Whether blocking inappropriate content, managing screen time, or simply ensuring that your children are taking their lectures and not watching random streams, a parental control router is the best way to let your kids access the internet without any worries.
These days, you can find routers with dedicated applications, thanks to which you can access the controls easily from anywhere. On top of that, these apps also provide detailed reports that can help you understand browsing habits and learn about your children’s online activity. In addition, routers have WiFi 6 and WiFi 6E standards, just like some of the best wireless routers.
To help you kick off the search in the best way possible, we’ve rounded up some options we think are the best, along with their details, reviews, and pros and cons. So, without any further ado, let’s dive into the list.
- Best parental control router overall
Netgear Nighthawk RS700S WiFi 7 (BE19000)
- Standard: WiFi 7
- Frequency Bands: 2.4GHz, 5GHz, 6GHz
- Max Speed: 19Gbps
- LAN Ports: 1x 10Gbps, 4x 1Gbps
- Best budget parental control router
GL.iNet GL-AXT1800 (Slate AX)
- Standard: WiFI 6
- Frequency Bnads: 2.4GHz, 5GHz
- Max Speed: 1800Mbps
- LAN Ports: 2x Gigabit
- Best gaming parental control router
ASUS ROG Rapture Wifi 6E Router (GT-AXE16000)
- Standard: WiFi 6E
- Frequency bands: 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz-1, 5 GHz-2, 6 GHz
- Max speed: 16000 Mbps
- LAN ports: 2x 10Gbps (WAN/LAN), 4x 1Gbps
How we picked
To find the best router for parental control, we used our expertise to select items based on key specs, such as speeds, coverage, wireless standards, security, and additional features. We’ve also delved into and weighted market sentiment and user views to ensure our selections align with users’ experiences with these products.
However, we don’t rely solely on specifications and reviews that anyone can read. We conduct in-house testing to check their signal strength, speed, and file transfer speed. If you’re interested in learning more about our process, check out our How We Test Routers guide for a more in-depth understanding.
Our top picks
- Standard: WiFi 7
- Frequency Bands: 2.4GHz, 5GHz, 6GHz
- Max Speed: 19Gbps
- LAN Ports: 1x 10Gbps, 4x 1Gbps
- WAN: 10Gbps
- CPU: Quad-core 2.6GHz
- Memory: 512MB NAND Flash and 2GB RAM
- USB: 1x USB 3.0 Type-A
- Dimensions: 281.7 x 124.0 x 142mm (11.1 x 4.9 x 5.6in)
- Weight: 1.635kg (3.61lb)
- It has a good design that allows it to comfortably fit in many places
- It has multi-gigabit connectivity options
- It supports the Wi-Fi 7 standard
- It costs a small fortune
- The parental controls are locked behind a paywall
- The Wi-Fi 7 standard isn’t currently widely used
The Netgear Nighthawk RS700S is one of the best routers currently available. It supports the Wi-Fi 7 standard, has excellent specifications, and has top-notch parental controls.
In addition, our Netgear Nighthawk RS700S review showcased its strength in actual and physical speed as well as range. This router has a 2.6 GHz quad-core CPU and 2GB of RAM. These specifications are impressive for a router but not surprising, given that it can support up to 200 connected devices. So, a fast processor is needed to handle all the routing and DNS communication and keep track of the data on the network.
It is built to support the Wi-Fi 7 standard, which has a throughput of 46 Gbps. However, the max speed of this router is 19Gbps, which is overkill for most use cases. On top of that, it has plenty of high-speed connectivity options, like one 10Gig WAN and LAN ports and four 1Gig Ethernet ports. So, if you want a wired connection to experience the full potential of your gigabit internet plan, there are plenty of ports to do so.
That said, let’s get to the good part. The RS700S has several parental control features that allow you to customize various aspects of your kids’ digital experience. You get the option to pause the internet during study or dinner time and create profiles with custom settings, such as setting a timer for time spent online.
With the inclusion of the latest WiFi standard, it means you can take advantage of the little traffic and interference on those networks.
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Besides that, you can get a detailed report of internet usage across all devices, check the browsing history, filter inappropriate content, and schedule bedtime to promote healthy sleep cycles.
