Managing Home Internet (Kids)

[wilked]

I'd bet there's already a topic on this, but I am not sure what to search for

The other day I was at my kids sports team standing around like sports teams parents oft do, and a dad next to me pulled out his phone and made some noise like 'zap'. Curious, I asked him what he was up to and he said his 13 year old was home, supposed to be doing homework, and he can see via his app that he was playing Playstation. As he described it, with a push of a button he turned the playstation off for network access while leaving the rest of his infrastructure whole.

I asked him what he was using and he said 'Eero' and in broad terms that I struggled to keep up with, described a system where:
-He could label devices within the network (I assume by IP address but don't know for sure), and can both turn these on and off as well as schedule their use (ie no "John's IPad" between 9:30PM and noon on weekdays).
-He could monitor in easy to decipher visuals who/what was using his router, both real time and looking backward
-He described organizing his house into 'highways', and put all his Sonos on one 'highway' to ensure there is no interference. Potentially this allows some prioritization also

We didn't go into it but I assume there is ability to restrict content (adult websites).

It looks like Eero is just a mesh system, yes? I see they also offer subscription services (Eero Plus) where I suspect some of these features lie.

I've heard in other forums about "Tomato" software on certain routers that are unlocked, but again know little about them.

So - I am not a technical dunce but I am not a network pro. Maybe 4/10 on a scale, 5 if I'm being generous.

He also noted that the above can be defeated via hotspots w/ phones but I think there are ways to counter that as well. My kids don't have a phone just yet (11/8) so I am not too worried there for now.

Any advice would be appreciated, thanks!

 

[glennhoffmania]

I'd bet there's already a topic on this, but I am not sure what to search for

The other day I was at my kids sports team standing around like sports teams parents oft do, and a dad next to me pulled out his phone and made some noise like 'zap'. Curious, I asked him what he was up to and he said his 13 year old was home, supposed to be doing homework, and he can see via his app that he was playing Playstation. As he described it, with a push of a button he turned the playstation off for network access while leaving the rest of his infrastructure whole.

I asked him what he was using and he said 'Eero' and in broad terms that I struggled to keep up with, described a system where:
-He could label devices within the network (I assume by IP address but don't know for sure), and can both turn these on and off as well as schedule their use (ie no "John's IPad" between 9:30PM and noon on weekdays).
-He could monitor in easy to decipher visuals who/what was using his router, both real time and looking backward
-He described organizing his house into 'highways', and put all his Sonos on one 'highway' to ensure there is no interference. Potentially this allows some prioritization also

We didn't go into it but I assume there is ability to restrict content (adult websites).

It looks like Eero is just a mesh system, yes? I see they also offer subscription services (Eero Plus) where I suspect some of these features lie.

I've heard in other forums about "Tomato" software on certain routers that are unlocked, but again know little about them.

So - I am not a technical dunce but I am not a network pro. Maybe 4/10 on a scale, 5 if I'm being generous.

He also noted that the above can be defeated via hotspots w/ phones but I think there are ways to counter that as well. My kids don't have a phone just yet (11/8) so I am not too worried there for now.

Any advice would be appreciated, thanks!

I'm pretty tech stupid too so I can't help you with the details. And my kid is very obedient so if we tell her to not look at certain content she listens, so we don't do a lot of monitoring. But I can give you a review of Eero. When we moved in August I bought a bunch of them (I think I had five). After Fios was installed I set it up and the speeds were shit. I think I was getting about 50mbs most of the time. I tried various locations for the routers and called Eero support to walk me through some trouble shooting.

I then picked up a free Fios extender to try it out. My speed immediately went up to 500mbs+. So I got two more of them and the whole house flies now and I don't pay anything for the extra extenders. I wish Eero had worked better and I had heard good things, including from various people here. I would assume that Verizon (or whoever your provider is) has options to block content or usage similar to Eero.

 

[wade boggs chicken dinner]

Xfinity lets you manage devices on its network - i.e., turn off internet access.

