A network filter or software on every device?
Both block websites by category. They differ in which devices they reach, what they cost as Wi-Fi use grows, and how easy they are to get around.
Request a pilotHow our filter worksThe short answer
If people bring their own phones and laptops onto your network, only a network filter reaches them. That is the case in almost every library and school.
Coverage
A network filter sees every device on the network: your computers, staff laptops and the phones visitors bring. Software sees only the devices it is installed on.
Cost
Device software is usually licensed per device, per year. A network filter is priced per site, so more Wi-Fi users cost nothing extra.
Upkeep
One router setting per site, against an install or a profile on every machine. And another one after each rebuild.
Side by side
How the two approaches handle the situations a library, school or office meets every day.
| Network filter (ours) | Software on each device | |
|---|---|---|
| Your own computers | Covered | Covered while the software is installed and running |
| Visitors' phones, laptops and tablets on Wi-Fi | Covered | Not covered: you cannot install software on a device you do not own |
| Game consoles, smart TVs, e-readers | Covered | Usually not covered: most have no version of the software |
| A device someone brings tomorrow | Covered the moment it joins | Never covered |
| Setup | One DNS setting on the router or firewall at each site | Install or push a profile to every device, and again after reimaging |
| Price basis | Flat per site | Per device, per year |
| Switching it off | Nothing on the device to remove or stop | Software can be stopped by a user with enough rights on the device |
| Common workarounds | VPN and proxy sites and public encrypted lookup services blocked for every device | Depends on the product, and devices without the software stay open |
| Laptops that leave the building | A private encrypted link keeps the same rules away from the network | Covered wherever the device goes |
| AI tools | A separate AI tools setting for every device on the network | Only on devices with the software |
| Records | Activity per network, monthly reports per site | Activity per device |
What per-device pricing adds up to
Per-device licences look small one at a time. They add up quickly, and they still leave the Wi-Fi open.
Quotes for device filtering software published in school board documents range from roughly $3 to $15 per device per year. A library system with 600 computers pays for 600 licences every year.
The visitors' phones and laptops on its Wi-Fi are still unfiltered, so a second product is needed for them. Our filter covers every device on a site for one price: $99 per month for a single site, with a quote for districts, library systems and IT providers.
Why visitors' devices matter
- In a branch library, most internet use is on patrons' own phones and laptops, not on the public computers.
- In a school, guests, staff and often students bring their own devices onto the Wi-Fi.
- An office has contractors, visitors and personal phones on the guest network.
- A policy that stops at your own computers misses most of the traffic.
When devices leave the building
- School laptops taken home leave the network filter at the door.
- Put our private encrypted link on them, and their lookups go to the same filter with the same rules.
- On the network, nothing is needed on the device at all.
- One policy covers both, managed from the same dashboard.
How the network filter works
Every website visit starts with a lookup of the site's name. The filter answers those lookups for your registered networks.
Point the router
Set the DNS server on your router or firewall to the two addresses we give you: main and backup.
Choose the rules
Switch categories on or off for each network, and pick a setting for AI tools.
Every device follows
A blocked site shows your block page before it loads. Allowed sites open as before.
Staff stay in control
A staff PIN opens adult content for research for 15, 30 or 60 minutes, and every use is logged.
IT providers run the same filter for many clients from one console, with no agents to deploy at client sites. See the guide for IT providers.
Questions
Does a network filter work on encrypted websites?
Yes. The filter decides on the website's name before the encrypted connection starts, so encrypted and unencrypted sites are treated the same way.
Can people get around a network filter with a VPN?
VPN and proxy websites are blocked, and so are the public encrypted lookup services a device could use instead of the filter. The browsers' own encrypted lookup and private relay features are switched off for the network.
What do we need on our side?
A router or firewall where you can set the DNS server, ideally with a fixed public IP address. Where that is not possible, devices can use a private encrypted link to the same filter.
What about laptops that leave the building?
Add the private encrypted link to them. It sends their lookups to the same filter with the same rules wherever they are.
How fast can we try it?
A pilot on one or two sites is set up within one business day of your request.
Filter every device on your network
Tell us how many sites you have. We set up a pilot within one business day.
Request a pilotSee filter plans