We tried this filter for about a week before sending it back. We have three boys and we needed a serious filter but our internet is slow. I'll give you the pros and cons that we discovered with this filter.
Pros:
Easy setup
Has a app
Price is reasonable
Disney brand made us more comfortable
Cons:
Slowed our internet
We couldn't customize this the way we wanted to
Time limits never worked right (example: didn't log Xbox time correctly)
Blocked certain websites (like Pinterest) but allowed others that should have been blocked
Still allowed questionable content through when I tried
All of the cons added up and we decided to send it back but honestly we could have tried to work out all the problems if it hadn't been for the fact that it slowed our internet down so much. It really affected it and made it hard to do much. Hopefully others will have better luck with it, for the price it was a good product just not for us.
I try to be very helpful and thorough in my reviews, if it was helpful to you please click yes, thanks!
People either love or hate this product. I love it. Works awesome. Not cleaning room? Boom internet off. Fighting? Boom internet off. The problem most people will have and not be able to overcome is setup. Not as much on the circle part but identifying what is what and what device belongs to a person so you can assign it. Take the time to set this up properly and it’s a gem. A few hints: when circle detects devices it will put them all in a group for moving to peoples and kids profiles you create. The difficulty is some are listed with manufacturer name and a MAC address. In laments terms, you’ll see something call Ziojuang device with a MAC address of 0F:01:B1:C2:AF:DD. How are you supposed to know what that is or where it goes? This is where you take your time in setup. If you go to your child’s device, or basically any of the devices, and go to its wireless or network setup menu, some portion of that menu should list its MAC address. Match those numbers to the device in circle. Rename the strange named device in circle to Brads IPad or whatever. If you can’t find a menu, you can always use free safe pc software to do this function. iPad, droid, and iPhone all have apps for this as well. I personally use an app called Fing scanner. It will scan your network for all devices, list all IP addresses and Mac addresses and provide much more detailed information about the device which allows for easier identification and renaming within circle. Once you get this all done properly it’s a golden product. Another helpful tip, is to take all the devices which serve no purpose in the need to be blocked and or filtered and move them to the unmanaged group. You don’t want utility devices being touched by this product. Take your Camera systems, and your nest cameras, your other routers, your network access points, smart fridge, whatever and move them to unmanaged.
In our family we have three kids, ages 8 and twins that are 11 years old. Naturally they also have friends coming over all the time, many of the bringing their "devices" so they can all play Minecraft, Clash of Clanes etc. After using Open DNS (free) it has become clear we needed something with a better UI, preferably with an iPhone app that can remotely control the internet experience. I settled on "Circle" and it has now been installed for 2 weeks. Here's the good and bad:
1. INSTALLATION: As some fellow reviewers pointed out there is no traditional user manual in the package, which makes total sense since the manufacturer does not want to print a "dated" card for a product that by its design will evolve and constantly add new features. So, instead of looking at a printed card you only need to download the free App and follow the easy set-up instructions. Basically it took 15 minutes to set up and add all the devices in the house (couldn't believe we had that many devices...). However, this is just the beginning....
2. CONFIGURATION: Each device must be added to either a "Personal Profile", "Home" or "Unmanaged Devices" (see screenshot). This is quite logical and very much follows the concepts used on any Mac OS X or Windows computer. On each profile you can then be set with the appropriate Filter setting, along with a start time and end day daily. As many reviewers have pointed out it seems very strange that the Developer have not added unique start and end times for weekends, this as iOS completely supports this functionality. Also the absence of "home work time" versus "play time" is missing. However, I am quite confident these two settings will be added over time as the App development work proceeds. They are the two only truly annoying features.
3. SETTING UP EXCEPTIONS: This is the most tedious part of having a truly well functioning Circle experience. I would strongly recommend to make the initial set up on a day when everyone will be home for the full day. After installing Circle and adding their device to their profile, sit down with each child and ask them to go to every website, open every game and do anything/everything they want to do on their device. This way you can easily sit next to them and create the "exceptions" they need to the standard filter system. Simply open the highly useful "custom filter" option and add the main URL as approved and they are set. This needs to be done for each "Profile". Plan on spending the better part of a day adding tons of these "custom filter" exceptions and the kids will embrace the Circle instead of having a bad week receiving calls to work where the child is upset
because the are "blocked" on a harmless site. There is no way around this as unfortunately internet URL's never was set up with "PG 13" or "R" ratings etc.
