K9 vs OpenDNS vs Other Family Computer Protection Options

[Jimmy James]

I am evaluating my options for protecting my family from inappropriate websites.  We have a desktop, 2 laptops, 2 iPads, a Kindle Fire, 2 iPod Touch, and 3 iPhone (no data plans, wifi only).

I have recently starting using OpenDNS.  I like that it works at the router level and controls everything while at our house.  In addition to its DNS servers that blocks porn, I have specifically added sites to the block list that I used most often.  I know that it would not provide any protection while my kids are at their friends houses.

K9 looks like it would offer protection everywhere, but it has to be installed on every machine.  It offers the benefit of custom blocking/access for each device.  My kids would know that it is on their devices, which has its pros and cons.

I am not sure that there is anything that will stop my kids' friends from sending them something inappropriate (not that I have any reason to believe that this has happened.

So what do you think are the best family protection options out there?

 

[Yuri]

I use K9 on PC. Seems very good as it blocks porn, advertisements and other things.

I want to add that there are no apps against porn threat for Windows Phone  .

 

[sender]

I use BucTools router.  Of course, you have to replace your router to use it, so that's a bigger step than some people want to take, but like OpenDNS, it protects all devices on your home network.  In addition to that, it also enforces safe search, which means they won't find any porn images in google image search, etc.  I think that's quite helpful.  It's highly configurable, which I also appreciate.  For me, it's the next best thing of an ISP-level opt-out option, which should exist in my opinion.  In fact, I think porn should be opt-in (i.e. no one gets any porn unless they call up and ask for it).

I know that some wireless carriers offer content filtering, so you can ask them if they can do it.  In my case, I use Verizon Wireless.  Unfortunately, their filtering is not offered on iPhones, but apparently if I had android devices, they could do it.  I hope this situation changes sometime soon, because this is still a big problem.

Whatever solution you choose, it's pretty much impossible to control what your kids do when they're not at home.  Their friends computers, devices, phones, etc could be used to access porn.  You can't do anything about that.  It's an unfortunate truth about the world we live in now...

 

[indiana]

Hey, Jimmy.

What I've done recently, and this is for myself not a family, is using both K9 and X3Watch. K9 is the first line of defense, makes porn less likely to run into and puts the hurdle in place, then X3Watch is an accountability program that I set up with a girlfriend. So she gets weekly reports and if I used porn, spun out, she'd see all my activity the sites I went to etc...

I've heard CovenentEyes is a good family plan for accountability and web protection.

good luck, hope that helps.

 

[Vincent]

Hey Jim,
I strongly recommend OpenDNS, because it is applyable to the router and therefore protects all devices connected via it.
It also offers you to control which categories are to be blocked so that you still can access sites like movie4k etc.

Be aware however, that there is no software out there, that can fully and wholly protect anybody from porn. I tried all the possibilities and in the end I always found a way around it.
Also be aware that you kids might find another access to porn outside the household. That, as far as I am concerned, is not that problematic, since it is not possible to overstep here. I am pushing for education and understanding instead of restriction. But I strongly agree that there are things in the WWW nobody ever needs to see.

-> Open DNS could be a solution for you.

 

[indiana]

Also, on top of a web-protection software, have you spoken with your kids? I think that would be one of the biggest things you could do to help them. Let them know what it can do, why they need to be safe, the potential harms.