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5 Features that Make Net Nanny Better than CyberPatrol or Safe Eyes

Christian guys look at porn. We search for pictures of naked chicks. We lust after attractive women.

Yup, it’s all true.

A main tool used by Christians to help counteract these temptations and sexual desires is an Internet filter. A program that filters what a person does online and blocks anything that seems shady.

But there are a gazillion different Internet filters out there. So which are the best ones?

The ones that consistently came up in reviews of Internet filters are Net Nanny, CyberPatrol and Safe Eyes.

So which of the three should you use?

If you’re looking for a solid Internet filter to use within an accountability relationship, Net Nanny (for Windows) is the hands down winner.

Read on for why.

Please note this review is for the Windows version of Net Nanny. The Mac version is significantly different from the Windows version. Having used both, I can’t recommend the Mac version. Features are either missing from the Mac version or not as good as the Windows equivalent.

In addition to an Internet filter, I would also recommend you take advantage of these simple and free ways to eliminate temptation.

What is an accountability relationship?

An accountability relationship can mean a lot of things. In the context of this post it means Sean is accountable to Alex (that’s me!) for the websites he visits.

So I regularly monitor Sean’s browsing habits and respond accordingly. This helps remove the anonymity of browsing porn or other non-edifying websites.

Big brother Alex is always watching. ;)

Why is Net Nanny the best Internet filter for accountability partners?

Here are the features that specifically make Net Nanny the best Internet filter to use in accountability relationships.

Remote management

Most accountability partners don’t live in the same house. Sean and I definitely don’t. I’m sure his wife is pretty happy about that. ;)

So being able to manage the Internet filter’s settings, view reports, etc. without physical access to the computer is a big win.

For example, Sean is at home trying to check out the resources at XXXchurch (a legitimate site) and the filter blocks it. He can call and ask me to unblock the site.

With remote management, I can do that even though I’m at work and don’t have access to Sean’s computer. Without remote access, he would have to wait until I was able to access his computer physically. This is non-ideal and inconvenient for both of us.

And some accountability partners may not even be in the same city . . .

This makes remote management the most important feature for accountability relationships.

While both Net Nanny and CyberPatrol have this feature, Safe Eyes does not.

I’ll note here CyberPatrol has two products: Online Protection and Parental Controls. This post refers to Online Protection since it does include remote management and email notifications. Parental Controls does not.

Usable, detailed reporting

Guys on a mission to see some skin are extremely resourceful. They know 12 different ways to search for boobs.

Which means occasionally Sean may be able to get past the Internet filter and view an inappropriate site. This is where good, detailed reporting comes into play.

I can periodically look at the websites Sean has visited and see if there are any shady websites he was able to visit that didn’t get blocked. That let’s me manually block them so that he can’t visit them again.

The reporting in CyberPatrol is horrible. The only report it has shows just the number of allowed/blocked websites without details about which sites were allowed or blocked. How am I supposed to know if a site was allowed when it shouldn’t have been if I don’t know which sites were visited?

In contrast, the reporting in Net Nanny and Safe Eyes is detailed and useful. Above is just a small sampling of the reports available within Net Nanny.

Notification of blocked sites

Nothing will make Sean pee in his pants more in embarrassment than getting a phone call from me a few minutes after searching for naked pictures of Pamela Anderson and having the website blocked.

This works because the Internet filter sends me an email or text notification whenever Sean visits a blocked site.

Net Nanny, CyberPatrol and Safe Eyes all provide this feature, however, Net Nanny is by far the most flexible and customizable.

Ability to request an override

Inevitably a legitimate site will get filtered and blocked.

Providing a quick and easy way for Sean to let me know XXXchurch is a legitimate site makes it easy for me to unblock it for him.

I don’t have to manually check for legitimate sites that are blocked and unblock them. And Sean doesn’t have to do any more work than clicking a button saying “I want this site unblocked.”

Net Nanny is the only filter that provides this feature.

Not easy to bypass/disable
Remember how resourceful guys are on a mission? Some of the more tech-savvy guys may try various computer hacks to bypass the filter. A secure Internet filter needs to withstand these types of hacks and continue fighting the good fight even if shot in the arm/leg.

