When is the last time you adjusted any settings on your router?
How about using your router to block a device’s access to the internet?
Or scheduled time for the Wi-Fi to be completely turned off?
If you’re like most people, the answer is: never. You bought it, set it up, and forgot about it. It’s probably collecting dust bunnies in a dark corner somewhere!
But your router can provide many useful security features—filtering, device blocking, traffic logging, and time limits. You know, features that many of us concerned parents are looking for.
Or conversely, did you know that your router can be a security risk if left unmanaged?
The Gryphon Router solves this problem by making network management simple all through an intuitive app on your phone. The app is fast and easy to use.
The Gryphon makes it easy to use your router as the powerhouse it should be. It provides fast and stable WiFi for all your devices, and most importantly, gives you the tools you need to keep your kids safe (and focused!) while online.
The ease of use of the Gryphon Router app and the configuration options for parental controls really sets it apart from other routers.
Prior to switching to the Gryphon router I used OpenWrt for my router. It’s open source, frequently updated, and completely configurable. Installing OpenWrt on your router can make it do things that it was never meant to do. It’s awesome if you’re a computer nerd like myself. However, nothing is simple on OpenWrt. Check out the instructions describing how to set up a guest network on OpenWrt. Go ahead, click the link.
Now look at how it’s done on the Gryphon app:
Which would you be more likely to use?
Getting Started
This router’s setup is easy. It has the usual setup steps such as naming your WiFi network, and choosing a password, but it’s what you set up next that is unique: users and devices.
First you create users for your network: Mom, Dad, Sister, etc. Each user can be assigned to an age group that limits what types of sites can be accessed. You can also create a time schedule for each user to limit when the WiFi is available for that user’s devices.
Next the Gryphon app lists all devices that are connected to your WiFi, and helps you organize them. You assign each devices a type and a user. So for example you can identify your work laptop and assign it to yourself. Assign your teen’s phone to your teen’s user profile, and so on.
From this point on you can select a user and review the internet sites that have been accessed and time usage. It’s also easy to make changes for individual users, or the entire network setup.
How Can It Help Parents?
At Better Screen Time we believe that tech is an incredible tool, but it’s also a powerful one. Unfortunately, too many children have been tossed the keys to the family vehicle (the Internet) without any training or safety precautions.
The Gryphon Router is your seatbelt and airbag. Will it always save your kids? No. No filter or parental controls can block out unwanted garbage 100% of the time, but it’s a robust precaution that could save your family a lot of time and heartache.
Here’s how it works…
Using the Gryphon router app we can easily switch the WiFi off for one, many, or all users. We can also schedule times when certain users are allowed to access the internet, or what parts of the internet they can access. The app allows for three types of scheduled time:
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- Bedtime – turns off the Internet at night
- Suspend – turns off the Internet any time during the day
- Homework – blocks certain websites or apps but allows limited Internet access that can be customized
It’s also easy to block specific sites if you find one that’s not blocked by the user profile assigned to a given user. It’s also possible to allow one that’s blocked.
Why do we like the Gryphon Router?
- Ease of use – the Gryphon app makes controlling your WiFi network easy. It highlights the settings you’re likely to change often, notifies you when new devices connect, and makes it easy to setup boundaries for specific devices and users.
- Speed and Stability – the WiFi provided by this router is great. During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic we had two parents and three kids all working or doing school at home on the WiFi at the same time. It never skipped a beat regardless of the number of video conferences we had running at the same time.
- Security and Sharing – The Gryphon app makes it easy to recognize when a new device attempts to connect to your WiFi, and lets you decide how to handle it. Imagine your teen’s friend is visiting and wants access to your WiFi. You can allow the device on your primary network, the guest network, or not at all. You can even create a user for friends and block unwanted sites or limit time usage.
- Boundaries and Monitoring – The Gryphon app has easy categories you can assign to users based on age group. You can also add specific sites to block or allow manually if you’d like. Internet usage is tracked on a per-user basis, and is readily viewable in the app.
Anything We Don’t Like?