4. UNMANAGED DEVICES & HOME PROFILE: In our family we have set my wife's and mine cell phone and Tablets to be "unmanaged devices", which means there is no block or limitations. The computers in the house are on the "Home" profiles as multiple users log on to them and there is no technical way to tell who is on the computer even if they open their own profile on the iMac for example (not Circle's fault, just technical limitations).
5. PAUSE BUTTON: This is the "secret sauce" in this product!!! With the "pause" button you can easily pause the internet for either all managed devices OR for an individual profile (all devices attached to this profile will pause). With this powerful tool in my hand (iPhone with App) I simply need to say "dinner in 2 minutes, internet is going off when the clock hits 6:15 (for example). Prior to having Circle this was a simple threat that was not heard with multiple follow-up threats happening. Now everyone immediately "saves" and logs out of their activity as they know that the internet will indeed be shut off... The Kids all despise this new level of control but as Parents we smile as we are finally in charge again! Press "paus" a second time and internet is back on.
SUMMARY - NEGATIVE POINTS: The App lacks 7-day individual scheduling of times and the ability to do multiple blocks of time during each day.
SUMMARY - POSITIVE POINTS:
Overall this is a tool that every Parent should have and I have been wanting for years. If nothing else it gives us control of what is being watched, when and by whom. It also serves as a great way to the kids away from "Tablet trance". I told the kids this will stay "on" as long as I am paying for them:-)
- The App is very simple and easy to use.
- Pause button is a "killer app" by itself for Parents.
- The Profile system is logical and nicely laid out
- The hardware is compact, looks nice and features a terrific "backup battery" (kids already unplugged it twice).
We have too many devices. It's a real problem in our house. My husband is an Apple Engineer so we have a lot of devices. I was really starting to hate electronics and the internet. Buying Circle was a Hail Mary, if something didn't change I was going to force the family into living out the rest of their childhoods like it was the 80's. I was over the Internet and parental controls on every device we own. I lost my cool more times than I can count. My husbands co-worker, after probably hearing me yell through the phone about the parental controls sucking on my Daughters Mac, (I was done that day) suggested we try Circle. I rolled my eyes. Husband ordered it. I said it better work. I mean, I'm the one that is home and I'm the one that has to monitor and control the devices. Did I mention We have a lot of devices? We homeschool so each kid has a school computer. And more times than I can count I have caught my kids wamdering off from their work to "surf" the web. They figured out how to do "secure windows" and alternate desktops so I wouldn't know. (Of course I figured it out eventually. ) they are the kids of an engineer. I'm good with a computer, I'm not a technological dunce. But they would always figure out a way to beat the rules. Well, not now my sweet lil genius pains! I HAVE THE POWER!!! They can't so much as sneeze without me knowing it and if they really piss me off I can pause the internet for all their devices but mine!! 😂
We've had our Circle hooked up for about a week now...we love it! (well...my wife and I love it...the kids not so much). From reading reviews I was a little worried about some of the specifics in how it worked and if it was going to end up causing more trouble than it was worth but that all proved to be unnecessary. I'm thinking that maybe over the time since it was released they have upgraded the firmware? All I know is that some of the negative reviews mention problems that I haven't seen...so either those folks didn't know how to use certain features or the features were added after the original review was written. We have the Circle plugged directly into our router (well, actually it's plugged into a switch that is connected to the router) and haven't noticed any issues with it slowing down our internet. We have two kids in two different age ranges and setting up the specific filter levels was very simple. And within each filter level there are lots of specific settings that you can toggle on or off (ad blocking, safe search, etc.) Initially, I did have to go in and 'allow' a couple different sites that were being blocked by default but that was incredibly easy. Also, we have several different devices that are used by more than one person (kids share an iPad...that kind of thing). I was worried about how we'd deal with that but it hasn't proven to be an issue...you simply go in the app and move the device from one person to another...it takes 5 seconds. Even more than the actual filtering, the time limits was one of the reasons we decided to get this device...especially since we're going into summer and I was worried about the kids sitting around on their electronics all day if I wasn't paying enough attention. I get a little popup on my phone when one of the kids reaches their preset time limit and the Circle cut off the kids internet, this is immediately followed by a "nooooooooo!" from somewhere else in the house...I love it!