However, these features come with a premium subscription that will set you back $7.99 per month or $69.99 per year. That said, the subscription will also include the My Time app by NETGEAR, which allows you to monitor your children’s devices even when they are away from home. This should help maintain healthy internet boundaries and
Overall, the NETGEAR RS700S router has excellent features and performance but comes with a hefty price tag. On top of that, to fully unlock its potential, there is a paywall you have to get through, which puts more strain on the pocket. However, a router isn’t something that you change every year, and it should make for a worthwhile investment over the years.
What users say
According to Amazon reviews, this is a reliable router with good functionality and performance. One reviewer said: “This device excels right out of the box, delivering exceptional performance that easily sets it apart in its class. It’s a powerhouse that seamlessly takes charge” and followed with, “However, the cost of parental controls feels steep. Given the price, one might expect a more robust and feature-rich parental control experience.”
- Standard: WiFI 6
- Frequency Bnads: 2.4GHz, 5GHz
- Max Speed: 1800Mbps
- LAN Ports: 2x Gigabit
- WAN: 1x Gigabit
- CPU: IPQ6000 1.2GHz Quad-core Processor
- Memory: DDR3L 512MB / NAND Flash 128MB
- USB: 1x USB 3.0
- Dimensions: 125 x 82 x 36mm
- Weight: 245g
- Excellent control and customization options
- Great signal strength, latency, and speed
- It comes with an affordable price tag
- It can get a bit hot after a while
- The USB connection isn’t the fastest
We understand that not everyone can spend top dollar on a router but still want to safeguard their children from the harshness of the internet. That said, the GL.iNet GL-AXT1800 router comes with excellent parental control options and doesn’t dent your budget.
In our GL-AXT1800 review, it performed stellarly and showcased its excellent signal strength and speed despite being a router made for use on the go. That said, let’s kick things off with some general specifications.
This router uses the Wi-Fi 6 standard, which isn’t the latest but shouldn’t disappoint you with its performance. It also has dual-band capabilities, meaning you can choose between the 2.4 and 5 GHz frequencies for varying range and performance.
It also has two gigabit LAN and one gigabit WAN port. So, if you want a wired connection, you should be able to connect two devices to experience the full capacity of your high-speed connection.
The GL.iNet GL-AXT1800 Slate AX router gave us quite a surprise. With the small device focused on mobile usage, we weren’t expecting all the performance and features behind it to be available.
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The GL-AXT1800 comes with neat control features that allow you to create profiles, block WAN for unmanaged devices, create rules for different profiles, block domains, and set scheduled timings for internet use. What this means is that you have plenty of control over what your kids are being exposed to and the type of content they are consuming.
This should help shield them from inappropriate content and promote healthy boundaries around internet use. Setting specific times should also create a good work, play, and family time balance, as you can turn off the internet access during family time.
Regarding its real-world performance, with its 2.4 GHz band, this router managed 119 to 8.9 Mbps download with 95.1 to 2.5 Mbps upload. For the 5 GHz band, the results saw a drastic improvement as the download speeds ranged from 271 to 197 Mbps, with uploads being 293 to 137 Mbps.
Overall, this is an excellent router that can be used at your home or office space or be taken with you on an adventure. The parental control options combined with its low price make it a steal for people operating on a budget.
What users say
According to Amazon reviews, this router has top-notch performance, and its small size makes it a great option for travel. One reviewer said: “Fantastic and super easy to use router. This is a fantastic implementation of DDWrt on good hardware. Very easy to set up and use, the dashboard GUI is intuitive and well laid out.”
- Standard: WiFi 6E
- Frequency bands: 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz-1, 5 GHz-2, 6 GHz
- Max speed: 16000 Mbps
- LAN ports: 2x 10Gbps (WAN/LAN), 4x 1Gbps
- WAN: 1x 2.5Gbps, 2x 10Gbps (WAN/LAN)
- CPU: 2.0GHz quad-core processor
- Memory: 256MB NAND flash and 2GB DDR4 RAM
- USB: 1x USB 3.2 Gen 1, 1x USB 2.0 Port
- Dimensions: 354 x 354 x 193mm
- Weight: 2425g
- Device management features are free
- It has quad-band functionality with 5 and 6 GH backhaul
- It has LAN and WAN aggregation
- It’s not the most cheapest option
- It has a large footprint and aggressive design
- The gamer aesthetics might not be appealing for everyone
Online gaming is part of every household; children and adults all partake in casual or competitive gaming. So, for our last pick, we went with the ASUS ROG Rapture GT-AXE16000 router because it not only has great performance but also comes with a handful of parental control options.