- No website configuration – all configuration is done through the app. Call me old fashioned, but I find it a bit frustrating that using a phone is the only way to configure the router. Of course, I have a phone, so that hasn’t been a deal breaker.
- No IPv6 – What is IPv6? It’s a replacement/upgrade for the IPv4 internet addressing protocol, which is used to assign addresses (like 192.168.1.1) to each device that connects to the internet. IPv4 supports about 4.29 billion addresses. Seems like a lot, right? It turns out that we need more, so IPv6 was created. The Gryphon router is not compatible with IPv6 but realistically decades will pass before that becomes a problem. I just have a personal axe to grind with slow IPv6 adoption, so I have to point out this limitation with the Gryphon.
- It’s a bit tall – to fit this router into our computer cabinet I had to lay it on its side. It doesn’t look pretty that way, but it’s working fine. 🙂
Do we recommend it?
Yes! It’s awesome! Easy to use, fast, reliable, and filtered.
Feel free to use our promo codes below! Only valid until September 30th, 2021.
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$15 off the Gryphon Guardian 1-pack: lovebetterscreentime-15
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$20 off Gryphon Tower (1-pack and 2-pack) and Gryphon Guardian 3-Pack: lovebetterscreentime-20
I have never been able to understand how the router helps control things when kids can simply access the Internet with their cell service. Can you help?
Hi Adrienne – You are correct that routers can only control internet access on devices that are connected to them via wifi or wires. Cell service is a completely different path to the internet and must be controlled separately.
A couple of options are: disable data on your children’s cell phone (this is done via the carrier, e.g. Verizon), make your kids use a phone that has no internet access (e.g. Gabb), or install a supervisory app on the cell phone that controls internet access regardless of which data source is being used. A great example of this last category is the Gryphon Homebound app. It creates a VPN on the cellphone that sends all data (internet) traffic back to your Gryphon router at home for filtering. In this way the settings you apply to your home router will also apply to your child’s cell phone. Pretty handy!
when you disable data-does that make it difficult to use tracking apps when your child is not connected to wifi-such as when walking to school?
Hi Jess – I think the answer to this question will depend on the tracking app that is in use. In general, yes – a data connection (WiFi or cell) is required to keep track of a device. For example, if you are sharing your location with a friend via Google Maps, your friend will be able to track your location until your device loses its data connection. Or in the example of a child walking to school with an iPad that has only WiFi capabilities (no cell connection) you will not be able to see the iPad’s location until it is again connected to a WiFi network. Hope that helps!
Hi, Andrea and Tyler! This shows what a tech idiot I am, but what is the difference between the Guardian and the Tower, and which would you recommend? Also why would I need a three-pack?
Hi Rachel. The main differences between the Guardian and the Tower is the WiFi performance and price. The Tower offers faster WiFi and better range. It also costs more.
Multiple Gryphon routers can be used together to extend the WiFi coverage. So if you find that your WiFi signal is poor in areas far from your router, you can install multiple routers in different areas of the house to extend the WiFi signal coverage. The Guardian three-pack is a cost effective way to handle this situation. It’s also possible to use multiple Towers to extend range.
The Gryphon website has a great chart that lists the different WiFi ranges, speeds, and prices.
In our (small) house we have a single Tower that provides internet access to all our devices, and it has performed very well. Last year during distance learning we simultaneously had three kids connected to remote classes, and Andrea and I both working from home. The Gryphon didn’t skip a beat!
Have you had any issues with being able to filter on school-assigned devices? Our kids all have Chromebooks from school, so what we can access on settings, etc. is limited. However, they are connecting to our home WiFi for any use at home. It sounds like the Gryphon will filter whatever comes in to our home–like a whole house water filter; do I understand that correctly?
Hi Laura! The ability to filter content going to school-assigned devices is dependent on how the school has setup the device. For most people that I’ve spoken with (and in our own case) the school devices simply connect to our home WiFi, and are filtered by the Gryphon router just like everything else in the house. Just like a whole house water filter, yes.
In rare cases schools will require the devices to connect to the school’s VPN. If this is the case for you, the school devices will bypass your home filters.