Net Nanny has long had the unusual ability to filter even HTTPS traffic . . . None of Net Nanny’s competitors duplicate this feat, though Safe Eyes 6.0 comes close. The latest version of Net Nanny moves further into the lead because it also prevents the kids from using localhost proxy utilities to evade filtering.

Net Nanny resists a simple command-line instruction that disables some competing products, Safe Eyes and CyberPatrol 7.7 among them.
~Net Nanny 6.5 Review (excerpt from section No Hope for Hackers)

In addition to the review above, I was recently skimming the Net Nanny forum and noticed a post detailing a way to bypass Net Nanny. In the next version this hack was disabled. It’s good to see this type of response to work-arounds . . .

Further Research

Internet filtering programs are constantly evolving, so be sure you’re comparing the latest of version each program.

As of this post, the latest versions are NetNanny 6.5, Safe Eyes 6.0 and CyberPatrol Online Protection 1.0.

How do you use Internet filters in an accountability relationship? What have you found effective?

46 replies on “5 Features that Make Net Nanny Better than CyberPatrol or Safe Eyes”

Is there anything stopping a porn addict from just deleting Net Nanny from their PC? If bypassing Net Nanny is like bypassing a monitoring program like the ones provided by chrome then using Net Nanny to protect yourself from going on a porn binge is a joke. Especially if you don’t have an accountability partner or you’re not even ashamed of your porn viewing to begin with & you’re an atheist.

deleting/uninstalling the app requires a password. so bypassing it isn’t as simple as that.

By Post Author

Hi Alex,
Thanks for your very informative article. I just got an e-mail notification that Safe Eyes is being discontinued by McAfee as of May 31, 2017. I’ll be purchasing Net Nanny as a result of your review.

Hi Alex.

I appreciate your blunt honesty that guys lust after women. Afterall, “the natural man is an enemy to God” and the temptations will come. I have had to feel like a victim and yet try to understand and help some individuals in my family deal with this temptation. But trust is such a difficult thing to earn back once betrayed. I want to feel like a spouse or daughter or friend, not a babysitter. Any help on how to help others and heal my own mind in this area? I’m sure this isn’t your area of expertise, but I thought with as much research as you have done on how to prevent porn from entering your home you may have come across some tips. Or even just a man’s perspective may be helpful (not that only men are addicted).

I am also interested in a current review of recent products and which ones are best for all computers, tvs, and phones in the house on WIFI. The thought that crosses my mind is how easy it would be to simply disconnect from WIFI on your phone to get around these filters. Right? The filter I have heard of most is Pandora’s Hope using Clean Router. Have you checked into that filter? I also have a MAC and android phones at this time. I also have very young children I am mostly concerned about protecting as they are becoming more interested in playing on the computer.

Thank you.

Hi Tina,

(Disclaimer: I work for the company that makes Net Nanny so I am biased.)

Yes, any filter that you plug into your own network that will filter all Wi-Fi in your house has a gaping hole. If the device is a phone, they can shut off Wi-Fi and use the phone’s data connection. If the device uses only Wi-Fi, the user can still just choose a different Wi-Fi signal. I don’t know about your home but a few of my neighbors have Wi-Fi that doesn’t require a password. So my kids could just switch to their Wi-Fi and the router is useless. You might be able to lock down each device’s ability to switch networks or use cellular data if those options are available on the devices, but now your protection just got a lot more complicated which isn’t what the simple router solution promised.

This is why Net Nanny hasn’t ever offered a whole-home router. It just isn’t secure enough. We think the filtering needs to be at the individual device level.

For me personally, I believe in what I think you’d call “Defense in Depth”. Note that this is my personal setup and I’m not speaking for my company.

1. Network filtering – I subscribe to OpenDNS Home VIP https://www.opendns.com/home-internet-security/parental-controls/opendns-home/ as a basic level of filtering. They also have free account types. Why do I get this if I’m going to cover devices in #2? Because not everything is covered. A Wii or Xbox have ways to browse the Internet as do many other devices that are just so small in terms of marketshare or functionality that there will never be a device filter made for it. And face it, those devices that claim to have “parental controls” that’s just to sell it to you. Those parental controls are a joke. At least with a network wide filter, you’re doing something about it. As few things as possible should need this protection. Uninstall the web browser from your Xbox, block web browsers on other devices. I would suggest only buying devices you know can be locked down. For us, if it can’t be, that’s a deal breaker no matter how cool it is.

