Which Router Has Parental Control?

When your kid has access to multiple devices connected to the internet, parental control settings directly on the home WIFI router are a great solution.

This guide will cover:

• Which router has the best parental controls?
• What is a router with parental control?
• How to parental control your router?
• Takeaway

Does it feel impossible to keep children from using phones and tablets these days? Seeing my child spending half of his day in front of the screen make me worried sick about his wellbeing. Moreover, my incapability to fully monitor my child’s day-to-day online activities made me even more anxious. I feel like I need to do something.

I had heard about parental control software but never thought of using them until now. But we have more than 6 devices connected to the internet at home, which means installing a parental control app on each device. 

This is when I learn about wifi routers with built-in parental control features. This kind of router can monitor the activity of all internet-connected devices inside my home. It is the best solution I have found so far.

In this post, I’ll go over the most popular routers with monitoring capabilities. I’ll share my personal favorites to help you decide which one is perfect for you and your children.

Which router has the best parental controls?

I have read every article and product review I could find on the internet, and here’s the top router with parental control features you could get.

The Asus RT-AX56U, RT-AC66U & RT-AC88U

The Asus router, along with parental control features, also provides AiProtection security. It lets you choose any pre-set options from the list to filter inappropriate content. The best part is that it does not require you to pay a hefty monthly fee to keep the filters updated.

Asus routers have a variety of features, like setting usage limits. You can limit your child’s access to websites and apps and set screen limits across the apps.

For more information, check out the Asus RT-AX56U routers on Amazon here, or the RT-AC66U here and the RT-AC88U here!

The Netgear’s Nighthawk R7000 & R800P X6S

The Netgear’s Nighthawk R7000 also offers extra Parental Control features. To access these controls, you simply have to download the Circle Disney app on your iOS or Android devices. It’s a great app, for it lets you control your child’s access across apps and websites. Plus, it set app limits and even stops the device usage altogether during mealtimes or homework time.

For more information, check out the Netgear Nighthawk R7000 routers on Amazon here or the R800P X6S here!

The Netgear’s Orbi

In general, Orbi offers all the same features as the Circle Home Plus. But, you have to pay a small amount every month to access more advanced monitoring controls.

Orbi is an excellent parental control router that offers advanced features to parents looking for some extra filtering. Its intelligent filtering feature covers a wide range of categories to keep inappropriate content away from your child’s access. You can also set screen time and app access for each app individually. Moreover, it also allows you to add rewards to motivate your child to complete chores or do a kind deed, etc.

For more information, check out the Orbi router on Amazon here!

The TP-Link’s Archer AX50

This subscription-based HomeCare platform is best for filtering in-app and web content across devices and setting limits across apps individually. It offers a lifetime subscription with no monthly or annual charges whatsoever.

You can block the websites that are age-inappropriate and monitor various URLs in each category. 

The TP-Link’s Archer AX50 allows you to make individual profiles for as many devices as you want and set filters and time limits separately for each profile. For instance, I can block my child’s access to his phone while completing his homework through the laptop or PC.

For more information, check out the Archer AX50 router on Amazon here!

The Eero Pro

Eero Pro consists of built-in profiles and allows parents to manage their children’s various devices and access to the internet across each of them. It also offers premium features like real-time content filtering that blocks access to potentially inappropriate, illegal, or harmful content across each user profile. But for these advanced features, you have to pay a small amount monthly to access these advanced filtering options.

When I reviewed the Eero Pro, I noticed that it also denied access to new websites that could have inappropriate content on them. I must say I was amazed by this real-time filtering feature and found it very reliable.

For more information, check out the Eero Pro router on Amazon here!

The Nest wifi Router

The Nest wifi is one of Google’s latest generation of mesh routers that lets you take full advantage of Google’s consistent software updates and great support for mesh expansion. 

This router is best for filtering online web content with Google Safe Search and setting app limits across various devices.

But while reviewing this router, I noticed that it doesn’t offer specific content filtering options. For instance, I couldn’t block content like games through it; however, I could set app limits across apps.

For more information, check out the Nest wifi router on Amazon here!

What are the best router brands for parental control?

