The internet is one of the most significant learning resources that children love using. However, the internet has come with its benefits and harms. You will notice that the internet is not very safe for children due to online predators and increasing cybercrime rates. This is quite a challenge especially if your Linksys parental controls are not working!
Notably, there are specific websites that children visit, and they are not proper. Parental controls come in to solve such a challenge by imposing some measures. A challenge comes in when the children get a way of disabling the parental controls. Sometimes the settings stop working.
Our work is to create solutions, and we have come up with a solution to this problem.
Understanding the working of parental controls
Before we get the actual solution, we have to understand some things concerning the functionality of the parental controls. Linksys parental controls work by limiting the usage of the internet. You will have the children spending fewer hours on the internet and not access some specific sites.
You will implement three measures with the Linksys parental controls. Blocking some sites, specific devices from accessing the internet, and limiting times are measures. Another thing you will do with the parental controls is managing specific sites on specific devices.
By managing the specific sites, you find yourself managing the children with internet use. Mixing them allows you to come up with a solid system that will make them safer. The effectiveness of the measures depends on how you implement each measure.
Setting parental controls on Linksys router
Setting the parental controls is the first step towards achieving the control mission. You will start by going through the settings and then locate the parental controls. You have to log in to the user’s dashboard using the web interface or the app.
Visit my router.local on the web browser and then use the IP address. 192.168.1.1 is the Linksys router IP address you will not operate unless there is a change. You will consult Linksys support to see what you will do about the IP address.
Next is to log in to the router settings and locate the smart wifi tools. They will have the parental controls tab that will give room for the changes. You will then see the various options that will guide you in making the changes.
Blocking sites from the reach of specific devices
This process is straightforward as there is a button that runs the operation. The option that says “block specific sites” is responsible for the whole process. It is an option located on the smart wifi tools. You will pick the specific site URLs and then press them to implement the blocking measures.
Restricting internet access on devices
On the parental controls option, you will select the smart wifi option. You will then pick the device that you wish to block as it appears on the drop-down menu. The next thing you do is to customize the restrictions.
Customizing the setting is easy because a dropbox pops up to show you how to implement the measures. Such an option allows you to block the sites for a specific period or entirely. If you block to particular times, you will have the sites working at precisely that time.
Restricting internet on specific devices
Another option for managing parental controls is restricting the internet for specific devices. It is a straightforward process that ends up restricting some devices from accessing the internet completely. You can limit a computer, tablet, phone, or another learning device from accessing the internet.
The process starts by accessing the settings related to the smart wifi tools. Immediately you get there; you will pick the device that you want to limit or restrict. After selecting the device, you will find options with various measures that you can implement.
You can set it to limit the device for specific hours, such as those the children do their assignments. There is also an option to limit them not to use the internet entirely. What may push you to have the devices complete restriction is when you have strange devices using the internet.
Managing the internet for specific hours of the day
Another option is to block the use of the internet at particular hours. This happens mostly when you have children doing assignments or household chores. Such a setting becomes operational for some time, and then it stops.
To set the hourly internet management, you will have to visit the parental controls for the smart wifi tools. You will follow the same process for managing specific devices and then select the specific times towards the end. You have to set the specific times that you want the internet to be active
Turning off Linksys parental controls
It is also possible to turn off parental controls on a router. However, the process is a little bit complex instructions vary on the kind of router you are using. Linksys is a good brand because it has the potential to adjust the settings to reach your targets.
You will start by disabling the router by pressing the reset button. It is a button that you will locate at the back of the router. Pressing it for around 10 seconds will reset all the settings that are existing in the router.
After that, you will uninstall the Linksys connect that you will find on your computer. It is a simple program that you will conveniently uninstall with some simple instructions.
You will visit the settings option on the computer and then locate the application’s settings. It is an option you will find immediately you open the settings option.
Reinstall the Linksys connect setting again and then connect the router to the computer. Open the settings and then set a password after picking the advanced settings option. After selecting the password, you will copy it and then set the username.
Under access restrictions, you will enter the username and then the password if it asks. Under the network restrictions, click enabled and then okay. You will have the settings getting disabled instantly.