2. Device filtering – I have a Net Nanny Family Protection Pass which is a super-cheap option to cover 5, 10, or 15 devices http://www.netnanny.com/products/family-protection-pass/ This can be any combination of Android, Mac OS X, or Windows Vista/7/8/8.1 devices for a very low price. I’m really proud of my employer for making this so affordable. (Note that iOS is not included however). That also includes Net Nanny Social to monitor social media accounts, but my kids are still (barely) too young to get onto social media.

3. Family rules – No matter what you do, there will be a hole in your approach. You can do a lot to limit that. But again, nothing’s perfect, so talk to your family and make rules. My parents gave us their big TV while they went on a mission for our church and it has apps of its own, with, get this, absolutely no way to remove them. At which point, we had a family talk and added a rule. No apps on that TV. Is it a guarantee? No, but our kids know what we expect and they know WHY we expect it. In the long term, conversations and teaching moments will do the most to help our kids. Once they go off to college and beyond I want them to continue to make the right choices not because they’re locked down but because they understand and avoid bad content by choice.

heya tina,

i’ll just share what comes to mind, but please take it with a grain of salt.

i have not been in your shoes (a victim of porn) and my perspective as a guy is probably skewed. my porn period was short-lived and (thankfully) not long enough for porn to take root in my life.

the first thing that comes to mind is to try and let go of the idea that you’re a babysitter. this to the benefit of both sides.

i don’t believe the “victims” are in the best place to hold the other side accountable. you’re too close to the situation. there’s a lot of hurt, a lack of trust. all those things make it hard for you to be effective in that role.

on the flip side, nobody wants to feel like they’re constantly being watched or babysat. it breeds resentment and, i believe, only creates a cycle of frustration.

i would recommend you help find an accountability partner where there’s mutual respect between both sides and someone who is not afraid to ask the tough questions (i.e., takes the role seriously).

perhaps there’s a way you can all meet together for regular checkpoints and talk through ways to support each other. from the AP, to you, to the person tempted by porn. all three need to be helping each other to be effective.

and i can’t say this for all men, but i would venture a guess that a large majority of the time, it’s less about you and more about the internal battles the man is fighting of his own. all that to say you shouldn’t take a porn temptation/addiction as something against you or that you’re doing wrong.

as with the clean router, as dave mentioned, that’s only a first line of defense. as you mentioned, it’s easy to switch wifi off on a phone and be browsing without a filter.

that is why the second line of defense would be a device specific filter (like net nanny).

i would recommend going the OpenDNS route over clean router. it’s free and effective. i would just have a techie friend help you get it setup (as it does require some technical setup).

By Post Author

Hi, Alex. I notice that this post is now five years old, but the comments continue to trickle in and you continue to respond (and well!).

Given that the original blog post is specific to five-year-old versions of the products in question, and also doesn’t take into account other, newer players to the field that may have desirable features, would you amend any of the information that you posted?

For a bit of background, our son is going-on-10 and has taken to sneaking around with his device(s). He’s not looking for porn yet, as he’s actually quite naive about that sort of thing (and girls are still yucky). He just wants to watch videos of people playing Minecraft (and other games) and is embarrassed because the commentary is sometimes profane, but at the same time is finding himself drawn in to the seedy world of people using (dun dun DUNNN) forbidden words. Very typical for that age, of course. We recognize that this is just a precursor to the temptations that he will experience within a few years.

It’s also probably a good idea to implement the program for the rest of the family as well. I’m certainly not immune to temptation. While I’ve learned to resist more than I have in the past, I’m not 100% perfect.

Can you (or another reader) point me to a resource that validates and/or updates the good information that you originally posted?