Windows devices allow parents to set time limits for devices through Family Safety. That time limit could be zero.

Some internet connected devices (the Switch for example) have apps that allow parents to turn it off.

As for Apple's Screen Time controls, I think my kid figured out a way around that when he was 11 so I gave up on it.

I'm sure other folks will have other ways.

 

[AlNipper49]

Eero is pretty awesome. Super bang for the buck. I have Amazon Echos everywhere and the newer ones also act as range extenders.

 

[Saints Rest]

I have Eero. It's pretty great. I can set up profiles for any device (or group of devices) on the network. Each profile can have limits for content or for time. For example, the TV can't turn on before school; the kids' devices turn off at 8:30p on school nights; etc. I can tell when any device is on the network and can do a manual pause (to cut off that device's access to the internet) whenever I want from wherever I am (I don't have to be on the network to do so).

 

[wilked]

I have Eero. It's pretty great. I can set up profiles for any device (or group of devices) on the network. Each profile can have limits for content or for time. For example, the TV can't turn on before school; the kids' devices turn off at 8:30p on school nights; etc. I can tell when any device is on the network and can do a manual pause (to cut off that device's access to the internet) whenever I want from wherever I am (I don't have to be on the network to do so).

Is this included with baseline Eero, or do you need subscription? Is it as easy to use as you make it sound?

 

[JerBear]

I use Google WiFi and it has similar features but it sounds like Eero's implementation is more straightforward. I am using the first generation hardware, not the second gen Nest branded ones.

I have groups setup with schedules that disable WiFi per those groups from the app. I can prioritize traffic for devices when needed, I can pause specific devices at demand from anywhere, probably a lot more that I don't use.

All of that is included without additional subscription with the Google WiFi devices.

 

[Saints Rest]

Is this included with baseline Eero, or do you need subscription? Is it as easy to use as you make it sound?

It's pretty easy. All that I described takes place on an app. I am no IT guy by any stretch.

When you buy Eero (it's an Amazon product, IIRC), you get a "base station" which receives the internet as a wired input. Then it puts out the Wifi signal around your house. You can buy additional "points" which extends the range/strength of your signal. There is some loss of bandwidth. For example, my connection speed via fiber from Frontier hits the router at around 950mbs; my Wifi strength in the best/strongest locations is around 2/3 of that.

Eero automatically can set up a guest Wifi account if you like. You set the passwords for the main and guest accounts right on the app.

In the app, you will see what devices are on the network at any time, including passive devices like Sonos or Nest or anything else that needs internet.

You can even block specific apps or websites from the network or from specific profiles (see my post above). You can enter those apps/sites directly or select common ones from lists of categories (e.g. social media or shopping).

 

[tmracht]

Eero is pretty awesome. Super bang for the buck. I have Amazon Echos everywhere and the newer ones also act as range extenders.

Co-sign, Eero is great, individual device control is great, gives my wife the freedom to control things when I'm on work trips really easily.
The auto-updates are pretty seamless.

Is this included with baseline Eero, or do you need subscription? Is it as easy to use as you make it sound?

Basic features are all in the base no sub model, so quite usable out of the box.

 

[wilked]

Looks like the Pro 6 was just on sale earlier in the month at Amazon

1-Pack $119.99
3-Pack $239.99

Will have to keep my eyes open for the next drop

 

[AlNipper49]

The only real difference is the Pro has gig. I don't think many people need that but it cannot hurt for a $20 difference.

Also, don't get the three pack. You're not that interesting (like me). Get yourself some Echo Pops for cheap. Turn off the mic if you are really paranoid. Those will extend just about as well as the other 2 things in the 3 pack do.

 

[glennhoffmania]

I'm sure I'll never know but I'm curious why Eero didn't work for me. The concept sounds awesome. But the speeds weren't sufficient. My wireless cable boxes weren't getting strong enough signals. I could have periods when my download speed on a PC was 20-30. I'm jealous of you guys.