Lunchbox81
New Around Here
Hello all, I have a rather long set of questions, so please bear with me. I am looking to upgrade my router and firmware and would like some input and guidance as to what router and firmware may best suite my needs. The two router I am considering most at this time are Netgear’s R7000 and Asus’s RT-AC68U. As it pertains to firmware, a point of great importance to me are its parental control capabilities.
The firmware must possess the ability to block web content by categories or by predefined filtering levels such as high, moderate, low, minimal or none. In addition, it should include both a white and black list. I would like all internet capable devices that try to access the internet through the router to be subject to the same web content restrictions I set. I do not want a device to be able to bypass the router restrictions by merely changing its MAC or IP address, by accessing the internet through a different port, or by any other means. I do want the ability to provide unrestricted internet access to specific devices of my choosing.
I am aware the Netgear R7000 router comes stocked with Netgear’s Live Parental Control which as I understand it, is an OpenDNS based system which includes a bypass utility that allows the user to create accounts capable of bypassing the DNS restrictions. Asus’s RT-AC68U as I understand it does not offer such capacities as part of their stock firmware.
One concern I have is I have read that the stock firmware provided by Netgear for their R7000 router is known to be a bit buggy. It periodically drops the wireless signal and at times does not recognized devices. I am unsure if Netgear has released a firmware update that resolves these issues and is more stable overall.
Of course, one option is to purchase either the Netgear’s R7000 router and install Kong’s DD-WRT firmware or purchase Asus’s RT-AC68U router and install Merlin’s firmware. I have also read great things about Shibby’s Tomato firmware so I assume that may be an option as well.
It is my understanding the web filtering capabilities provided by Kong’s DD-WRT, Merlin, and Shibby’s Tomato are all provided through OpenDNS. Merlin’s firmware may also provide web filtering through Norton Children. It is also my understanding that in order for the filtering service on Kong’s, Merlin’s, and Shibby’s firmware to work optimally and not be easily bypassed, one has to also have an DynDNS and DNS-O-Matic account.
Having said all this, what do you guys feel is the best router and firmware I should use to meet my goals? Should I simply purchase Netgear’s R7000 router, run their stock firmware and utilize their Live Parental Control feature or would I be better served using Kong’s DD-WRT firmware with the Netgear’s R7000 router? Or should I purchase Asus’s RT-AC68U router and install Merlin's firmware or Shibby’s Tomato firmware? Which option do you think provides the best capabilities, flexibility. performance, and stability?
Lastly, being that I am a novice and new to OpenDNS, DynDNS and DNS-O-Matic, are there any links to articles or videos that describes step by step how these programs are integrated into the firmware control panel in order to work effectively? Also, are there any links to articles or videos that describes step by step how to provide unrestricted internet access to specific devices of my choosing through the router? I greatly appreciate any guidance that can be offered. Thank you all in advance.
The firmware must possess the ability to block web content by categories or by predefined filtering levels such as high, moderate, low, minimal or none. In addition, it should include both a white and black list. I would like all internet capable devices that try to access the internet through the router to be subject to the same web content restrictions I set. I do not want a device to be able to bypass the router restrictions by merely changing its MAC or IP address, by accessing the internet through a different port, or by any other means. I do want the ability to provide unrestricted internet access to specific devices of my choosing.
I am aware the Netgear R7000 router comes stocked with Netgear’s Live Parental Control which as I understand it, is an OpenDNS based system which includes a bypass utility that allows the user to create accounts capable of bypassing the DNS restrictions. Asus’s RT-AC68U as I understand it does not offer such capacities as part of their stock firmware.
One concern I have is I have read that the stock firmware provided by Netgear for their R7000 router is known to be a bit buggy. It periodically drops the wireless signal and at times does not recognized devices. I am unsure if Netgear has released a firmware update that resolves these issues and is more stable overall.
Of course, one option is to purchase either the Netgear’s R7000 router and install Kong’s DD-WRT firmware or purchase Asus’s RT-AC68U router and install Merlin’s firmware. I have also read great things about Shibby’s Tomato firmware so I assume that may be an option as well.
It is my understanding the web filtering capabilities provided by Kong’s DD-WRT, Merlin, and Shibby’s Tomato are all provided through OpenDNS. Merlin’s firmware may also provide web filtering through Norton Children. It is also my understanding that in order for the filtering service on Kong’s, Merlin’s, and Shibby’s firmware to work optimally and not be easily bypassed, one has to also have an DynDNS and DNS-O-Matic account.
Having said all this, what do you guys feel is the best router and firmware I should use to meet my goals? Should I simply purchase Netgear’s R7000 router, run their stock firmware and utilize their Live Parental Control feature or would I be better served using Kong’s DD-WRT firmware with the Netgear’s R7000 router? Or should I purchase Asus’s RT-AC68U router and install Merlin's firmware or Shibby’s Tomato firmware? Which option do you think provides the best capabilities, flexibility. performance, and stability?
Lastly, being that I am a novice and new to OpenDNS, DynDNS and DNS-O-Matic, are there any links to articles or videos that describes step by step how these programs are integrated into the firmware control panel in order to work effectively? Also, are there any links to articles or videos that describes step by step how to provide unrestricted internet access to specific devices of my choosing through the router? I greatly appreciate any guidance that can be offered. Thank you all in advance.