Thank you, Tyler; that is helpful!!
Thank you-we have the Gryphon and love it-two issues we have had though-our childrens school devices cannot be managed for some reason and how would we be able to know if our oldest is using a VPN to circumnavigate the system?
Hi Jess – Glad to hear you are enjoying the Gryphon router! Most school devices are managed by the school and disable installing apps. This will prevent the use of Gryphon Homebound and complete control of the device. However, if the school device is connected through your Gryphon WiFi, then you will still have full control of that connection: you can schedule internet availability, block specific sites, etc. This includes the ability to prevent VPN connections. All of these settings are available in the user settings of the Gryphon app. The Gryphon app will also notify you when a user attempts to connect to a VPN. Hope that helps!
I have a specific use case I’d like to make sure of. YouTube is a primary concern for me, especially for one of my children. I would like to be able to block it on several specific devices (including an internet-connected TV) and then enable it upon request on certain of those devices for short periods of time. Is something like this easy to do?
Hi Derek – yes, it’s possible to block specific sites like YouTube. Sites can be blocked or allowed for individual users, and multiple devices can be assigned to any user. Site blocks can also be switched on and off with a schedule of your choice. Enabling a site that has been blocked on request will require removing any blocking or scheduling that you have put in place. So possible, but plan on 60 seconds to make the change.
Right now I’m using a modem from my internet provider that is rented to me for $12.99/month. If I purchase a Gryphon product, will I be able to get rid of the current modem? Or will I still have to rent the modem and add the Gryphon to it?
Thanks!
Hi Kim,
First a little background for clarity. A typical home internet setup has two pieces working together: a modem and a router. The modem’s job is to convert the incoming signal (cable, DSL, fiber, etc.) to Ethernet. The router’s job is to take that Ethernet connection and share it with all the devices in your house over wired Ethernet or WiFi. These two pieces are sometimes combined into a single device when rented from your internet provider.
The Gryphon is a router only, and will work with any modem that provides an Ethernet connection. In your case, you’ll need to continue renting the modem and use it with your Gryphon. Or if you want to eliminate your monthly rental fee you can buy a modem of your own.
If your modem is actually a combination modem/router, you can disable it’s router functionality and use it as a modem only, and then use the Gryphon as your home router.
Hope that helps!
Tyler
I am considering homebound, but need to be able to see where some of my kids are when on their cellphones. Would I still be able to do this with homebound? If they are using data? I’d love to have 1 app/provider do it all instead of having multiple to manage settings on for each child.
Hi Rebecca,
Homebound does not offer location monitoring, but you can do that with Apple’s Screen Time settings, or Google’s Family Link settings. I agree it would be nice to have one app to rule them all, but that’s not quite how it is right now. Until then we recommend using multiple apps to build a layered approach for your family’s protection.
How does this compare to Circle by Disney?
The Circle by Disney and Gryphon both perform network filtering and access control, but use different means to accomplish the task. The main difference is that the Circle is an appliance that is attached to your network through your router, while the Gryphon is the router itself. This give the Gryphon a number of advantages:
In summary, the Gryphon approach is a simpler, easier, and faster option. It’s been great in our home! Hope that helps.
I have a Gryphon router and have the users/devices partially set up. Is there an easy way to identify the devices in the Gryphon app. Some devices are easy to identify because they are listed as “thermostat” or “Alexa”. But many I can not identify because they are listed as long combinations of letters and numbers. Is is possible to use the IP address to identify them? I can’t seem to find my son’s iPad so that I can assign it to his user. (also, I’m shocked at how many devices we have the use the wi-fi!)
As you have found, many devices do not provide recognizable descriptions of themselves to the router and identifying them can be tricky. The best approach I’ve found is to power off all the unrecognized devices, and then switch them back on one at a time. With only one new device connected to the router you can then be confident of what it is, and rename it in the Gryphon app. Repeat this with all the other devices until everything that’s connected is clearly identified.
And yes, the number of connected devices can grow surprisingly quickly!