Feature Product
- MANAGE WI-FI CONNECTED DEVICES: Circle recognizes and manages wired and wireless devices on your home network.
- Software requirements: iOS and Android
- Set time limits: create daily time limits on apps and popular sites like Facebook, Instagram, snapchat, and YouTube.
- Filter content: set individual filter levels by made (pre-k, kid, teen, and adult) for each member of your Family.
- Pause the internet: pause the internet for a single Family member or the whole Family with a single tap.
- ONLINE USAGE AT A GLANCE: See where your kids spend time online by app and category.
Description
Circle allows your family to manage all of your home's wi-fi connected devices. With Circle, parents can now filter online content and limit online screen time as well as set an Internet bedtime for every connected device in the home. Circle can even Pause the Internet and share what kids are up to online. How it Works: Circle pairs wirelessly or via ethernet to your home router and allows you to manage online access for every device on the network: smartphones, gaming consoles, tablets, smart TVs, online gaming consoles, laptops and desktops. Using an iOS or Android app, families create unique profiles for every member of the home and from there, help shape each person's online experience. Do not disconnect from the Circle Home hotspot until prompted in the Circle app. If your system warns you that this network has no internet access, make sure it stays connected.
This is a great tool to monitor and limit your kids online activities. I have 3 boys that are between 11 and 13. I set up a profile for each of them and I can filter the internet and keep them from seeing things that they shouldn't be seeing. It even restricts their searches in incognito mode. I can set time limits, restrictions, or even block them from using YouTube, Netflix, Hulu, Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram, etc. I can customize time limits on internet use, set bedtimes, and schedule off times per individual user for both weekday and weekends. My favorite thing is being able to PAUSE the internet for one of my boys or across the entire network when I need to get their attention. I usually get a response within minutes of pausing their internet use and whatever chore they forgot to do gets done immediately. One downside is that it doesn't do anything about setting time limits for offline gaming on their computer, tablet, or PS3 but I'm still very happy with this device. It can be set to different age levels and restrictions for toddlers, young children, teens, or adults as well as not putting any restrictions on devices for Dad and Mom. You can set devices up to be unmonitored for things like home security cams and other devices that are connected to the wifi but you don't want restricted or monitored. I'd definitely buy this again.
I have two kids ages 9 and 10. They use computers, cell phones (wifi only - they don't have cell service), tablets, Roku/Apple TV/etc. I also have a subscription to Qustdio and have this on some of the devices. Qustdio works pretty good, but it has limits.
I've been using the Circle for about 2 weeks now. For my household. this is a great product. It discovers the devices on the network (although I wish this was a better process - I had to compare MAC address in my wifi router to figure out what some of these devices are). The schedules are simple - as others have pointed out, a bit more flexibility would be nice.
It works. No software to install to the devices. It uses the devices MAC address to block internet.
A few gripes I have:
-The iPhone software has a few bugs. My device list shows devices under the wrong name, but if I drill into it, I can see the right assignment.
-Schedules are simple. This is good and bad. It's Thanksgiving week so would be nice to have a way for me to give them holiday hours.
-I had issues installing the device and had to factory reset it. I contacted Circle support - they helped me out right away. I suggest updating the web site with links to the YouTube videos they already have.
-When my kids eventually get cell service, I would like to have some safe guards in place. I think the $10 a month is kind of high. Maybe $5 a month?
-I put myself in Adult mode. I got blocked from accessing a web site! I had to make myself un-managed to access the site. Why would adults ever get blocked?
Super wish list:
-It only blocks internet. It doesn't block the device. This is actually something Apple or Android will probably need to address. My kids learned quickly which apps need internet. Unless I do a room sweep before they go to bed, they can sneak on their devices and use them.