When you look at routers, the following 2 brands are really standing out.

1- Asus

Asus is one of the topmost brands in the market that offer a special breed of routers. The RT-AX88U offers great parental controls along with Asus` AiProtection features powered by Trend Micro. 

The best part about Asus is that no additional charges are involved for the rest of your life. Though advanced features like screen time controls and setting up individual profiles to group devices are not available in this package. But you can still limit app and web access and set time limits across apps.

Personally, I loved how it allowed me to schedule internet access for individual devices by the hour and day of the week.

For more information, check out the Asus RT-AX56U routers on Amazon here, or the RT-AC66U here and the RT-AC88U here!

2- Netgear

Netgear is also among the leading brands in the market that offer great routers. Its partnership with Circle has enabled them to integrate some of the most robust and granular filtering features into its routers. 

My Time by Netgear, paired with intelligent parental controls, lets you manage your child’s devices and see their online activity across the apps. It also ensures that the same filtering features are applied to your child’s devices when connected to another router outside the home.

For more information, check out the Netgear Nighthawk R7000 routers on Amazon here or the R800P X6S here!

What is a parental control router?

Parental control routers are a fantastic option for parents looking for filtering inappropriate content across the web for their children. 

They allow you to filter the web content and URLs, block your child’s access to inappropriate websites through pre-configured filters for different age groups. They are a fantastic choice for parents who find parental control apps too much to handle.

Why buying a parental control router?

Parental control routers are different from basic routers in two ways. Firstly, they allow you more than basic filtering of data across websites and apps by category and age-appropriateness. Secondly, they also allow you to limit internet access across different devices at different timings. 

For instance, I make sure that my child has access to only google classroom and other related apps to complete his homework during the daytime. And not to Netflix, social media, and other gaming apps.

We know that it’s not just the websites that contain inappropriate content anymore. You will also see problematic apps and ads across the internet that must not be within your child’s reach or sight, and this is where parental control routers excel at.

Parental Control Routers Vs. Software

Parental control routers ensure that all your children’s devices have limited access to the websites and services connected to the home network. These routers apply all the age-appropriate filters and app limits across the web and apps connected to the network. 

Parental control software, on the other hand, is not just limited to the home network. Instead, it allows you to filter and monitor your child’s activity across various apps and also lets you block inappropriate websites, app downloads, in-app purchases, and unidentified contacts. 

Parental control software offers far more filtering and monitoring options to parents, be it home or outside.

Wireless router with parental controls and time restrictions

Parental control features vary from company to company. Still, one common feature among all parental control routers is the time-based filtering feature. This feature allows you to schedule internet access across various apps or for a specific duration. You can also block your child’s access to the internet altogether, depending upon your needs.

Wireless routers with parental controls also offer advanced filtering features like setting time limits across social media apps like Instagram, Facebook, etc. However, these advanced controls come with a price tag.

How to parental control your router?

Parental control routers are the easiest solution to your problems. These routers are the source of connection to the online world. With parental control routers, you get control over what goes in and out of your home.

Should you get a new router?

If you are struggling with whether you should buy a new router that offers parental control features or get a second box to enhance your existing router. My advice is if you already own a router that has excellent coverage, performance, and security features, then getting an add-on parental control would be the smart choice. 

But while buying an add-on router, make sure that it is compatible with your primary router. Not all secondary routers are consistent with other devices due to their intricate networking techniques.

Parental control add-on for router

Circle Home Plus is an excellent choice for parents looking to add parental controls to their existing home networks. After connecting this device, you can download the app on any of your iOS or Android phones and monitor the actives across each device. It allows you to monitor the connection between the internet and devices and lets you watch the traffic from your child’s device as well. Moreover, it also offers various filtering categories depending upon the age group your child belongs to.

For more information, check out the Circle Home Plus on Amazon here!

Takeaway

Parental control routers are an easy solution to filter content across your children’s devices. Still, they have their limitations compared to parental control software. Although all routers offer filtering features, what they actually do is basic filtering. 

This is why you should make sure to buy a router with advanced parental control features. If you select any from the list above, you’ll be covered!