Thanks so much.

heya DC!

i’m totally with you and recognize the review in this post is outdated. in fact, i’ve got a draft post i’m working on that i hope to publish soon. i’ll email you a copy of that draft post so you can take a look at. i believe it will be a helpful solution for you since you’re looking to protect your entire family.

in addition, i do have plans on reviewing the latest version of net nanny for mac. if you’re wondering about the PC version, unfortunately, i don’t foresee myself reviewing PC alternatives in the future since i’ve switched over to mac computers.

but the post i’m working on will be effective for both mac and pc users.

By Post Author

Wow, thanks so much for this. We have an almost 15 yr old that I’m very concerned has an internet porn addiction. We had the K9 free filtering software on his laptop but for some reason it quit working. After troubleshooting for a while tonight I finally gave up and uninstalled it. I somehow ran across your post while looking at reviews for new filtering software.

My son’s laptop is in a public place in our home, but realistically we’re not able to stand over his shoulder all the time (we’re talking hours and hours of homework). He’s been using the incognito feature (of course), so I’m not sure what all he’s been on, but he says that it’s mostly Twitter, because he discovered that the content isn’t filtered. (He’d never had a Twitter account until the last few months, when he had to join for a class.) We had also taken away his tablet a while back, but as of this week he needs it for school (he needs it to type because of dysgraphia, a writing disability). I realize that our situation is a little different since he’s not an adult, and that because he’s a teenager (and we’re the parents) some might suggest just taking away his computer (which we have done in the past), but at his age so much of his school work requires a computer that that isn’t practical. He’s currently only supposed to be using it for school work, and sexual content is still an issue.

He actually has a personality characteristic that’s been oddly helpful…he can’t lie (or at least, not for long). If he’s been looking up something sexual, all you have to do is ask, and he’ll admit to it every time. He’s actually a strong Christian, and he feels shameful about all of this, but it’s just so frustrating and disheartening because (by his own admission) he also has very poor self control (in all areas, but especially this one). We’ve been struggling with this for a while. It gets better for a while, then worse again. He’s always found out (since like I said, all we have to do is ask), and he wants to quit, and for our part we want to help and make sure the content isn’t readily available, but it’s been a lot of trial and error. (We actually have a good psychologist, and he feels comfortable talking with his youth leader, so those are options that may help in the future also.)

I noticed in the comments the free license available with the Net Nanny Sponsor program, and I’ve emailed them tonight for a license. So thank you for all this information, and sorry for rambling…I just wanted you to know that your information was helpful, and that because of it I feel a little more hopeful about all of this than I did earlier tonight.

Sounds like your son has a great network of support between you, his psychologist and youth leader. That’s huge for his long-term success.

I’d also encourage you to put as much a focus on pointing your son to a deeper relationship with Christ. Ultimately, an inward transformation will lead to an outward one. The more we’re connected to the Holy Spirit, the easier it is to live by the Spirit and not our flesh.

Praying for your son!

By Post Author

Dear Alex,

I was ready to try Net Nanny but you say if a person is technical he could bypass it.
You could probably even find directions on the internet. What advice do you have.

Jack

that’s a tough situation. i don’t claim to have the best or right answer, but here are my thoughts.

before anyone can truly can overcome any temptation they first have to be willing. so my first questions would be gauging where a person is. do they realize their need for accountability/support? do they see how their behavior is hurting them and others? do they even want help?

if the answers to those questions are positive, then go ahead and install net nanny anyway. somebody who wants to be held accountable will let the software hold them accountable even if they know how to bypass it.

get somebody they respect/trust to be their accountability partner and setup a regular time to talk through temptations/failures and work on eliminating triggers/sources of temptation.

and personally, if the person is a Christ follower, focus on how their relationship with Christ is. i believe a right relationship with Christ will lead to right living. you won’t always be perfect, but as our spirit’s are more in-line with God’s, so does our thoughts, actions and behaviors.

By Post Author

To a Concerned Wife,
I want you to realize you are BEAUTIFUL pregnant or not. When a person is actively looking at pornography it changes their desires to a point they could never truely be happy with anyone. Please seek out counseling for you and your husband, if he is willing to speak to you about it openly that is a good sign. It is an addiction and doesn’t just go away.
I am grateful for your sites, thank you for being so open, you fearlessness truly blesses those in need.

