A client of mine wants to block porn sites from his employees. What is the best Internet filtering software that will do that? I'm referring to programs like Net Nanny, etc.
A client of mine wants to block porn sites from his employees. What is the best Internet filtering software that will do that? I'm referring to programs like Net Nanny, etc.
Use OpenDNS on the router. Easier than managing desktop clients. There is a free version, but they can upgrade if that's not good enough.
http://www.opendns.com/
Very cool. Thanks, Midknyte. So is FamilyShield set up on the router the free product you're referring to?
No, I meant OpenDNS Basic.
http://www.opendns.com/start/
Quote:
What's the difference between FamilyShield and OpenDNS Basic?
Choose FamilyShield if you're looking for a quick, no-fuss way to protect your children from adult content online for free. Choose OpenDNS Basic if you'd like a more customizable alternative — you can block or unblock lots of other types of sites, see reports on how your family uses your Internet connection, and more. OpenDNS Basic offers everything FamilyShield does, and it's also free, but it requires a few extra setup and customization steps.
OK. Thanks. How does that differ from FamilyShield?
http://www.opendns.com/familyshield/
Uh. I posted that last time. See above. You get more customizations with Basic.Quote:
Originally Posted by BBCMember
Wow. Sorry about that. Very tired right now. Thought the quote was of what I said. Obviously not since there is more text. Didn't even read it. Thanks for thinking ahead! ;)
Great software. Thanks. I am having an issue, though. I followed the instructions and changed the DNS Server settings on the DIR-815 DLink router to the following:
Primary DNS Server: 208.67.222.222
Secondary DNS Server: 208.67.220.220
Saved the settings, and then added the network to the paid Open DNS account. The IP that was added for the network was the IP address of my computer that came from the modem, since it's IP address started with 76... and not 192...
I then selected the level of protection and saved it.
I'm now getting an error with the Open DNS updater:
Your Open DNS filtering settings might not work due to DNS IP address (208.68...) and HTTP IP address (76.89...) mismatch.
And when I go to http://welcome.opendns.com/, it says that I am not using OpenDNS.
The router is a DLink DIR-815, and the ISP is Time Warner.
Suggestions?
I'm guessing you don't have a static IP. Try updating your info in your account page.
http://www.opendns.com/support/dynamic_ip/
76.x.x.x would probably be the right address. 192.x.x.x is nonroutable, so it could only be for your internal network addressing.
If that still doesn't work, you should check out their forum or try contacting OpenDNS support.
http://www.opendns.com/community/
Did you test drive OpenDNS before you paid for it? I don't know anyone that got the paid service. We're cheapos.
Actually, I already enabled dynamic IP updates. Also downloaded the software widget that will automatically update it. That's the software that gave me the error message.
Didn't test drive it first. I trust your recommendations. ;)
She's a client who runs a business and didn't want the ads.
I've already submitted a ticket to their tech support, and will check out the community forums. Thanks.
Did you do an ipconfig /flushdns? Double-check that the computer has the OpenDNS DNS settings.
I normally let customers test drive a product first, especially if there is a free version. If they find it is inadequate, then we look at upgrading or at a completely different product.
OK. I didn't know there was a possiblity of there being an issue since they handle so many well-known companies.
I set it up so the router has the DNS settings, not a specific computer, since there is a network of computers. I don't have to configure each computer as well as the router with the DNS settings, do I? I wouldn't think so.
Yes, I did flush the DNS before. Do I have to restart the computer after that, or do I have to renew the DNS with a command like you do for the IP address?
It's not there would be issues. Some customers want certain things that the product may not do. I've had customers that asked for one thing, when they meant something else.
It wouldn't be a bad idea to release and renew the IP and then verify the workstation has the correct DNS settings. DNS address changes are not instantly pushed out to DHCP clients.Quote:
Originally Posted by BBCMember
You shouldn't have to do it to each computer, but it's faster to do it manually. At least do it for the "updater" system. Or you could just set a static IP for the "updater" with the proper DNS settings.
Gottcha.
I changed the DNS settings yesterday, and they are still not changed in the router in the status section. But they are saved in the setup section of the router where Open DNS tells you to input them. Isn't that weird?
Could it be that this router, DLink DIR-815, just isn't compatible with this service? If not, what else could it be? Its seems like a quick setup in the video.
I'll try refreshing the IP, but now that we know that the router's DNS settings are not taking, unfortunately the computer will reflect that as well. But I'll try changing the DNS settings in the "updater" system.
But will there still be connection if the router has different DNS settings than the computer? And what if some computers are manually configured, and some are not? Will that affect anything?
Btw, what do you think of Net Nanny? It probably would be easier, however, to manually configure the computers using Open DNS. However, if the kids are computer savvy, they can easily go in and change it back, or can you lock the DNS settings somehow?