Web Filter for MAC Home environment

A

archivalbackup

Gawd
Joined
Oct 12, 2007
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643
I have a friend who is going to have a kid at their home for a while and they want to put in place web-filtering to block the obvious porn etc.

The setup is 3 Mac computers (2 laptops 1 desktop) that will need to be filtered at least some of the time. Being a network/routing guy my first thought was to setup an Untangle box as the gateway and use its web filtering (or IPCop etc) but there is always the option for software installed on the local machines.

Is anyone using software based filtering on MAC computers? If so, any suggestions? Basic requirements should be to block by 'category' such as adult/porn, and keep an audit log (preferably that could be emailed out). Also, anything out there that licenses well for 3 computers (looking for low cost).

So I would like to get input on router filter vs software filter, and any experience with either.

Thanks
 
A family friend uses Net Nanny for Mac with success, she seems to like it for her kids. OTOH, since you have knowledge of Untanlge and how to set it up I would just go with that. Even more so if you already have the hardware.
 
You could also set up a proxy server, but that is probably more effort than the Net Nanny stuff.
 
take an old pc and throw endian, IP Cop, Untangle or Astaro Home on it. use that as your firewall, platform agnostic web filtering with no client configuration. :D
 
Comcast offers Intego ContentBarrier for free to their users. It's nice, works just fine. You can setup schedules on when internet is allowed and when the internet is filtered. So you could set it up to only allow internet during a certain time frame then past the kids bedtime it's unfiltered.

Personally though, I would go with a device of some sort like an Untangle box. I always prefer a centrally managed solution rather than having several different points of administration.
 
You could use OpenDNS and the filtering that they have, would probably be pretty easy.
 
TopGun said:
You could use OpenDNS and the filtering that they have, would probably be pretty easy.
Click to expand...

Forgot about that, it works great. Just set the router to point to OpenDNS's nameservers instead of your ISP's. Simple web interface for configuring what you want blocked.
 
yeah i've just set up opendns for my sister since my nephew has discovered 'the ladies'...! works a treat!
 
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