In our GT-AXE16000 review, we tested it for its range and speed, and it didn’t disappoint. Although its performance at 90ft was a stretch, an extender or another ASUS router should solve that problem via the Ai Mesh feature.
That said, it has impressive specifications as it features a 2.0 GHz quad-core CPU, 2 GB of DDR4 RAM, quad-band capabilities, LAN and WAN aggregation, and a handful of ports. According to ASUS, this processor should result in 18% faster response times and data transfer, leading to a better gaming experience.
In addition, it has two 10Gig ports, one for LAN and one for WAN, four 1Gig LAN ports, and one 2.5Gig WAN port. This means that you have plenty of options for a direct Ethernet connection for uninterrupted gaming or work sessions. You can also combine the ports via LAN aggregation, which should increase the bandwidth even more.
It offers a fast connection for LAN and WAN with 10Gbps options as well as USB ports for plenty of good connectivity options.
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As for its parental control options, you can restrict specific content for selected devices and schedule a time for internet use. This should allow you to control the type of content the kids consume and set different boundaries depending on their age. For example, if someone is under the age of 18, you could block 18+ content as it isn’t age-appropriate.
However, you can also use the time scheduling option as a reward by allowing more internet time and even giving them a specific frequency to game on that is uninterrupted by other users.
As far as its performance is concerned, it has a max speed of 16000 Mbps and supports the Wi-Fi 6E standard. We tested its 2.4 and 5 GHz frequencies at 10, 30, 60, and 90ft. The first band managed download speeds of 71.4 to 0 Mbps at 90ft, which turned out to be too much for it, and the uploads saw a similar outcome with speeds of 66.3 to 0 Mbps.
The 5 GHz band, however, managed download speeds of 244 to 47.9 Mbps and upload speeds of 280 to 9.8 Mbps. These results are great because the 5 GHz band generally has a shorter range than 2.4 GHz, and at 90ft, we had two rooms and four walls between the router and the device.
Overall, the ASUS ROG Rapture GT-AXE16000 is a top-notch router that kills two birds with one stone. You can get fast internet speeds over a wired and wireless connection with decent parental control options that are part of the package, meaning they aren’t locked behind a paywall.
What users say
According to Amazon reviews, this router has excellent performance and range and is easy to set up. One reviewer stated: “The ASUS ROG Rapture GT-AXE16000 is an outstanding router, especially for ASUS fans and avid gamers like myself. It offers superior performance, advanced technology, great coverage, easy management, and a stunning design.”
How to pick the best parental control router
There are a handful of factors that need to be considered when choosing a router for parental control. There are plenty of options available, but instead of spending top dollar on the fanciest, here are some considerations that should help you make an informed decision.
Compatibility
The first thing you need to check for is the compatibility between the router and your devices. Ensure the router works well with the devices you already have at home. It’s important that the router can easily connect with these devices without causing any issues. If you want a hands-free experience, you’ll need to get a router that is compatible with Alexa. This way, you’ll be able to control it using voice commands.
Content filtering
Good content filtering lets you block websites that might not be suitable for your kids’ age. Some routers even let you choose categories to block, such as social media or gaming sites. This helps you with promoting healthy internet habits.
Time limit
Choose a router that lets you set specific time limits for internet usage on different days of the week. This will enable you to establish healthy boundaries for screen time. Some routers also have options to create schedules for individual devices, making it easier to keep track of everything.
Companion app
These days, most routers come with a dedicated application that can help you access control settings from anywhere. Some routers that don’t have a dedicated app allow you to control them using a web interface, which should also work fine. However, it will be better to opt for the one with an app for ease of use.
Usage report
Choose a router that provides you with reports after a while. These reports allow you to track your children’s online activity, providing insights into the websites visited, time spent online, and the types of content accessed. Detailed reports can assist in understanding browsing habits and identifying potential concerns. This way, you can also identify websites that need to be blocked immediately. The best routers with parental controls should provide you with a daily, weekly, and monthly report, so take this into consideration before getting one.
Can my parents see my Internet history through the router?
Yes, your parents can see your internet history from the router by accessing the router’s settings from the website or application. However, only some routers provide this functionality.
How do I block inappropriate content on my router?
To block a website with inappropriate content on your router, you will need to access Parental Controls or Website Filtering settings. Here, you can add the website to the block list, after which no one can access it from the same network.