Blocking apps from working on the internet
Some apps lower the performance of the router. Such apps are like YouTube and other streaming apps that allow you to access specific content. The importance of blocking the various apps is to stop the children from accessing the particular content located in them.
To block apps, you will visit the Linksys cloud account and then pick the parental controls settings. It is located towards the left side of the control panel. Now select the device you want to block apps in.
Click add to pick the apps located in the device, and you don’t want them. You can enter the URL app and then select block to stop the app from working under the connection.
Linksys shield
Another essential thing you need to learn is the Linksys shield. It is a premium upgrade that works in households. Once you have this tool, you will control the network and filter content that the kids can see. You can use the age-appropriate filters to pick the one that you think is good for you.
Once you make such a selection, you will see that the content gets automatically out of reach. It is an option that does not need manual settings on the router. Apart from selecting the age limits, you will also have an opportunity to customize the setting to lessen the restriction or make it firmer.
Making the option active on your connection is an excellent idea because it boosts the performance of the settings. Chances of having the parental controls failing also become minimal.
Does the Linksys smart app allow you to see the browsing history?
Part of monitoring your children’s activities is checking on their browsing history. Checking on the browsing history varies from one router to another. You will have to assess the device and then see how it works on the parental controls.
The smart app poses a challenge because it does not show the browsing history. You will therefore experience a challenge with understanding the sites that the children visit. It is also possible that the parental controls will not be effective in some areas.
Reasons why Linksys parental controls stop working
You cannot come up with a solution to a problem that you don’t understand. We have to know the reason behind having the Linksys parental controls not working. Below are some of the difficulties likely to make the parental controls stop working.
Outdated router firmware
The router firmware gets out of date and begins to cause problems to the router. One of the problems is poor performance. Part of having a bad performance is making some processes not function.
The initial challenge you will experience is very low speeds. Your devices will have low speeds and will not perform as you expect. The problem dominates and makes some functions such as parental controls not work.
Conflicting issues
Another challenge will be the conflicting issues in the connection. You can implement a measure such as blocking devices from accessing the internet at specific times. Then you create another measure that will block the devices from entirely accessing the internet.
This is a problem that will affect the router and the device at the same time.
Status of the router
The way you use the router matters a lot and will affect the various functions. If you are using the router in bridge mode, then you will experience a more formidable challenge. It leads to the parental controls not working.
Solving problems to the Linksys router parental controls not working
Having known why the Linksys parental controls can stop working, you can now solve the problem. Several methods help you to do the management of the devices without a hassle. Some of the measures include.
Update the router firmware
Updating the router’s firmware is the first solution for Linksys parental controls not working. It is the most effective solution to having the parental controls working again. You will start the process by launching the IP address on the web browser.
The next thing is to enter the login details of the router. You will find yourself at the router’s dashboard, which allows you to make advancements and changes. There is an updates option that you will find on the user’s dashboard.
On the option, you will check if there is any recent update available. If it is there, you will click install and let the process take place. It is usually an automatic process. Once the process of installation is complete, you will go back to the official site.
On the official site, enter the model’s number, then pick the hardware you are using. After tapping the firmware, it will begin to update and install. Updating the firmware should solve your problem. However, if it does not happen, you have to reset the router.
Reset the settings and redo afresh
If the parental controls seem to persist after updating the firmware, you have to reset the router. The process is simple as you will press the reset button for around 10 seconds and then let the process work on its own. After resetting the router, you will redo the whole installation process using the smart app.
It is now the chance for you to set the parental controls afresh. When setting, consider making the changes in the login details to avoid having someone changing the settings. You may not be aware that someone could be having the login details and deactivate the settings you make.
Rename your devices
Finally, renaming your devices is a method that works when you have some devices not getting captured in the settings. It may not serve well if you have not put the devices you desire under control. Renaming the devices will help you manage them effectively hence having the parental controls working as you expect.
Final verdict
Parental controls are quite simple to implement. They are also essential to implement because of the kind of service they offer. At times it may not work as you expect.
You will need to implement a few measures to ensure that you have adequately implemented proper measures. Our guide is practical and will solve an actual problem of Linksys router parental controls not working.