Router advice

[prouddad]

I am having a very hard time finding a router that satisfies my needs. It seems that manufacturers are able to provide one or two of the following but not all. Perhaps I am looking in the wrong place. I appreciate any help you can offer. My highest priorities for the router are as follows:

1. Must be able to handle my VoIP phone system, networked security cameras and about 10-12 computers and other devices (mostly wireless).
2. Parental controls that are comprehensive and user friendly. I have a teenager who has become very curious about pornography and has asked that I block it better (I am a lucky parent). Most routers seem to allow you to block certain websites but do not give you lots of options for content type, time of day, exceptions for certain devices, etc.
3. User friendly interface with access from my phone, etc. I am not very tech savvy so I need everything made very clear for me in the interface. Also, as I will need to be able to make changes while away from home, I need to have that available via cell phone.
4. Detailed log of all activity specifying each device used.
5. Reliable.

I appreciate any help or advice you can offer.

 

[DelJo63]

I'll comment on your requirements in context - -

My highest priorities for the router are as follows:

1. Must be able to handle my VoIP phone system, networked security cameras and about 10-12 computers and other devices (mostly wireless).

The number of devices is not a critical factor - - the addition of VoIP is

2. Parental controls ... Most routers seem to allow you to block certain websites but do not give you lots of options for content type, time of day, exceptions for certain devices, etc.

Netgear can block by KEYWORD and a few well chosen porn words will block many sites - - be sure to add lower case xxx to the list

3. User friendly interface with access from my phone, etc. I am not very tech savvy so I need everything made very clear for me in the interface. Also, as I will need to be able to make changes while away from home, I need to have that available via cell phone.

hmm - - this is considered to be Remote Access and is VERY dangerous. If you just can't live without it, then change the port number (the default is 8080) and create a very strong password for logging onto the router.

4. Detailed log of all activity specifying each device used.

Netgear at least provides a means to EMAIL the router log.

5. Reliable.

My wired Netgear is several years old by now and the newly added wifi is also a Netgear.

Btw: you can always wire up a sequence like

modem==Router#1 ---- (wifi Router#2)​

where Router#1 handles the VoIP, logging and Remote Management.

 

[DelJo63]

Follow up on Parental Control:
Implementing P.C. in the router (by keyword or domain.name) is absolute and will still be effective even though the user may attempt some access via an anonymous browsing service, after all, the traffic still flows through the browser.

For the special case where the url is encrypted, the domain.name is still unencrypted and filtering on it (again via keyword or url) is effective eg: http://1.hidemyass.com/ip-2/encoded/czovL3d3dy5nb29nbGUuY29tL3NlYXJjaA==