetgearGenie on a PC to manage them.
Here's what I did to make option 2 work:
First download the netgear genie from the link on your router on your PC. Save the downloaded file. Once you enable parental controls, the "parental controls" link on the router web interface changes to redirect you to netgear.opendns.com, which is where you will do most of your filtering and configuring. if you want to install netgeargenie onto another computer, you'll need that file.
Now you can dig out someone's Android device, install the netgearGenie app and configure your parental controls there. I set default filtering for "none". (tell you why later)
start NetgearGenie on your PC and click on "router settings" and log in. I also had to specify my router IP manually, in my case 192.168.1.1. This shoudl sucessfully create a password token it can send to other functions without using the broken password hashing code. (except of course for the parental controls link. ignore this link from now on) Then go back to "Network Map". click on the kids computer. at the bottom it says "parental controls filtering: Default level on router". click on "modify" and then change the Parental Controls filtering to "high". Conversely, you can set the default to high, and then select your computer and set it to "none". I'm guessing this works because it identifies computers by MAC address. However, its possible that its by IP address, and if you have DHCP, this could be a problem to have some computers filtered and some not.
That's basically it. use the NetgearGenie PC app to select which computers get filtered and which don't. Log into the router and click on the "parental controls" link to open a new browser tab to netgear.OpenDNS.com to configure blocks of time or default filtering settings. I haven't tried blacklist/whitelist yet, but its my next task. I really hope its not hamstrung like the built-in NetGear router functionality that can only block http (unencrypted) connections, not https(encrypted), which almost all connections are now.
