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Solution for keeping kids safe?

A telecom client of mine wants to monitor the web use of her kids, as well as offer some measure of protection. She is concerned about her own kids and their friends, many of whom bring their laptops with them when they come visit and/or sleep over. Since these kids come and go, and her own kids use school laptops with pretty strict usage policies, monitoring software/hardware has to be at the gateway. I've had decent success with a multi-pronged strategy that included Cybersitter, et al, but in this case client software isn't an option.

Already at her home are two routers, a Netgear WGR614 and a Linksys WRT54G. I set up the Netgear and configured some basic firewall rules. I showed her how to enter keywords and check the logs, and I have the logs emailing to her every morning.

We're not looking for any device to do all the work; it's simply a part of the larger plan, which includes education and enforcing of rules. But, my specific question is: Is there some security or content filtering appliance in the $300 range that will offer more than I can get with the basic firewall capabilities of a consumer router/firewall such as mentioned above?

thank you,

jm

Reply to
JM
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For what?

The Netgear is not the one you need as the gateway device IMHO as it has no rules to stop inbound or outbound traffic by port, protocol, or IP on the LAN or WAN.

What you need is the 54G as the gateway device that you can set rules to stop inbound or outbound traffic by port, protocol or IP along with review of logs by using something like Wallwatcher (free). The free 3rd party firmwares that work with Wallwatcher for the 54G will give you the features you need to be a packet filtering FW router than that wireless Netgear router will ever have to do it.

The 54g with the right firmware in palace comes closer to a FW router that that wireless Netgear.

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Wallwatcher has emailing abilities but I don't know if you can email logs.

Use the FW abilities that the 54G has to offer.

Or get one of the wire Netgear routers or others that are ICSA certified that meet the specs above in the link for a a network FW.

It's just my take on it and others may have a different approach.

Duane :)

Reply to
Duane Arnold

Oh, I forgot. You can configure either wireless router to be a wire/wireless Access Point switch and plug into a wire router that has more or better FW abilities.

Duane :)

Reply to
Duane Arnold

Others may provide other (cheaper) solutions, but I will speak to what I know. A FortiGate 50A will provide you with all the protections and monitoring you need, but it's a bit out of your price range. If you could extend it towards the roughly $600 range (I don't really know US street prices very exactly) you could get this sort of protection. I can engage a discussion offline (despam my email address to respond) with you on how this would work exactly, beacause such a discussion seems to touch off a firestorm of controversy in this group, but in short I believe this device can be used effectively for the type of purpose you're describing above. This device by the way would replace the Netgear entirely.

Surely there are cheaper solutions but this one is a pretty serious and pretty effective approach.

-Russ.

Reply to
Somebody.

I would suggest going with Endian firewall,

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on an older PC. To do everything--and it does a lot--will only require something like a PII, 400MHz, 256 MB RAM. It comes with a transparent http proxy and Dansguardian content filtering. The software is free for the download and even if you have to buy a used box, that can't cost more than about $50.

Reply to
Rod Engelsman

Forget about hardware firewalls, or client-based systems. If you really want to protect kids that come and go, you will need to spend BIG BUCKS on a software-based system like I use. You will need to buy another machine to use as a gateway machine. Then you will need to put a software firewall, such as Kerio or Tiny on that machine. You will need to have a proxy solution, I recommend CyBlock. It is very expensive ($799 per year for updating filter lists), but it is the most foolproof thing you will get. The way I figure out, you will have to shell out around $2500 to $3000 for the stuff you will need, but in the long run, it will filter without any problems. If she wants to protect her kids, and their friends, she is going to have to be prepared to spend as much as $3000 on a solution that will work and be effective.

Reply to
Charles Newman

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(free) Old PC (sod all, pII450, 128mb, 10gb, dual NIC's about $80) Add-onz mod system (free) Dansguardian mod (free for home use)

2 hours to config/install by yourself or someone other than those people here who say it's impossible. E.
Reply to
E.

If you can't build a Linux box and setup open-source solutions, then your only other method is to buy a real firewall that also allows content filtering and white/black listing.

I do this in my home and have no fear that my kids (or guests) will be able to access something I've not approved of.

The problem with the "real" firewall solution is that they are not cheap, starting in the $500+ range and often require a subscription.

Reply to
Leythos

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