Parents Can Use the Gryphon Wi-Fi Router to Protect and Monitor Their Kids' Screentime
The device comes with plenty of control options for parents.
For parents concerned with monitoring and limiting their kids’ screentime, one of the easiest solutions (though not the cheapest) is to turn to technology to create limits that can be enforced even when they aren’t in the same room as the kids.
As Fatherly reported, the Gryphon router is a powerful option for parents, allowing them to set a variety of limits for their kids via a smartphone app.
The Gryphon isn’t an add-on for an existing Wi-Fi network - it’s a replacement for the current router. It offers a smart mesh Wi-Fi system that’s designed to provide internet access to a 3,000 square foot area (additional devices can be purchased to extend the range). Once parents download the Gryphon’s associated smartphone app, they can create profiles for everyone in the house, with separate limits for each.
The Gryphon app lets parents set bedtime and homework times, block websites, pause the internet (for instance, during dinner), view their kids’ browsing history, hide inappropriate search engine results, and respond to any website and bedtime “extension” requests their little ones may make. In the future, parents will also be able to block their kids' access to Fortnite, the popular multiplayer game that's taken the world by storm.
The device also offers a free year of “network protection,” which, in part, blocks ransomware, malware, and “intrusions” from accessing the network. Once the year is over, this network protection costs $9.99 per month, though subscribing is optional.
The Gryphon has a list price of $249.99, but it’s currently going for $219.99 on Amazon. If that price causes sticker shock, keep in mind powerful routers without parental control features can easily cost more than $200, so this price is right in line with those.
If you’re looking for something a bit more affordable, Disney’s Circle is a cheaper device ($99) that pairs with your home’s Wi-Fi network, and will let you set time limits on electronic devices like laptops, smartphones, and tablets.
However, as Fatherly pointed out, the Gryphon has an extra advantage over devices like the Circle, as kids can’t simply unplug the Gryphon to get around the controls. If they do, the internet goes out, too.
Dan Whitehead started playing video games in the 1980s, with the text adventure Hunt the Wumpus. He's been writing professionally about them since 1991 and has worked on games related projects for organizations such as Guinness World Records and BAFTA. He has two children, now aged 15 and 11, and is a passionate advocate for good quality games designed for kids.
