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If you're looking for an easy-to-use family filter Net Nanny is among the easiest; however, it lacks a software keylogger, which significantly reduces its usefulness as child monitoring software.
Without a keylogger, we feel it really only provides the kind of computer monitoring appropriate for smaller kids, or for parents who feel they don't need to see who their child is talking to online or what they're typing once they get to a website.
Frankly, a keylogger is so important to computer monitoring, its absence is a huge oversight--even more so than remote monitoring (which Net Nanny has).
While Net Nanny has built its reputation as an excellent family filter, it takes a lot more than good branding to make the best overall parental control software.
That said, Net Nanny's filtering really
is excellent and now includes "Dynamic Contextual Analysis" to filter pages in realtime plus a unique video game content restriction feature that uses the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB)'s ratings to block access to certain content.
So while we think that NetNanny has a lot of things going for it, its lack of keylogger software is a glaring omission we can't overlook.
Hopefully, Content Protect, makers of Net Nanny, will consider adding keylogging functionality in a future version.
$39.99
Net Nanny Parental Control Software Overview:
| Net Nanny Parental Control Software Pros: |
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Website Monitoring / Blocking
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| Website Monitoring |
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| URL Based Website Blocking |
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| Content / Category Based Website Blocking |
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| Website Whitelisting |
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| Social Media Monitoring |
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| Search History Monitoring |
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Chat / IM & Email Monitoring
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| Chat/IM Recording |
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Other Features
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| Program Activity Monitoring |
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| Application Stealth/Invisibility1 |
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| Remote Monitoring |
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| Less Expensive than Some Competitors |
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| Net Nanny Parental Control Software Cons: |
| Software Keylogger |
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| Automatic Screenshots |
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| Enforce Program Time Limits2 |
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| Email Recording |
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| Email Attachment Recording |
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1Net Nanny's stealth / invisibility is marginal.
2Time Limits apply to all programs per user/login, and cannot be controlled per-program.
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Net Nanny Software Features Review:
Website Blocking
Among the first features that most parents who're considering parental control software look at is website blocking, which is one of the things Net Nanny does best.
Net Nanny built its reputation years ago on its ability to help protect kids from being exposed to porn and other undesirable pictures and websites.
Their commitment to helping parents keep this type of content off their kids PC continues to this day and has only gotten better with each release.
"Dynamic Contextual Analysis" is Net Nanny's answer to blacklisting websites, so many parents will find it unnecessary to make a list of websites they'd like blocked.
As Net Nanny puts it on their own website,
[It's] just a fancy way of saying that even if a website is brand new [Net Nanny] can look at the contents of the website and determine if it is okay or not based on your custom settings.
This makes for a significantly easier management experience than some competitors which rely entirely on after-the-fact blocking like
Spector Pro and
eBlaster do.
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Website Monitoring
For most parents perhaps the single most important feature of parental control software is website monitoring.
Parents want to know where their sons and daughters are going online.
For many families website monitoring
is parental controls.
Rest assured, Net Nanny will keep tabs on what sites your kid visits whenever they log online.
However, since screenshots aren't offered, parents still have to verify actual URLs to make sure that the sites visited are, or are not, acceptable.
This is an extra step that many parents don't have the time or energy to take, and a spot where we feel Net Nanny could stand some improvement.
Social Media Website Monitoring
Here is one area where Net Nanny has kept up with the needs of parents, regardless of how old their kids might be.
Net Nanny allows parents to monitor their child's social networking pages, including details like friends' lists, photos, personal descriptions and more.
This way parents can make sure that their kids aren't posting anything inappropriate online.
And though kids often find useful and creative ways to express themselves on social networking sites, such spaces are also popular with cyber bullies and predators, making it particularly important for all parents to monitor social networking sites on a regular basis.
Search Engine / Search History Monitoring
Many parents want to monitor their child's search history or search engine use to uncover what it is that their kids are looking for online.
Older kids are often smart enough to erase their search history, making it harder for parents to know what they're really up to when they go online.
Unfortunately Net Nanny doesn't offer search history monitoring, something we hope they'll remedy for next year's parental control software suite.
Records Instant Messages (IM/Chat)
Among the top concerns of parents is who their kid are talking with online.
Is "Kim" really a 13 year old girl from the next town over? Or is it really an Internet predator attempting to prey on your child?
Any parental control software that lacks this tool is hardly worth consideration in our view.
In the case of Net Nanny, they've improved on their older, already respectable Instant Message/Chat monitor in this version.
Their Instant Message monitor is really good: it monitors the content of instant messages, and sends parents instant alerts via email about potential predators,
bullies, and more.
IM conversations are displayed in an easy-to-use, easy-to read interface where both sides of all conversations are recorded for your review.
These alerts can even be sent to your cell phone, for parents on the go.
This is a good idea - moms and dads often struggle to catch their kids of any age engaging in inappropriate or dangerous behaviors online.
With Instant Message monitoring parents can keep a close eye on at least one arena that is popular with kids, and yet notoriously difficult to monitor.
Records Email and Attachments
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Considering that Net Nanny records Instant Messages so well and does a great job with both website monitoring and website blocking, we were surprised to
see that there's still no function for recording emails and their attachments.
Many parents want to make sure that the emails their kids are sending and receiving are appropriate, and that the people they are emailing to and receiving
from are safe.
Net Nanny could use work here to make it a more complete parental control and Internet monitoring tool, and we hope that they'll tackle email recording for
next year's program.
Invisible Keylogger
The invisible keylogger is a parental control software tool that's often underappreciated -- until parents find out how useful it can be.
