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Mesh system and parental controls
Posted on 5/17/25 at 7:56 am
Posted on 5/17/25 at 7:56 am
I need a mesh system where the parental controls work. I currently have a tp link deco system and they don't work, there are a lot of complaints online with no resolution that I'm finding now that I'm researching. Does anyone have a good system, with an app to where these settings work?
I'm not opposed to setting up a separate network for my son's traffic, a profile to manage on the main network, whatever. Just looking for something that will work, ability for a schedule, etc
I'm not opposed to setting up a separate network for my son's traffic, a profile to manage on the main network, whatever. Just looking for something that will work, ability for a schedule, etc
2
Posted on 5/17/25 at 8:41 am to way_south
eeros
Posted on 5/17/25 at 9:41 am to way_south
Way too many options here. Deco are my favorite mesh systems but have some weaknesses:
1. Often come with low antenna/stream count which makes wiring almost a necessity on lower end models. Same for any brand though on low end.
2. They do a poor job of “capturing” individual clients. If creating VPN tunnel by client, it will often lose them and put their traffic back through the default gateway, probably why parental controls may get bypassed sometimes.
What deco system do you have? Is it wired? No need to replace robust WiFi system if it is set up appropriately, just get parental control gateway.
Do you have your kid’s devices locked and configured where they will not use private proxies or random MAC addresses? New phones do this by default and will certainly bypass older parental controls, maybe even newer ones.
1. Often come with low antenna/stream count which makes wiring almost a necessity on lower end models. Same for any brand though on low end.
2. They do a poor job of “capturing” individual clients. If creating VPN tunnel by client, it will often lose them and put their traffic back through the default gateway, probably why parental controls may get bypassed sometimes.
What deco system do you have? Is it wired? No need to replace robust WiFi system if it is set up appropriately, just get parental control gateway.
Do you have your kid’s devices locked and configured where they will not use private proxies or random MAC addresses? New phones do this by default and will certainly bypass older parental controls, maybe even newer ones.
This post was edited on 5/17/25 at 10:08 am
Posted on 5/17/25 at 11:01 am to Dallaswho
It's a deco x55 system. None of the parental controls work, I can't set downtime hours on a schedule. I have his devices in a group, verified time/date settings and he's still got access to the Internet when he's not supposed to, desktop, laptop, phone. The PC and laptop Mac addresses aren't changed from when I setup his group.
As I researched this issue I see it's pretty common unfortunately. I like the deco system other than the failure of parental controls
As I researched this issue I see it's pretty common unfortunately. I like the deco system other than the failure of parental controls
Posted on 5/17/25 at 11:15 am to way_south
I agree deco is likely faulty. My VPN experiences are similar when singling out devices or groups. Still, X55 is a great WiFi system if backhaul is wired. Only 2x 5ghz antennas per device though so they lose a ton of performance if backhaul is wireless. If you have speeds over 500gbps AND do not wire or want to wire the backhaul between devices, then you are due for an upgrade anyway. The previous poster said Amazon EERO mesh and he is probably right as Frontier offers them with fiber service and they don’t want a million support calls.
If you have 500mbps or slower internet OR wire your backhaul, look at cheaper stand alone router/gateway and keep the x55 in AP mode as your mesh.
If you have 500mbps or slower internet OR wire your backhaul, look at cheaper stand alone router/gateway and keep the x55 in AP mode as your mesh.
Posted on 5/17/25 at 11:59 am to Dallaswho
Speed is fine, parental controls are my issue
Posted on 5/17/25 at 12:54 pm to way_south
Depending on your abilities,
1. Get a $50-$100 mini PC with 2x lan ports and install ClearOS, use as main router. Set bios always power on. Switch deco to AP mode.
2. Replace everything with eero.
3. Replace everything with prosumer equip like unifi and get pi-hole, openDNS, etc all working.
4. Like #1 but put the clear OS box after your main X55, then run that box to another mesh, like 3x M5s for $20 and make that entire wireless network for kids. You’d have to access the clearOS GUi from kids network or set rules to allow access from adult network, then set port forward for remote access if desired.
Speed, wiring, etc. may not be your priority, but it still matters a lot as to whether an upgrade makes sense
1. Get a $50-$100 mini PC with 2x lan ports and install ClearOS, use as main router. Set bios always power on. Switch deco to AP mode.
2. Replace everything with eero.
3. Replace everything with prosumer equip like unifi and get pi-hole, openDNS, etc all working.
4. Like #1 but put the clear OS box after your main X55, then run that box to another mesh, like 3x M5s for $20 and make that entire wireless network for kids. You’d have to access the clearOS GUi from kids network or set rules to allow access from adult network, then set port forward for remote access if desired.
Speed, wiring, etc. may not be your priority, but it still matters a lot as to whether an upgrade makes sense
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