Hi Alex, thanks so much for such an awesome blog. I’ve just recently found out that my hubby is finding it difficult to stop watching porn. I’m 8 months pregnant and my body is obviously not in the most attractive shape right now, thus, I think he is more inclined to channel his sexual energy with porn which is devastating to me.

He has told me that it is only on occasion and he doesn’t want to do it anymore which is why we installed K9 protection on all our pc’s and phones. My worry now is that i’ve read that K9 is very easy to bypass and I would like to use a filter that is better protected against bypassing.

Net Nanny seems appealing to me. How easy is it to bypass though ? My hubby is a IT programmer so I’m sure you can see why I would want a good filter. Even if it is bypassed, could I still manually track the websites he visits when im not home ? K9’s reporting is not so great.

Thanks for being honest and sharing with us.

The truth is all Internet filters can be bypassed by someone a little more technical. :( I know this from experience being a computer programmer myself.

I’ve been sitting here for 20 minutes trying to figure out what to say next. I wish I knew how to help more.

I do believe it’s good that you’ve openly talked about porn with your husband. Keep talking with him. Let him know how his porn affects you and don’t be afraid to ask him the hard questions.

If anyone else has suggestions, please chime in.

By Post Author

My husband is also a programmer. We’ve had netnanny installed on his work computer since just before this past Christmas. I’ve asked him many times if he has found a way to bypass the filter, and he swears he doesn’t know how. I’ve asked him about his ipad and iphone and he “promises” me he isn’t looking.

Now… a little back history… in addition to porn addiction he is also a habitual liar. He has lied to me about porn, thousands of dollars spent on online gaming (yes, thousands), his connections with other women and various small things that don’t even matter (like where he went for lunch… Why would I care what he eats?!) I give him no reason to lie to me other than he knows I wouldn’t approve of his actions.

Because of his lying in the past, it is hard for me to trust him or respect him. I just don’t feel like I can believe anything hes says. I try, but it is a daily battle for me. We’ve been married for more than 11 years and I’m at my wits end. I’m so tired of worrying about what he’s lying to me about. I would suggest he find an accountability partner, but he would have no trouble lying to them as well. It would do nothing to make me feel better about this.

The thing is… his porn addiction doesn’t make me feel ugly. I know I’m beautiful and I know that other people think I’m beautiful. I’m intelligent. I’m a good mother. I’m loyal. I’m honest. I’m not a nag (even in the face of this). There’s a lot of good in me in spite of my suspicious mind. So it’s not about my own self image and my ability to see myself as worthy. It’s about being able to trust someone with your heart and having it continually trampled. Being lied to makes me feel unloved, unwanted and unimportant. I’ve given up on the idea that I caused his behavior. He’s a grown man and is responsible for his own actions. I just get to be caught in the fallout.

Most days, I manage to not think about it and just go through the motions of day to day living. Then there are days like this and it all comes flooding back.

I’ve allowed this situation to harden my heart. I don’t even know that I can “give it to God” because I’m so angry and bitter toward my husband about all the lies. I choose to love my husband and stay with him in spite of my feelings. I just don’t know how long I will choose to be with someone that holds me in such low regard. I first caught him with porn 9 years ago. Then he gave his life to Christ and I believed for years that all was well. Now I feel like a fool to have trusted him all that time. I know I’m supposed to forgive him every time he lies to me, but I’m his doormat.

I guess I don’t expect any real advice because I can’t control how he acts. Plus, this thread goes back 4 years. I just needed to pour my heart out anonymously.

Thanks

It’s about being able to trust someone with your heart and having it continually trampled… Most days, I manage to not think about it and just go through the motions of day to day living…I’ve allowed this situation to harden my heart.

this makes me sad to hear. you’re right this is not the best avenue for advice, but the situation you’re describing is not the life God intended for either you or your husband.

i pray God brings relief and restoration to your marriage. have you considered counseling? even if your husband isn’t up for it, it could be a healthy outlet for you to be heard/supported.

