As the world of the internet is growing at an alarming pace, the risks of being online are growing too. Behind every single screen, lies risks that can steal your personal information. Almost every website is full of malware, spyware, and anti-viruses. To help you stay secure from this, you can use the best WiFi routers with parental controls.
These are the best routers with parental control that makes sure that your family is using an internet service that is secured in any way. As more and more people are working and studying from home, staying secured from risks online is tougher. We have chosen the best WiFi routers with parental controls 2021 on factors such as internet applications that allow you to set up internet, great speeds, parental controls, quality of service, and built-in anti-virus. If you’re thinking can i put parental controls on my router? Then you can just get best router with parental controls. Here is our pick for the best WiFi routers with parental controls 2021.
Top WiFi Routers With Parental Controls
1. TP-Link Archer AX50
The TP-Link Archer comes equipped with HomeCare. HomeCare is a service powered by Trend Micro that offers easy parental controls, quality of service enhancements, anti-virus protection, etc. HomeCare is included with several TP-Link routers, router such as AX50 also comes with HomeCare service. The router is also integrated with Alexa. Make sure that you don’t accidentally purchase AX3000 as both the routers have almost the same specs.
The HomeCare service allows you to set up a profile for each family member and the devices they use on the home internet connection. If you don’t have the time to set up profiles yourself then you can use the presets of the app like a child, pre-teen, teen, and adult, whatever preset you will choose it will load a set of filters. You can also customize each profile to block more categories of the content like gambling, gaming, and adult content.
| Pros: | Cons: |
| Anti-virus and parental controls included | Only dual-band connectivity |
| Speeds good enough for the whole family | Fairly expensive |
| Four Ethernet ports included in the router | |
| Integrated with Alexa |
2. ASUS RT-AC66U
The ASUS RT-AC66U isn’t exactly the fastest router in 2021, but it offers an AC1750 WiFi 5 connection which offers 2.4GHz with 450Mbps speed and 1,300Mbps at 5GHz. That much speed is more than ideal for families with medium to heavy multimedia usage. You get 4 gigabit Ethernet ports on the back, 1 USB 3.0 port which makes it easier for you to connect your wired devices.
A lot of ASUS routers are compatible with its AiProtection software which is also powered by Trend Micro. It comes with great parental control features that can help parents in keeping an eye out for the kind of content their kids are accessing. You can set up profiles for each family member and devices where you can block content like adult, illegal, violent, and gambling. The setup is easy and allows you to make sure that your child doesn’t get into any kind of trouble. These features make it one of the best WiFi router with parental controls and one of the best ASUS router for parental controls.
| Pros: | Cons: |
| Free AiProtection | Only dual-band connectivity |
| Four Ethernet ports | Design is outdated |
| AiMesh support | Not the best speeds |
| AC1750 WiFi offers good enough speeds for most people | No WiFi 6 connectivity |
3. ASUS RT-AX56U
ASUS has been making great inventions in the tech world for a long time. The ASUS was also the one to release consumer WiFI 6 devices and has managed to offer AiProtection to all its routers even the older WiFi5 routers. As for the RT-AX56U, it’s an entry level WiFi 6 router and it comes at a fairly low price. It offers dual-band speeds, with WiFi 6 devices these speeds can break down into 574Mbps at 2.4GHz and 1201Mbps at 5GHz. You can even expand the range of the router using AiMesh technology from ASUS. It offers a lot of features which makes it one of the best WiFi router with parental controls 2021.
ASUS includes AiProtection software with most of its routers. You can set up profiles for all the members of your family and devices connected to the internet. Parents can even schedule internet turn on and turn off time or block keywords like Adult, gaming, illegal, and violence. You also get an in-built anti-virus from Trend Micro that helps you save your devices from malware, spyware, and viruses online.
| Pros: | Cons: |
| WiFi 6 technology for future-proofing | Only dual-band connectivity |
| Four Ethernet ports | Expensive router compared to old WiFi 5 routers. |
| Free AiProtection | |
| AiMesh Support |
4. Google Nest WiFi Router
Nest WiFi is the latest generation of WiFi routers from Google. The routers also make use of Google’s consistent software updates and mesh extension. AC2200 dual-band speeds on the base router will be fast enough for most users and it can cover 2200 sq feet. Most people may not know it, but it definitely is one of the best parental controls WiFi routers.
With Google Nest WiFi parental controls, you can set up a family profile and use content filters with the Google SafeSearch feature. While it lacks a certain degree of flexibility in comparison with other parental control services, it will help in blocking most of the adult sites from your selected device. Before purchasing the Google Nest WiFi router, you should keep the fact in mind that you won’t get to customize what you want to see and what you don’t. Google nest WiFi parental controls aren’t as sophisticated as you would want them to be, but they do a good enough job.
| Pros: | Cons: |
| Regular updates from Google | No WiFi 6 technology |
| Google Assistant compatible | Mesh points are slower than other routers |
| Expand with other Nest and Google WiFi Nodes | No in-built antivirus |
| Site blocking using Google SafeSearch |
5. Netgear Nighthawk R8000
The Nighthawk line of routers is associated with powerful routers that offer great speeds and high-quality connections for gamers. The AC3200 equipped R8000 offers a tri-band connection that works on dual-band 5GHz devices. It is capable of delivering speeds up to 600Mbps on 2.4GHz and 1300Mbps on both 5GHz bands. With speeds like this, you will be able to use almost any activity all thanks to the Nighthawk’s Dynamic QoS. Netgear routers with parental controls tend to offer great results if you’re looking to secure your internet browsing.
It is without a doubt one of the best parental control WiFi routers, and gaming isn’t the first concern for most people while looking for a parental control router. Circle Smart Parental Controls make it easier for most people to take control of their network usage. All you have to do is download the Android or the iOS app and you can open it while connected to your Netgear router. The setup process is incredibly simple and it will be able to set up a profile for each family member.
Circle app also has a premium version that you will be asked to buy, while it does includes some nice extras the free versions will be more than enough for most families. There aren’t much Netgear routers with parental controls that you can get to browse securely.
| Pros: | Cons: |
| Fast AC3200 speeds | A large device with 6 external antennas |
| Tri-Band WiFi supports more devices | Netgear armor add-on costs $70 per year |
| Four Ethernet ports | Circle Premium plan costs extra |
| Circle smart parental control is also included in the router |
Final Word: Best Parental Control Routers
Nearly any router you buy from a reputed brand will come with some sort of parental controls but for most routers, these parental controls won’t come with customizing features. Also, don’t forget that most operating systems on devices these days also contain some sort of parental control capabilities. So you don’t have to ask yourself “can I put parental controls on my router?” Fortunately for you, the routers we have listed are some of the best wireless routers with parental controls. Hopefully this article will answer your question “what is the best router with parental controls”?