Connect your Circle Home Plus to your home Wi-Fi using the provided cable and plug it in to power it on. Circle Home Plus manages your home network Internet traffic through your router to monitor online screen time and content on all Wi-Fi connected devices, including: iOS and Android mobile devices can also be managed anywhere they go by installing the Circle app (set up as ‘kid device’) - including all cellular, data and Wi-Fi networks. Once connected, Circle Home Plus identifies devices on the network and allows you to assign them to your family’s profiles for management while connected. How does Target Circle work? It compares the data to the preferences you’ve set to decide whether or not the data should go through. A VPN hides a device’s activity from all outside sources, including the Circle device, and will prevent content filtering. To get started, download the Circle Parental Controls App so it can walk you through the installation. Read step by step instructions here. Learn more. Circle Home Plus actually uses the same methods that hackers use, specifically a technique called ARP spoofing. That includes computers, tablets, smart speaker assistants, smart TVs, IoT devices, gaming consoles, etc. We also like Circle Home Plus’s unique internet pause feature. Setting everything up for the Circle Home Plus does take a little bit of time, but the process is relatively painless. Circle’s basic features are very similar to the parental controls you can already access for free with most routers and streaming services, making the $129 price tag a little excessive. Connection Ports The back of the Circle Home Plus houses the charging and Ethernet ports. Circle Home Plus will immediately begin managing all devices connected to your home network. Circle Home Plus with Parental Controls. The Circle automatically recognizes all Wi-Fi enabled devices on your network and puts them into your list of devices. Can Circle manage offline games or other content? SafeWise is an independent review site. Learn more. What app should I use to set up Circle with Disney (1st gen)? Supports an unlimited number of devices. I have 3 options: 1) Netgear Orbi + built-in circle premium ($50/year) 2) Negear Orbi + 2nd Gen Circle Home Plus ($239 lifetime) 3) Other Router + Circle Home Plus ($239 lifetime). To learn more about how we test and review products at SafeWise, check out our full methodology. Circle can manage iOS and Android devices wherever they go. Download Circle Smart Parental Controls and not Circle with Disney. I appreciate the customer service from Circle, but that's not the solution that I want. With Circle, you can set bedtimes, view browsing history, set time limits, and reward your children by setting later bedtimes and longer time limits. Reliable web and time restrictions. Circle Home Plus (2nd generation) features several upgrades from Circle with Disney (1st generation): Once you have Circle Home Plus, download the Circle Parental Controls App from the iOS App Store or Google Play Store to begin. Circle offers both the Circle Parental Control App that lets you manage just mobile devices ($80/year) or Circle Home Plus that manages mobile devices and all smart devices on your WiFi – whether a phone, tablet, TV, laptop, desktop, or gaming device (Circle Home Plus includes access to the app for 3 months, 1 year or unlimited depending on the package you buy). You can even require that SafeSearch is turned on for certain family members and their devices to ensure inappropriate material is filtered out when your kids search. The tricky thing is that the devices have unrecognizable names (example: Android-1, Motorola Device, Apple Device, etc.) In the Circle app once you've signed up for an account and logged in, choose the "App + Circle Home Plus" set up flow. Tactic 5: A kid disconnects the Circle device from the home network Circle Home Plus also informs you when your device becomes unplugged from the Ethernet cable or removed from your home’s Wi-Fi so you can address the issue immediately. Circle also uses an old wireless protocol (802.11n), which also hurts your internet speed. What is the difference … The majority of the negative Circle Home app reviews on the Google Play Store complain that it's hard to identify devices by BSSID (the Wi-Fi equivalent of a MAC address). Use Circle’s Unmanaged filter setting to free up certain sites and apps, like school-related ones, to allow them even during Off Time, so class can continue uninterrupted. So to be clear, it is not a router, but a complementary device that specifically acts as an “information guardian,” providing insight into every single device that’s on the same network. Usage gives you a view of all Internet activity by day, week, and month, by category, app, and site. The Best for Parental Control Apps and Devices That Work with an Existing Router. All of the Circles' features, for every member of the family. The Circle App, on its own, can manage Android and iOS smartphones and tablets anywhere they go, on any data or Wi-Fi network. How does Circle Home Plus compare to Circle with Disney? Circle Home Plus (2nd Gen) - Smart Parental Controls for Internet and Mobile Devices. Does Circle show what websites are visited? You can also check out Get Started for a detailed walkthrough to setting up your Circle Home Plus. The customization features were great to set up different settings for my 6-year-old versus my 9-year-old. Circle subscriptions include access to all premium features, regularly $9.99/month or $79.99/year (USD). This allows the Circle device to receive traffic … Yes. See the full list of compatible routers on Circle’s Support page. The Circle Home Plus was very easy to set up and easy to use, once I downloaded the right app. Connection Ports The back of the Circle Home Plus houses the charging and Ethernet ports. Premium features include Time Limits, Bedtime, Off Time, Pause the Internet®, Location, and Rewards. Featuring new shows, unforgettable live performances, and classic TV favorites. Do more with Circle Premium. Detects and implements restrictions for devices on the network quickly. Through an app, it grants you God-like control over your kids' mobile devices even when they're out and about. You can also set up Custom Filters for any sites not automatically managed by Circle’s default settings. The additional device adds an extra “hop” for all of your network traffic. 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