By Post Author

In the end, it comes down to a person choosing to do what’s right. Internet access is too ubiquitous now to expect anything to keep them away from all that’s bad. Filters cannot utterly stop someone determined to see bad things- they’re not a straightjacket.
I’d echo what Alex has said elsewhere on this page. Encouraging faith and devotion is necessary. If the person is trying- even just a bit- filters and other helpers can assist them. Could they get around them? If determined. But hopefully whatever filter or system to block him is hard enough to block the impulse and give him time to think “What am I doing?”
I’m so sorry for the betrayal you’ve felt. In that circumstance, you need something that can show he’s being honest as much as need he needs it.

need big brother Alex watching me too I think if I ever gonna stop looking at porn. ;-)

toying with the idea of netnanny, tho is difficult when you got no-one you feel comfortable being accountable to locally.

hey tony. a friend of mine went through the course at setting captives free. if you want to, you can be paired with mentor who will communicate with you via email as you go through the lessons. so in some ways it is a form of accountability.

something worth checking out if you haven’t found someone locally yet.

By Post Author

thanks for reply Alex

yeah I went through setting captives free couple of years ago.

Think these days it’s more the big brother and tamper-proof filter I need! :-0

Unfortunately, that’s true- Net Nanny doesn’t work for Windows 8 yet. And I suspect that many filters that “do” work have taken the shortcut- working fine on the normal desktop, but not in Metro/Modern/Windows UI browsers. We should have a Win 8 version out soon and current subscribers get the upgrade free.

Thanks for the heads up with Windows 8.

If you haven’t already, please read Dave’s comment below (he’s a Net Nanny employee).

By Post Author

One other thing just to be aware of, and a reason for local filtering, is that devices in your home that use wi-fi can also access the Internet via unsecured wi-fi from your neighbors. Even at home, central filtering isn’t enough. Just one more thing to worry about!

That reason alone makes it almost best just to use local filtering on each device.

Cause as much as you can protect your home network, there’s a bazillion other sources for Internet access.

By Post Author

Alex,

Thank you for this very informative post.
Net Nanny sounds like a great product, but unless I’m mistaken its effectiveness is limited to the device it is installed on.

In our household we have 3 laptops running Windows, 3 Android tablets, and 1 Apple ipod; all of which can access the internet. Installing and maintaining a locally installed internet filter on each of these devices (and any new or borrowed ones) would be a mightmare.

We’re going to try the previously mentioned Pandora’s Hope filtering router, because it filters internet transmissions directly at the source (the ADSL modem). This means things are automatically filtered for any and all devices that make use of the internet at our house.

Of course this doesn’t provide any filtering when a device is taken to another location, so we’ll probably install filters on the devices as well.

Yup, you’re right Daniel. Net Nanny’s effectiveness is limited to the device it is installed on.

I’ve been using OpenDNS for basic content filtering at the source. It’s been a great solution for me, but I’d be curious to know your thoughts on Pandora’s Hope.

Let me know how it goes!

By Post Author

One clarification on the Sponsor program from Net Nanny. It is only free for one year. I’m sure about that because I’m the one that runs that program. :)

In case anyone is wondering, it is the full version of the software, provided free for a year for Windows, Mac, or Android.

Thanks for the clarification on that point. I trust you would have the definitive answer given you run the program. ;)

By Post Author

The free license is good for one year, but you can renew that free license each year as long as you have a sponsor running the program.

Another resource you might want to check out is the Candeo Institute. I don’t know the details about what they offer, but they look like a great resource. http://candeohealthysexuality.com/

Good luck! I know it’s tough.

Hey Ali,

Just wanted to let you know that Net Nanny has an addict sponsor program: http://bit.ly/olD227. The trick is, you need someone else. Secrecy won’t help you break the habit. The good thing, though is that the program is free. You get a free copy of the software as long as you have someone else to be accountable to.

You should have no trouble with downloading software, etc. If you do, Net Nanny has completely customizable settings, so you can make adjustments for what works for you.

I hope that helps!

Wow, I didn’t know Net Nanny offered this. Thanks for sharing.

You mentioned the software is free as long as you have someone else to be accountable to, but I see on the website it says just for the first year.

Which is accurate?

By Post Author

Hey thanks for the detailed review really appreciate it.