-Better network discovery. (To be fair, my wifi router doesn't do the best job either)
My kids hate it... that's how well it works! I won't go into details as others have done so. But it is a great tool to help control screen time, internet and addiction to YouTube.
My kids didn't complain much when I put it in, but I've slowly pulled their time allotments back to 1 hour per day and max 30 minutes of YouTube. Didn't do their chores, haven't completed homework? We pause their internet and its off for all of their devices! I love that it filters out the bad stuff (as much as a computer can, still need to parent!) and tells me exactly what they are doing and for how long.
My kids now play more together than they ever had and gasp... sometimes they even choose to go outside on their own! I've not noticed any network slowdown or weirdness. I'm an IT guy and I've tried to "get around" the filtering to see if its possible and I was not able to figure it out so I am reasonably confident my children can't either.
I was skeptical at first about using this device. So far, it has done what I expected.
I have a not-so-normal network configuration. Two routers daisy chained. I have the circle hard-wired to the second router as opposed to using the wifi. I did this since I assumed that sending every packet to the circle over wifi would slow down my wifi (I'm guessing it would). The setup was simple enough.
I entered in the MAC of both my son's ethernet card and wireless ethernet card. And for testing purposes, I also added my laptop to the system with an "adult filter." I think this allows access to nearly everything except explicit photos (aka: pornography).
For my son, I used the "kid filter." I found that filter was a little to strict even for an 8-year-old. He was trying to work on a report for school and was searching information about history. There was a fair amount of content that the circle blocked that looked innocuous to me. Good news though, I can update the filters on the fly. It took some guesswork but ultimately I might have found the sweet spot.
There's a few things that the circle doesn't do well enough. To be fair, I don't know how it would do it. If anyone here has a kid's kindle fire, you can configure it to block access after 30 minutes of games or shows. The kid could do any combination of 30 minutes and then the kindle essentially turns off. The circle doesn't really have that option. Sure, I can block youtube after 30 minutes, but that doesn't stop him from simply going somewhere else to watch a video afterwards.
However, that might simply be asking more than the device could ever do. When you think about it, if my kid wants to look up on youtube how to play a song on his guitar (for example), I'd want there to no limit on usage. Or really, anything that is educational or enrichment. The Circle can't differentiate and nor should we expect it to.
I will say that I did some testing on his computer by entering in some explicit words and it pretty much blocked whatever I came up with. There's a time and place to talk to kids about sex and violence. Blocking them off from the internet because of those reasons alone probably isn't a good idea (in my opinion). It seems like the Circle does do that fairly well. It gives them some protection at a younger age until I can have these sort of discussions with him.
A few other notes: I can say that hard-wiring the device to my router has not impacted my internet speeds at all. I know some people have concerns about that. I'm also a big fan of being able to update settings on the fly as necessary. Or in a pinch, I can essentially disable all internet access or if I'm sitting there with him, I can essentially turn off all filters.
It is an impressive device for what it does.
We have been using the product for about a month. It has worked very well. We have noticed some affect on network speed, but it has not been as bad as some users reported, and has been a worthwhile trade-off to us. The device really does give you a very granular amount of control for each user in the house.
One thing the product does not do (nor did it ever promise to) is to show exactly what your kids are looking at. It shows the web address that their browser and apps are connecting to. You cannot tell what part of the site they visited, or (for example) what videos they were watching on YouTube.
That being said, you can enable YouTube restricted mode and ad-blocking mode to prevent them from seeing mature content altogether. I actually found the filtering options very versatile given the price point on the device.
If you plan to do a lot of monitoring (rather than just restricting), it is difficult for two reasons. First, you look at the history for a user, meaning that the history for all devices assigned to a user are shown in one log. I have not seen any way to determine which device was used (unless you create a separate profile for each device, rather than each user). The second problem with monitoring is that the logs report minute by minute usage. Scrolling back through can be tedious, but there is also a category view of usage, so that can help in certain cases. All in all, I would say the device is more practical for control than monitoring, but it does give you some visibility of content being viewed.
As has been noted in other reviews, keep in mind that the device and free version of the app do not do anything for monitoring your family’s mobile data use. Again...I would not expect that for the cost of this device.
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