RT AC66U Wireless LAN - parental controls/filters

[ruasonid]

I have the subject router with Merlin 3264.

The parental controls are set for the children's Mac codes to restrict the hours they can access the WiFi and Internet.

I'm looking for a way to block content. Are there any options to implement blocking at the router and restrict for the children's IP's/Mac addresses? Ideally I'd like to restrict it so that e.g. WhatsApp and other apps, and maybe some news sites are available, and block much else. I know I can put exclusions in the firewall but do not want to block for all.

 

[yorgi]

I have the subject router with Merlin 3264.

The parental controls are set for the children's Mac codes to restrict the hours they can access the WiFi and Internet.

I'm looking for a way to block content. Are there any options to implement blocking at the router and restrict for the children's IP's/Mac addresses? Ideally I'd like to restrict it so that e.g. WhatsApp and other apps, and maybe some news sites are available, and block much else. I know I can put exclusions in the firewall but do not want to block for all.

You can use DNS filtering and use Norton or OpenDNS and use DNS that are specifically designed for children
Also in Parental control there are options that you can enable including instant messaging which you can also set time scheduling.
In firewall you can also use URL filter and put websites that you specifically don't want your kids accessing.
Unfortunately this will also stop you from viewing content that is not for your children but is for you.
You could always enable and disable that feature but it doesn't work with scheduling or MAC addresses.
with a little bit of work you can achieve it.

 

[RMerlin]

You can get some (limited) filtering by using OpenDNS through DNSFilter, however for more extensive blocking, you'll need a more advanced model with the Trend Micro Parental Control support, which lets you block access to sites based on categories.