I’m trying to get over the bad habit of you know…going on those adult sites. I tried K9 web protection, I made a random password that I forgot so I would never be able to get around it. But one day I had a desire so I did a quick google search and had K9 disabled in 5min. and I’m not even good with computers.

I’m hoping net nanny will be much harder to bypass. Also, I have no one that I can use for accountability. There’s no way I’m using anyone in my family, lol if they knew I had a problem like this they would flip out, and I’m too embarrassed to tell my friends. So I’m wondering if I could chose a random password and not remember it for Net Nanny. Then there would be no way for me to access adult websites b/c I wouldn’t know the password. My only worry is that net nanny will wrongly block a site or not allow me to install some software that I need. If I don’t have the password then I won’t be able to access that website I need (that isn’t adult).

Can anyone offer me advice or address my concerns. Thanks so much I really hope I can get rid of this filthy habit.

Hiya Ali,

I appreciate your honesty and desire to rid yourself of a destructive habit. The truth is, you need to tell your family or your friends.

You need some support in your life.

Tackling this issue on your own is like trying to swim to the surface of the ocean with a 500 pound weight tied to you. You are not going to get your head above water on your own.

Net Nanny is merely a tool. It will never be _the_ tool to help a person overcome their addiction.

So my advice to you is to seek some outside help.

I have some friends that have worked through porn addiction. If you’d like, I can ask them to see what other recommendations they have.

Again, thanks for your comment. I’m praying God gives you the strength to reach out to others.

-Alex

By Post Author

Hi guys
I am having problems with Safe Eyes. It blocks sites that are fine – sometimes! And many times it tells me that there is an error. It seems like it’s not working well on a mac. Do you know of better programs? I am getting tired of all the errors in Safe Eyes but I want to be “clean”.

Hiya Henrik,

Pretty much every Internet filter will block some sites which are appropriate. That’s a worthwhile inconvenience knowing a large majority of the bad stuff will be blocked.

I would check the SafeEyes documentation to see how you can whitelist the sites that are getting blocked incorrectly.

Have you tried to contact contact Safe Eyes support about the error you’re getting?

Otherwise, I would recommend Net Nanny or another that seems popular is Covenant Eyes.

By Post Author

ANYTIME! I appreciate you posting the Pandora’s Hope link – it really is an excellent product. And a great company to support – thanks again for all you share with us! I have you bookmarked!

Thanks for the helpful information. There are so many options out there today to help parents with internet safety. I recently found a new device that works like a charm! The Pandora’s Hope router connects directly into your modem, making it easy to use and compatible with any cable or DSL Internet connection. This Internet filtering router gives you better control on what is seen on any device using your Internet connection (wireless or via cable). Definitely worth checking out – works great!

Thanks for the tip LES!

Here’s a link to the Pandora’s Hope router for anyone interested in learning more.

A free alternative to a dedicated content filtering router is use OpenDNS servers on whatever router you have now. It provides basic content filtering and is a good initial line of defense.

By Post Author

@Ben: Appreciate you taking the time to comment.

I was thinking about doing a follow-up post showing people how to configure/use remote administration. The main reason being out of the box it’s hard to tell Net Nanny even has these features.

So my main feedback would be a better way to convey remote management features within the main window.

1. Make the option to enable remote reporting more prominent. It’s pretty hidden right now.
2. Make the remote administration website more prominent. As of now, I believe the only place it’s accessible is if you right-click the tray icon.

Right-clicking the tray icon is not common knowledge for people. And by chance if you’ve hidden the icon, you have no way of knowing what the remote management link is.

Hope this feedback helps!

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Alex,

As a Net Nanny employee I’d like to say thanks for the excellent post/review of Internet Filters!

We do have a lot of people that use Net Nanny for accountability relationships, and we’re always trying to make it work the way you need it to, so you can continue to help your bro.

Please feel free to shoot me an email if you have any feature ideas.

Thanks again!
Ben.

@Amy: thanks for taking the time to read! glad it helped you understand things a little better . . .

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WOW – Way to go Alex! Bring on the breakdown to a common woman, bro – way to go! That was such a great blog – thanks for providing all of us the tools, tips & common sense “know how” about the internet filtering programs available out there!
Way to take it to the next level man!

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