An invisible keylogger records every key typed on the PC in question, which means that parents can see a whole host of things missed by other monitoring tools.
Among other things, keyloggers can capture the usernames and passwords kids use to access inappropriate sites or purchase materials.
A key logger can even record documents that are typed and then deleted (or never saved to begin with), such as a Word document that gets printed out or
emailed to someone but then erased to hide it from mom and dad.
A key logger can also pick up what your kids type into various websites once they get there. (That they went to MySpace is one thing; what they did when they got there
may be another.)
Regrettably, Net Nanny doesn't perform any sort of key logging other than what's already provided in other components like their chat recording tool.
Given that there's so much more to computer and Internet use than just chatting or web surfing, this is a significant oversight.
Real-Time Screenshots
Screenshots allow parents to actually see the websites their kids are looking at online.
Many competing programs allow parents to play screenshots back like a mini-movie.
Spector Pro in particular does a great job with this.
Screen capture makes it quick and easy to see just what you're kids are up to and to make sure they aren't looking at dangerous materials.
Just as it doesn't include a key logger, Net Nanny's parental control software doesn't include real-time screenshots.
This is too bad, since parents will need to physically verify the URLs of suspicious websites themselves and can only get part of the picture of what their kids are
going at the computer and online.
Set Computer Usage Limits
In many households, kids are allowed to use the computer or the Internet only during certain hours and/or on certain days. In other households, kids are allowed to use
the Internet anytime they want, as long its for school but can only play games at certain times.
Net Nanny allows parents to set computer time limits, and to set limits on gaming as well.
This way kids can't surf the net when parents aren't looking and can't play games when they should be doing homework or using the Internet for more constructive means.
Parents can also select periods of time when the Internet cannot be accessed at all, which is great when kids have computers in their own rooms, or can access them
at any time.
What it cannot do is allow or block access on a program-by-program basis (as
WebWatcher can) as some parents may wish to do. (Using the Internet is fine, but using chat software
isn't, for instance.)
Remote Monitoring
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This is a feature that we feel is important for all parents to have, so we were pleased to see it offered by Net Nanny.
Remote monitoring means that parents don't need to be at the same computer, in the same room, or even in the same state as their child to review their Internet use.
This is a really great tool for working parents, and those who are just too busy to be skulking around behind their kid all day long.
With Net Nanny's remote management tools, parents can check on their kids' Internet use from anywhere and can update settings from anywhere, too.
While it isn't as complete as the best-of-class remote monitoring in
WebWatcher, it's still great to see this feature is a part of Net Nanny.
Invisibility/Stealth
Invisibility and stealth are something not all parents may need, but it's good to be able to have the choice.
If a parent wants to keep an eye on their son or daughter and wants to be discreet about it, software with robust stealth and Invisibility is a must
Tech Support
Two of the most common questions we get about the programs we use are: is it easy to use and how well does the company support their software.
Net Nanny does well on both of these questions. In addition to being easy to install and use, the company is known for backing up their software with good, competent
technicians if you need their help.
They're their to support you in every way imaginable, offering technical support via email, phone, or snail mail to all customers.
They also feature a "user forum" and "knowledge base" to help parents with more common problems.
Unlike some competitor's knowledge bases, Net Nanny's proved useful, even providing answers to quite a few less common questions.
We think this approach is smart and wish more manufacturers would take similar approaches, as it allows many consumers to find answers for themselves.
Net Nanny Review Conclusion
While overall we're very fond of Net Nanny, there are still areas that need improvement--mainly in the form of features that need to be added--for it to be considered
a complete parental control program.
Net Nanny
is great as a family filter, easily blocking undesirable content from being seen, and it does have remote management, a major plus; however, other
than chat/IM monitoring, game blocking, and time controls, there are far fewer other features compared to the competition.
First, Net Nanny doesn't offer screenshots of visited websites. This means that for sites that kids have visited--which may or may not appear acceptable by the
name alone--parents have to actually take a look themselves to decide whether or not to block them.
And most parents are just too busy for this.
Net Nanny also doesn't offer a keylogger, another important feature that helps parents monitor their child's computer use.
A keylogger allows you to see everything that is typed on the PC in question--useful when you need the usernames and passwords kids use to log in to inappropriate sites or to purchase unapproved materials.
Keyloggers also show parents what kids are typing offline, like Word documents that are printed or sent to someone else and then deleted (or never even saved to begin with.)
As for being invisible, Net Nanny does offer a stealth mode, but it isn't completely invisible, especially to older and more computer savvy kids. Other products like
Spector Pro, eBlaster, and WebWatcher go much, much further to stay invisible and hidden from view.)
And kids who know they're being watched aren't going to show you what they're really doing online.
Finally, Net Nanny doesn't offer email monitoring. This one is a pretty big surprise, since email is right up there with Instant Messaging when it comes to
parental control software needs.
Net Nanny captures Instant Messaging so well, why not provide parents the same kind of parental control for emails? We don't know why they haven't added it yet,
but we're hoping they will next year.
So overall, we feel Net Nanny is decent parental control software for parents primarily of younger kids who aren't able to outsmart the software just yet.
For parents who need to keep an eye on more precocious kids, or older teens, they'll need complete invisibility, screenshots, a keylogger, in addition to the features
in Net Nanny.
For those parents, we suggest
WebWatcher or
Spector Pro, but otherwise Net Nanny is still a useful tool for concerned parents who want to protect their children when they log-on to the Internet.
| #6 Net Nanny Parental Controls |
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Parental Controls
