Site Blocking Comes to Google WiFi

Google has begun rolling out Site Blocking to Google WiFi users today.  The service, which leverages the company’s Safe Site technology, updates in real time behind the scenes to assure that adult site and other explicit sites are unreachable by minors in your home.  The feature leverages the Family WiFi feature in the Google WiFi app that allows you to designate devices of your children on the network and enable this new filtering as well as scheduling time when WiFi is accessible on the network.

Filtering of adult content is difficult these days but Google is trying to take the burden off of parents by having it do the heavy lifting of finding these sites.

In order for this feature to work, you have to enable the Family WiFi feature in the app (for Android or iOS).  You can enable multiple profiles for multiple users and any devices designated in those profiles will be subject to the rules of that profile such as site blocking and scheduling.  In theory, you could put all devices in a profile if you wanted to enable this for your entire family.

The feature is in the process of rolling out and it is a server-side update.  So long as you have the latest Google WiFi app installed on your phone, you will see this new feature over the course of the next few days.

You can pick up a Google router for as low as $115 on Amazon for last year’s OnHub device.  If you want the newer models, they start at $124.

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