HomeShield Subscription
Does anyone here subscribe to the HomeShield Parental Control offering?
Here in the UK you have two choices:
*Security+
*Parental Controls
According to marketing blurb, you should have pretty granual control over surfing activity. TP-Links website states, there should be features to control app usage (and other providers do allow you to be quite granual with sites, services and apps you can give access to and for how long) and the implied marketing is that you can really have good control over what and when your children can access.
However, the reality seems very different. Its seems your subscription is based more on 'reports' which quite frankly are quite useless. If I was going into a business meeting at work that might have some benefit, but I'm not going to be presenting to a 6 year old and a 10 year old.
The 'unlocked' controls from the subscription seem tantamount to setting some times on some days at best. I don't know whether I'm missing something or if this 'offering' by TP-Link is simply lacklustre.
I can't see anywhere to control app usage, anywhere I can set specific time limits on certain services like YouTube or Roblox.
I can't say I would recommend this to anyone of my friends, family, colleagues or aquaintances.
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Hi, Welcome to the community and thank you very much for the feedback.
May I know the model number of your Deco/Archer routers?
Which HomeShield plans have you subscribed, Security+ or Parental Controls?
You could view the detailed supported features here:
https://community.tp-link.com/en/home/stories/detail/501232
(PS. Some features are not available for all HomeShield models and will be added later firmware upgrade.)
While some features may appear basic at present, they are intended to be improved gradually. If you have suggestions for new features or ideas to optimize existing ones, we welcome your feedback here.
Thank you very much and best regards.
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Thank you for your message.
Yes, I use the Deco X73-DSL and from a hardware and connectivity perspective, its very versatile.
There was a free trial for the Advanced Parental Controls which I started (creating a subscription through Google Play). We're only really interested in being able to set up schedules and filter content for our children.
However, upon subscribing, it only really seems to provide some slightly more scheduled timings and a pretty graph. Not really what I had expected.
The link you provide for the service update doesn't seem to have been updated since 2022.
Even the main HomeShield information page shows release dates for features such as KidShield being scheduled for release in Q4 2023, and then the most recent Q1 2024 which has also long passed.
As far as I can tell from reading other posts, there hasn't been a firmware update for the X73 for quite some time either.
It would certainly be nice to be able set specfic time limits for certain sites.
For example:
Weekdays - 3 hours total
1 hour allowed for roblox
2 hours allowed for youtubekids
1 hour for education (kumon)
Etc.
Kind regards,
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Hi, Thanks very much for the notification.
I have updated the information a little bit.
KidShield is open for test on Deco APP now and if you are interested.
KidShield Test Recruitment - Safeguarding Children's Online Experience
There is a feature called "APP time limits".
I think it might be a workaround for the following request:
be able set specfic time limits for certain sites(I think the APP limits work for APP/Programs only).
For example:
Weekdays - 3 hours total
1 hour allowed for roblox
2 hours allowed for youtubekids
1 hour for education (kumon)
Thank you again and best regards.
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Thank you for pointing me in the direction for the closed beta testing of the KidShield app.
I have followed the link and requested to be added. It would be very useful to be able to help test this functionality and find suitable work arounds.
Kind regards
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Hi,
As per your message and link for the KidShield beta, I've requested access, but as yet I've received no response. Should I recieve a notification?
I've check both the KidShield app and the Deco app but nothing seems to have change (no access or ability to setup).
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I cannot directly access real-time information about individuals' personal subscriptions. However, I can provide you with some general information based on my understanding of HomeShield and its popularity.
HomeShield is a popular parental control solution often bundled with TP-Link routers and other networking devices. It offers features like:
- Web filtering: Blocking access to specific websites or categories.
- App blocking: Restricting the use of certain applications.
- Time limits: Setting daily or weekly internet usage limits.
- Content filtering: Filtering content based on age or keywords.
Given its popularity and the growing demand for parental control tools, it's likely that many people subscribe to HomeShield. However, to get a more specific answer, you might consider:
- Checking online forums and communities: Websites like Reddit, Quora, or TP-Link's own forums often have discussions about HomeShield and user experiences.
- Asking friends or family: If you know anyone who uses TP-Link routers, they might be familiar with HomeShield and could share their thoughts.
By exploring these avenues, you may be able to find more specific information about the number of people who subscribe to HomeShield.
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